Meet Tim Rupard of Auburn, GA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Rupard.

Tim, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story is a bit drawn out; I was doing local men’s ministry with my dog, using him as an example/demonstrations of “Listening intently to the voice of God.” We had been doing that for nearly 3 years when he begn to show signs of an injury of some sort. Ultimately, he was diagnosed with bone cancer and given weeks to live. In short, I believed I heard God speak to me while at the vet office, that Winston (my Labrador retriever) would not die, but he would live. I decided against all medical treatment, and went home on wobbly faith and began to pray, fast, anoint him with oil and believe God was going to heal him. To make a 4 month long, very detailed story, much shorter, God did heal him. Suddenly, miraculously, and completely. Why it took 4 months of praying and fasting and worhsipping and listening and crying etc. in my honest opinion, was all about God teaching me and my family some huge, very important, necessary lessons on faith and persistence. At the end of all of this, he came to me through a total stranger, and told me to write a book about it all. So, I did. Since then, we have been in a lot of places, telling our story now for 7 years, have been featured on the 700 club ( I will attach a link to the video below) and now, we are connected to an independant Faith-based filmmaker and they are in the process of finding funding to make a movie of the story. I will attach the back cover of my book below as well.

Does God even “do dogs”? He asked her, “I honestly do not know if it is even appropriate to pray about your dog,” Tim continued to speak with his wife over the phone. “they say they want to remove his leg tomorrow…..”No! Cried Karen, we can’t. We can’t do that to Winston!”
Bone cancer. How could he have bone cancer? He is only 4 years old. He has a great pedigree. He has nothing like bone cancer in any of his family history. We have been doing ministry together for 3 of his short 4 years of life. He cannot have bone cancer! Yet, there it was on the large screen in front of him. The Vet he had been referred to is close friends with the Oncology Department Head at the local university. They had conferred and he had agreed 100%. It was advanced and it was aggressive. “Act now or lose your dog in weeks. They can take him tomorrow at the university but that will cost ten to twelve thousand dollars. Or, we can remove the leg tomorrow. That will cost about four thousand,” the vet told him flatly.
In a split second, Tim thought he heard in his heart that “still, small voice” that people talk about. He was reminded of a story he had heard a decade or more before in which God had fixed a man’s guitar. The entire story flooded back to him in an instant and he thought he heard God say, “If I care enough about a man and his guitar, then I care enough about a man and his dog.” That was it. Wait. That was it? God, can’t you be a little more specific? Can’t you write on the wall or something? Does that mean you’re going to heal Winston or does that mean…. what does that even mean?
Tim turned to the Vet. “I believe I have another option.” Shocked and obviously offended she just stared at him as if he were an idiot. The unspoken question of “what is it?” was written all over her face. “I believe God is going to heal my dog,” he told her. He could hardly believe the words had even come out of his mouth. Was he crazy or just stupid? He didn’t know which, he just thought he had heard from God and that was all he had. Her stare changed to slight disappointment as if he were some pathetic soul. “…if that’s what makes you feel better,” she said condescendingly.
The story of Winston is an inspiring, heartwarming tale of a man, his family, his treasured friend and hunting partner- a yellow Labrador retriever, and their battle with canine bone cancer. However, there is so, so much more to the tale. Faith. Obedience. Patience. Praying, Listening. Acting. The Story of Winston will likely make you laugh, cry, and change something on the inside. It challenges our basic beliefs about God and miracles and people. Parts of it seem unreal, yet, it is real and true. Tim bares his heart and is unashamedly open and vulnerable as he writes this book about his dog Winston and how his battle with cancer changed the lives of many people around him.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Smooth??? No. The 4 months of praying were tough. Heart breaking. Faith questioning. There were times when I thought I was crazy and I am sure there were a lot of others who thought so too. The challenges have been since then, Covid, building a house, staying focussed on what God has put before me while keeping my job going… Financial issues with the ministry… just simply sounding like a crazy person to about half the people we end up telling about it, and that is A LOT of people! Balancing life while writing 3 books and all that goes with that. I could go on for a while talking about all the challenges. But God has ALWAYS provided and we have learned that this is His story, His dog, His money, His Movie.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I do not specialize in writing. However, the feedback I get from people who read my book is incredible. So, I choose, in the little spare time I have, to write as much as I can. This may sound crazy, but I truly believe The Winston Story, (the main and first book) was genuinely inspired by the Holy Spirit. I read sections from time to time that I can barely remember having those thoughts to put into words. I don’t know if that is normal for other writers, and it certainly is not for my subsequent writing…you typically write about things you are fairly well versed on… and it’s not that God didn’t truly teach me the things I wrote down, It just seemed to flow out of me better than I can even put it into words when I talk about it. …I am in the middle of writing the next book in the series… and it’s different… SO, I don’t know, but I think God has given and is developing a talent for communicating fairly well through the written word.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
A two week camping trip my family took all over Florida.

Pricing:

• 18.00 The Winston Story
• 15 Winston Wins (children’s book)
• 15 Winston’s Promise (Condensed version)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thewinstonstory.com
• Instagram: winstonwins2018
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/winston.wins.5283
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@timrupard6864