12 Feb, 2009

Australian officials suspect arsonists were responsible for starting fresh fires in Victoria, as a dozen bushfires continued to burn in the state.

State Premier John Brumby said he was aware of "several" fires being lit deliberately in the Beechworth area northeast of Melbourne late on Tuesday.

More than 180 people have been killed in fires since Saturday.

Bodies are still being retrieved, prompting police to bar residents from returning to some towns.

Amid on-going firefighting plus a wide-scale investigation into the country's worst fire disaster, Mr Brumby said of the most recent outbreaks: "There seems little doubt that these were deliberately lit."

Arson investigators said they had found six main sources of Saturday's fires. They had found one case of foul play near the town of Churchill, about 90 miles (140km) southeast of Melbourne, and a suspect was being sought.

Four other fire sources were not suspicious and one, the Marysville fire, was not yet determined, investigators said.

Story & picture courtesy bbc.com, 02/11/09

What kind of fires do you start?

Leaving an impression

Luke 24:32 (NIV)

They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"

What does GOD's Story Scripture teach us about leaving an impression?

There are terrible fires burning in the bushland of Australia. Unfortunately some of them were started by a horrible decision that some person made. When we usually hear about fire it is a destructive force and tragic event today's scripture talks about burning in a different way.

The morning Jesus' tomb was found empty two of the disciples were walking to Emmaus and a stranger came up to them. They were talking of all the things Jesus had done and what they had hoped he would bring. The stranger, who was Jesus, laid out the reasons in Scripture that he had to die. Once the two realized that it was Jesus they had been with they responded to each other by commenting on how their "hearts burned" while he was speaking to them.

What do people feel when they are around you? Do you live out the Scriptures and walk with the Spirit in a way that makes people notice in their hearts something is different? Don't you want to live out the kind of life where you know GOD's story well enough and know Him well enough that others feel it?

How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our live?

  • Read the whole chapter in Luke from today's scripture and imagine what it would have been like to walk on the road with Jesus.
  • Pray that GOD would make your heart attune to the Spirit to recognize him and reveal himself to you.
  • Ask GOD to show you in your heart where you need to submit to him so he can refine you.
How can we connect today's story, God's Story scripture, and our story to others?
  • Before you hang out with one of your lost friends pray and ask GOD to guide you in your conversations and present opportunities for you to share His Story.
  • Pray for the families of the victims in the Australia fires.
  • Pray for safety for those in the areas of the fires and the firefighters.
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The Daily Bide is brought to you by a team of writers from Youth for Christ/USA. The writers all have various years of experience in youth ministry but share a common bond in serving Jesus and discovering what it means to abide deeply everyday and to connect God's Story with those around them. A number of the Daily Bide writers have also written portions of our 3Story® resources. You can check out our resources at the 3Story.org website or connect with our writers at 3story@yfc.net. If you have a question or a story you would like to share, please reference the Daily Bide date in your email.

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