{"id":7919,"date":"2021-06-18T21:25:34","date_gmt":"2021-06-18T20:25:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=7919"},"modified":"2021-06-18T23:23:34","modified_gmt":"2021-06-18T22:23:34","slug":"weightlifting-pastor-everyone-is-the-same-when-they-were-on-that-weightlifting-bar-all-they-want-to-do-is-lift-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/weightlifting-pastor-everyone-is-the-same-when-they-were-on-that-weightlifting-bar-all-they-want-to-do-is-lift-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Weightlifting Pastor: \u201cEveryone is the same when they are on that weightlifting bar.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ryan Morton\u2019s passions are an unlikely pairing, weightlifting and ministry. Can sport connect people in a way religion can\u2019t?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChampionLift1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8076\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChampionLift1.jpg 780w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChampionLift1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChampionLift1-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChampionLift1-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChampionLift1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8076\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChampionLift1.jpg 780w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChampionLift1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChampionLift1-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChampionLift1-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Pastor Ryan Morton has done ministry all over the world from Romania, Rwanda, UK, and the USA. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Drawing in a shaking breath of sweaty prison gym air, Ryan waited for the next weightlifting session. He wondered how on earth he was going to incorporate the gospel into the event which would have 30 Muslims and their Imam.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Pastor had already run a couple of weightlifting competitions that day, but this one was going to be different. \u201cI thought I could lose my life, I could cause a riot, and I would be banned from every prison and area,\u201d said Ryan. \u201cAnything can happen in a prison, and it has done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But to his surprise, it went amazingly. After the meeting, the group invited him to their own room, and he had the chance to preach the gospel \u2018lovingly and gracefully\u2019 to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat was a lovely time and that was a great connection, we respected them and on that day they respected me and all that I stood for,\u201d said Ryan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ryan Morton was a very slim 13-year-old, he was very athletic and super into football. He was sitting in a hair salon with his nan, surrounded by older ladies having their perms and blue washes. Looking up at the wall there was a picture of the weightlifter Robert Shepard. After chatting to the owner, he discovered it was their son-in-law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy nan thought I was skinny and going nowhere at school, so she thought she would pack me off to the gym,\u201d said Ryan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So off he was sent to the Empire Sports Club in Newfoundland Road in Bristol. This is where he discovered the sport of Olympic style weightlifting at the gym of Darth Vader actor, David Prowse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI realised I had a passion for it, but I wouldn\u2019t say I had a talent for it,\u201d he said. \u201cI was good at the technique side but lacked the strength.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery alignwide columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"390\" height=\"488\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChamptionLift2.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"8066\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?attachment_id=8066\" class=\"wp-image-8066\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChamptionLift2.jpg 390w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChamptionLift2-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChamptionLift2-293x367.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 390px) 100vw, 390px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"390\" height=\"488\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChamptionLift2.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"8066\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?attachment_id=8066\" class=\"wp-image-8066\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChamptionLift2.jpg 390w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChamptionLift2-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChamptionLift2-293x367.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 390px) 100vw, 390px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">Throughout the ministry and competitions, his family have always been his biggest supporters, said Ryan. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"390\" height=\"487\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChampionLift3.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"8067\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?attachment_id=8067\" class=\"wp-image-8067\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChampionLift3.jpg 390w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChampionLift3-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChampionLift3-293x366.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 390px) 100vw, 390px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"390\" height=\"487\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChampionLift3.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"8067\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?attachment_id=8067\" class=\"wp-image-8067\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChampionLift3.jpg 390w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChampionLift3-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/ChampionLift3-293x366.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 390px) 100vw, 390px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">Ryan at a Champion Lift Church event with his youngest daughter Sophie.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"380\" height=\"474\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/10985325_10205580145759307_3162027799003783217_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"8424\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/10985325_10205580145759307_3162027799003783217_n.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?attachment_id=8424\" class=\"wp-image-8424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/10985325_10205580145759307_3162027799003783217_n.jpg 380w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/10985325_10205580145759307_3162027799003783217_n-241x300.jpg 241w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/10985325_10205580145759307_3162027799003783217_n-293x365.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 380px) 100vw, 380px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"380\" height=\"474\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/10985325_10205580145759307_3162027799003783217_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"8424\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/10985325_10205580145759307_3162027799003783217_n.