Woman on PA: Paging Dr. Bender.
Paging Dr. Bender, please.
It won't be long now, will it?
I'm not scared.
I just wish I didn't have to leave you and Jimmy.
I need you to take care of him.
I've tried, Mom.
Try again.
I wanted to see him.
I tried.
The warden...
what kind of man won't let a mother see her son?
Only three months, and he'll be out.
I wanted to see him.
I'll tell him. Look, I promise.
I let him down.
No, no. You did good, Mom.
You did good.
I let him spend too much time with your father.
Don't think about that now.
Just think about the good times, okay?
( laughs )
When you were little boys,
we used to walk home from church,
and you'd sing, both of you.
Our own little choir.
¶ I got a home in glory land ¶
¶ Outshines the sun
Both: ¶ I got a home in glory land ¶
¶ That outshines the sun
¶ I got a home in glory land ¶
¶ That outshines the sun
¶ Way... beyond... the blue... ¶
( siren in distance )
( helicopter passes )
Call 911.
It's closed. Let's go. Let's go.
Man: Please reconsider. The police say that--
I have a family to worry about.
I can't take another chance like that.
Can't you at least stay until someone shows up?
We're leaving for Diane's mother's place in Lawndale.
This shouldn't come-- look, we've discussed the fact
that this church is in a challenging area.
Here.
What's this?
Pastor Joseph Beardsley.
I met him at the convention last year.
He was always telling me how lucky I am to be at a place
where God's using me the most.
He's not married.
- What's the matter? - Nothing.
What, you need to go to the restroom?
Will you slow down a little bit?
I'm only doing 40, and please.
I'm not used to moving this fast.
I got you something.
Spearmint, my favorite.
No, Mom's Bible.
- She wanted you to have it. - Why?
- Why not? - You're the one that uses it.
You know, Mom's last words and thoughts were of you.
She loved you a lot.
Not as much as she loved you.
Don't start with that again.
I mean, she loved us both equally.
Do you really believe that?
Yes, I do!
I promised her that I would help you out.
Help me?
She gives you all the money, and she gives me a Bible?
She didn't want you to spend it foolishly.
What did you spend it on?
I gave some of it to the ministry program.
( scoffs ) Perfect.
The prison ministry.
You are definitely Mom's flesh and blood,
no doubt about that.
Pull over.
Man: Are you absolutely sure
you need to be involving him?
If it doesn't work out, then he'll leave.
I wish it were that simple, Joseph.
If something goes wrong, you'll both have to leave.
Deal.
I hope you know what you're doing.
When can you get down there?
I'm on my way, actually.
Oh, your brother, he's there with you now?
Yeah.
I see.
Well, I'll be praying for you, Joseph.
Great. I'm looking forward to checking out this church,
and thank a--
Thanks again.
You ready to go?
Give me a minute.
Gotta call my PO before the end of the day,
get my work-release program started,
try to get some carpentry work.
You know, mom was proud of you as a carpenter.
Didn't see the sun much while I was in there.
Well, we can stay here as long as you want.
You know, there was this guy, lifer, Dion,
kept telling me I looked familiar,
but he couldn't quite figure out where.
It was driving him crazy.
Then one day, he starts screaming, "I got it, I got it!
Eric Beardsley had a picture of you
and another guy in his cell."
- You're kidding. - No kidding.
Old Pop would run around telling everybody
how his adopted son was just like him,
and that his other son was going to be a pastor.
Imagine that.
You spent more time with him than I did.
Well, thank your lucky stars.
You were spared all his lessons.
You didn't deserve any of that.
It wasn't your fault.
You need to forgive him.
Only then you can start to forgive yourself.
No thanks.
I thought you were feeling sick.
Haven't had a burger like this in 10 years.
So about that work-release, I got you covered.
I got a job for you.
What kind of job? Bank job? Jewelry store?
No.
Repairing a building.
What kind of a building?
It's a church.
You hooked me up with a job?
Mm-hmm.
A burger and a job. What a bro.
How much is the pay?
Don't worry about the pay.
Ah.
I knew it was too good to be true.
This is your church, huh?
The parsonage has two bedrooms,
and if you're willing to work, you can stay here.
They stuck you with the bottom of the barrel. ( laughs )
No church is the bottom of the barrel.
Where'd you score this place?
The church got robbed.
The last pastor freaked out, and he took off.
Yeah, he had the right idea.
What's going on with you, Joe? What are you doing here?
You could have went anywhere.
I needed a challenge.
I wanted to be in a place where God is needed the most,
and, uh, well, here I am.
And also because of that.
What am I looking at? A bird's nest?
No, a bell tower.
It's been a dream of mine for a long time
to hear a church bell again
and to call the worshipers into the church.
Like when we were young.
Roof over your head, three meals a day.
What do you say?
Help me turn this place around?
Yeah, okay.
But if I find a paying job, I'm out of here.
What do you think?
Well, there's no bars on the windows
or a toilet next to the bed.
As far as I'm concerned, this is the Ritz Carlton.
