By Carolyn Tomlin
Friends and family were not surprised when Alan Moore of Houston, Mississippi retired after 35 years as a pharmacist and started a creative ironwork business known as Ironworks of Houston. As a teen and young adult, he had always been mechanically inclined. Part of this experience comes from restoring antique cars. And for years on the family farm, he learned how to repair and reproduce metal farm equipment when it broke or wore out.
With his inquisitive mind, Alan offers this advice: “Watch and look. If you can understand how that piece of equipment works, when something breaks, you can fix it.”
Although Alan continues restoring antique cars, he’s added a second career in retirement: using steel sheets to design ironwork for individuals and businesses.
“Making the adjustment from being employed as a pharmacist required planning and a lifestyle change,” Alan says. “Before I retired, I talked with friends, and they gave me this advice: ‘Have a plan before you retire.’”
Actually, Alan started the creative ironwork business several years before leaving his pharmaceutical job. Reading a health report, he noted that people who retired at age 55 (and lived to be 65) died 37 percent sooner than those who retired at 65.
Those who decided to put the breaks on, who sit down and do nothing, die sooner. “I don’t want to be in that group.”
Sharing his faith
“In some ways, I compare my ironwork business to God’s work,” Alan says. “God takes our sinful lives and turns them into a work of art. I start with a raw piece of steel … Iron has been around thousands of years, but someone had to come up with a formula that created this material. A designer had to make the software and computer that generates the design. The operator, like myself, had to learn the program.
“The finished product goes to a new owner. Finally, the design is displayed where maybe hundreds or thousands of people view the creation. Who knows, but maybe this person hasn’t had the opportunity to read a Bible? Yet this scripture makes a difference in this person’s life. Even if the design uses only a few words from a Bible verse, the scripture reference is included when possible.”
One example is a design that hangs in the House of Prayer in Jerusalem. In 2019, Alan and his wife, Lesa, went to Israel. While there, he was approached about supplying Christian signs that say: “It is Well with My Soul” and “Speak Lord, Your Servant is Listening” (1 Samuel 3:1-10).
“When the thousands of tourists visit this place each year, I hope these Bible verses and other inspirational thoughts will make a difference in the life of those who read them,” Alan says.
Often people will want to share a personal story or experience when they see his ironwork displayed at craft shows or fairs. “I noticed a woman reading one of my signs that says: Then Sings My Soul. With tears in her eyes, she told me the sad story of Joey and Rory Feek, the American country music singer and songwriter, and how this song meant so much to her.”
Many people know the story of why Horatio G. Spafford was led to write “It Is Well with My Soul.” On a voyage to England, his wife and four daughters were on a ship that sunk. The children perished. His wife telegraphed, “Saved alone.”
Family involvement
In Alan’s second career, the entire Moore family is involved in the ironwork process. Alan’s wife has an eye for detail and dimension. “She gives me her honest opinion, and I value her critique,” he says. Daughter Kali, a registered nurse in Tupelo, uses her administrative and technical skills, including following up on orders. And son Ross is a certified welder and fabricator.
“He is my ‘go-to man’ when I need advice on welding,” says his father. “On my first few attempts at welding, he actually laughed at me, but I think I’ve made some improvements since those first pieces. Sometimes we’ve made mistakes. But we learn from these errors and we try not to repeat our failures. Isn’t that what families do together? We’re there for each other — we are family!”
At this stage of life, Alan says one of the most important things for him is to reduce stress. “I want time to help people. For example, I like to mentor young guys. It’s not about the money. Having a low-stress life and family nearby is important. Four generations of our family gather every Sunday after church for our weekly meal.
“A strong faith in God is vital. He has been taking care of me for a long time.”
“As a deacon at First Baptist Church, Houston, Mississippi, Alan and Lesa are always ready to work with church programs and encourage others to step up,” says Greg Simmons, youth pastor. The church supports a homeless program that provides medical services for those in need. Being a retired pharmacist, Alan fills prescriptions and works with the medical team. This past summer, he served on a disaster relief team from the church that traveled to Lake Charles, Louisiana for hurricane cleanup. On Wednesdays, Lesa prepares meals at the church for the community’s shut-ins, and Alan makes deliveries.
Leaving a legacy
As Christians, we have many opportunities to leave a legacy in our lives. Ironworks of Houston is known from coast to coast and even in foreign countries. Metal Christmas nativity designs have been ordered from all over the United States. Alan hopes the scriptures displayed in the Jerusalem House of Prayer and on his other designs make an impact on those who read the words. You never know when a verse is needed.
Much like scripture, iron has a lasting quality. “I can mold and make a unique design from steel,” says Alan. Similarly, “If we let Him, God can take our distinctive personalities and use them to help others and to serve Him.”
For more information, visit the Facebook page Ironworks of Houston or Alan’s Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ironworkshouston.com.
Carolyn Tomlin writes for the Christian magazine and newspaper market. She teaches the Boot Camp for Christian Writers.