*The following is used with Russ’ permission.
A year ago, in the winter of 2021, during the cold days of March, a family at Harvest Church began a difficult journey of faith and trust. At some point in our lives, we all face times that test our faith, and this was where Russ and Debbie Baptiste found themselves. For Harvest, this was one of our leaders displaying his faith in God for all to see.
Last year, Russ had been experiencing some health issues; a doctor’s visit revealed the cause as a highly aggressive form of brain cancer. Russ is one of our elders at Harvest. He has always been a quiet voice of reason, offering wisdom as the elders sought to shepherd the flock at the Kittanning Campus. So, his diagnosis was a blow, not only to his family but his church family and friends as well.
Over the last year, Russ has undergone surgery and multiple aggressive treatments that left him exhausted and sick, but even on his weakest days, his faith remained steadfast with his hope anchored – not in a possible healing – but in the God in whom he trusted.
His joyful testimony of faith has been a source of encouragement to all who witness it. He is a man who truly understands the lessons of 2 Corinthians 5, “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.”
As he began to feel better, we were all praying that Russ would get a clear report from the doctor, and that he would begin to go back to a normal life with his family and his church.
Just recently, at a follow up appointment and an MRI, they received news that was very different from what they expected. It is here in this testimony of God’s goodness that our perspective on what is good might be questioned.
Russ and Debbie were told that the cancer was back and in a more aggressive manner. If a more radical and more dangerous surgery, along with advanced chemo and radiation, wasn’t done, Russ would likely only have a few months of life left on this earth.
The family gathered and prayed and sought God for His wisdom. A decision was reached, and even though that decision might be hard for some to understand, it made sense to Russ.
You see, Russ didn’t see this as a death sentence, he saw this as a life sentence. Hebrews 13:14 says, “For we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.”
Russ knows that this earthly home is not the lasting home we have been promised, so he chose to live out what is left of his days, worshipping God, telling of His goodness to all who will listen, and enjoying his wife, his family and his friends as long as he is able.
Russ and Debbie have been living out their belief that the promise in Hebrews 13:14 is their promise. They can carry on like verse 15, which says, “With Jesus’ help we will continually offer our sacrifice of Praise to God by telling others of the Glory of his name,” because of their faith in God.
So often, when asked to share a God story, we try to find the story that has all the good feels. Like a movie, we want to shout for joy at the win of good triumphing over evil. But we can also be encouraged to find God at work in the smaller, more tedious and harder parts of life.
It is, in fact, these difficult moments of our lives that God is most glorified and we begin to see the fruits of our faith born out in our struggles – all for the glory of God.
Russ and Debbie are living examples of what it means to trust in God in all things and to continually offer themselves as a sacrifice of praise by allowing their lives to bring glory to God’s name.
I for one am encouraged and strengthened, not because a friend and co-laborer in Christ will soon no longer be here with me, but because his faith and mine and our future home are connected in Jesus and we will see each other again in glory.
A God story you say? Indeed, a God story forged in the hope of eternal glory in Christ.