Yeah, well, it would be boring
if it were a perfect little chapel
with a perfect congregation in a perfect neighborhood.
Come on.
Joseph: By the time my brother and I are done,
this place is gonna look like a Beverly Hills mansion.
Man: That's fine, but I didn't hire a contractor.
I need a pastor. I need people in the seats.
I need community involvement, donations.
They won't extend the lease to an empty church.
I'm sorry, Joseph, but the clock is ticking.
I understand. Look, we won't let you down.
Well, thank you. That's what I want to hear.
( telephone beeps )
What?
How long will it take you to crack it open?
They don't make them like this anymore.
I'd need some special tools.
Why? What do you think's in there?
Millions in donations. Jewels.
Don't tempt me.
It'd be lucky if you can find 50 bucks in there.
See what you can do with it.
Jimmy...
look.
Should I try it?
You're the pastor.
The church will probably fall down.
Probably hasn't worked in 30 years.
I'm gonna hear that bell.
Just put it on the list. Start with the small stuff.
Here's some work clothes.
You can start by cleaning this place up.
One thing you gotta know about me
is I don't pick up trash.
Nick, don't.
Shut up.
Yo. You missed one over there.
What did you say to me?
Easy, garbage man.
This is my brother.
That's what I thought.
Don't come back here again.
What?
Morning. I'm pastor Joseph.
Will you be attending church this Sunday?
Yes. Great.
Church. This Sunday.
Too much mustard.
Hello?
Amen.
You could have waited.
Jimmy!
You got me.
It was in the pastor's desk.
Don't look at me like that.
I haven't had a bottle of whiskey in 10 years.
You gonna dock my pay?
Look, while you're in this house with God,
you are not allowed to drink.
They had wine at the Last Supper.
I've given you a place to say.
All I ask is that you respect it.
Please, Jimmy.
Boy: They're messing up your masterpiece.
Do we have any more paint? I'll put it back tonight.
Got Dad's shoe polish.
- We can't use that. - Well, he's not gonna be using it anytime soon.
- He should have it when he-- - Comes back?
Yeah, like that's happening.
- Shut up. - Quit it.
- Really? - All right. All right.
This paint is old as the hills.
This cover's not going to match.
Why would anyone want to deface the church?
We did stupid things when we were little, too.
We did?
Well, not you, Mr. Perfect.
Perfect...
is in heaven and the dictionary.
That's a good line. You should write that down.
Remember Sunday School?
Nancy Collinson's fish died?
Yeah.
They blamed me for that.
I know you didn't do it.
You got something you want to confess, pastor?
It was an accident.
I thought the water was cold, so I turned the heater up.
Yeah, it's not funny.
I still think about that, you know?
I also remember that that fish
wound up in Mrs. Chadwell's morning tea.
That-- that wasn't me.
Oh.
If you're gonna do the time, you might as well do the crime.
Oh!
Hey, hey!
Hey!
Which one of you guys did that?
Did what?
Easy.
Look, we're hoping to get the church up to par
for the community, okay?
Please don't make it any harder for us.
We don't make it know what you're talking about.
Give me a minute. It'll come back to you.
You're lucky our dad's not here.
Yeah? Go get him.
If we did, you'd be sorry.
Son, I'd be very worried right now if I were you.
I wouldn't want to be in your shoes.
Are you threatening us?
No threats. Facts.
All right, we don't want any trouble.
Picture yourself, all right,
in an endless lake of molten fire
burning you down to your bones over and over and over again.
No one can hear your screams, and no one can save you.
An eternal suffering and damnation.
Dude, relax.
He just threw a rock.
Hey, shut up. Come on.
That's what it's like to be in hell, all right?
so next time you come down here,
just think about what you're doing, all right?
You're interfering with God's work!
JimmI think we got our first miracle, bro.
- What's that? - You found your sense of humor.
Did you see the look on that kid's face
when you are talking about hell?
Yeah. I shouldn't have done that.
It was a little harsh.
Still, you know, he has to learn sooner or later.
Headache?
Yeah, a rock will do it to you.
I saw some aspirin in the cabinet.
It's probably ancient.
I should have smacked that punk.
It's a lesson in forgiveness.
I'm not here for lessons.
Right, you're here because you have nowhere better to be.
And to give you a hard time for giving away my inheritance.
( chuckles ) Right.
( knock on door )
( door opens )
Woman: Sorry to come by late like this.
I'm Frances Barnes.
Good evening, Ms. Barnes. Please, please.
Please come in. What can I do for you?
I live down the street,
and I saw you working on the church,
and I had this left over, and I figured why waste it?
( chuckles ) I always make too much.
Are you-- are you all right?
Yes, yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry, thank you.
Thank you so much. I'm the new pastor.
My name is Joseph Beardsley, and this is my brother James.
I'm adopted.
Pleasure.
Who says being on parole is bad?
What he means is it looks amazing.
I have to admit,
I have somewhat of an ulterior motive for bringing this.
Do tell.
It was my son Nick who threw a rock at you.
But he didn't mean for it to hit you.
