The Pour Over Today - Monday, January 17, 2022

Episode Date: January 17, 2022

Hostages in Texas, Tsunami warnings, a high-profile deportation, and other top news for Monday, January 17th. Stay informed, while remaining focused on Christ, with The Pour Over.Sponsored by His Productions:https://www.hisproductions.com/Satellite images of underwater volcano eruption:https://links.thepourover.org/3I2bc8OSupport our staff and mission in 2022 by choosing to pay for a membership:https://link.thepourover.org/tpo-memberful-010322

Hostages in Texas, tsunami warnings, a high-profile deportation, and other top news for Monday, January 17th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Thanks so much for joining us. Here's the quote of the day. Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that. Martin Luther King Jr. Today is MLK Day, marking the civil rights leader's birthday. We're grateful for his

leadership in pursuit of justice and love for his fellow man. Let's get started with some espresso shots. Saturday morning, a man took four people hostage inside a Colleyville, Texas, synagogue. The next 10 hours were filled with prayers and tense negotiation. That night, an FBI SWAT team stormed the building, rescuing all four hostages, including the synagogue's rabbi, and killing the suspect who was later identified as Malik Akram, a 44-year-old British national. Late yesterday, UK counterterrorism officials announced the detainment of two teenagers in relation to the incident. While no official motive has been named,

Akram could be heard on a Facebook livestream of the synagogue's service, which was eventually removed by the platform, demanding the release of Afia Siddiqui. Siddiqui is a Pakistani neuroscientist suspected of having ties to Al-Qaeda and convicted of terrorism. She is being imprisoned in Texas. We live in a sinful, broken, and unfair world. As Christians, we have the privilege of knowing this isn't our home. And we can find comfort in knowing that all things will ultimately be made right through Christ.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. Grief, crying, and pain will be no more. Grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away. Revelation 21.4 An underwater volcano by Tonga erupted Saturday morning, and the images from space are awe-inspiring. We put a link in the show notes if you'd like to see. The volcano off the coast of remote Pacific island Tonga had been erupting intermittently for days before Saturday's explosion, which prompted tsunami warnings from Japan to Alaska, and was so loud that it could be heard in New Zealand, which is nearly 1,500 miles away.

No deaths have been reported, but much is still unknown about the full impact of Tonga's largest eruption in 30 years. Reports of the island being covered in ash came in before internet and power were lost, effectively cutting off the nation's 105,000 residents. In the U.S., winter storm Izzy is headed northeast after visiting the south, bringing snow, ice, states of emergency, and canceled flights. A verse to consider when staring down a tsunami, Mark 4, 39. He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea,

silence, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. The world's top-ranked men's tennis player Novak Djokovic lost his match against Australia's strict vaccine requirements. The saga began when Djokovic arrived in the Down Under on January 5th, prepared to compete in the Australian Open where he hoped to break the record for most Grand Slam titles. Djokovic was detained in the Melbourne airport as his vaccination exemption was questioned by authorities, but allowed to enter the country after winning a legal battle on procedural grounds. It was a brief victory, the 34-year-old tennis star's visa was revoked again on Friday, and a panel of federal judges unanimously upheld the decision to deport Djokovic yesterday. His next chance to break the Grand Slam record is at the French Open

later this year. And yes, France has already confirmed he'll be allowed to compete. Our goal is to keep the big things big and the small things small. It's not that Djokovic's deportation isn't important, it's just not God of the universe important. Stay focused on eternity. It changes everything. Colossians 3, 2-4 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with him in glory. This episode is sponsored by His Productions. We're officially in the digital age, but that doesn't mean your church or ministry isn't still taking a pamphlet-first approach to outreach. And that's where His Productions comes in. The people at His Productions are friendly, easy-to-work-with media professionals, committed to the work of Jesus, and would love to grab a cup of coffee, virtually, and talk through your ministry's needs. Whether that's podcasting, radio, video, or something else, they exist to take the headache out of AV production. If you're interested, check out hisproductions.com,

or click on the link in the show notes where ministry meets media. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. Last week, the Department of Justice charged 11 members of the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia group, with seditious conspiracy, a rarely used statute that will require prosecutors to show that the group planned to use violence to overthrow the U.S. government on January 6th. The group's founder, Stuart Rhodes, has already pleaded not guilty. The Cincinnati Bengals scored a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders on a play that the NFL

acknowledges should have been ruled dead due to an errant referee whistle. The Bengals won the playoff game by a single touchdown, and the NFL says the game's referees are done for the season, just like the Raiders. A massive cyber attack, believed to have been launched by Belarus, Russia's primary regional ally, hit Ukraine's governmental agencies over the weekend. The U.S. also accused Russia of sending operatives into eastern Ukraine to stage an incident that could provide President Putin with a manufactured reason to invade Ukraine. Cloth masks are so 2021. On Friday, the CDC revised its guidance again,

saying Americans should wear, quote, the most protective mask you can, unquote, but stopped short of advocating that everyone upgrade to N95 respirators. On Thursday, President Biden announced plans to make high-quality masks available for free. Your college roommate's dad is about to pay more for your Netflix habit. The streaming giant is raising prices on its North American customers for the second time during the pandemic. Investors are already seeing dollar signs. Netflix stock jumped 4% on the news. And that is all we have for today. Thank you so much for joining us. And if you're

thinking, wow, I love this podcast and I want to see them reach more Christians, here's a breakdown on how you can best support us. If you're listening on the Apple Podcast app, give us a five-star rating and drop a review as well. We do actually read these and take them to heart, like this review from Wes, a pastor in Alabama. For a husband, father, and pastor on the go, The Pour Over is right on target. Thanks so much for what you do.

I just paid for an annual membership. Wes, this means the world to here. We are so grateful for your kind words and support. Side note, if you're interested in a membership, check out the link in the show notes. And if you're listening on Spotify, give us a follow and hit the notification bell to never miss a new episode. There is also an option to leave a five-star rating, but it's a newer feature and only doable on your phone, not desktop or browser yet. We sincerely appreciate all your support and we hope you have a great rest of your day. We'll see you all on Wednesday.