By Glen Callanan in conjunction with Chris Hayes
In the St. Louis area, few stories so clearly display God’s power and the transforming grace of Jesus Christ as that of Captain Tommy Shine of the Wentzville Fire Protection District.
On January 14, 2015, Shine responded to a desperate call at Lake Saint Louis. Three teenage boys had fallen through the ice. While two were rescued, 14-year-old John Smith remained trapped underwater for 10–15 minutes. Shine entered the freezing water in ice rescue gear. He later described hearing a clear voice guiding him as he searched the murky bottom. He found John and pulled him to safety.
At the hospital, John had no pulse. Doctors worked for nearly 45 minutes with little hope. John’s mother, Joyce, cried out in fervent prayer: “Lord, don’t take my son!” Suddenly, John’s heart restarted. Against all medical odds, he fully recovered and walked out of the hospital just 14 days later. Doctors called it a miracle.
This event not only saved John’s physical life but transformed Tommy’s spiritual life. Before the rescue, Tommy had wrestled with doubts about his faith amid life’s hardships. The guiding voice in the water, the “impossible” rescue, and John’s recovery convinced him of God’s reality and sovereignty. Tommy began boldly sharing his renewed faith in Christ. He often said, “If you take God out of it, it just doesn’t happen.” His experience echoed the words of Jesus: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).
Tommy served 25 years as a firefighter, a devoted husband to Brittany, and proud father to five children. His faith was later tested through deep waters of suffering. After a fall that led to heart surgery and serious complications, Tommy lost his limbs. Yet he fought back with prosthetics, started the T. Shine Foundation to help amputees and first responders, and continued to trust God. Prayer remained central—even a visit from John Smith coincided with remarkable improvement. Tommy’s life reflected the truth of 2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”
On April 12, 2026, at age 52, Tommy went home to be with the Lord after a cardiac event. The Wentzville community honored him with a hero’s procession. At Grace Church St. Louis, Tommy’s story reminds us that our God still does the impossible. His willingness to risk everything beautifully illustrates Jesus’ words: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). Through both his heroism and his trials, Shine’s renewed trust in Christ became a powerful testimony that pointed many others to the Savior.
Shine’s example stirs us to live courageously for Jesus, serve our neighbors selflessly, and trust God even when the waters are deep. We continue to pray for Brittany, their children, and the entire Wentzville Fire family as they grieve and celebrate a life lived for Christ. May we, like Tommy, be quick to hear the Lord’s voice and follow Him wherever He leads.