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?attachment_id=8424\" class=\"wp-image-8424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/10985325_10205580145759307_3162027799003783217_n.jpg 380w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/10985325_10205580145759307_3162027799003783217_n-241x300.jpg 241w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/10985325_10205580145759307_3162027799003783217_n-293x365.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 380px) 100vw, 380px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">Ryan at the Masters, which you compete in once you reach 35-years-old.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Prisoners connected to his competitions as in prison bodybuilding, weightlifting, powerlifting, and anything to do with weight is huge. If you don\u2019t do training when you go into prison you very quickly learn you need to, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s like a playground in there but with adults, it\u2019s not the best place to be so people get into weightlifting,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That created the connection between him and the prisoners. Many times, Ryan would come second, third, fourth, or fifth in competitions but just like the guys in prison he had a passion for training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ryan got involved with prison ministry in the early 1990s, travelling and preaching whilst his wife Sarah would sing. Champion Lift wasn\u2019t part of his plan. \u201cI had seven years with it but at the time it was the last thing I wanted to do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"410\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/Prisons-in-the-UK-2-410x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8174\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/Prisons-in-the-UK-2-410x1024.jpg 410w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/Prisons-in-the-UK-2-120x300.jpg 120w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/Prisons-in-the-UK-2-770x1925.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/Prisons-in-the-UK-2.jpg 780w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/Prisons-in-the-UK-2-293x733.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 410px) 100vw, 410px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"410\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/Prisons-in-the-UK-2-410x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8174\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/Prisons-in-the-UK-2-410x1024.jpg 410w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/Prisons-in-the-UK-2-120x300.jpg 120w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/Prisons-in-the-UK-2-770x1925.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/Prisons-in-the-UK-2.jpg 780w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/Prisons-in-the-UK-2-293x733.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 410px) 100vw, 410px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Ryan\u2019s programme \u2018Champion Lift\u2019 began when he visited Bangor Prison in Maine. Whilst doing a preaching tour of prisons and young offender units, he was approached by the Bangor Chaplin.&nbsp; The Chaplin knew of Ryan&#8217;s weightlifting history and wanted to run a session to reach out to those who weren\u2019t going to his Chapel services.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe saw before I ever did the real connection point of this sport,\u201d said Ryan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Bangor 40 men came to the session. \u201cThey were huge, tattoos, looked aggressive, and they wanted to eat this English boy alive,\u201d said Ryan. \u201cI said right I\u2019m a minister of the gospel and I\u2019m an Olympic weightlifting coach, ex-competitor and today I\u2019m looking for Bangor\u2019s strongest man.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He watched their smiles grow as he presented the medals and trophies. They weren\u2019t there for anything to do with Chapel or Christianity but that didn\u2019t stop them from pushing themselves to the point of breaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey were killing themselves to win, and it was brilliant, the atmosphere changed, they warmed to me, and this was all through weightlifting,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then they came to the winner, lifting the hand of the champion. He glanced around the faces of men, who just one hour earlier had \u2018struck fear in his heart\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI came out of the prison elated for two reasons, one because of their response, when it began it was one of the scariest things I ever did but come the end it was the best,\u201d he said. \u201cThe second reason was because I was never going to do it again but God had a different idea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He thought he had enough of the weightlifting shenanigans. However, in November 2011 he felt God impress onto his heart to use the Olympics in London the following year as a way to connect with people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/Pexels.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8179\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/Pexels.jpg 780w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/Pexels-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/Pexels-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/Pexels-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/Pexels.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8179\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/Pexels.jpg 780w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/Pexels-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/Pexels-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/06\/Pexels-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Champion Lift started as a one year only promise from Ryan to God but it ended up going on for more than 7 years. (Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/person-standing-in-front-of-green-and-gray-barbell-1092873\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Viktor Freitas<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOne of my friends would potentially be competing in the Olympics and I got invited to go to the test events,\u201d he said. \u201cI felt like the Lord wanted me to do it and so I said Lord I will do it for one year and I\u2019ll give it my heart and soul for one year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He ended up travelling all over the UK doing Champion Lift events everywhere from prisons, and the back of lorries to schools, universities, and churches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-default is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Such fond memories, a season of my life I\u2019ll never forget, Champion Lift just connected people from different backgrounds, religions, and races, and they all came to that weightlifting bar and they all came to the sound of the gospel.<\/p><cite>Ryan Morton<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Ryan will never forget the Sports Week event in a Scottish prison eight years ago, where he met the character \u2018Mad-Dog\u2019. \u201cWe went into this hall, where they were playing football and they were killing each other, there was blood in the toilets,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the sudden safety of the weightlifting room Ryan attempted to break the ice by asking another one of the guys \u201care you doing the weightlifting today?