Tom and his wife started attending Woodland Hills in the early years, and stayed on as podrishioners after they moved out of the area. Tom shared his faith story with us and how he is using his retirement to invest in creation care.
I grew up in a Catholic household, going to church every Sunday. I was an altar boy and member of the youth council, but the teenage weekend retreats were the time where I really felt the Holy Spirit. Coming home after a retreat, I would think, “God is real, the Holy Spirit is real, and Jesus died for all of our sins.”
For some time I worked for my uncle who was a photographer and who had become a born again Christian. At work he’d open up the Bible, and he would always read through a chapter, and then we would discuss it. Then, on my 24th birthday, my wife Angela bought me a Bible. I’ve read it every single day since, cover to cover—right now I’m in 2 Chronicles. Greg’s teaching on violence in the Old Testament has helped, so that with some pictures of God I can ask “Is something else going on?”
In 1995 my boss shared with me that he went to a church called Woodland Hills at Harding High School, which was within walking distance from our house. My wife and I went one time, and we were sold. We’ve stayed with Woodland ever since, and after we moved, I became a podrishioner. I love being a podrishioner! I think of Sundays going to Woodland Hills like going to college. It’s a deep dive and I learn so much. And I appreciate the MuseCast with Dan and Shawna drilling down even more!
At Woodland we talk about the four directions of love, with the first being God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Then there’s self, which I think of as me and my wife, because when we married we became one. Then my neighbor—that’s everybody else, anyone out there. And then there’s creation. Right now, a lot of what I do is aligned with love of creation, and what we’re called to do in that direction.
After I retired, I became a member of the board of Big Pine Lakes Association. My family has been up on this lake since 1968 and it’s a beautiful place that we want to keep beautiful for the next generations.
We do roadside cleanup and recycling, and I work on lake buffer zones, which are vegetated areas of plants that separate land from water. They help to protect water quality and aquatic habitats. I implemented a buffer zone where we planted 900 native plants on the shoreline, which helps stop chemical elements from coming into our lake and causing phosphorus, which is a pollutant.
I also have an opportunity to work with the Department of Natural Resources on our hatchery. In the late 1990s they put in a culvert which was higher than the lake, and the walleyes couldn’t get through. So we’re taking steps so that the walleyes can come into the lake again.
In Genesis, God said to take care of the environment, the birds and the fish, all of it! We’re in charge. So what are we doing to maintain it and make it better for the future? When I die and I see my creator, I want him to say, “Good job. Good job with the environment.” That’s the way I feel.
Thanks for sharing Tom, we certainly believe God will say, and already is saying, “Good job!”
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