The Pour Over Today - Monday, October 18, 2021

Episode Date: October 18, 2021

A British lawmaker murdered, COVID heading downhill (in a good way), missionaries kidnapped in Haiti, and other top news for Monday, October 18th. Stay informed, while remaining focused on Christ, with The Pour Over.

A British lawmaker murdered, COVID heading downhill in a good way, missionaries kidnapped in Haiti, and other top news for Monday, October 18th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Thanks for joining us. Here's the quote of the day. Scripture is like a pair of spectacles which dispels the darkness and gives us a clear view of God. John Calvin.

Let's get started with some espresso shots. For Haiti, 2020 was a surprisingly tame warm-up act. So far in 2021, President Jovenel Moise was assassinated, sparking severe civil unrest, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake killed over 2,200 people, and there have been 328 kidnappings so far, up from 234 during the entirety of 2020. On Saturday, 17 Christian missionaries were kidnapped by the gang 400 Mowozo during a trip to an orphanage. The group of 16 Americans and one Canadian was sent by the Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries and includes five children. The gang, 400 Mawozo, roughly translated 400 Inexperienced Men, is responsible for 80% of mass kidnappings in Haiti

and has shown willingness to abduct anyone, poor street vendors, wealthy businessmen, priests, nuns, missionaries, and demand ransoms ranging from $200 to $1 million. Today, we're simply passing along the message from Christian Aid Ministries. Quote, Join us in praying for those who are being held hostage, the kidnappers, and the families, friends, and churches of those affected. Matthew 5, 44-45 says, But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those affected. Matthew 5, 44-45 says,

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. We're glad to give you a break from your usual doom scrolling with some positive COVID-related news. Case counts in the U.S. are down 21% in the last two weeks, with hospitalizations and deaths following suit. Only 11 states are trending upwards, with Minnesota seeing the largest increase, 35.2%. Last week, the FDA's Independent Advisory Panel recommended authorizing both Moderna and J&J boosters for high-risk groups. Since Pfizer's authorization, more people have been boosted, an awesome verb we just made up,

than unvaccinated, around 25% of the population. Extroverts in Melbourne are rejoicing as the Australian hub has begun easing its famously strict restrictions. The city has had six stay-at-home orders totaling 262 days, the longest in the world. When bad news abounds, it can be easy, and even comforting, to adopt negative attitudes and cynicism. Yet as Christ followers, we are called to celebrate good news wherever we find it. Galatians 5.22-23 says, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace conservative MP or Member of Parliament, died Friday after being stabbed during a voter meet-and-greet.

Quick recap for our non-tea-drinking U.S. readers, the conservative and labor MPs function similarly to Republican and Democratic members of Congress. Ames became the second MP in five years to be murdered, prompting conversation around increasing police protection while visiting constituents. Ali Harbi Ali, a 25-year-old British citizen of Somali heritage, has been arrested as the lone suspect. Authorities are treating the attack as an act of terrorism, potentially motivated by Islamist extremism. Saturday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other leaders visited

the site of the attack to pay their respects to 69-year-old Ames, who served in Parliament for nearly 40 years. Join us in praying for his family. in parliament for nearly 40 years. Join us in praying for his family. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. Former President Bill Clinton spent five days in the hospital last week for a urological infection that spread to his bloodstream. He was discharged from UC Irvine Medical Center in California yesterday and will continue his course of antibiotics at home in New York. The Islamic State, a Sunni Muslim terrorist organization, claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing on a Shiite mosque in Afghanistan that killed 47 people. A rise in terrorism is just one of many things going wrong. The United Nations World Food Program estimates 95% of Afghans aren't getting enough to eat.

After spending most of July on the low $30,000, Bitcoin was briefly back up above $60,000 on Friday. Bitcoiners, or Bitcoinists, are excited about the arrival of the ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF, a rather complicated financial instrument that will give mainstream investors some access to Bitcoin through the stock market. Congrats to the Chicago Sky for winning their first WNBA title. On the men's side, the 2021-22 NBA season tips off tomorrow with the defending champs, the Milwaukee Bucks, facing the Brooklyn Nets, albeit without superstar Kyrie Irving, due to his vaccination status. Irving will reportedly miss out on $400,000 per missed game. And that's all we have for today.

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