In his book, Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life, Charles Swindoll tells the story of Yusuf Ismail the Terrible Turk.  

He was a 350-pound professional wrestler from Bulgaria who enjoyed an undefeated record throughout Europe.  In 1898 he came to the United States where he challenged Strangler Lewis for the American Heavyweight Championship.  The match was a total mismatch.  Lewis was outweighed by 150 pounds and could not overcome Yusuf’s brute strength.  Easily defeating Lewis, Yusuf had the $5,000 in prize money converted to gold coins which he carried in a money belt.

Shortly after his victory over Lewis, Yusuf took the first ship back to Europe booking passage on the ill-fated S.S. La Bourgogne.  Many miles at sea, the ship sank on the morning of July 4, 1898.  Yusuf fell overboard with his money belt full of gold coins.  The added weight was too much for even the Terrible Turk to stay afloat.  Before the lifeboats could reach him, he sank straight to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.  If only he would have taken off the heavy money belt!

The Hebrew writer gave this word of warning about encumbrances, “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us” (Hebrews 12:1).  The thing about weights is that they are not sinful things; they’re just things.  Got any weights in your life?  Any spiritual distractions?  Is there anything getting in the way of your walk with God?  Are there any encumbrances diverting your attention and dampening your enthusiasm?

If so, do what Yusuf Ismail the Terrible Turk should have done.  For the sake of your spiritual survival, lay it aside.  Do it now.  Only then will you be able to run with perseverance the race set before you.

Pastor Todd Weston  

 I will be the first to admit there are a lot of things I’m not very good at.  I love working around the house and in the yard.  But when it comes to home repairs I’m a disaster.  My wife and kids love to laugh at my handyman horror stories. Just ask them about them time it took me an entire day to hang blinds in our house!
 
And then there is the wonderful world of auto mechanics, of which I know nearly nothing.  I’m the last person you should call if your car ever breaks down.  If it wasn’t broken before, it will be by the time I’m done with it.  
 
I really enjoy playing the game of golf, but I never know what to expect from one day to the next.  Sometimes I play respectable.  Other times you would think I had never touched a club in my life. I’m telling you, it’s enough to give a
person a complex.
 
I’m a lousy cook.  I barely survived freshman algebra.  I have never beaten Sheri in a game of ping pong.  I went hunting once and wasn’t invited to go again.  I’ve never been asked to sing a solo in my life. Need I say more?
 
But the truth of the matter is it doesn’t really bother me that I’m not very good at those things.  None of those things listed above appear on the priority list of my life – well, maybe golf!  
  
But there are some things in this life that I do want to get right.  Two things really matter to me.  First, I want to be the best Christian I can possibly be.  I really want to get my relationship with God right.  The other thing that matters to me is my family.  To be the kind of husband and father God wants me to be is a high priority in my life. 
 
So what if I cannot fix the dishwasher, or rebuild an engine like my brother-in-law?  So what if I cannot cook?  So what if my wife beats me mercilessly at ping pong?  If I can be a faithful man of God and a loving husband and father, I will consider my life a success.  Those are the things that matter most to me.       
 
Pastor Todd Weston
 
PS– I really would like to break 80 before I die!  : )