“A harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.” — James 3:18, NRSVUE
I was in a meeting yesterday when someone read a quotation often attributed to Winston Churchill: “You can always count on Americans to do the right thing—after they’ve tried everything else.”
We laughed. Hearing those words the day after an extraordinary midterm election felt wonderfully appropriate.
Many of us in the US are still absorbing the scale of Tuesday’s results. Democrats have won control of Congress, and voters in several states that usually vote Republican delivered unexpected victories. These results have changed the political landscape and sent a clear message of dissatisfaction with President Trump’s administration.
For those of us worried about where our country was headed, there is a lot to celebrate. Millions of people took part in the democratic process, and their votes have opened up new chances for accountability and checks on executive power.
Still, I notice that people are finding it hard to relax. Even as we celebrate, many people are wondering how the administration will react. We remember the attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and the violence on January 6. We’ve seen political opponents threatened and public servants intimidated. So, it’s understandable to be concerned about what could happen in the next few weeks.
Yesterday, I turned on Fox News to see how they were covering the election. During one conversation, a representative from Florida suggested the country was heading toward civil war. What bothered me almost as much as the prediction was that the host didn’t really challenge it.
I started thinking about how much money is made by keeping people scared. Fear grabs attention, outrage keeps audiences watching, and predictions of disaster can even become a kind of entertainment. But when people with big platforms talk casually about civil war, their words can change how listeners see their neighbors and picture the future.
In the third chapter of his letter in the Christian New Testament, James compares the human tongue to a small flame that can set a whole forest on fire. He understood the destructive power of language. A rumor can turn into a grievance. A grievance can turn into resentment. And resentment, if encouraged, can become permission to harm.
James also gives us another idea of how people can live together. He writes that wisdom is peaceful, gentle, willing to listen, full of mercy, and able to produce good results. Then he shares an image I find especially beautiful: a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
I’ve been meditating on that image because the stories we tell ourselves about the future strongly shape the actions we take in the present.
If we start to believe that violence is unavoidable, we begin to see our neighbors as possible enemies. If we think every political disagreement will end badly, we lose our willingness to listen or compromise. If we give up on our institutions, we might stop doing the things that could help fix them. And when we rehearse our worst fears often enough, we may begin to mistake them for certainty, allowing imagined dangers to shape our decisions as powerfully as real ones. Over time, we risk helping to create the very future we most desperately hope to avoid.
I don’t want us to ignore the dangers around us. Political violence is real, and we’ve seen the terrible cost of ignoring warning signs. People who are threatened deserve protection. Leaders who abuse their power must be held accountable. We need to pay attention to what is really happening.
But we also need to remember that the future isn’t set. I want us to picture a country/world where elections are respected, political disagreements are settled without threats, and public officials know they are responsible to everyone they serve. I want us to expect professionalism from those in power, teamwork where we can find common ground, and accountability when people break the public trust. These expectations might seem old-fashioned in today’s political climate. But I worry about what happens if we stop expecting them at all.
Religious communities have a special responsibility here. We help shape how people think about right and wrong. We can teach them to fear their neighbors, hold onto old resentments, and see every disagreement as a battle between good and evil. Or we can help them stay brave, compassionate, and committed to the hard work of living together.
We can ask for justice without seeking revenge. We can talk honestly about wrongdoing while holding onto our own humanity. We can celebrate an election without wishing harm on those who are disappointed by the results.
I don’t know how the administration will ultimately react to Tuesday’s results in the longer term. We’ll need to pay close attention, speak honestly, and respond to what really happens instead of what we fear might happen. But I refuse to believe that violence has to be the next chapter in our national story.
James reminds us that peace is something we plant. It grows through the words we use, the relationships we care for, and the courage we show in tough times.
We are living in fragile and uncertain times. I hope that compassion, kindness, collaboration, creativity, and calm will win out. I hope our institutions will earn the trust we’ve placed in them, and that our leaders will remember the dignity of everyone they serve.
Most of all, I hope we will tell stories about the future that help us become the people who can make it happen. The election has reminded us that change can happen.
Now we have to decide what kind of future we are willing to imagine together.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
What stories are you hearing about the future of your community or country? How are those stories shaping your emotions, your relationships, and your sense of what is possible?
James warns that words can set entire communities aflame. Where have you witnessed language escalating fear or hostility, and where have you seen words create the possibility of peace?
How can you remain attentive to genuine threats while resisting the temptation to assume that the worst possible outcome is inevitable?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer to Sow in Us the Seeds of Peace
Holy One, whose wisdom speaks beneath the clamor of fearful voices and angry hearts, Steady us in these uncertain days. Where suspicion has taken root, sow the seeds of understanding. Where resentment burns, bring the cooling waters of mercy. Where power is used to threaten, raise up courage and truth. Guard us from the easy language of enemies. Keep our voices from becoming weapons and our fears from becoming prophecies. Give wisdom to those entrusted with leadership, restraint to those who wield power, protection to those who are vulnerable, and strength to all who labor for justice. May our words make room for peace, our actions cultivate trust, and our lives bear witness to the future we long to see. Amen.
Spiritual Practice: Rewrite the Story
Today, notice one frightening prediction about the future that you have encountered in a conversation, news report, or social media post. It might concern politics, conflict, the environment, or the well-being of your community.
Write it down as accurately as you can. Then ask yourself whether it describes something that has happened, something supported by evidence, or something someone fears might happen.
Now write a second version of the story. This time, imagine the most constructive, realistic response that people could make. Include the courage, cooperation, accountability, or compassion that would be necessary to move toward a better outcome.
Read both versions. Notice how each shapes your understanding of what you can do.
