Athletes In Christ


Brian Adams Sport: Baseball Team: Boston Red Sox
When I was young and growing up in Bishopville, South Carolina, I was into whatever sport that was in season. My twin brother Darren and I would play ball with all the neighborhood kids. I grew up loving sports, especially baseball and basketball. My parents always had my older sister Lori, Darren and I involved in church. We attended the church youth group and enjoyed spending time with many of our friends. I made the decision to accept Jesus Christ into my life when I was 12 years old. The only problem was that I really wasnt sure what that meant, except that I thought if I were a good person then I would go to heaven when I die. As I began to pursue athletics more seriously in high school, sports became my primary focus. Everything else had to take a backseat position when it came to playing or practicing sports. At that time in my life, I attended church, but it was more of the thinking to keep God on my side. I knew nothing about a personal relationship with Our Creator and Savior. As it came time to choose a college, Darren and I accepted scholarships to play baseball at Clemson University. My freshman year was very tough, as I adjusted to the much higher level of play. I found myself always feeling depressed and worried because baseball had control over my life. At the beginning of my sophomore year at Clemson, I became involved in a campus athletic ministry called Athletes In Action (AIA). The leader over the baseball team was Scott Shepherd. Scott became a huge influence on my life at a time when I was really down on myself with all aspects of college life baseball, academics, and socially. It was then that I started learning who God is, what He has done for me, and what He wants to do for me. I realized that accepting Jesus Christ was not enough (for many people can accept), but believing in Him and who He is - as the only way to know God and be assured of salvation. (John 4:16) The Lord gave me a totally different outlook on life and revealed the true meaning of it to glorify Him and be a witness to all people. (Matthew 28:19-20) I now had a pace about my life, as God promises to all of His children. (Matthew 16:33) I began to enjoy baseball again, taking all the stress off me because I knew that God wanted to be the one to handle it. My senior year in college, I had the opportunity to attend Liberty University, a Christian school in Lynchburg, VA. where Darren had already been for one year. The classes at the school really challenged me to further grow in my relationship with Christ. I really enjoyed playing baseball there and learned a lot, both on pitching and being a Godly man, from my coaches and teammates. At the end of the 2000 spring baseball season I was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the eighth round. I am now entering my third year in the organization and its been exciting to see the people that God has brought across my path none being bigger than my fiancé Lindsay Ragsdale! Its amazing to see how the Lord has blessed me and has had His perfect time for everything, especially with Lindsay (whom I started dating at the end of my junior year at Clemson). The Lord had to teach us both a lot about His character and who He is before He could confirm our relationship and I am extremely thankful that He did! Today, I look forward with great anticipation to what the Lord has in store for me (in marriage, in baseball, and in the places and people that He will put in my life) and I can be joyful always because my strength comes from my everyday personal relationship with Him and not from myself. Brian Adams Colossians 3:23 Previous Athlete Testimonies Bryan Bullington - Baseball: Kansas City Royals Austin Chubb - Baseball: State College of Florida Dean Diebel - Baseball: Sierra College Brian Friday - Baseball: Pittsburgh Pirates Bryan Bullington - Baseball: Kansas City Royals Trey Johnston - Baseball: San Diego Padres Bo Cogbill - Baseball: Texas Christian University Brian Kelley - Baseball: Florida State Seminoles Jake Duncan - Baseball: Baltimore Orioles Jonathan Schneider - Baseball: Pittsburgh Pirates John Wasdin - Baseball: Texas Rangers 2004 David Murphy - Baseball: Texas Rangers John Barnes - Baseball: Pittsburgh Pirates Doug Brubaker - Baseball: Baltimore Orioles Adam Sheefel - Baseball: Cincinnati Reds Bo Dring - Baseball: Florida Gators Eric Roman - Baseball: Florida State Seminoles Buddy Groom - Baseball: Baltimore Orioles Joe Jackson - Football: Minnesota Vikings / New York Jets