The Pour Over Today - Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Episode Date: January 4, 2023

Today we’re talking about the next Speaker of the House, a medical emergency in Monday night’s football game, Ukraine’s deadly strike on Russian troops, and other top news for Wednesday, January 3rd. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Sponsored by EveryDollar

Today we're talking about the next Speaker of the House, a medical emergency in Monday night's football game, Ukraine's deadly strike on Russian troops, and other top news for Wednesday, January 3rd. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Here's the quote of the day. If you would test the character of anything, you only need to inquire whether that thing leads you to God or away from God. Watchmen need.

Let's start with some espresso shots. Ready for your latest episode of Did Anyone Know This Is How The Government Works? Yesterday, the House voted on who should be Speaker of the House, a typically low-drama formality where the majority party, Republicans, chooses their party leader, Kevin McCarthy. This time wasn't so seamless. The Speaker needed 218 votes to be elected, and McCarthy received only 203. 19 members of his House chose various other candidates. In a second vote, 203 Republicans backed McCarthy, and 19 backed Jim Jordan, despite Jordan himself supporting McCarthy. In a third vote, 20 Republicans supported Jordan. Until the Speaker is sworn in, the House can't do anything, so they'll

just keep voting. Multiple ballots haven't been required since 1923, when it took nine, but the record was 133 ballots in 1856. Elections for Speaker of the House may be big U.S. news, but it's small Kingdom of God news. This does not mean we shouldn't care at all, but we should not let it steal our focus from eternity. Colossians 3, verse 2-4 says, Set your mind 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 also will appear with him in glory. In the first quarter of Monday night's highly anticipated NFL game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals, Bills player Damar Hamlin collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest on the

field. Surrounded by players from both teams, many in tears, Hamlin received nine minutes of CPR before regaining a pulse and being taken to the hospital. As of Tuesday evening, he remained Surrounded by players from both teams, many in tears, Hamlin received nine minutes of CPR before regaining a pulse and being taken to the hospital. As of Tuesday evening, he remained sedated and in critical condition. The NFL temporarily suspended the game and then announced that the game would not be completed this week, if at all. As people reacted to the news and looked for ways to help, Hamlin's GoFundMe for a toy drive in his Pennsylvania hometown quickly went viral. Hamlin had an initial goal of raising $2,500, but supporters have now pushed it a bit beyond, surpassing $5 million. It's easy to feel helpless in a situation like this, but the Bible promises that prayer is powerful and effective, that it causes things to happen

that would not have happened otherwise. Continue to pray for Damar's full recovery. James 5 verse 16 says, The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect. It's a new year, but not much has changed between Ukraine and Russia. Russia has ramped up drone strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, leaving some civilians dead. Meanwhile, Russian state media reported that Ukraine killed at least 63 Russian soldiers on New Year's Eve with a U.S.-provided HIMARS missile system. Ukraine says the attack killed closer to 400 Russian service members. The EU Commission ushered in the new year by pledging $19 billion

in non-military aid to support Ukrainians, while Putin used his New Year's speech as a rallying cry to Russians, saying 2022 was a year of difficult, necessary decisions. While both sides say they want peace this year, neither country is budging on its terms. Ukraine wants its pre-war borders, while Russia says any peace deal must include keeping all annexed territory. Followers of Christ should not be cynical, desensitized, or unmoved by stories of those in need, but endlessly willing to help. Seek or create opportunities to do good and to share with people impacted by the war in Ukraine. Galatians 6, verse 9 through 10 says, let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don't give up.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by EveryDollar. This is it. This is the year you take control of your finances and your future. Not sure where to start? How about following 9 million people who have already been in your situation and are saying, come this way. They're using EveryDollar. EveryDollar is the free, on-the-go budgeting tool that makes personal budgeting easy. You can create custom monthly budgets using the zero-based budgeting method, allowing you to save more, spend smarter,

and reach your goals faster. They also have premium features like Bank Connect, paycheck planning, and goal setting for $79.99 a year after a 14-day free trial. It's your time to tell your money where to go. Download every dollar for free. Check out the link in our show notes. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. A 28-year-old PhD student from Washington State University, eight miles from the crime scene, has been arrested in the murder of

four Idaho students. He was nabbed in Pennsylvania after authorities matched DNA at the crime scene to that of a family member on a genealogy testing website. The suspect says he's eager to be exonerated. After two sensational semifinal games, with one literally decided as the Times Square ball dropped, the college football national championship matchup is set. This Monday, defending champion Georgia, a.k.a. Goliath, will take on TCU, a.k.a. David, in Los Angeles. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died Saturday at 95. Benedict served from 2005 to 2013 and will be remembered for his efforts to reawaken Christianity in secular Europe

and as the first pope to resign in almost 600 years. Condolences from around the globe are lauding Benedict as a great theologian. His funeral will be held tomorrow. Wall Street rang in the new year like it was 2008, which is not a good thing. The S&P 500 ended the year down 19.4%, its largest annual decline since the Great Recession. Big tech led the charge, Meta 65% down, Tesla 65% down, Amazon 50% down, and Alphabet down 39%. Ouch. A 19-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder and assault and may face terrorism charges after he traveled from Maine to Times Square on New Year's Eve and attacked three police officers with a machete in the name of Islam.

He previously said that he wanted to join the Taliban and was on the FBI's terrorist watch list. That's all we have for today. Thanks so much for listening. If you're listening on the Apple Podcasts 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 Friday.