“Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the Lord your God who goes with you; God will not fail you or forsake you.” — Deuteronomy 31:6, NRSVUE
On September 23, 1957, nine Black teenagers entered Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. This was not their first attempt. Earlier, on September 4, Governor Orval Faubus had sent the National Guard to block their entry, even though a federal court had ordered the school to integrate. After another judge told Faubus to stop interfering, the Guard left. Nineteen days after their first try, the students came back.1
They were really just kids. Carlotta Walls, the youngest, was only fourteen. Most of the others were fifteen or sixteen. It’s important to remember their ages, since history often turns real people into symbols. We call them the “Little Rock Nine,” but they saw themselves as teenagers who got dressed, left their families, and walked toward a school where people hated them simply because they were Black.2
Over a thousand white protesters gathered outside Central High. Police and state troopers got the nine students inside through a side door. For the first time, they attended classes with white students. The crowd outside grew more threatening, and three journalists were attacked. Inside, rumors spread about what might happen at lunchtime.
After three and a half hours, school officials and police realized they couldn’t keep the students safe any longer. They hurried them out a side door, put them in police cars, and drove them away. The students had made it inside, but then they were forced to leave.
Many people I know feel discouraged right now. In the United States, political and legal battles are bringing back questions that many thought were settled, like civil rights, voting access, immigration, the independence of institutions, environmental protection, and presidential power. Courts are often asked to decide how far federal actions can go. The current majority on the Supreme Court seems to be toying with the very need for a constitution.
No matter your politics, times of fast change in institutions can feel very unstable. For those who think certain rights or protections are being lost, it can seem like watching doors close that earlier generations worked hard to open.
This is why September 23 stands out to me more than September 25. We know things the Little Rock Nine could not have known when police took them away from Central High that afternoon.
The next day, President Eisenhower put the Arkansas National Guard under federal control and sent troops from the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock. He told the country, “mob rule cannot be allowed to override the decisions of our courts.” On September 25, soldiers walked the nine students through Central High’s front doors for their first full day of classes.
But on September 23, none of this had happened yet. There was no promise that Eisenhower would step in or that federal power would win. All the students had was the deep disappointment of crossing a line, only to be pushed back.
We often look at history in reverse, which can change how we see courage. Once we know the outcome, earlier struggles seem like just steps toward victory. We draw a straight line from Brown v. Board to Little Rock, then to the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, and it all seems almost certain.
People living through those times did not see a straight line. Progress often brought backlash. Courts made decisions that officials ignored. People gained rights, only to find that having a right on paper did not mean anyone would protect them when they tried to use it. The next year, Little Rock’s public high schools closed instead of integrating. It took many more years for the city’s schools to fully desegregate.
History does not change on its own. People change it, and sometimes it pushes back. We should remember this when we feel discouraged and worry that everything earlier generations achieved is being lost.
Backlash is real. It can ruin lives and institutions. Rights can be taken away. Laws can change. Progress can disappear. We should not fool ourselves into thinking that history always moves toward justice, because history never promised that.
But we should not mistake a setback for going back to the start. Something important happened on September 23. Nine Black teenagers entered Central High School.
The white mob outside could force the students out, but it could not erase what had happened. The students now knew the door could be crossed. The whole country had seen them do it. The gap between American ideals and what was happening in Little Rock was now clear for everyone. The next question was whether institutions and regular people would protect what had been started.
Maybe that is where courage shows up during hard times. We do not know how our story will end, and neither did they. We only know what has already been learned, imagined, built, and what doors others have already crossed.
Some of those doors might close again for a time. Our job is to remember where they are. When the time comes, we must walk through them again.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
Where are you feeling discouraged because something you believed was changing now seems to be moving backward?
What becomes possible when you stop requiring evidence that you will succeed before deciding to act courageously?