Got a funny way of showing it.
Well, he was goofing around with his brother,
but he didn't mean for it to hit you.
I know it's tough to believe,
but if you knew him, he wouldn't hurt anyone.
It's not who he is.
I just wanted to thank you for being understanding.
For not calling the cops.
Or giving him a beating.
Matt asked me about the Bible today.
About Hell.
I don't know what you said, but it shook him.
I put the fear of God in him.
I'm sorry if I overstepped.
Matt's your son, too?
Nick is the older one.
He is more of a troublemaker than his brother.
Where's their father?
Unless that's too personal of a question.
He got out of jail a few months ago.
He hasn't bothered to even call.
Do you know where he is? Maybe I can speak to him.
I'm sure he knows he's doing the wrong thing.
Maybe it's better this way.
The boys have enough problems without him.
He's a drunk and a gambler.
And when he runs out of money to do both,
he steals it.
Will you be attending services?
I will, pastor.
In fact, part of the reason why I came
was to ask if my boys would be welcome here.
- Are you kidding? - Of course.
We welcome them with open arms.
Church is on Sunday.
Thank you so much.
Renovations cost us about 600 so far.
That's the easy stuff. The electric is a mess.
Probably built in the '30s.
You want those bells to ring?
Better rob a bank.
I thought you were gonna try to crack that safe.
Who said I haven't?
Maybe looted the place
and I'm leaving town in the morning.
Maybe I can call some of the hardware stores
in the neighborhood
and ask if they can donate some materials.
For free?
I doubt it, but we could try.
I'll call them. I know the materials we need.
That would be great.
Open that safe.
This is a church, sir. Who do you think you are?
Open that safe.
- Just relax. - Don't tell me to relax!
Please.
Are you deaf? I said open the safe!
I don't have the combination.
Which one of you two is the pastor?
I am.
We don't have the combination.
What do you mean you don't have the combination?
We're new here.
You gonna shoot a pastor, pal?
You wanna find out?
Look, just take whatever you want and go.
The church collects money from the congregation.
Now open the safe.
We've been closed for renovations for weeks.
The accountant is the only one who has the combination.
- We don't have it. - Where's the accountant?
- She's not here. - Well, call her!
- We're not calling anyone. - Jimmy, stop.
- Don't give him anything. - Call.
Look, we're a poor church. There's barely anything.
- I want my money! - Your money?
There's about $100 in that wallet.
You're not gonna find anything more than that in there.
I don't want your money. I want my money!
The money that the church and its lies
tricked me into giving!
Look, pal, we've been here less than a month.
We got no idea what you're talking about.
The lies. The lies that are from here!
These lies!
May God see through your pain and help you--
Stop talking like that!
What happened to you? Let's talk. I can help you.
- Shut up! - Jimmy, don't!
( gunshot )
I'm-- I'm sorry.
I-- I didn't mean it.
- I just wanted my money. - ( dialing telephone )
- I'm sorry I let you down. - My brother's been shot.
I need an ambulance. Randalston church.
Third and Main. Please hurry.
Finish the church, Joe. Finish the church.
By myself?
Not as fast as I used to be, huh?
You're gonna be fine. Jimmy, Jimmy come on.
I don't want to go to hell.
I know. I know you don't.
I don't want to go to hell.
Accept Jesus Christ...
as your savior.
Do you--
Do you surrender your life to him
and believe that he has died for your sins?
Yes.
Then have faith in him,
and the kingdom of God
is open to you.
Man: Just another two weeks.
If we don't find anyone, the church will close for good.
I'll stay for the two weeks,
but only if the church will compensate me
for the entire month.
Now, Joseph, be realistic.
You suffered a terrible tragedy,
but business is business.
Now more than ever, put your trust in God.
I would've said the same thing to my brother and my mother.
They're both gone now.
I'm sorry, but it changes nothing
about the property.
I'll pray for you.
Yeah. Whatever.
You must have evening services here.
How did you get in here?
Door was open. It's a church.
That's strange. I thought I locked it.
But it's Sunday.
Look, uh, we don't have any shelter,
so I'm gonna have to ask you to leave.
I'm not looking for shelter.
I don't have any food to offer you.
Actually, I'm not even really that-- that hungry.
- Thank you. - Well, then what do you want?
I was hoping you would pray with me.
Look, um, we don't have any services today.
But you're the pastor of this church, right?
Yes, until I, um-- yes.
So by definition, you are here
to pray with those who need prayer.
I can't. I'm sorry.
And why is your church closed on a Sunday?
- It's beautiful. - Because we are closed.
Look, I'm not gonna ask you again.
Leave. I can't help you.
You are the pastor of this beautiful church.
Certainly you can come up with something better to say
to me than, "Leave, I can't help you."
What would you like me to do? Hmm?
I don't know.
What would Jesus do?
I don't know.
You have an angry heart.
You don't know anything about me.
Just because God allows Satan to hurt us...
does that really justify our anger?
( distantly ) Pastor?
Hope this is not a bad time.