Choose one action that would help make the more hopeful story possible. It might involve a conversation, an act of solidarity, support for someone working to protect the common good, or a decision to share reliable information rather than an alarming rumor.
We cannot control everything that happens next. But we can take responsibility for the stories we strengthen through our words and actions.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
My team and I launched a new experiment we are calling “The Commons.” It’s an online space centered around communities of practice: groups of people who share a common concern, set of problems, or passion for a topic, and deepen their knowledge and expertise by interacting on an ongoing basis. Join the community here.
November 10, 2026 - 12:30 - 1:30pm ET - ONLINE BOOK CLUB - I am hosting a book club where we are reading Fr. Gregory Boyle’s “Cherished Belonging: The Healing Power of Love in Divided Times.” Father Gregory Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries, has spent decades building community among people whom society has often discarded. In Cherished Belonging, he draws on those relationships and stories to explore what might happen if we stopped sorting people into categories of worthy and unworthy, us and them. Don’t worry if you don’t have time to read the book. We always have incredibly rich conversations. All are welcome. Learn more here.
November 10, 7-8:30pm ET - I’ll be joined by theologian, writer, and professor Dr. Debra Rienstra for a special ONLINE conversation on Refugia Faith. In ecology, refugia are small places where life survives amid disruption, pockets of resilience from which life can eventually regenerate and spread. Debra invites us to consider what this might mean spiritually in an age of climate instability, political turmoil, institutional decline, and profound uncertainty. What if our congregations, communities, relationships, and even our own lives could become refugia, places where courage, compassion, beauty, wisdom, and possibility are protected and cultivated for whatever comes next? I hope you’ll join us for this timely and deeply hopeful conversation. REGISTER HERE!
November 20, 2026, 7-8:45pm ET - I will be joining Jackie Sussman for an online session on practicing eidetics as part of our “Reclaiming the Power of Imagination” monthly series. Eidetic Imagery is a powerful tool for pastors, denominational leaders, coaches, and spiritual directors working with others, and for individuals seeking deeper integration and healing in their own lives. Jackie is a psychotherapist, author, and leading expert in Eidetic Image Psychology, and has spent over forty years helping leaders and individuals unlock creativity, uncover hidden strengths, and move through limiting patterns. During this session, she will lead a live Eidetic process shaped by mythic imagery, offering a direct experience of the work. REGISTER HERE.
December 1, 2026 - 7-8:30pm ET, ONLINE EVENT - Theologian Matthew Fox and I are teaming up again in a series called Journeying with the Mystics. The mystics have always emerged in times of uncertainty. They appear when old certainties are crumbling, when institutions no longer provide easy answers, and when people find themselves longing for a deeper experience of the Sacred. Join us for a 24-session exploration of the teachings of St. John of the Cross, Thomas Merton, Hildegard of Bingen, Kabir and Rumi, Meister Eckhart and more. This is more than a lecture series. It is an invitation into a living spiritual journey. Learn more and REGISTER HERE!
December 5, 2026 - A Way in the Wilderness: An Online Advent Silent Retreat, 9:00 a.m.–4 p.m. ET - I’m delighted to be leading a special Advent retreat with my friends at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation. A Way in the Wilderness is an invitation to step away from the noise and demands of daily life and enter a spacious day of contemplative prayer, sacred reading, Sabbath rest, and silence. Together, we’ll explore the biblical wilderness as a place where new possibilities emerge and discover the peace that comes from recognizing the Sacred’s presence even in uncertain times. There is nothing to accomplish and no experience to manufacture. Just an opportunity to rest, listen, and remember that we do not travel through the wilderness alone. LEARN MORE.
December 8, 2026, 7-8:00pm ET - The holidays can be especially tender when we are carrying grief. Whether we are mourning someone we love, navigating changes in our health or relationships, or grieving the uncertainty of the world around us, this season can bring losses both old and new to the surface. Join us on The Commons for a special one-hour online gathering led by my friend Joy Gaertner, an Advanced Loss & Grief Recovery Specialist. Together, we will create a welcoming space to acknowledge our losses, honor what we carry through meaningful rituals of remembrance, and discover sources of hope for the season ahead. This will be a gentle evening of connection and care, with room for whatever grief you may be holding. The gathering is donation-based, and all are welcome. LEARN MORE.
December 15, 7-8:30pm ET - FREE WEBINAR - I will be joined by Dr. Charissa Mikoski, Assistant Professor of Research and Hartford Institute for Religion Research for a presentation on “The State of American Congregations: What the Latest Data Tell Us.” This webinar explores findings from the 2025 Faith Communities Today survey, including changes in worship attendance, congregational vitality, finances, volunteering, programming, and leadership. It will also examine what more than 24,000 individual attenders tell us about participation and their experiences of congregational life. Together, these findings offer a picture that is neither simply one of decline nor one of revival, but of significant change and uneven recovery. REGISTER HERE.
Fun Things My Friends Are Up To…
I get to work with such amazing, creative people. This section is my way of celebrating them—no paid promotions, just joy in what they’re creating.
Every Monday, 12pm ET - ONLINE WRITING GROUP - My dear friend, Meryl Marshall-Daniels, is leading a writing group open to all. This is a simple and spacious writing circle for people who want time to listen inwardly and put words on the page without overthinking, performing, or polishing. Meryl offers a prompt designed to invite reflection, imagination, and attunement to what is already alive within you. The practice honors writing as a way of listening, of letting images, memories, questions, and insights surface in their own time. Learn more here.
If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.
The win is monumental, however, the future is still precarious and America must be careful, strong but, careful…
The first step to a new reality is imagining it!
Thanks for your Practice suggestion today!