Jared Orton: People are looking for things to celebrate and do and do with people and be around people. They come to our games and they don’t take themselves too seriously. They dance, they laugh, they cry, they cheer, they hug each other, they do all these things and that’s meaningful to them. We’re going to treat every game like it’s someone’s first game and we’re going to make it important for them. 

Faith That Takes Us Beyond the Ordinary: Jared Orton & Rachel G. Jordan – Episode #467

Narrator: Welcome to the Jesus Calling Podcast. This week, as we celebrate the spirit of independence, we’re spotlighting a uniquely American story. Jared Orton, president of the Savannah Bananas baseball team, joins us to reflect on a journey that started with just a few season tickets, no logo, and a wild idea. From humble beginnings in a historic Savannah stadium to becoming a national sensation, it’s a story about bringing people together, breaking the mold, and accomplishing it all with a deeper meaning.

Later in the episode, we’ll hear from marine biologist Rachel G. Jordan. From her inland roots in Idaho to coral reefs around the world, Rachel has followed a lifelong passion for ocean life, earning degrees in ecology and marine biology, and studying biblical theology along the way. Through science and story, Rachel explores the powerful intersections between nature, faith, and the presence of God—even in the deep.

Let’s begin with Jared’s story.

Jared Orton: My name is Jared Orton, and I am the president of the Savannah Bananas, the crazy viral sensation, I suppose, banana ball team now in Savannah, Georgia. 

A New Way to Enjoy Baseball

We started as this little, very simple, basic kind of entertainment-based baseball team all the way back in 2016. I was fortunate to be the first person here, alongside Jesse and Emily, who are our partners in this thing. I’ve been employee number one since day one 

And the question is always like, “So, did you play baseball growing up?” And yeah, certainly growing up I did. I loved baseball, loved all sports. Growing up in North Carolina, we got to watch the Braves every single night—that is what it seemed like—and I just loved being outside, loved playing, and that was always a fun thing for me. And then people are like, “Did you play in college?” I say, “Well, I was on the team.” There’s a big difference between playing and being on the team.  

I did an internship with a minor league baseball team, and I just fell in love with this idea that there was this whole other side of sports entertainment, which was serving the fans, doing the work, planning the events, selling the tickets, cooking the hot dogs, and getting the stadium ready for people.  

I remember that very first opening day that we had in Burlington, North Carolina—I just remember the thrill of thousands of people coming into the park and they were smiling and we had gotten all this stuff ready for them. We had cleaned the bathrooms and painted everything and cooked the food and we had built all the different, new areas for them. We put on this entertainment and music, and people had a good time. They thanked us and said, “We can’t wait to come back again,” and they high-fived us on the way out. I was like, Dude, this is so cool that you could use a platform—like a stadium and a team and an event—to bring people together. That was really fun. 

So, I finished up with the Royals and went back to school. I told my coach at the time, “Look, man, I’m not going to be a professional baseball player. Let’s just cut to the chase here. Do you know anybody who is in this sports entertainment field?” He said, “I used to coach this guy Jesse Cole, and I think he’s running this college summer league team down the street. You should go talk to him.” Sure enough, fifteen minutes away, Jesse was running this team, and Emily was there at the same time—the Gastonia Grizzlies. They were a college summer wooden bat league baseball team, which is a mouthful and not very fun to say and not very marketable. 

The way I explain it to people is that there is major league baseball, which is the tippity top. Then there’s all the levels of minor league baseball—Triple-A, Double-A, Single-A, Rookie league, which is where the Royals were at. And then, below that is college summer wooden bat league baseball. I say that in jest, obviously, the players are super talented. But it is the lowest of the low levels, like we are on a shoestring budget. There were two full-time employees, Jesse and Emily. I was the third part-time person—being the mascot, selling the tickets, mopping up the rainwater, pulling the tarp. We were hanging the signs on the outfield wall—doing everything. 

In those early years, there was a difference that I noticed we had put on things, and that was true entertainment and enjoyment for people. We had crazy ideas all the time. We were doing all these ridiculous stunts and promotions and novelty nights and all these different things. What I realized was there can be a blend of true fun and entertainment where you don’t take yourself too seriously, and there can be a game going on. I took those things and realized, This is what I think is what’s right for people. Because at the end of the day, people just wanna have fun and people wanna be entertained. We always say whether you like baseball or you don’t, we felt like we had an entertainment proposition for you—whether you’re two years old or ninety-two years old or a mom or a dad or a sister or a brother or a grandma or grandpa—it doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, the color of your skin, your demographic, your socioeconomic status, all those things can go away because fun doesn’t see or need any of those things. This thing is fun to the max, and that’s been our mission from day one—to make baseball fun.