I'm so pleased that you decided to stay
and keep renovating the church.
Does this mean we'll have services soon?
What are you talking about?
Well, there's all these new supplies outside.
I thought... that...
Show me.
Sure.
Come on.
What is all this?
$2,000?
Who--
James.
Where did he get that kind of money?
Does it matter?
He used it to buy supplies for the church.
It matters.
You didn't know him.
Look, I don't know where he got it,
and I want nothing to do with it.
I wouldn't even know what to do with it anyway.
But this is perfect, and it looks like
you got plenty of work that needs to be done,
and I was hoping that Nick and Matt can come and help.
Look, if this is about the incident,
please, you're forgiven.
I wish it was.
They got into some fresh trouble.
What sort of trouble?
A full-on fight,
a scuffle with some of their friends
that were making fun of their father.
What is it that you want?
They need to perform 65 hours of community service
or the judge will throw them in juvenile hall.
Please, some of the businesses are familiar with them,
but not in a good way, and I'm not finding anyone
who's willing to take them on.
Let them complete their hours here.
- I'm leaving the church. - Leaving? You just arrived.
- I can't. - You're not leaving tomorrow, are you?
Just another few more weeks.
Well, that gives them a chance
to complete their hours with you.
Look, I won't babysit. They'll have to work.
Their father's an electrician.
He took Nick on house calls sometimes, and Matt,
well, he's a born handyman.
They'll work hard for you. I'll see to it, okay?
Oh, this is so weak!
Yeah, my arms feel like lead.
Come on, Nick, help out.
I'm gonna tell on you.
Better not.
Here.
Isn't this Dad's?
Found it in the garage.
Does it look any better?
Oh, yeah, beautiful.
Just like new.
Mom's going to smell it.
I have gum.
Here.
His holiness is on me to fix the breakers,
get that stupid bell working.
- It's like he's obsessed. - He's just depressed.
He's not depressed. He's messed up in the head.
He saw his brother get popped right in front of him.
Who do think did it?
So you think you can do it?
You know, get the bells working?
Those boards are like 1,000 years old.
They need to be completely rewired.
Dad could do it.
Why don't you try? You got nothing better to do.
For free? Yeah, right.
Man: Hello?
No church today, dude. We're closed.
Yeah, I was hoping that somebody might be able to tell me
where I could get a bite to eat.
They closed the shelter on Maple.
There's a couple of fast food places on Stevenson Avenue,
- near the park. - Thanks.
Guys, am I crazy? It's Sunday, right?
Where is everybody?
Home?
Well, it's good to see a couple of young folks
doing something positive in their church
on a Sunday for a change.
This is court-ordered community service.
Oh, oh.
Well, then I guess God provided an opportunity
for young folks to do something positive
in their church on a Sunday for a change.
You like the idea so much, why don't you do it?
We'll take the afternoon off.
You know what, son?
God's funny.
Sometimes he'll actually prolong a challenge
so that he can do something positive in our lives.
Dude, what do you want?
Nothing.
Just want to provide a little encouragement
for fellow Christians to do what Jesus would do.
What we would do is get as far away from here as possible.
You know, God often blesses those who are unfulfilled.
Kind of like you.
How about I bless your face with my fist?
Hey, leave him alone, Nick.
Hey.
I'm sorry for the anger in your heart,
and I hope you find the peace you're looking for.
You just don't know when to shut up, do you?
Hey, man, chill out!
You're nothing but a bum.
A lowlife bum!
Here's a piece.
He's nobody.
( clears throat )
As you may or may not know...
my personal loss has taken a toll on my life.
And therefore...
I cannot be...
successful or truthful
as your pastor or to this church.
You know, I've been wondering.
I don't know of any teaching of Jesus that says
one that kind of a man is any less worthy of saving
than any other kind of man.
Do any of you?
Excuse me, sir, this is a service.
Please take a seat.
I've been walking around this church for three days
trying to find a Christian soul, and I've found one.
Frances, who cares so deeply
about this church and her children.
I understand that you can't all continuously help others.
You have jobs and responsibilities.
I know that, but what does it mean
to you individually to follow Jesus?
Does it mean you go to church on Sunday?
Maybe, but is that really all there is
to following his example?
Would he have considered abandoning his church
because of a personal loss?
Would he have thrown food at a hungry stranger?
Would he use his talents as a leader
to lead someone else astray?
Would he have raised the cost of his goods illegally?
Would he have fraudulently talked about his business?
Would he walk right past a man on the street
who so obviously needed his help?
Would he have stolen from his neighbor?
Would he have ordered a man out of his church
who so desperately wanted only to pray?
What would this world be like today
if everybody tried to act as Jesus did, hmm?
In your daily lives...
try asking yourself that one simple question.
What...
would Jesus do?
Got you something. Mom's Bible. She wanted you to have it.
You're the one that uses it.
How did you know about...
Everybody knows about your brother.
Everybody knows that you've been changed because of it,
but life goes on.
This neighborhood needs you.
Maybe you should take over.
You sound better suited for it I am.
Not my path.
This is your path.
