Two men preach from the ring

By Rachel Smeda

May 2, 2008 | 1:00 p.m. CST

WARDSVILLE — Michael Burris grew up watching professional wrestling. At just 4 years old, he would plead with his grandpa to take him every Friday night to the wrestling matches in St. Joseph, 12 miles from Clarksdale where he lived, to watch “Handsome” Harley Race, “The Stomper” and other big-time wrestlers compete in all-star shows. Burris would never have guessed that one April evening nearly 40 years later he’d be watching a wrestling match while seated beside Harley Race himself.

Amid the sounds of cheers, jeers and body slams, the message emerged that Jesus changes lives. But this wasn’t church; there was no traditional sermon or music from a choir. Instead, the pulpit was a wrestling ring, and the man who preached Jesus’ power was dressed more like he was on his way to the gym than to church. That man, Ted DiBiase, known to fans as The Million Dollar Man, took center stage in the ring and told the story of how God turned his life around. It wasn’t until DiBiase learned to stop trying to control his own life that he realized he had something powerful to live for. (read the complete story on the Columbia Missourian web site)