By DAVID EPPS
Pastor

My friend and parishioner, Pat Cangemi, had been killed in a terrible traffic accident on a Tuesday evening near his home in Coweta County, Ga. On Thursday, at 5 p.m., in the Rose Room of Carmichael-Hemperley Funeral Home in Peachtree City, I sat with his wife, Diane, a wonderful woman whom I have known for over 15 years, as we prepared to meet with members of the family and discuss the upcoming memorial service.

Pat and Diane had only been married for four and a half years and I could not imagine the grief she was suffering. Sitting beside me, she leaned over and whispered in my ear, "I just want you to know that I still believe in 8:28."

She would repeat that statement to a few more people before the week was over. The phrase, "8:28," referred to St. Paul's letter to the church at Rome, the eighth chapter and twenty-eighth verse, which reads, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (NASB). I marveled at Diane's strength of character and the depth of her faith. It takes true faith to trust God in such circumstances.

There was a day when, like many other Christians of charismatic persuasion, I believed that true faith was never being sick, always having what one needed, and getting the perfect parking space on the front row at the mall. If someone was ill, it must be due to their "lack of faith." If someone received prayer and didn't experience immediate healing, I pitied them for their weak and immature faith.

I am older now. I repent of my former foolish arrogance and my Americanized theological heresy that condemns both St. Paul (who had a "thorn in the flesh") and the Old Testament saint Job (who lost family and wealth) as "people who lacked faith." I have been young and now I am older and I have seen that those with true faith are very often those who endure much while trusting greatly.

Father Paul and Dr. Judy Massey were given the terrible news a few years ago that their first grandchild had been born with serious physical complications. They and the child's parents prayed much, wept many tears, and trusted God. The newborn boy spent three months in the hospital as family kept watch by his crib bed.

I was with Paul and Judy on that horrible day when the medical staff came to them and informed them that their grandson had lost his battle for life. I will never forget their response as their knees buckled, as they clung to each other, and, through tears, cried out aloud, "We still love you, Father! We still trust you, God!" The next year, the Masseys would lose another grandchild. And, yet, they have continued to trust, to serve God, and walk in the light of Romans 8:28.

Heather Williams, whom I have known since she was 15, was in her twenties when she received the news in the hospital emergency room that her beloved Chip, a Peachtree City police officer, had been killed. Even today, her cries of emotional trauma still ring in my ears sometimes late at night. Heather and Chip were members of the worship ministry at our church and had sung anthems of praise and songs of trust. The couple had talked often of children, but it never came to pass. Would she ever be able to sing again? Would the smiles ever return to her beautiful face?

The Psalmist said, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid, for you are with me" (Psalm 23:4). I have seen that it takes great faith, not less faith, to walk that lonely and burdensome path.

Every day, people with terminal illnesses get out of bed, face the day, and put their trust in God in spite of their sickness. Each day, people who have lost jobs, have rebellious teens, or have experienced the pain of divorce or abandonment, say, by their actions, "I still believe in 8:28."

These people should not be objects of the church's pity. They should be the subjects of admiration and emulation. They are walking through those dark valleys with their hand firmly planted in God's, trusting him for each moment of the day. These, not those who pray and get parking spaces, are the people of faith.

Paul and Judy have two healthy grandchildren now. Since the twin tragedies, Paul has become a priest and Judy has become a commissioned minister and has earned her doctorate. They are "8:28 people." Heather Williams, now Heather Haskin, met and married Scott Haskin and she is expecting their second child. Both are members of the worship ministry and both are close to Chip's family. Heather, ever more beautiful, smiles a lot. They, too, are "8:28 people."

Although I grieve for the loss of Pat Cangemi and I hurt for his family, I have great confidence in their future. For they, and especially Diane, are people of great strength, of great devotion, and strong faith. They are "8:28 people." They, and millions like them, set the standard for the rest of us.

[David Epps is rector of Christ the King Charismatic Episcopal Church in the Coweta/Fayette County area. He may be contacted at FatherDavidEpps@aol.com or at www.ChristTheKingCEC.com.]

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