If the pastor loses faith,
how can he possibly expect the congregation to keep it?
You need to have faith, pastor.
You know what? ( chuckles )
That is so easy for you to say.
I mean, you don't have a single responsibility in the world.
All you care about is your backpack and a meal.
You know, why don't you try to invest in something,
build something?
I don't pretend to know why God does what he does.
But I know this-- I trust God.
I trust God to bring me through anything
and everything every time.
Why-- what does that even mean?
And why-- why am I even listening to you?
Who are you?
You know what? Just-- just leave.
Pastor!
I know you don't want to hear this from me
because I never lost a brother, but let me tell you something.
I've been through some pretty rough waters in my day,
and now as I look back, I promise you,
I can see God's hand in every bit of it.
This-- this is what God wants?
Fine, you know what?
I'll make good on my promise,
and I'll help fix the church for James, but you know what?
After that, Jesus and I are square.
What would Jesus do?
I don't know.
You don't know?
I believe you do.
All I see is darkness.
God is big enough to let you be angry.
God is big enough to let you doubt.
God is big enough.
Mother: I need you to take care of him.
Gunman: Which one of you two is the pastor?
- Jimmy: I am. - Gunman: The lies that are from here!
- Drifter: What would Jesus do? - I don't know.
- Joseph: Jimmy, don't! - ( gunshot )
- Drifter: What would Jesus do? - I don't know!
Drifter: What would Jesus do?
I don't know!
James.
You got it open.
$2,000?
I thought you were gonna try to crack that save.
Who said I haven't? Maybe I looted the place.
Maybe I could call some of the hardware stores
in the neighborhood and ask
if they can donate some materials.
I'll call them. I know the materials we need.
What are you doing here?
I want to help.
Why?
Well, manual labor,
it's good for the mind, the body, the soul.
Besides, I figured you could use a little encouragement
'cause you're so willing to help out your church.
My mom likes you.
If she likes you, then I guess you're all right.
You should do whatever she says. She's a smart woman.
Where's your brother?
He thinks if the pastor's leaving,
then we won't get the community service credit.
That's what he thinks. What you think?
I think we might get the credit after all.
( chuckles ) Good thinking.
You don't got a job to go to?
Oh, I have a lot of jobs. ( grunts )
I mean, it's just-- I'm here because I have to be.
Don't you need money?
I figure if you do the right kind of job,
you'll get paid the right kind of way, you know?
Cool by me.
You got a name, buddy?
Yes, I do.
But I like Buddy. You call me Buddy.
Okay.
I'm sorry about Nick. He has a temper sometimes.
Don't you worry about Nick.
It's all right.
Here.
Aren't you hungry?
This would be the first thing I've had to eat in two days.
But you have to eat, too.
I had a big breakfast.
Thank you.
Let's see what we got.
Come on!
Really?
I knew you'd be here, Nick.
What's wrong with you? I almost jumped you.
Don't worry about it. She only had three bucks.
You're late.
Yeah, I was busy doing your community service.
Why?
With no pastor and no church,
how are we gonna get credit for it?
How do you know we won't get credit?
You want to go to juvie?
I heard you were hanging out with that creepy homeless guy.
He's helping me for free. I've got nothing better to do.
We're not magically rich, dude.
- We need money to pay back A.J. - Not like this.
You keep going on like this, you're setting yourself up
for a cell right next to Dad's.
He's out.
Oh, really? Where is he then?
He's probably saving up to get us a place or something.
He's probably drunk and rolling dice
in some alley just like this one.
Don't talk about him like that.
How should I talk about him, then? Like you?
Like he's some sort of hero
- instead of the loser he really is? - Shut up!
Matt, get up.
Come on, Matt. Get up.
Matt.
Matt!
Matt, get up, man.
Oh, my God. God, please.
Matt.
I mean, I didn't mean to hurt him for real.
Y-you've gotta believe me, I--
if anything ever happened to him...
Siblings-- siblings fight all the time.
Not like this they don't. I thought he was dead.
How did you get him to wake up?
I didn't do anything. I prayed.
I mean, he's-- he's gonna be fine.
You're so sweet, Nick.
I love flowers.
What about him?
Uh, how do you know that it's a him?
You know, that is a very good question.
I never really thought about that.
Here, let me inspect.
Stop. ( laughing )
I already know that it's a girl.
What should we call her?
Anything you want.
How about Grace?
Perfect.
How about Hope?
I love that name.
What time does your dad get home?
Not till Tuesday.
Great.
What's the problem?
I'm just not ready, that's all.
You're 17 years old.
I'm a virgin.
You know, if you didn't like me,
you didn't have to pretend that you were so serious
- this whole time. - I was serious.
Was?
I mean I am.
Look, just-- I grew up going to church.
I just don't feel right about it.
You never told me you went to church.
I stopped going after my mom died,
but lately...
I saw them fixing up this church, so I went.
I made a mistake.
What, me?
I'm a mistake now?
I'm talking about me, okay?
I've gone too far from who I am.
Are you kidding me?