What door did someone before you struggle to open that you now have a responsibility to keep from closing?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer For When the Door Closes Again
Holy Mystery, Give us courage for the days when hard-won doors begin to close. Keep us from confusing setback with surrender, or uncertainty with defeat. Remember with us those who crossed thresholds before us, often frightened, often without knowing what would follow. When we lose ground, steady us. When institutions fail, strengthen those who still tell the truth. When fear tells us nothing has changed, help us remember what has already been made possible. Give us courage without guarantees and hope sturdy enough for the long work. And when a door closes again, help us remember where it is. Amen.
Spiritual Practice: Remember the Door
Think of one freedom, right, opportunity, or form of belonging in your life that someone before you did not have. Make it specific.
Perhaps you married someone earlier generations could not legally marry. Maybe you attended a school that once excluded people like you. Perhaps women in your family opened bank accounts, pursued careers, owned property, or exercised authority unavailable to their grandmothers. Maybe you worship in a congregation that once excluded people who now lead it.
Find out who opened that door.
Learn a name if you don’t know one. Read enough of the history to discover whether the change happened as cleanly as you have imagined. Look for the setbacks, failed attempts, backlash, court losses, organizing meetings, and ordinary people who kept going before success seemed likely.
Then ask yourself what it would mean to remember that history faithfully now. You don’t have to manufacture optimism. The Little Rock Nine did not possess optimism about September 25 while being driven away on September 23. They had crossed the threshold. Sometimes that is what courage leaves us: knowledge that a boundary once presented as permanent can be crossed. Carry that knowledge into whatever discourages you now.
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.
October 6, 2026 - 7-8:30pm ET, ONLINE EVENT - Matthew Fox and I are teaming up again to launch 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 an 18-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. REGISTER for the first session HERE!
October 15, 2026, 7-8:45pm ET - I will be joining Jackie Sussman for an online session on practicing eidetics as a 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.
October 18-21, 2026 - PREACH! 2026 Conference- I’ll be co-hosting PREACH in Minneapolis with Church Anew, a new gathering for preachers, storytellers, worship leaders, and spiritual communicators navigating what it means to speak with clarity, compassion, and courage in a changing world. If you’ve sensed that the preaching moment has changed and are longing for thoughtful community and renewed imagination for this work, I hope you’ll join us.
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. REGISTRATION COMING SOON!
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. REGISTRATION COMING SOON!
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.
My friend Kathy Coffey Solberg has just released Reweaving What Matters: Practical Tools for Workplace Transformation, a timely guide for leaders and communities navigating change. Using weaving as both metaphor and method, Kathy helps readers identify patterns that are no longer working and build healthier, more intentional ways forward. It’s especially useful for congregations, nonprofits, and other organizations facing deep transition. You can learn more and order the book here.
The Convergence Music Project has scheduled the fall conference on October 7-10, 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky. We will sing new community songs created specifically for this time in our history and explore together how the songs we sing in worship (and beyond) can empower and encourage us as we live out the biblical call to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God.” Learn more here.
Become more comfortable talking to others about creation care and more confident acting on solutions. Join Blessed Tomorrow + Faith Training on 9/26. Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/fBrgjj76QemIfWeSP2bJRQ
My dear friend, Rev. Shawna Bowman has just launched a new podcast with musician Jennifer Knapp called “My Wise Friend Podcast.” They talk about it this way: “You might know Jennifer from her years as a touring musician and songwriter, weaving stories and songs together across the country. You might know Shawna from their work as an artist, speaker, and community leader exploring the intersection of spirituality, justice, and creativity. While our daily work looks different, we share a deep love for real talk, deep questions, and finding wisdom in unexpected places.” I am so excited about this! I hope you will check it out and support them. https://www.patreon.com/cw/mywisefriendpodcast
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.
What an illuminating and inspiring post Rev T - I love it. You are so right; long after a period in history, where there has been a victory (particularly a humanitarian victory or cultural shift), we can only look at it backwards, from where we're standing, so our perspective says, "Of course it turned out OK".
This is such a reminder to me that there's real courage is in those tentative, early steps, where nothing is guaranteed and those halting steps feel like they've fallen flat. I will be talking to my daughters about the Little Rock Nine - what it must have felt like on the 23rd - before the victory. Thank you.