What Grounds You?
Overview: Episode 2
For The Porch Light series, L. Joy invites listeners to “leave the light on for democracy, for justice, and for each other.” She opens this episode by asking a personal and political question - ”what grounds you?” She frames “grounding” as both a spiritual practice and a civic discipline: faith that lives in public, leadership rooted in integrity - not optics, and community spaces that heal, belong, and organize. She is joined at the front of the class by Dr. Cassandra Gould to discuss faith in the public square.
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Lessons from the Porch
Faith that acts: Theology accountable to the oppressed is measured by material change.
Systems over symbols: Faces at the table don’t fix structures without reworking the rules.
Narrative power: Compete for the faith story in public; don’t cede the mic.
The porch as method: Safety, wisdom, belonging—and a launchpad for civic action.
Grounding, is personal and evolving. We evangelize most credibly by how we act.
Name what grounds you. Write it down and discuss it in community (family, friends, neighbors) — because an anchor only works if you throw it before the storm.