It's bad enough you've been leading me on
this whole time, but now this?
I have been very patient with you.
Is that all you care about?
Because I've been patient with you, too,
waiting for you to grow up, to get your life together.
You're not even trying, Nick.
You know, you're gonna wind up dead or in jail one day,
and it's not gonna be a surprise.
Whatever.
Sorry, the doctor said I shouldn't move it too much.
Don't worry about it. You keep me company.
Did your brother do that?
It was my fault.
I shouldn't have said that. He's sensitive about dad.
Matt, it was not your fault.
Violence is never the answer.
If the pastor's leaving, why are we doing this?
Church doesn't belong to the pastor, Matt.
The church belongs to Christ.
The loss of a loved one can be devastating,
but there's no way that should make the church fall.
Hey, Matt.
What's going on, bro?
Thought we might find you here.
Almost makes me want to kneel down and praise the Lord...
Almost.
...for making it so easy to get to you.
So, you got my money?
Because you don't look like you're in a position to fight.
Yeah, and I'm in no mood for excuses.
Hey, man, I've been busy with my community service.
I'll get you the money.
We said we didn't want to hear any excuses.
And what's the first thing he does?
He gives us excuses.
- Mind your own business. - Hey, stop! We'll pay you.
We don't want to fight.
So if I slap you,
you'll turn the other cheek?
Hey! That's it. That's enou--
Hey!
Leave him alone.
I got your money.
And if I see you near my brother again,
I'm going to take that golf club
and make your face look like a hole in one.
I'll let that slide.
I got my money.
I'm in a good mood.
( laughter )
Matt: You okay?
I'm fine. Help him.
Why'd you come?
Because I heard that they were looking for you.
Hello, pastor.
What you doing?
We were hoping for an early morning service,
but the door was locked.
We noticed that the lawn needed some sprucing up.
How's our friend doing?
He's got a concussion.
They're gonna keep him in the hospital for another day.
We had this made for the church.
I hope it's okay.
I hope I haven't upset you.
I just thought it felt right.
It's perfect.
Easy. We need to save a couple slices for Mom.
( knock on door )
Mom's not out till 5:00.
( knock on door )
I paid them.
( knock on door )
- Put that away, man. - Shut up.
Who is it?
Pastor Joseph from the church.
What do you want? My mom's married, you know.
There's nothing going on like that.
Keep it that way.
She's not here. So you can leave.
I was actually hoping to speak to both of you.
Look, I've been thinking a lot about our friend.
The creepy homeless guy?
Don't call him that.
Look, what Jesus would do if he saw the two of you
is try and reconcile the situation
between you and your father.
I know what a burden it's been on you and your mother.
You don't know us.
Oh, I think I know something about it.
Look, I had an older brother, always got into trouble,
in and out of prison since he was about your age.
Congratulations. Why are you telling us this?
Because I can see you're headed to a life of pain
and a life of sin, and I can help you avoid that.
( chuckles ) What I do in my time
is my business, and you're not my father.
No. I'm not.
But what if I can help you find him?
Look, we all have our problems and our issues,
but maybe together with our faith in God,
maybe we can be a little bit stronger than we can on our own.
Maybe?
What you get out of it?
Look, I promised my brother that I'd fix the church
and get it ready,
and I know your skills as an electrician.
And I want those bells to be ringing in honor
and memory of my brother.
And I want you to make that happen.
And I'll get my community service?
Of course.
You said your brother was fresh out of prison?
Yes.
And he helped you do this?
He didn't have anything better to do.
- Stop, Nick. - Whatever the reason,
he found the strength to change,
to truly give himself over to Christ.
And now he's in a better place because of it.
What do you say, guys?
Great.
I got you something. Mom's bible.
- She wanted you to have it. - You're the one that uses it.
Nick.
I tried to call you.
I went to church.
Great. More church.
Look, um, I was thinking...
I think I know what you were thinking.
I don't know that you do.
There was this guy
the first time that I went to church.
They call that a pastor, babe.
No, it was like, the homeless guy.
He said to ask ourselves
what Jesus would do in any situation.
Yeah, that's the guy that helped Matt.
Um... I know we've...
talked about--
but if I'm gonna get intimate,
I need to be married.
What?
Nick said it was a complicated circuit.
Said it was designed to turn on automatically.
Can he fix it?
This was designed before he was born.
I only know one person who can fix this.
Then let's call him.
Can't.
Oh. Him.
Look, I-- I meant what I said.
I want to help you find him.
Do you have any idea where he might be?
In a Dumpster somewhere?
That's all the more reason to find him.
Look, he needs help.
Do you think if we reached out, he would help us?
I don't know. He hated church.
Why?
I heard him yelling one night that the church lied to him.
What happened?
I don't know.
I mean, we used to come here every Sunday with Dad.
Then one day, we just...
stopped coming.
Man: I'm afraid the closing is inevitable now.
I've decided to stay.
Would have been nice to hear that a month ago, Joseph.
The wheels have already turned.
The board voted. It's over.
The church looks great.
People are finally starting to come in.
