Tom Fodi

Entrepreneurial Pastor of @hillspgh. Business & Community Leader. Husband. Father. Disciple of Jesus. Home: Pittsburgh & Appalachia.

[Tom Fodi @thomasfodi]

@ThePoniExpress Agreed.

[Chris Mack @THEChrisMack]

Best entrance in baseball.

Mason Miller. Bethel Park product.

Pittsburgh. Everywhere. Always.

[Tom Fodi @thomasfodi]

@Protestia He compared himself to Jesus. The Messiah who rode a humble donkey into Jerusalem rather than the expected and "entertaining" white horse...

[Tom Fodi @thomasfodi]

@Protestia He compared himself to Jesus. Something tells me he missed the day in seminary when they taught about the multitude who walked away from Jesus. There's not much "entertaining" about picking up your cross and following Him.

[Tom Fodi @thomasfodi]

I realize most Pittsburgh area sports fans have long moved on to football and hockey season, but don't mind me as I post routine updates from the increasingly foreign land of the MLB playoffs. There are some big storylines to follow.

For instance, will the Dodgers "three-peat?" If so, what will the ramifications of that be on the new CBA?

On the other end of the spectrum, three teams in this year's playoffs have never won it all — the Brewers, Rays and Padres. Will we finally see history made by one of them this year?

This is only the fourth time in history that both the White Sox and Cubs have made the playoffs. Could we get a repeat of the 1906 Chicago crosstown World Series?!

Speaking of the White Sox, just two years ago they lost an MLB-record 121 games. In fact, they've lost 100+ games in three straight seasons and are now the first team in baseball history to reach the playoffs after even two consecutive 100-loss seasons. How far can one of the most remarkable turnarounds in baseball history go?

And how about another chapter of Yankees–Red Sox? Is there any rivalry better suited for October baseball? The Yankees took last year's series, but this time they'll try to do it without Aaron Judge!

I know many of you are as disappointed as I am that our Pirates are not in the playoffs again this year, but there's still plenty of reason to tune in to America's past time. Even though it's still September, I couldn't be more excited that October baseball has arrived!

@MLB #MLB #OctoberBaseball #Baseball #Playoffs

[Tom Fodi @thomasfodi]

How do you not get romantic about baseball?

[Baseball Is Dead @baseballisdead_]

The perfect ending for Justin Verlander.

His daughter runs out to the mound and he walks off with his family.

Feels like a movie.

[Tom Fodi @thomasfodi]

I know many yinzers will still complain but your Buccos just clinched a winning season for the first time since 2018. That being said, even I'll admit this season won't be ending as we hoped with a playoff run. But, at the end of the day, the least I wanted was meaningful baseball in September and we got that. Assuming we have a season next year, I fully expect a run.

Now let's get to the business of signing Lowe. #letsgobucs

Photo from Wrigley Field a couple weeks ago.

[Tom Fodi @thomasfodi]

Just a routine selfie. Well, no, not really. This selfie was taken as a bit of a reminder to appreciate what I am doing right now. I'm walking out of my PCP's office at the VA after a routine follow up appointment. During today's appointment, my doctor reminded me that less than five months ago my wife practically had to carry me into the hospital because my heart and lungs weren't able to get me there on my own. I nearly died less than five months ago and here I am just strolling in and out of a routine doctor's appointment before work. So, no. This isn't a routine selfie. It's a picture of a guy praising God for another day of life, another day with his family, and another day of purpose. Never take for granted a routine day, friends. There is no telling when it'll be the last one you get. Live every moment as if it is on purpose, because it is.

[Tom Fodi @thomasfodi]

I can't think of a finer way to honor this sacred day in America then to enjoy America's pastime in one of America's most hallowed ballparks.