“We always say whether you like baseball or you don’t, we felt like we had an entertainment proposition for you—whether you’re two years old or ninety-two years old or a mom or a dad or a sister or a brother or a grandma or grandpa—it doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, the color of your skin, your demographic, your socioeconomic status, all those things can go away because fun doesn’t see or need any of those things. This thing is fun to the max, and that’s been our mission from day one—to make baseball fun.” – Jared Orton 

Early Challenges for the Savannah Bananas

At that time, we were not professional. Professional baseball had existed here for almost a hundred years, all the way back to 1926. If you ever have been to Savannah, history and legacy is a big piece of this culture. People don’t forget that. And then we came into this stadium that has this amazing history for over a hundred years, and we were fighting against [things] like professional baseball has existed here forever and you guys aren’t professional baseball—you’re this like college summer thing, and you’ve got dancing players you’re telling us? And you don’t even have a name yet? We didn’t have a logo. 

None of us were from Savannah, so we didn’t know anybody. We didn’t have investors or venture capital or outside money. It was just Jesse and Emily kind of starting on their own, and we ran out of money really quickly. We had sold like a handful of season tickets—I think like four, maybe six, and one sponsorship package. We don’t know a soul. We just started this thing. It was like, Oh my gosh, did we make the right decision? 

We were just doing everything like everybody else. We were selling like everybody else. We were running ads. We were trying to convince people to buy things that they probably didn’t really want. We were doing all the normal things, and we were expecting a different result.  

We got the original logo design mock-up from our design group. It was over Christmas time and  we were really down in the dumps. I remember going to show my family the logo, and I was like, “Guys, we’re gonna be the Savannah Bananas!” And even my family was like, “Okay, we are so proud of you.” I was like,””Oh my gosh, even my own family thinks this is the dumbest thing on earth.” 

But we knew what we needed to do—we had to capture people’s attention. On February 25, 2016, we announced to the world that we were gonna be the Savannah Bananas, then people lost their minds. 

Having Fun, Making an Impact

We were created on purpose, by purpose, for purpose, and to do anything less than our best would not be glorifying God and the reason that we were created and placed on this earth. To do things at the highest standard and remember that people are involved—you have this beautiful creation, these humans that we’re responsible for, and we’re responsible to serve them. At the end of the day, we’re in the human business, and we’ve got to hold that very humbly in our hands because that is a privilege and a huge responsibility that this thing has been entrusted to us to do something incredibly powerful in the world.  

“We were created on purpose, by purpose, for purpose, and to do anything less than our best would not be glorifying God and the reason that we were created and placed on this earth. At the end of the day, we’re in the human business, and we’ve got to hold that very humbly in our hands because that is a privilege and a huge responsibility that this thing has been entrusted to us to do something incredibly powerful in the world.” – Jared Orton  

We legitimately get these stories sent to us. We see them on social media. People email us and say, “I’m coming to this game with my family, and we’re driving seventeen hours, this is our vacation.” Or we’ll hear even the more heart-wrenching stories like, “This is the first time we’ve been able to get together since XYZ family member has passed away,” or “I haven’t seen my brother in twenty years, and we’re going to go to the game together,” or “We’re celebrating my dad’s retirement,” or “We’re celebrating our sisters newborn baby and we’re bringing this little six week old to the game to do the banana baby lion king thing” that we do before the game. 

People are legitimately looking for things to celebrate and do and do with people and be around people. They come to our games, and they don’t take themselves too seriously—they dance, they laugh, they cry, they cheer, they hug each other. They do all these things and that’s meaningful to them.  

We’re going to treat every game like it’s someone’s first game, and we’re gonna make it important for them. So we better bring it. We better bring our best. We better bring creativity. We better bring uniqueness. We better not just settle and say, “Oh, we’ve done this before. No big deal. Nobody’s gonna notice.” No, it matters, and whether or not it’s just one person’s first game, or it might be everyone’s first, we’ve got to bring a top-notch, highest standard entertainment experience. Now, do we do that every time? No, of course not. We fail, we do things wrong, we miss the mark, but that’s been our guiding light and guiding principle—we’re going to treat this like someone’s first game.

