Testimony
God's Faithfulness In My Life
The following is a glimpse into some of the extraordinary circumstances God has used while shaping my life and deepening my faith in Jesus Christ.
My parents divorced when I was five years old. That event changed everything for me while presenting complete instability. Now I more clearly understand that God allowed those circumstances to develop perseverance within my character and in order to elevate my dependence upon Him.
One of the more defining moments of my childhood came in September 1963 when I attended my first Major League Baseball game and witnessed one of Stan Musial's final appearances with the St. Louis Cardinals. That day ignited a lifelong passion for baseball. What I did not realize at that time was that God used the game as a platform and a major pathway throughout much of my life.
In 1970 at the age of sixteen, my youth pastors Jim Ferguson and Louis Zamperini presented the good news and gospel message to me. At La Brea tarpits in Los Angeles, I accepted, received Jesus Christ into my heart as my savior.
In 1971, baseball Hall of Famer Ernie Banks presented me with the opportunity for to fulfill my dream as becoming a batboy for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yet during that same season, I unexpectedly became homeless, living on the streets of Hollywood as a sixteen year old teenager. Baseball remained my refuge and sanctuary. Jesus Christ became my genuine source of hope as I began learning what it meant to follow Him.
Another life changing event occurred in 1971, the same year I wore the Los Angeles Dodgers uniform as a batboy, was when I became homeless. My mother left Hollywood and moved to the San Francisco Bay area. I refused to move because of my position with the Dodgers, therefore becoming homeless. Still, I was attending school at Hollywood High and sleeping on the streets of Hollywood. Going to school in the day, working at Dodger Stadium at night, sleeping on bus benches, movie theaters, bowling alleys, and my favorite spot, the fire escape at the famed Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard.
God arranged another friendship that became life changing. Before a Dodgers-Giants game in April of 1971, I met the San Francisco Giants superstar Bobby Bonds. After boldly asking him where he would spend eternity, I learned soon learned he was a committed Christian. That conversation began a friendship that lasted more than thirty years, with Bobby becoming my big brother. We became inseparable. Barry was seven years old at the time.
The following season of 1972, Bobby (Bonds) arranged for me to become a batboy for the San Francisco Giants, that was my senior year of high school. Those years provided countless opportunities to openly share my faith throughout Major League Baseball.
Phyllis, my wife and I were married in 1984 at Las Vegas Bible Church. Throughout our forty two years of marriage, we both have sought to keep Jesus Christ at the center of our lives.
God has delivered and presented a bountiful of unexpected opportunities. One favorite in particular was an invitation to attend President Jimmy Carter's 75th birthday celebration. My friendship with David Osborne, one of President Carters best friends graciously invited me to Plains Georgia for three days of celebrations. My favorite with Mr. Carter was sitting in his (President Carter's) Sunday school class that he taught and sharing dinner with him and his family. On the fourth day, and upon leaving Plains, Mr. Carter made a phone call and arranged for a private tour of his Presidential Library in Atlanta Georgia. Spending time with the Carters will always be an experience to treasure.
After graduating from the Western College of Auctioneering in 1986, God opened doors for me to serve numerous Christian ministries through fundraising events and by sharing my unique testimony. God gifted me with the talent as a bidcaller for auctions, and He (God) allowed me to prosper while representing Him.
Pastor Miles McMahon at Calvary Chapel in Sonora California, encouraged me to participate in mission trips to Uganda, Kenya, and Turkey for three weeks. Once again, baseball became the bridge that God presented for me to introduce children not only to the great game of baseball, but, more importantly, to the saving salvation message of Jesus Christ. Teaching the kids of Uganda and Kenya the game of baseball was special. Having the opportunity to share from different pulpits that Pastor Miles had arranged with his pastor friends in both countries was beyond belief.
When Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana, I felt the Lord's call to travel to Louisiana to assist the people. With little more than faith and a willingness to serve, God faithfully guided my footsteps and heart to provide the needs as He opened the doors.
The Gospel message was delivered, Bibles were presented, and every practical need was given. Those souls that was devastated by that vicious storm were ministered to the best of my ability as God opened the doors and presented their needs . To this day, that Katrina trip was one the most amazing evidences and expressions of God's providential hand. It remains one of the clearest demonstrations of God's clear and obvious provisions that I have ever experienced.
In 2010, I authored Baseball Legends & Legacies as a tribute to my dear friend Bobby Bonds and as an extension of the ministry God has entrusted to me. Looking back, I clearly see God's sovereign hand directing every chapter of his book as well as my life, using both adversity and extraordinary opportunities to draw me closer to Himself.
These experiences represent a small portion of God's faithfulness throughout my life's journey. Since giving my life to Christ in 1970, my greatest desire has remained the same: to know Jesus more intimately, to make Him more widely known, and to faithfully use every opportunity He provides to encourage others to place their trust in Him.