Brad Thomas has served and protected families in the community as a firefighter for nearly 30 years. From a very young age, Brad followed his father around the firehouse, and it was during this time he decided he wanted to become a fireman himself. Initially, Brad’s motivation for his career was to have fun and the adrenaline rush and excitement of being able to put his skills into action.
Through the years, his motivation has definitely changed. He now thinks of the bigger picture, and often asks himself, “Why did God choose me to be there to help?” Brad says, “The best part of the job is when you know that someone has been praying or begging for help and you can be part of the answer to their problem.” One challenging part about being a firefighter is being away from home. Home is definitely where Brad’s heart is.
He and his wife have been married for 20 years! They have two daughters and two sons….the youngest joined their family through the blessing of adoption just last year. Brad decided a few years ago to share daily posts to help other couples and parents through the struggles of marriage and parenthood. He wanted people to know that they were not alone! He counsels others to put God first in their lives and in their marriages and that couples should not keep score. (You can read his devotions on Facebook @PurposefulLiving.)
In November of 2015, Brad was presented with the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Africa to construct places of worship and shelter from heat and rain. He recalls thinking, “Why should I go on a foreign mission when I have enough to do here?” Upon further reflection, he realized that he wasn’t doing that much here and decided to go.
This was the beginning of what have been five mission trips to Africa. You can definitely feel the love that he has for the people in Africa, especially the sweet children! Brad says, “God lines things up for a reason, and you have to be willing to be obedient and take a leap of faith!” Brad spends his free time working with Iron Men Ministry, volunteering as a baseball coach, serving at the firehouse and building homes with Habitat for Humanity of Caroline. Brad’s motivation can be summed up by his favorite verse found in ACTS 20:24 NLT; “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned by the Lord Jesus — the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.” Brad says, “As soon as I turned things over to God, that’s when I noticed my life-changing.”Thank you Brad Thomas for being a local hero, a wonderful example and for all you do to Lift Up and Serve Our Community!
We also thank the anonymous members of our awesome community who nominated Brad. Do you know someone or an organization that lifts up our community and is deserving of our monthly Spotlight? If so, please reach out to kiley@mattbrandtinsurance.com or give us a call at 804-633-4242. We look forward to hearing from you!#liftupyourcommunity