“We’re going to treat every game like it’s someone’s first game, and we’re gonna make it important for them. That’s been our guiding light and guiding principle—we’re going to treat this like someone’s first game.” – Jared Orton 

Our players are extremely accessible, and they take more pictures, sign more autographs, trade more friendship bracelets, accept more baked goods from fans than you could ever imagine in your life. 

Last year, I believe, we were flying back from a west coast trip. We had been out there for ten days or so, and I think we had ended the game at like ten o’clock local time. We had to be on like a five a.m. flight the next day to go all the way back to the east coast. We are out of it, and we’re at a layover in one of the airports. Most of the time, we’re traveling in our gear, but a lot of times we’re not because we’re off, just trying to get back home. I was with some of the players eating lunch, and the eyeballs started going towards the table, and you could kind of see the whispers. This family came over, and the guys were so gracious. A kid in a wheelchair had his Bananas gear on. They were talking about how they were on their way to treatment. They were hoping to get to a game in the future, but they couldn’t figure it out right now due to some of the medical stuff. And to see those guys put their lunch down—literally put their lunch down—and spend real, quality, human time with that kid and their family when easily they could have just been like, “Hey guys, thanks. Here’s the autograph. We’re eating lunch, we’re going home.” They don’t do that. They stop, and they make it meaningful for every kid, every person, every adult. Andy Stanley, a pastor in north Atlanta, always says, “Do for one what you wish you could do for everybody.” And in that moment, they got to do something for somebody. 

Putting the Fans First

We’re here to put you first. We’re here to do what’s right by you. We’re going to create immense value. We are gonna be good stewards of the business. And we’ll do that if we provide great value, put you first, entertain you at a high level, provide great hospitality, and serve you well.  

I hope people have fun. I hope that people get some enjoyment out of this. I hope I get to see you at a game. If you’re listening to this, come say hello. I am usually wearing a yellow shirt and really ridiculous banana pants.  

In the end, what we’re trying to do is have a kingdom impact on people. I hope that the way that I lead and serve and answer people—I don’t do it right every single time and certainly fall short many times—but my hope is that people see this as a reflection of who I’ve been created to be and who I have been created by and placed on this earth.

“In the end, what we’re trying to do is have a kingdom impact on people. I hope that the way that I lead and serve and answer [helps] people see this as a reflection of who I’ve been created to be and who I have been created by and placed on this earth.” – Jared Orton

Narrator: To learn more about Jared, please visit www.jaredorton.com. To find where the Savannah Bananas might be playing near you, please visit www.TheSavannahBananas.com,  and follow along on social media. 

Stay tuned to Rachel G. Jordan’s story after a brief message. 

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The Jesus Calling Commemorative Edition

For over twenty years, readers have discovered the joy of spending time in the presence of the Savior with the much-loved daily devotions in Jesus Calling. 

Now, in the Jesus Calling commemorative edition, you’ll feel comforted by words of hope and encouragement, and be reassured of Jesus’ unending love through author Sarah Young’s words of gentle guidance that are rooted in Scripture. 

In this deluxe edition, you’ll find samples of Sarah’s original handwritten devotionals, twelve new devotions she penned before her passing, letters from Sarah to readers for each month of the year, and a touching tribute from Sarah’s daughter. 

Experience a deeper relationship with Jesus as you savor the presence of the One who understands you perfectly and loves you forever. Find the Jesus Calling commemorative edition today at your favorite retailer or get 30% off your purchase at www.faithgateway.com.

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Our next guest is marine biologist Rachel G. Jordan. Rachel’s journey has taken her from Idaho’s inland shores to the vibrant coral reefs of the world. Her experiences took her into the mysteries of the ocean while exploring profound connections between nature and faith. 

Rachel G. Jordan: My name is Rachel Jordan. I am a marine biologist, lay theologian, and storyteller. My training as a marine biologist has taken up a decent chunk of my growing up life.

