Chris bando

Baseball was my life; fame, fortune and success my goal.  My passion as a young boy was to be a professional baseball player, like my brother Sal.  My path followed his attending Arizona State University, hitting a game winning HR to win the College World Series in 1977 and was 2nd round draft pick in 1978 by the Cleveland Indians. In 2023 I was honored with joining the College Baseball Hall of Fame.

 

After signing with the Indians, Sal congratulated me and said all his achievements and accomplishments meant nothing compared to the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. The Apostle Paul said, “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 4:7-8)

 

I believed in God, but Sal said, if you were born in a garage would that make you a car?  Just because you believe in God, doesn’t make you a Christian, because even the demons also “believe in God, and shudder.” (James 2:19). 

 

April fools day, 1979; “The fool says in his heart, There is no God,” (Psalm 14:1) or literally the fool says no to God; I can live my life for my sake, on my own strength, for my own glory. While sliding into 2nd base on the last day of spring training, I suffered a broken leg and tore all the ligaments in my right ankle. It was an injury that possibly could have ended my career as a catcher.  My brother Sal, sent me a bible and I began to read in the New Testament.

 

The Lord had unblinded my eyes to understand the Scriptures when I got to Matthew chapter 6 verse 24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and wealth. For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  The Lord confronted me in my sin.  I was living for the gold, not God.  I was serving the wrong master, me!  The Apostle Paul in Romans 1:25 said, “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”  I was the creature, a me-monster, living for me, myself and I rather than the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  The first thing we replace God with is ourselves. It’s not those who think they are somebody that enter God’s Kingdom, but those who know they are nobody.  “God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)

 

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  (Matthew 6:33-34) God and His Kingdom, not me and my kingdom, is the purpose of life.  Suddenly God’s peace overwhelmed me, while lying in a hospital bed, uncertain about my career or future in pain. It’s a “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding…” (Philippians 4:7).

 

I prayed asking the Lord to help me seek your Kingdom first each day, in the Scriptures.  Help me to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of who you are and what you have done for me, and how would you want me to live.

 

The Lord gave me a hunger for His Word, peace and hope for the future.  I soon understood that it was Christ’s achievement that mattered, not my achievements.  “For Christ also died for sins, once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.” (1 Peter 3:18). Christ paid for my sins, made me alive by the Holy Spirit and gave me a future and a hope, that depended not on my performance, but based on His performance. I would spend 10 years in professional baseball, but now knew that God causes all things to work together for my good and His glory. (Romans 8:28-29) The good days and bad, being cheered by 70,000 or booed by little children, being sent down, called up, or on the disabled list.  God was conforming me and growing me into the image of Christ. Are you seeking Christ and trusting Christ, first?  Or are you living for your kingdom?

 

I married Mary Beth Riffle on November 14th, 1982 and the Lord blessed us with six children and now, 9 grandchildren.  I have spent 40 years in baseball and my wife has graciously moved over 50 times during our marriage, without complaining.  She has been a tremendous help mate, that allowed me to stay in baseball for 40 years, while homeschooling all our children.  Our passion has been to serve the Lord wherever He sends us.  The Apostle Paul  has been a biblical benchmark, “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:24).  Again in   2 Timothy 2:2 he says to young Timothy, “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”  My purpose is to preach the gospel wherever Christ sends me and disciple faithful young men in the game of baseball.  My passion is to model and teach, how to glorify God in your career and life.   The Lord has sent us all over the world and US teaching baseball and preaching Christ.  We currently live in Kyle, Texas with 8 of our beloved grandchildren close by.  I am blessed to have a wife that always asked me one question, before making final decisions.  “How does this move or decision align with the Lord’s desire for you to shepherd our home and disciple young men?”   “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband….” My wife makes me look good. She is the crowning jewel of our home, who supports me to serve our Lord, wherever He sends us.