The Pour Over Today - Syria Overthrown, Nationwide Manhunt, College Football Playoffs Set, & More | 12.09.24

Episode Date: December 9, 2024

Today, we're talking about rebels overtaking Syria; a nationwide search for a murder suspect; which teams made the college football playoff roster; and other top news for Monday, December 9, 2024. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over Today. Please support our TPO sponsors! TPO Gift Guide: https://thepourover.org/gift-guide-2/ Upside: https://links.thepourover.org/Upside CCCU: https://www.mycccu.com/tpo/ The Voice of the Martyrs: vom.org/TPO CSB Gift Guide: https://links.thepourover.org/CSBGiftGuide HelloFresh: hellofresh.com/freepourover

Not sure what to gift people for Christmas? This is your sign that it's a really beautiful Bible from CSB for everyone in the family, a trendy backpack crafted by survivors of trafficking, some element electrolytes to help keep those New Year's resolutions, or some epic non-stick cookware. Our Christmas Gift Guide has you covered with all our picks for the season's best gifts, courtesy of TPO Re startups and Christian businesses. Check it all out on the Pour Overs Christmas Gift Guide, linked in today's show notes.

Now for the news. Today we're talking about rebels overtaking Syria, a nationwide search for a murder suspect, which teams made the college football playoff roster, and other news for Monday, December 9th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with the pour-over today. Here's the quote of the day, We will not wake up ten years from now and find we have passively taken on the character of God. Jen Wilkin.

Let's get started with some espresso shots. Rebel groups finished their rapid advance across Syria yesterday, seizing the capital, ousting President Bashar al-Assad, and ending the country's 13-year civil war. Assad's removal ends his family's 50-year rule of the country, freeing tens of thousands of political prisoners overnight. The Syrian rebel coalition announced plans for a transitional government, and Syria's prime minister said he'd cooperate and hand over functions to the insurgents. Russian state media said Assad and his family have been given asylum in Moscow.

Western leaders have cheered Assad's fall with caution. Yesterday, President Biden described Assad's fall as an act of justice that brings additional risk and uncertainty to the region. He promised humanitarian aid and said the US and its allies are working to promote stability and prevent ISIS from capitalizing on the new vacuum of power. There may be good reasons to be worried about the future of your community or the global one.

God does not promise good days, but He does promise His presence and a great eternity with Him. Stay focused on Him. It changes everything. 2 Corinthians 4, 16-18 says, Therefore, we do not give up, for our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. So we do not focus on what is seen,

but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. The manhunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO's killer has gone nationwide. Authorities say the suspect used a fake New Jersey driver's license to check into an upper West Side hostel before the shooting. He reportedly arrived in New York City days earlier on a Greyhound bus from Atlanta and fled the city by bus after the shooting. Police later recovered his backpack in Central Park, containing a jacket and Monopoly money.

They have DNA and a partial fingerprint from a discarded Starbucks water bottle, but have not publicly confirmed his identity or recovered the murder weapon. NYC Mayor Adams promised the net is tightening. The killing has provoked a less than sympathetic response from the public. In lieu of condolences, many Americans have shared personal stories of difficulties with health insurance companies, amplifying anger towards the U.S. healthcare industry. Amidst a dark world where crime and societal turmoil persist, Christians find lasting hope in Christ.

The Bible assures us that even in the face of troubles and evil, Christ is our steadfast source of strength and refuge. Psalm 23 verse 4 and 46 verse 1 says, Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. God is our refuge and strength, An ever-present help in trouble. The College Football Playoff Selection Committee

unveiled their first-ever 12-team field yesterday. First round buys went to No. 1 Oregon, Big Ten Newbies slash Champions, No. 2 Georgia, SEC Champs following an OT defeat of SEC Newbies Texas, No. 3 Boise State, Mountain West Champions, and No. 4 Arizona State, Big 12 newbies slash champions. First round matchups are number 12 Clemson ACC champion at number five Texas, number 11 SMU at number six Penn State, number 10 Indiana at number seven Notre Dame, and number nine Tennessee at number eight Ohio State.

Noticeably absent is Alabama. The three loss Crimson Tide narrowly missed the playoffs as the selection committee favored SMU, despite its last second ACC Championship loss. Fuming Alabama fans are wondering about strength of schedule. Seemingly every other college football fan is happy. Start prepping snacks. Round one kicks off Friday, December 20th.

Here's the verse to consider whether you're shocked that you're in or shocked that you're out. Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. First Thessalonians 5 verses 16 through 18. Hey, it's Emily from the pour over. The holidays are upon us, and that means extra expenses are piling up all the time.

Secret Santa's, kids class parties, end of year donations, then buying myself a coffee to get through all the gift wrapping and magic making. Thankfully, I can put a little jingle back in my wallet by getting cash back with Upside. Since I'm already filling up my tank and grabbing a bite to eat here and there, why not earn cash back while I do it? I even get cash back on our regular Friday pizza nights. Then, I can quickly cash out and treat myself to a gift card for a post-school drop-off latte. It's super easy to use, just download the app, check out the map to find gas or food offers nearby, claim one and pay as usual.

The cash back lands in your upside profile and you can cash out in seconds. Download the free upside app and use promo code TPO to get an extra 25 cents back for every gallon on your first tank of gasPO to get an extra 25 cents back for every gallon on your first tank of gas. That's an extra 25 cents back for every gallon on your first tank of gas using promo code TPO. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. President-elect Trump returned to the world stage this weekend, attending Notre Dame

Cathedral's extravagant reopening before meeting with world leaders, including Britain's Prince William, France's President Macron, and Ukraine's President Zelensky. Yesterday, Trump said he is actively working to negotiate an end to the three-year Russia-Ukraine war and reported that Zelensky is ready to make a deal. TikTok may soon feel Uncle Sam's boot. A federal appeals court upheld the law requiring TikTok's Chinese parent, ByteDance, to sell the app by early 2025 or face a U.S. ban. The bipartisan effort cites security threats posed by China's access to Americans' data.

TikTok has said it will not sell and plans to appeal to the Supreme Court. The jury in Daniel Penny's trial will return today to consider the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide. See our quick refresher on the controversial case. South Korea's President Eun narrowly avoided impeachment Saturday, but the court ruled that the court would not be able to four years in prison, down from 15 years. South Korea's President Yun narrowly avoided impeachment Saturday after his ruling party boycotted a National Assembly vote. The motion, sparked by Yun's surprise and short-lived martial law declaration, required a two-thirds majority.

Opposition leaders planned to try again on Wednesday. If impeached, Yun would lose power and an election would follow within 60 days. The USDA will begin testing the nation's supply of raw and unpasteurized milk for bird flu. The virus, H5N1, didn't get the winged animals only memo and has infected at least 718 herds of dairy cows across 15 states. Nearly 60 people have been infected, mostly farmers showing mild symptoms, and there's no evidence humans have been infected by drinking cow's milk. And that's all we have for today. Thanks so

much for listening. If you're listening on the Apple Podcast app, give us a five-star rating and drop a review. If you're listening on Spotify, give us a follow and hit the notification bell to never miss a new episode. We appreciate your support and hope you have a great day. We'll see you on Wednesday. If you love inspiring testimonies of courageous faith, look no further. The Voice of the Martyrs is offering TPO listeners free access to a film called Sabina, Tortured

for Christ, the Nazi Years. It tells the powerful true story of a woman's journey to faith in Christ and the risks she took to share the gospel with soldiers from the army that killed her family. Visit vom.org slash TPO to claim your free copy today.