My name is Adam and I love ESPN, x-box, lawn golf, the Red Sox, and would be content if the last thing I ate for the rest of my life was oatmeal raisin cookies.   There are some other things I love too.  Actually, I love these more than anything else (even oatmeal raisin cookies):

1. Jesus Christ
2. My beautiful wife, Allison
3. My little boy, Matthew
4. My students

I was born on the Duke University Campus on November 21, 1984.  Duke is known for their great academics and basketball … but neither of those seemed to transfer to me!  I made the big move to Jacksonville when I was 2 years old and then grew up here.  I’m an Orange Park High School grad where I played baseball and kind of swam on the swim team, mostly to wear a Speedo.  I had a great group of friends from those days, and even though I don’t see them very much anymore, I still love them like brothers.

I grew up dreaming of being on the Florida State University Baseball Team.  That dream came true for me … but as a bullpen catcher, rather than the star slugger on the team!  I had a few great years at FSU in baseball and with my fraternity brothers of Lambda Chi Alpha.  What a great run that was … so many stories!

As it turns out, God had a different plan for me.  I received Jesus as my Savior when I was just 5 years old.  I loved the character of David and even dressed up as him one year for Halloween.  What I learned about David was that he made a lot of mistakes, but he was a man after God’s own heart.  I’d like to think that is true about me too.  Throughout my high school and college years, I continued to have God on my heart.  At a retreat in 2005, as I sat outside on a picnic bench, it was clear to me that God was asking me to serve Him with all of my life.  It was an awesome and overwhelming moment, which I will never forget!  Later on that year, I left FSU and went to Columbia International University to study the Bible.  I can’t even begin to tell you how much I learned there.  Something else pretty special happened there too.  The last night I was at CIU, I had my first date with my wife, Allison and the rest is history.  She is a total babe and we married in June of 2008. Then in February of 2010 we had a little boy, Matthew Joseph.  He is incredible and I am so thankful to the Lord for him.  He loves to bang heads and fist bump.  How can you beat it?

Now, I am the Senior High Youth Pastor at Christian Family Chapel.  We have about 120 of the most amazing students in Jacksonville.  I get to teach, lead, play, eat, study, laugh, cry, and celebrate life with them.   We spend a lot of our time together at a place called The Shop.  We call it The Shop because it’s sort of like God’s “workshop” for us … as God continues to grow, shape, and teach us.  Philippians 1:6 says, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”  God is working on me, that’s for sure.  It’s my hope and prayer and He won’t stop until I become just like His Son, Jesus Christ!  So … welcome to “Life in the Shop!”