The first person was Todd MacCulloch a former NBA basketball player from my home town of Winnipeg, Manitoba. I did a feature story on him many years ago when I was working as a writer for the Faith page of the Winnipeg Free Press. He used to play for the New Jersey Nets and the Philadelphia 76er's and was on Canada's Olympic basketball team. He was not one of those players who talked about his Christianity with the press but his bio said he always attended the chapel services held before each NBA game. He told me he believed his behavior on the basketball court should 'speak' about his faith. He shouldn't have to say anything. He was also very non-judgemental about some of his fellow players like Alan Iverson who had been arrested for drugs and weapons' possession. He said they were to be admired for acheiving so much when they had so much against them in life. He also told me he didn't believe God influenced the outcome of a basketball game but he often sent up a quick prayer before a shot. I told the students Todd had beautiful feet because he called on God for support, was non-judgemental and let his actions speak louder than his words.
The second person I talked about was Tristina Hung, a secretary who left a promising career in banking to work at our school and remained there for eighteen years at only a fraction of the salary she could have earned at a bank. Many people I interviewed for the history book I am writing about our school said she was the 'heart and soul' of the place. She loved her job and loved everyone at the school- the students, their parents and the teachers and they in turn loved her. She told me her work was a kind of worship to her. Someone I interviewed said their decision to convert to Christianity had been based largely on their respect for the kind of care and concern Tristina had extended to them. Tristina worked at our school through some very dark times but she told me she never gave up hope. She knew God would not forget our school. I told the students that Tristina had beautiful feet because she was dedicated to her job,gave and received love and had hope.
The third person I talked about was Priscilla from the book of Acts and Romans. I told the students how brave she'd needed to be. It will have taken courage for her, a Roman woman, to marry a Jewish slave named Acquila, to flee Rome when the Emperor Claudius banished all the Jews and to save Paul's life. He thanks her in Romans for 'risking her neck for him.' I also highlighted her traits of hospitality and outspokeness. She welcomed all kinds of people into her home and loved to debate Scripture even with men who were supposedly more learned than she was. I said she had beautiful feet because she was brave, welcoming and outspoken.
The final person with beautiful feet I talked about was my Dad. I told the students about the many different places in the world Dad has done short term medical service for Mennonite Central Committee and how he and my Mom had sponsored five families to come to Canada from various countries. I talked about how Dad had served the community by being on the school board, the mental health board, the refugee resettlement committee, a university board, a camp board,taking medical students as trainees into his practice, starting a garden club and growing grain for the Canadian Food grains bank. I talked about the many ways he's served his church,everything from telling the children's story to being a deacon. Finally I talked about the way he's served his family- providing money for our education and travel, babysitting his grandchildren when they were small, caring for my Mom so she doesn't have to be in a nursing home, caring for his own parents and remaining interested and involved in all our lives. I told the students he had beautiful feet because he served the world, his community and his family. I ended my talk by reviewing what we could learn about having beautiful feet from each of the four people I had described and I encouraged the students to think of ways they could emulate at least some of the dozen traits of a person with beautiful feet I had introduced to them. Which trait could they implement that day?
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maryloudriedger- maryloudriedger