#letsgobucs #september11 #baseball #mlb #neverforget

[Tom Fodi @thomasfodi]

I'm not sure where I thought my life would take me 25 years later, but I'm pretty sure eating an omelet at a nice hotel in downtown Chicago with my wife and children never would've even made the list. As far as I was concerned that fateful morning, the world had changed, we were at war, and once I finally got my chance to don the uniform of my nation, I might not have been coming home. I'm grateful I did but continue to grieve for the thousands lost the morning evil struck and in the years to follow. Never forget, but continue to live freely and boldly in the greatest nation in history. God bless America.

[Tom Fodi @thomasfodi]

Having ourselves a day at Rate Field with a bunch of yinzers who traveled to Chicago to see our NEVER SAY DIE @Pirates! #letsgobucs

[Pittsburgh Pirates @Pirates]

Fun fact: Oneil Cruz's 467-foot HR missile moonshot is the farthest hit at Rate Field this season. 🤯

[Tom Fodi @thomasfodi]

One of the best parts of my job is the fact I can end up just about anywhere on any given day. For example, yesterday I had to make an unusual trip deep into the Mon Valley. On the way home, I intentionally took the route that led me by Mingo Creek Cemetery, next door to Mingo Creek Church.

If you're unfamiliar with this cemetery or have never visited it, I highly recommend it. Some of the most fascinating local history happened on these hallowed grounds. My church, @hillspgh, gathers on another patch of similar sacred ground behind the Oliver Miller Homestead. They're sister sites, forever connected by local people who were so committed to the values of this new nation they gathered, organized and openly rebelled against it during its infancy because of the perceived injustice of the whiskey tax.

Even though my family wouldn't venture to southwestern PA until around the Civil War and thereafter, I consider those who gathered here in defense of their homes and their values my kin. Their legacy lives on by those of us who still desire to live free of government interference, the belief that burdensome taxation is against the American spirit, and that great American whiskey was a proud product of the Pennsylvania frontier long before Kentucky.

#Pennsylvania #Appalachia #Pittsburgh #history #whiskeyrebellion #whiskey #monongahela

[Tom Fodi @thomasfodi]

Sometimes the beauty of my home tahn just frames itself.

#pittsburgh #skyline #appalachia #pennsylvania

[The Hills Church @hillspgh]

It's time to start preparing for Bethlehem. New sermon series, new ministry opportunity, new pictures from last Sunday. A lot to unpack. Click here for all of that and more!

https://t.co/psqr6Crbiw

[Tom Fodi @thomasfodi]

@BarryRideout @citizen_watch The picture is from a break during tonight's poker tournament; sun for both me and the watch.

[Tom Fodi @thomasfodi]

I'm 43 years old and I finally bought my first real watch. Officially left the endless buzzing and constantly distracting world of smart watches for something a little more refined and classic. Excited to be wearing my first @citizen_watch !

[Tom Fodi @thomasfodi]

The matriarch of east TN and greater Appalachia, and an American icon, has passed into her eternal reward. To me Dolly Parton wasn't defined by her music, having spent significant time living in and among the Smoky Mountains of east TN, I know Dolly as a hero of the people there. Her commitment to her faith and her home, particularly the children among those mountain communities, was awe inspiring. God bless you, Dolly. Thank you.

[Dolly Parton @DollyParton]

A message from the family of Dolly Parton.

[Tom Fodi @thomasfodi]

Join me in praying for the Milligan Univ family. I'm not a Milligan alum but I might as well be with how deeply I am connected to the school (graduated from Emmanuel School of Religion before it merged with the university). This tragedy hits close to home.

[Michael Mattox - The Mad Ox @TheRealMadOx]

Two Milligan University cyclists dead after a driver mowed down their training group on August 19 on Highway 19E in Carter County, Tennessee.

Haylan Engdahl and Brayden Rogers killed on the spot. Multiple teammates critically injured.

69 year old John Benfield of North Carolina charged with two counts of vehicular homicide by recklessness and five counts of aggravated assault by vehicle.

These kids were just training. Reckless drivers keep treating the road like a video game and destroying families in the process.

Make the charges stick.