I’ve spent a lot of years chasing after coral reefs and opportunities to get to work with them. It’s so incredibly cool because I got to travel to a lot of different places and see different reefs, but it eventually landed me working for the National Park Service as a coral biologist at Dry Tortugas National Park. I’ve gotten to travel around the world chasing my dream of working with coral reefs, and my love for Jesus has been a massive guiding force in my life.

An Early Fascination for the Sea

My interest in marine biology was at a very young age, which is a little odd considering that I was raised in the state of Idaho about six hours away from the west coast in the United States.  My parents, once every year or two, would take our family out to the coast, and we would go tide pooling, which if you don’t know, is where you explore rocky coastlines. Sometimes, there’d be cliffs kind of dipping down to the water, but the rocky ledges meant that when the tide was low, there would be water suspended in these pools that would become accessible as you climbed around the rocks and explored. I grew up with my parents teaching me [things] like these sticky green creatures are sea anemones and you can gently poke them and they stick to your skin and they’re just really neat. Oh look, over here is a pink crab! Look at it scuttle around and its little eyeballs when they’re looking back at you. 

I remember looking at the crashing waves coming in from the open sea and just sort of wondering, Wow, I wonder what else is out there in the big water, in the ocean? When I was in tenth grade, I had this incredible teacher named Mr. McCormick who would occasionally go on these wild tangents in class about random things he thought were really cool. When we were supposed to be studying the cells of a red onion under a microscope, we would instead be talking about coral bleaching. And that is exactly what happened—he went on this tangent in class about coral reefs, and I was so interested in the stories. These coral reef ecosystems sounded so phenomenal. It blew my mind that these were not rocks or plants but animals—that corals were animals that built these cities underwater that attracted all sorts of other creatures to live there and supported so much of our planet. 

“It blew my mind that these were not rocks or plants but animals—that corals were animals that built these cities underwater that attracted all sorts of other creatures to live there and supported so much of our planet.” – Rachel G. Jordan 

I remember my mom picking me up from school that day and I got into the car and I was so excited telling her about coral reefs that I started crying. She very wisely said to me, “Wow, you really love this. I think you should remember that.” And so I did. That was the moment that it hit me that, I want to study marine biology, specifically, I want to be a coral biologist. That’s when the dream was born. 

God is With Us Through the Deepest of Waters

The ocean can be a bit of a scary place. It’s a wilderness of its own. But I think the scariest instance I’ve had while diving is actually when my dive buddy disappeared. When you are scuba diving, you usually are swimming with another diver, and you’re looking out for each other. You stay within a fairly close distance so that if something went wrong, you could rescue one another. For me, I like to stay within about ten fin kicks worth of distance, so I could get there in a couple seconds and be physically hanging on to them if need be. 

There was this experience where my buddy and I were on a disease intervention dive. We were working to identify corals that were infected with stony coral tissue loss disease, which is a really vast, violent disease that has just ripped through the Caribbean and Florida reefs. We were actively applying an antibiotic treatment to the diseased areas of infected colonies to try to save them. The larger the coral, the more infected it is, and the longer it takes to treat. So I’d been giving this coral my solid attention for several minutes, and when I looked up, I didn’t see my dive buddy, which was a little bit odd because I noticed several things. I couldn’t see my dive buddy and the whole visibility of the underwater landscape had gotten fuzzy. There had just been sort of a current or something that had lifted up sand and siltiness from the ocean floor and mixed into the water. It was as if a fog had rolled in and that made it really hard to see through. 

I started doing what we had as a team agreed upon, which is a missing dive buddy procedure. I picked a spot on the ocean floor that I hovered above, and I turned in a circle for a minute. I set a timer on my dive computer. I started making little circles around this fixed point on the ocean floor. I kept the coral that I had treated as my centerpiece and was systematically searching for my buddy within the line of sight around that point, and I did that for a minute. 

Meanwhile, I was tapping on my scuba cylinder with a metal clip that I had so that they could hear me and at least know that I was okay. But I didn’t hear any clicking back, which is scary because if my buddy had heard me, I know they would have responded. So eventually my minute finished up, and I began my ascent to the surface, which included releasing an SMB, a device sort of like an underwater balloon. You fill it with air from your scuba cylinder, it floats up to the surface on a string that you’re holding the end of, and it marks your place in the water. It alerts the dive boat that something’s up—I might’ve lost my dive buddy, something’s going on, I’m coming up, please come get me, I’m ending the dive early. I ascended, the boat came and scooped me up, and voila, there is my dive buddy sitting on the boat. It was no big deal. 