\u201d. The only response he got was \u201cnah I\u2019ve got a bad back\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet as Ryan pulled out the medals and trophies, the grown man quickly grabbed a weightlifting belt. \u2018He came back and took part and he won it because of the trophies,\u201d said Ryan. \u201cThe medals and the trophies are a real pull, and they were busting a gut to win them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ryan didn\u2019t get to ask the other guy, \u2018why Mad Dog?\u2019 but it was easy to see where the nickname came from. \u201cMad Dog was short and stocky, and he looked like a bulldog,\u201d said Ryan. \u201cYou definitely didn\u2019t want to upset him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mad dog had reached about 70kg, and Ryan knew he was going to struggle with the next lift and didn\u2019t want him to get hurt. He quickly changed his mind, however, when his suggestion to stop made Mad Dog look at him like he wanted to kill him. He didn&#8217;t care about Ryan\u2019s preaching but to give up in this competition would be a sign of weakness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI said \u2018Mad Dog you can have as many goes as you want\u2019, and we kind of bonded after that,\u201d Ryan laughed. He didn\u2019t end up getting the lift, but he did earn a medal and Ryan\u2019s respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed alignwide is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load\" title=\"3 schemes that help to rehabilitate prisoners\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"about:blank\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bOgg8lf13gQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><noscript><iframe title=\"3 schemes that help to rehabilitate prisoners\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bOgg8lf13gQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Ryan was always concerned with looking after the well-being of the prisoners but soon he began ignoring his own health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Competitive weightlifting will always be a passion of Ryan\u2019s but eventually, it had to take a second place in his life. To be at the prison gates in Manchester, Liverpool, or Lincoln at 8:30 he had to be on the road for 3 in the morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It reached a point where balancing his competitions, ministry, marriage, kids, and a full-time job as a landscape gardener became too much. He would spend either a couple of nights a week or two weekends a month away doing prison ministry. Leaving Friday, coming back Monday and then working solidly through the week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI really far stretched myself doing the ministry and holding down a full-time job, I wouldn\u2019t recommend anyone doing the things I did because looking back it was a little bit extreme,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eventually the constant physical and mental stress made him ill. \u201cI had chronic pneumonia and I was hospitalised for 10 days, was on morphine for the pain and I nearly lost my life,\u201d said Ryan. \u201cIt was hard to balance everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whilst he couldn\u2019t compete he was still able to use his knowledge of weightlifting techniques to connect to prisoners through his ministry. Faith and sport have always been linked with some of the most successful athletes driven by their faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed alignwide is-type-wp-embed is-provider-genially wp-block-embed-genially\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" title=\"Eight Religious Sports people\" frameborder='0' width='1200' height='675' src='https:\/\/view.genial.ly\/60c1e6e8cc297e0d8fd895ff#?secret=IqC1rFFylQ' data-secret='IqC1rFFylQ' scrolling='yes'><\/iframe><noscript><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" title=\"Eight Religious Sports people\" frameborder='0' width='1200' height='675' src='https:\/\/view.genial.ly\/60c1e6e8cc297e0d8fd895ff#?secret=IqC1rFFylQ' data-secret='IqC1rFFylQ' scrolling='yes'><\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Even non-religious athletes cross themselves during games, and footballer Lionel Messi is an example of that. Others wear religious symbols like crosses, inspired by the infamous necklace worn by Novak Djokovic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think in every human being there\u2019s a God connection,\u201d said Ryan. There\u2019s something about sport events that leads athletes to do <a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/313866784_Integrating_pre-game_rituals_and_pre-performance_routines_in_a_culture-specific_context_Implications_for_sport_psychology_consultancy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">religious or superstitious behaviours<\/a> when they want to excel. From <a href=\"https:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/articles\/1478386-25-weirdest-superstitions-and-rituals-in-sports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wearing lucky pants<\/a> to eating certain foods. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-default is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>That\u2019s built into every human being, even in the strongest of atheists, the first thing they do in a traumatic or sporting event is to call out \u2018oh god\u2019, they cry out, they don\u2019t realise they are doing it.<\/p><cite>Ryan Morton<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Ryan can\u2019t compete anymore due to arthritis in his knees, but he will always hold onto his last competitions with great fondness. His last Championship as a Master was in Bangor, Wales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI lifted there in the Europeans and won three British titles, broke one British record a couple of years ago in the snatch in my age group and weight class,\u201d said Ryan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The weightlifting bar as simple as it looks has connected Ryan to prisoners all over the world. \u201cSport in general and for me weightlifting can open so many doors and I\u2019ve met so many different people in so many different situations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ryan estimates that weightlifting led him to preach to between 15,000 and 20,000 people. 90% of those weren\u2019t religious at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cParticularly in Bangor prison that was a chapel event but none of the regular chapel goers turned up and the 40 were not Christians,\u201d he said. \u201cThey weren\u2019t there for Christianity, but the weightlifting created such a link and it really worked.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pastor Ryan Morton discovered that religion didn\u2019t always bring prisoners to his sessions, but the competitions sure did. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":600,"featured_media":8061,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,227,78],"class_list":["post-7919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised","tag-prison","tag-religion","tag-sport"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - 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