19 Jun, 2007
Spinning out of control?
Out-of-control drag car kills six during Tennessee parade
SELMER, Tenn. — There were no guard rails between the crowds of spectators and a public highway where a drag-racing car bolted out of control, killing six people during a charity fundraising event.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol declined to make any statement today about road conditions or safety procedures during the Saturday evening parade of cars.
Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesman Mike Browning said the six who were killed included two 15-year-old girls and a 17-year-old girl. The accident injured 18 others, including a 5-year-old boy, who were taken to hospitals in Tennessee and Mississippi.
The crash happened during an "exhibition burnout" _ when a drag racer spins his tires fast enough to make them smoke _ at the Cars for Kids charity event in Selmer, located about 80 miles east of Memphis.
On amateur video of the crash, broadcast on WMC-TV in Memphis, the car's engine is heard revving loudly before the vehicle speeds down the highway. After a few hundred feet, the car skidded off the road in front of a drive-in restaurant.
Selmer Police Chief Neal Burks said "bodies were flying into the air when it happened."
There was a guard rail along at least part of the highway, but not along that stretch.
Nick Staples, who was at the show with his wife and three children from Columbus, Miss., said he was standing 20 feet from where the car plowed into the audience.
"There should have been guard rails," Staples said. "But even if there had been, it wouldn't have mattered."
photo courtesy ap & story honoluluadvertiser.com, 6/17/07
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT)
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about the importance of God's Word?
Don't you think the apostle Paul sometimes felt like his life was spinning out of control? He was proclaiming the good news of Jesus, getting new churches started, developing young Christian leaders and the whole time... he's facing persecution, being thrown in jail, getting beaten up, getting shipwrecked, dealing with a chronic physical problem....
Perhaps Paul had days when his life felt like a speeding dragster spinning out of control.
But Paul was teaching Timothy and us that God's Word gives the directions needed for straightening out our lives and living for Him in a world that often seems to be spinning out of control.
Because God's Word is inspired and completely trustworthy, we should read it, study it, memorize it, apply it and share it. It explains how to know God, how to be saved from our sins, how to find joy and hope, how to..... yes, it covers everything we need to about God in this life and how to prepare for life after death.
Are you regularly studying it or are you just reading the same familiar passages? Are you relying on the scriptures to guard your mind against the false teachings of this world? Are you spending time in it to simply enjoy time with Jesus?
How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?
- Thank God for using His Holy Spirit to give the exact words to the authors He chose to write His Holy Word. Ask His Spirit to give you greater discipline to really study His word regularly and obey it. Thank Him for giving you His Scriptures to give you a clear mind and a motivated heart when your life seems to be spinning out of control.
- Memorize today's scripture as a reminder to depend on God's Word.
- Make a commitment to spend regular time in studying God's Word.
How can we connect today's story and God's Story scripture and our story to others?
- Encourage a friend who is a follower of Christ who may be "spinning out-of-control" right now. Email him or her today's DAILYBIDE and follow it up with a conversation about what both of you have learned.
- Think of a friend who is not yet a follower of Jesus and is "spinning out-of-control". Use today's story about the dragster accident as a way to share how God uses His Word to give you guard rails that keep you going straight down the best possible course for your life.
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