It's everything we've talked about.
We haven't renewed the lease
and the owners have found someone.
What can I do?
I don't know that you can do anything.
I'll talk to them. No promises.
Hey, hey. Did you see that?
- What? - That was her.
Who?
The lady from the ID, from the purse you stole.
So?
So...
You still have this?
Yeah, I've been looking for her. This is even better now.
You can return it to her yourself.
It didn't even have anything in it.
She probably has a new one already.
She didn't look like she had a new one.
All this gonna do is have the cops looking for me.
- Your face was covered. - Who cares?
Dude, all she had was like three bucks!
- She's no better off than us! - Shut up!
Give it back to her, Nick, please?
It's the right thing to do.
Okay?
Been going to that church again, haven't you?
Excuse me. Does this belong to you?
I found that and the ID,
and it just looked like you, so...
That's you, right?
This belonged to my grandmother.
Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for finding it for me.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
- God bless you. - Okay.
Thank you!
Frances: Even when he was gambling or drinking,
he'd always make time to come for church with us
every Sunday morning.
What changed?
Well, we'd usually go together.
One day he shows up late...
drunk...
clearly hadn't slept,
and he puts every single dollar he has
in the collection plate.
He needed that money to pay a loan,
and not to a bank.
I see.
He was embarrassed to ask for it back.
And really got a bad beating over it.
How did he end up in prison?
He robbed a liquor store.
They caught him a couple of days later.
Well, Nick wants to find him.
I don't think that's a great idea.
He's got to be checking in with his parole officer,
and I know the parole board well.
I think I can find him. I just want your blessing.
I don't know that their father can do anything
but hurt them one way or another.
Well, he's still their father.
You won't need the parole board.
Just go down the park off Glen Oaks.
Is that him?
No.
His parole officer said he's lost some weight.
I'll recognize him.
He won't recognize you.
Shut up.
That's him. Dad?
It's not him.
We'll keep looking.
I don't even know why we came here.
He doesn't want to see us.
Man: Nick? Matt?
- Jimmy, don't! - ( gunshot )
Dad?
What are you doing here?
We were looking for you.
We heard you got out.
Look at you two.
Nick and I put covers on all your baseball cards.
That Mickey Mantel rookie card's worth a lot of dough.
We wouldn't sell your stuff.
- Ah! - We were just waiting for you to come home.
The garage still has all your tools
just like you left them.
I've been meaning to come by.
It's just-- it's complicated.
What have you been doing?
Oh, just trying start over...
with everybody.
We thought something happened to you.
Are you going to come home now?
Uh, I want to. But I can't.
Why not?
How'd you guys find me?
Pastor Joseph said that he heard--
Who?
Pastor Joseph. He helped us find you.
Pastor?
Yeah, he's the new pastor at the Randalston Church.
Is this the pastor whose brother died in the church robbery?
Yeah. He was gonna quit, but he didn't.
We're helping him fix up the church.
He's actually looking for an electrician to fix the bells
if you wanna do that. - No, I can't go back there.
Wh-- why?
Did he see me? Is he-- is he around here?
Well, he was, but that's not the point.
You guys shouldn't have come, okay?
You guys shouldn't have come. Stay away from me.
But-- but, Dad, I just--
Stay away!
The door was open.
He practically ran away from them.
Yeah, because he's a coward.
I knew this would happen.
Did he say anything?
They barely spoke.
They asked him if he would help them out with the church,
and that was the end of it.
Yeah, because he's a rotten human being
who deserves to go to Hell.
Excuse me?
Do you know what it's like to wake up every single morning
and have such disdain for someone
that it just eats away at your gut?
No.
Yeah, well, I have.
Pastor, how could you?
You should have seen my brother's face
- as he lay there. - I'm so sorry.
He was finally changing.
He had the opportunity to take the money and leave,
but he stayed.
He chose to stay and help the church.
Bless his heart.
And you ask how I can hate a man that shot my brother?
You're our Christian leader.
How can you hate like that?
I'm no Christian leader. Not anymore.
How can you surrender to Satan?
How can you be so selfish?
There's a community waiting for you
to lead them to the Lord.
I need your help, Frances.
My help? With what?
The man that I saw yesterday, Jack,
he's the one that shot my brother.
Please-- please don't say that
unless you know for sure.
I will never forget his face as long as I live.
He came for the money, didn't he?
He was drunk.
Maybe it was an accident.
But he's the one that brought the gun.
He's responsible for it.
How can I possibly help you with that?
Every night that I close my eyes,
I can see him.
My hate almost ruined my faith.
Then I would ask you what you would ask me.
What would Jesus do if he were in this position?
He would not hate.
And he would forgive.
Agreed.
But one step at a time.
What are you gonna do now?
I will give him the opportunity to turn himself in.
My name is Jack Barnes.
First, I must confess that I'm responsible
for the death of James Beardsley.
I have embarrassed those who I love the most--
my wife and my two children--
and I've become a burden to society.
My biggest question in killing myself is--
is whether or not God forgives the sin of suicide.