But in the moment, when you realize, Oh my gosh, I can’t see my dive buddy, I might be in the water alone, that is really scary. But the cool part of the story is we had a plan, we were trained, we had the equipment we needed, and we both did our jobs really well and took care of ourselves, and in doing so, we also took care of each other. 

Engaging with God in the Natural World

That experience was massively comforting to me in the sense that it’s become a metaphor for what it’s like to do life with Jesus. There are times that I feel like I look up from what I’m doing, and I can feel really alone. I might be the only person in this ocean right now, but God never leaves or forsakes us. He promises that when we go through hard things, when we walk through the rivers, when we walk through deep waters—He talks about in Isaiah chapters forty through forty-two that He’ll be with us through those experiences, through hardship, through loneliness, and that scary story of me realizing I’m alone underwater. 

“God never leaves or forsakes us. He promises that when we go through hard things, when we walk through the rivers, when we walk through deep waters—He talks about in Isaiah chapters forty through forty-two that He’ll be with us through those experiences, through hardship, through loneliness, and that scary story of me realizing I’m alone underwater.” – Rachel G. Jordan 

I think there are all different sorts of ways that we can engage with God through the natural world, but I also think nature isn’t always accessible in the way that we prefer. There are times that I would love to be able to go diving, but I’m currently inland right now. It’s just not going to happen. So where are the places that I can meet God where I currently am—whether that’s looking out a window or reading a novel or admiring the creation and the nature that is expressed there? 

“Where are the places that I can meet God where I currently am—whether that’s looking out a window or reading a novel or admiring the creation and the nature that is expressed there?” – Rachel G. Jordan 

I’m a firm believer that God speaks to each of us in the way that we will best understand. I think for some of us that might be scuba diving and praying during a dive, or it might be going for a walk in your neighborhood and contemplating who He is, and for another person, it might just be sitting in a room. A lot of learning to be in a relationship with God is finding those things that work specifically for you and Him that are meeting places, sort of the holy ground where you can best experience His presence, most clearly hear His voice, and engage in life together.

“I’m a firm believer that God speaks to each of us in the way that we will best understand. A lot of learning to be in a relationship with God is finding those things that work specifically for you and Him that are meeting places, sort of the holy ground where you can best experience His presence, most clearly hear His voice, and engage in life together.” – Rachel G. Jordan

I know that Jesus Calling has been especially impactful for a lot of people who love daily devotions, who love sitting down and being handed a beautifully prescribed prayer and conversation that they can then use as a launching point for their prayer time with God. Inviting God into the exploration of that is such a sweet practice, and if it’s not something you’ve tried, I highly recommend it. 

Jesus Listens, April 29th:

Glorious Jesus,

Help me to lay down my problems long enough to gaze at You. Sometimes I picture myself standing at the edge of a magnificent ocean, on a beach covered with pebbles. The pebbles represent problems—When I pick up these small stones and hold them close to my eyes, examining their details, my view of the grandeur all around me is blocked. Usually, as soon as I put down one pebble-problem, I pick up another. The ocean represents You—endlessly glorious and continually present with me. I want to put down all the pebbles so I can experience Your loving Presence. I long for the day when seeking You continually will be a habit—a delightful habit that keeps me close to You on the path of Life.

In Your exquisite Name, 

Amen

Narrator: To learn more about Rachel G. Jordan visit, www.rachelgjordan.com, and be sure to check out her new book, If the Ocean Has a Soul: A Marine Biologist’s Pursuit of Truth through Deep Waters of Faith and Science, at your favorite retailer.

If you’d like to hear more stories about having a kingdom impact, check out our interview with Holly Hayes.

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Next week: Lola Sheen

Next time on the Jesus Calling Podcast, we’ll hear from Lola Sheen, who was baptized earlier this year. She opens up about her struggles with anxiety and living in the spotlight, and how digging into her faith has helped her re-center her life. 

Lola Sheen: I love the verse when He says, “Remain in Me and I will remain in you. [John 15:4]” I think when we don’t fill our mind with Him daily, all these other things—anxiety, stress, people’s opinions—can so easily fill your mind. We’re human, so it’s normal, and God knows that.