Steadfast doesn’t mean when it’s easy; the term has no meaning when things are working according to our own convenient interests. Steadfast means standing strong when it’s challenging, difficult and unnerving. Just as courage is not the absence of fear, rather it is taking action despite being fearful; so too is steadfast a decision.

Often when things are disconcerting, we retreat to the place where we are comfortable. However, steadfast is unwavering despite the obstacles and difficulties. When we don’t hold the words to comfort the grieved, yet we show up and sit quietly just to eliminate loneliness, that is a steadfast commitment. When we see adversity on the face of another, and we choose to engage with our time and comfort, that is a steadfast decision.

When CTH was formed, it was a small assembly of misfits who were not fearless, but brave enough to be comfortable within our discomfort; and we knew we had to look deeply at the issues which face us. We remind ourselves that ‘truth has no agenda‘ & truth exists despite our feelings of the subject matter. The core elements of CTH are based on this principle of remaining steadfast amid the face of adversity, national, political or even personal.

The CTH armory is insightful, wise and often purposeful, but this assembly is foremost a fellowship.  A steadfast decision to stand together and figure out how all of these intense subjects, issues and events interact, influence and ultimately impact our lives.

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Earlier today President Trump drew attention to an unofficial January 6, 2021, assembly of We The People planning to attend Washington DC on the date of the congressional certification of the electoral vote.

There is much discussion about the Senate vote on 1/6/21 as the culmination of a fraudulently manipulated election outcome; there is also a great deal of foreboding and anxiety as the American electorate watch to see if any legislator will rise to contest or challenge an outcome.

The group representing “Stop The Steal” is working on supporting the January 6th assembly. [Link Here]

DC insider reports indicate Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell is pressuring his GOP senators not to challenge the certification of the election.

Meanwhile President Trump is dealing with even shorter term battles surrounding COVID relief and Omnibus spending bills which put him alone against the DC legislative class.  Our nation is positioned in a very tenuous time.

On the legislative contest President Trump is looking out for the greater interests of the American people while attempting to block the special interest pork spending that benefits everyone except Americans.  The urgency of the Omnibus and COVID relief spending creates a narrative contest between the executive branch and the legislative branch… and the timing of that confrontation is in advance of the January 6th certification.

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President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump release a Christmas message for 2020.  [Video and White House Message Below]

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[White House] The First Lady and I send our warmest wishes to all Americans as we celebrate Christmas. While our gatherings might look different than in years past, this Christmas, like every Christmas, is an opportunity for us to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and show our heartfelt gratitude for the abundant blessings God has bestowed upon our lives and country.

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On February 28, 2018, at Convocation, North America’s largest weekly gathering of Christian students, director, and actor Jim Caviezel shared in convocation how through the Passion of the Christ, and Paul: Apostle of Christ, he wants people to meet Jesus.

Within the session Mr. Caviezel took a moment to share his perspectives on the political challenges we face as a nation.  Remembering back to President Ronald Reagan Caviezel had some thoughts for the audience that ring a particular resonance today: “Set yourselves apart from this corrupt generation”….

Prompted to 24:08 just hit play:

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The New York lawsuit against the Trump administration -over disqualification of unlawful aliens in the 2020 election- was dismissed today by the Supreme Court [full pdf here] under procedural grounds.

However, that said, there is a clear indication where the outcome is likely to end-up once the court takes up the case next year.

The high court noted no harm currently exists because the census report hasn’t been delivered to congress to begin the representative apportionment.

The ruling was 6-3 on process, with justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Stephen Breyer signing a dissent on the case.  Justice Breyer wanted to fire a shot into the administration by outlining a liberal opinion/perspective of the issue:

…”The plain meaning of the governing statutes, decades of historical practice, and uniform interpretations from all three branches of Government demonstrate that aliens without lawful status cannot be excluded from the decennial census solely on account of that status,” Breyer wrote. “The Government’s effort to remove them from the apportionment base is unlawful, and I believe this Court should say so.”

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Stop for a minute.  Stop and breathe….

Stop and sit in peace… Just stop, and join together.

All around us is this great sense of foreboding ugh, and it’s not just connected to an election; it’s everything.  Everything is weird, everything is not comfortable, everything is less joyful and requires an intensity of thought just to carry-on ordinary events.