I guess I'll find out.
Bought it for the can opener, really.
Easy!
Easy.
I forgive you.
I don't forgive myself.
I'd rather my brother die young and go to glory
than to live to be old and burn in hell.
What has that have to do with me?
It does in many ways, more than you think.
All I remember...
is the look on his face when it happened.
You can't stop me every time.
You have two sons that need you.
All I am to them is a dark cloud
that rains down on them every single time
they think they can be happy!
Turn yourself in.
Take Jesus as your personal savior
and follow in his steps.
You'll be amazed at what can happen.
I want to.
Just don't know how.
I wish James were here to see this.
He's looking down on us for sure.
Dad?
What happened to "I can't go back there"?
Something happened to me yesterday.
And I changed my mind.
I'm still gonna do what we talked about.
But first I'd like your permission
to fix the church bell.
Thank you.
Frances?
Could-- could I talk to you?
Fran.
You have the nerve to come back here?
I can't tell you how sorry I am.
I don't expect you to believe me,
but something happened to me yesterday
when I talked to the pastor.
I'm a new man, Frances.
Please give me the chance to prove it.
You're right.
I don't believe it.
I've heard it all before.
Do you remember Ritzi's?
Of course I remember.
I didn't think you were gonna show up.
I probably shouldn't have.
I had to borrow money from my uncle.
You didn't have to buy me flowers.
Um...
I didn't.
I took them from some guy whose girlfriend broke up with him.
He brought her flowers, and she broke up with him.
I was just waiting there.
And he left them behind, so I took them.
I wanted to impress you somehow.
You didn't have to do that.
I would have loved you anyway.
Oh, Frances.
You deserve so much-- So much more.
I don't deserve your forgiveness,
and I don't deserve you.
But I'm asking anyway.
Thank you.
I told you. ( claps )
Now that dad's back, everything's gonna be cool.
Something feels wrong, Nick.
Something's wrong about this. I wouldn't get your hopes up.
Would you relax?
This is like a new beginning. You'll see.
Nick?
So you were serious.
Don't.
Don't do this. I love you.
- No, you don't. - Yes, I do.
You love yourself more.
Listen...
I love everything about you.
I do.
I-- I love the-- the way you kiss me,
the way you brush your hair, the way you smell,
that face you make when you're trying to stay mad at me
but you can't.
And-- and I'm glad that you wanted to wait.
Because so do I.
It could be years, Nick.
I don't care.
I'll marry you.
I mean, some-- someday.
Not today, but... someday.
I mean, will you marry me someday?
Get up, Nick.
Stay on the path.
Just keep out of trouble.
Be someone I can trust.
Jack: My goodness. What a mess.
Why'd you come back?
Someone has to fix this.
It's been broken for too long.
You know, if you leave something broken long enough,
sometimes you can convince yourself
that it's there anymore.
Sure is easier to break something than it is to fix it.
We're just happy to see you.
Maybe next time don't take a few years.
What if it does take that long?
Or longer?
You're leaving us again.
Yeah.
But not by choice.
I did something.
I have to pay for it.
We'll help you.
I'm the one that has to pay for it,
and not with money.
Well, if you're truly sorry, then maybe there's a way.
I've been talking to your pastor a lot.
I know what I have to do.
Wait, wait, what did you do?
That's why you were so upset
when you found out which church we were at.
They said it was an accident.
It was.
But I was the reason why it happened.
Why did you do it?
I hope you guys come and visit me.
But I'll understand if you don't.
No, we will.
We'll be there every day they let us.
Man: The board is willing to renew the lease.
The only condition is you have to stay on.
Try to keep me away.
Then it's settled. Welcome back.
Joseph: Thank you. It's good to be back.
I'm-- I'm going to the station now.
All of you?
Yeah.
Yeah, we, uh...
we want to spend as much time as possible together.
Look, um...
this isn't good-bye.
It's just "I'll see you later."
I'm glad to hear you say that.
I only can say that because of you.
The door was open.
And it will remain open.
I was wondering where you went.
You don't need me around here anymore.
Look, um...
if you need a place to stay, a proper meal?
Thank you.
But I should really be hitting the road.
Where will you go?
Wherever God takes me.
Look, um, none of us treated you with any respect.
How did you ever find the patience
to keep coming back?
It's what Jesus would do.
¶ Oh
¶ What would Jesus do
¶ If he were standing
¶ In your shoes?
¶ Would he lie
¶ And steal, too?
¶ Would he walk away from you? ¶
¶ Oh
¶ What would Jesus do?
¶ Would he let you pray in school? ¶
¶ Would he love you through and through? ¶
¶ Would he say that I am through? ¶
¶ What would Jesus do?
¶ Oh
¶ What would Jesus do
¶ If he were standing
¶ In your shoes?
¶ Would he lie
¶ And steal, too?
¶ Would he walk away from you? ¶
¶ Oh
¶ What would Jesus do?
¶ Would he let you pray in school? ¶
¶ Would he love you through and through? ¶
¶ Would he say that I am through? ¶