“Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it.” — Tao Te Ching, chapter 78
Last week, a photo made the rounds showing President Trump on Air Force One, looking at a large placard. Photographers could see the words “Kennedy Center DEMOLIS...” through the window, but the rest was hidden.
We don’t know who wrote the document or exactly what it said. The photo came out just hours after Trump suggested the Kennedy Center might be “ripped down.” A federal judge took this seriously and required the administration to give thirty days’ notice before moving toward demolition.1
Congress created the Kennedy Center as a living memorial to John F. Kennedy. President Trump and his supporters on the board tried to add his name to the building and grounds. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper decided that Congress meant the memorial for Kennedy, so the board could not honor Trump there without Congress’s approval. The answer was no.
A few hours later, Trump said the renovation would not move forward unless the naming issue was settled in his favor. He warned that without his involvement, the building could be “ripped down.” The board decided on a long closure. Kennedy Center officials said separately that structural problems and safety concerns justified a temporary shutdown.2 Opponents argue the closure is an attempt to get around the court’s order. Now, the court is considering these questions.
Then another institution pushed back. CNN, MS NOW, and Politico kept reporting stories the president did not like. Trump announced on Truth Social that they were banned from the White House, calling their reporting “fake news.”3 When reporters showed up the next day, they found their credentials deactivated or taken away. Trump said he did not have to let them into “the people’s house.”
Courts have set constitutional and procedural limits on excluding reporters from the White House based on their views. The affected organizations say they will challenge these bans too.
But there is more…
Last week, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time in three years, even though Trump kept asking for lower rates, because inflation is still above target.4 Iran-backed forces have attacked Saudi energy sites. Houthi forces have gained more control in Yemen and around the important Bab el-Mandeb, making things harder for Saudi Arabia and global shipping. The war with Iran, which started with huge American military strength, has now spread into complex networks and consequences that no one fully controls.
These stories are clearly not the same. An argument over an arts center is not the same as a regional war. A press pass is not an oil pipeline. But I wonder if we miss something by seeing them as separate events. They all show the limits of control.
We have a president who believes enough raw power can overcome any relationship. If an institution resists, dominate it. If journalists disagree, remove them. If another country says no, increase the pressure. If markets react badly, tell central bankers to change direction.
But reality is about relationships. Other people have their own choices. Institutions have histories and purposes that go beyond their current leaders. Economies react to millions of decisions. Military actions cause responses. Ecosystems respond to changes with consequences. A judge can say no. A journalist can keep reporting. An artist can refuse to perform. Power always meets other powers.
The Tao Te Ching often warns that trying to force the world leads to resistance, because reality cannot truly be owned. Water is a key image in Taoism because it does not try to control what it touches. Instead, it moves with the world, adjusting to its shape rather than forcing the world to fit it.
Today’s political power often values the dam more than the river. But in the end, the river has its say too.
There’s another reason the press story bothers me. Journalism helps a society make sure power does not become its own judge. Every government tells its own story. That’s normal. Independent journalism exists so others can look at the same facts and say, “That is not what I see.” That tension is meant to be uncomfortable. When those in power control both what happens and how it’s described, reality becomes whatever the authority says it is.
This is why a free press is more than just another group. It helps society see itself honestly. The same goes for courts, universities, artists, scientists, civil servants, and other independent institutions. They can tell those in power things they do not want to hear. These groups remind power that it is not unlimited.
Maybe this is what links the Kennedy Center, the White House press room, the Federal Reserve, and a growing war. They all show us a world that keeps responding. If we think of power as control, this can feel like failure.
But there is another way to see it. Boundaries hold information. Contradictions can reveal new things. A witness might notice what we miss. Resistance might show us that the world is bigger than the story we have told about it.
This is true for governments and for us as individuals. We all create stories where our intentions seem right. We all like people who agree with us. Sometimes, when someone disagrees, it feels more like betrayal than useful information.
Spiritual maturity might start when we can accept resistance without trying to get rid of it right away.
The world is not ours to force into obedience.
It is alive.
It answers back.
And sometimes the most important thing reality can tell us is no.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
When someone resists you or tells you no, what is your first instinct: curiosity, defensiveness, persuasion, withdrawal, or greater force?
Who in your life or work has enough independence to tell you something you genuinely do not want to hear?
Where might resistance in your life contain information that you have been too frustrated, frightened, or certain to receive?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer For When the World Answers Back
Holy Mystery, Teach us to listen when the world answers back. When a boundary stops us, give us curiosity before force. When another voice contradicts ours, keep us open enough to hear. When truth unsettles the story we have told about ourselves, give us courage to remain. Save us from confusing power with wisdom or obedience with peace. Make us more like water: strong enough to move, humble enough to receive the shape of what we encounter. And when reality tells us no, help us listen long enough to discover what the no may know. Amen.
Spiritual Practice: Change Your Vantage Point
Think of one “no” you have encountered recently. Don’t pick the most painful experience you’ve had. Instead, choose something everyday that you can look at with curiosity. It could be a coworker who didn’t like your idea, a friend who disagreed, a child who set a limit, an organization that moved slower than you hoped, or even your body telling you it needs a break.
Write down what you hoped would happen and what stood in your way.
Next, take five minutes to imagine the best reasons for the resistance. For now, try to see the “no” as if it has something to teach you.
Ask yourself: What might this person notice that you don’t? What is this organization trying to protect? What is your body telling you? What might you discover if you stopped pushing against the resistance and got curious about it instead?
You don’t have to agree with the “no.” Some boundaries are unfair, and some resistance keeps systems in place that should change.
The practice is simply to receive resistance as information before deciding what to do with it.
Power asks, “How do I overcome this?”
Wisdom asks, “What is this trying to tell me?”
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!
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.
https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/court-filing-cites-trump-comments-photo-reading-kennedy-center-demolished-2026-09-17/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/09/17/kennedy-center-fencing-trump-closed-repairs/b636b08c-b2b2-11f1-92c2-5c918f4a6127_story.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/white-house-media-ban-ms-now-politico-cnn-trump/
https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/monetary20260916a.htm
As much the Kennedy Centre, the war in Iran and journalism appear as individual items of control, they are not. They are just the same from a pathological narcissist and are getting worse, daily. America has not seen how far Trump will go, however, by November 3rd you will see much worse. There will need to be a revolution to take back America or what’s left of it. Trump and his Reich will not turn over power willingly.
Hi, Cameron! This article was fantastic! I especially enjoyed your Tao Te Ching reference. You’re 100% right about the gentler approach versus the way of force and domination. I’ve just written a book called “Jesus and Lao Tzu: The Way of Love.” It’s a Christian companion to the Tao Te Ching. I’d love to chat with you about it. Gregorytsmith.author@gmail.com. https://tinyurl.com/JesusLaoTzuSmith. Many blessings on your good work!