Christmas, the day we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is a week away; and yet everything around us seems less focused on joy – and more focused on what joy we are missing.  At the heart of that anxiety is this sense of foreboding. A sense of fear and worry; a sense of trepidation.

In our daily lives we encounter ordinary disconnects now. Masked faces are disconnecting our sense of interaction, our human connection. Unfortunately, and as a natural outcome of these challenges, we are accepting disconnect and creating a void inside ourselves. At the same time COVID is physically disconnecting people from their family.  Many families will not gather this year to celebrate the joyous event of Christ’s birth.  Many parents and grandparents will not see their adult children for the first time in years, perhaps ever.

Amid all of this flux and ugh, even simple tasks like decorating the Christmas tree somehow feels, senses, seems less joyful.  Perhaps financial worry stems the joy in shopping for family and friends.  Perhaps the shine within cheer is slightly dimmed because all around us is something we cannot quite describe, yet we feel it.

Perhaps tears flow at times and we struggle to understand what this unusual anxiety is all about. Then, we begin to struggle with the feeling of shame or guilt for being weak and allowing our humanity to pour out of our human-selves.  Then, at the worst possible time in the year, our faith organizations are slow to understand the importance of fellowship and community amid an upheaval that takes our center from under our feet.

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Click HERE to see Part 3 of “The Chapel Door is Open”.
Click HERE to see Part 2 of “The Chapel Door is Open”.
Click HERE to see Part 1 of “The Chapel Door is Open”.

One of the things we’ve talked about on the open threads is provided for in the Chapel in the Woods which Sundance has constructed at the lower right.

Comments and conversations about what the Bible has to say about world events have always been welcome here in the woods, and the Chapel is where we can extend those conversations.  It will be open 24/7, just like the Prayer Request thread, functioning as a “perpetual open thread.”

The Chapel is the place to drop in when we notice that our questions or statements, reasonings or fears are best expressed with a Judeo-Christian historical and spiritual context. Anyone who doesn’t care to talk about or pray to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is  just as welcome in the Chapel as they are in the Treehouse.

The tone and content of Chapel conversations is expected to be the same as elsewhere in the Treehouse: honest and thoughtful.  The Chapel has been built to provide a place for folks to discuss what the Bible says about any number of things~~past, present or future.

Argumentiveness and unkindness will be quickly deleted.  Anyone who comes through the Chapel door to argue against the Bible as our primary source of information about God and what He thinks about things will be ushered out by the ushers.  Anyone who comes to the Chapel for the purpose of Christian-bashing will be thrown out on their ear.

This nation has been a gift of God for well over 200 years, displaying among the nations what a fine thing it is when people are allowed to enjoy those things given by their Creator; among them life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  The United States of America is our nation-house, and there are people trying to burn it down.

This nation is a blessing given to all of us, and there is no supposed “spiritual reason” for people who believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to sit back and fold their hands and somehow assume that it would be wrong for them to stand up and fight.  We will fight and we will stand~~and we consider ourselves free to talk about, refer to, think about and pray to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob while we do it.

So come on in.  The Chapel’s open.
Our thread was getting pretty slow to load, so this should get us back up to speed!

Appearing with Fox News Maria Bartiromo, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton outlines his state’s legal and constitutional position on election fraud that disenfranchises his citizens.   If Texas has no “standing” then how are we to remain The United States.

As Paxton rightly notes if electoral nullification is not in the constitutional purview of the Supreme Court then what is?  The electors clause is in the Constitution for a reason… and the Tree of Liberty is quite parched at this specific moment in history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDPfQFuzd98

It might, very small ‘might‘, be argued the constitutional “harm” has not yet evidenced as electors have not yet presented themselves. However, the SCOTUS ruling would likely have inferred that position.

Texas AG Paxton does not appear to be positioned to re-file after 12/14/20.

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Together with his family Lt. General Michael Flynn delivers remarks during the Jericho March in Washington DC today.

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The Right Side Broadcast Network (RSBN) is broadcasting live from the National Mall in Washington DC during The Jericho March “Let the Church ROAR!” Prayer Rally with national faith leaders, political leaders, and praise and worship musicians.

The Prayer Rally will feature speeches from Lt. General Mike Flynn and his family and the event will be emceed by Eric Metaxas.  WATCH LIVE

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