"Lord, I cannot believe I'm walking down" "Lord, I cannot believe I'm walking down the same old hallway just to hear the warden tell me my parole was denied for the fifth time." "I'm an innocent man who has prayed to you for justice." "You always said prayer changes things." "When is the change coming?" "No." "What was the problem this time?" "Same as it was last time, and the time before that and the time before that." "You must be slow." "Man, this ain't right, I followed the rules." "Rule number one:" "Shut up when Warden P.J. Silas is talking." "Looks like we still have a problem." "Man, you ain't liked me since I been in here." "I ain't liked you neither." "Man, if I get out of these cuffs, I'll whoop" "How you gonna get up out the cuffs?" "I got the key." "How, how" " How you gonna" " Officer Darryl!" "What the hell is wrong with you?" "Be quiet, zip it, please." " You need that." " That's enough." "I know what you think." "Oh, it says here unnamed, unclaimed black male child born February 7, 1981." " Unknown;" " unknown." "Left abandoned on the doorsteps of a fire station in south Los Angeles." "Mm-mm-mm." "Malcolm Anthony Anderson by your first" " I repeat-- first foster parents, who turned you right back to the state at the age of seven." "Now you know what, I wonder why they did that." "Oh, right here." "It says, "behavioral problem."" "Look, I know my own history." "Yeah, but I hold the key to your future, son." "Where was I?" " Oh, it says here" " Ooh, ooh, ooh!" "Let me do it, let me do it, let me do it!" "I've been following along, I've been" "Do what?" "Let me read, let me read, let me read!" "Let me do it, let me do it." "Yeah." "You jumped from one orphanage to ano-- na... na... na-na-na-na..." "Look, man, I ain't got time for this." "I ain't on death row." "Give me that." "You were convicted on one count of drug possession with the intent to distribute." "Look, man, that was a trumped-up charge." "I told you that." "Shut up!" "Shut up!" "At the age of 16, you and one of your friends decided to go big-time." "You robbed a Stop-N-Go convenience store at gunpoint." "During that robbery, a Jesus Hernandez was shot and killed." "I didn't kill anybody, and everybody who put me here knows that." "That's what they all say." "Meanwhile, you pled guilty to the unlawful use of a motor vehicle during the commission of a crime and you were sentenced to ten to 25 years" " in the state penitentiary." " Look, I didn't know that fool was going in there to rob the place." "I thought he was going in to buy some cigarettes!" "Well, you tell that to Mr. Hernandez' five kids!" "What would you have to say to them, huh?" "I'd like to be a fly on the wall for that one." "Look, I would tell them I'm not responsible for how things ended up." "Number 6-6-6-0-6-1-9... like I said, we still have a problem." "I more than paid the price for what I've done." "But look at me, Warden, look at me." "I mean, I'm educated." "I taught myself how to be a carpenter so I can take care of myself on the outside world." "I mean, I even found God in this hellhole." "What more do you want from me?" "You haven't admitted to the pain and the suffering that you have caused... to so many people." "Until that time comes-- man, oh, man-- until that time comes, you gonna be here..." "I didn't do it!" "...with us." "Listen, you reprocess this... convict." "And when you are finished," "I want you to walk him slowly right back to his cell." "Certainly, will do, Warden." "Come on then, con." "You know you a convict, come on." "Get up." "Dry your eyes, boy, time to go." "Lord, I couldn't take it anymore." "I had to escape." "I hid until sundown, broke through the fence at the break of dawn and caught a train into the inner city, where I had a better chance of blending in." "I found an ad in the paper for a carpenter." "That's where I headed." "I just hope you'll forgive me, Lord." "Will y'all shut up?" "Goodness." "Good morning, good morning, good morning." "To the pastor and his beautiful wife," "Bettie May, God rest her soul." "Ooh, she used to make the best preserves." "I just remem" "Viola, can you turn that thing down?" "My goodness, you are not the entire choir!" "Sure ain't." "Oh, I am so upset, Ms. Maisy, dang!" "I'm not." "She used to play so beautiful." "And in key." " Hattie May?" " Mm-hmm?" "There ain't-- Go on with the announcement." "There ain't no pastor here and ain't no people out there." "Yes." "Let the church say amen." " Amen." " Amen." "I said, let the church say amen!" " Amen." " Amen!" "I don't know why y'all mumbling and holding your tongue this morning." "All I hear is mumbles and whispers and I don't understand." "Y'all are acting like you woke up with the wrong person." "I mean, you just-- you got" "Don't make me snatch this girdle off and knock you to the holy spirit!" "I'll swear I'll do it, I'll do it!" "I swear I'll do it!" " Hattie May, it's all right." " Ooh, Jesus!" " Calm down, it's all right." " Okay!" "Calm down, Hattie May." "Now, listen here." "We gotta hurry up, 'cause I got some hens in the oven back in the fellowship home and I gotta get to 'em, I gotta baste them things." "Ooh, I hope my grandchildren come take me out to eat, 'cause you can't boil water." "Ooh, and I hope they take me to that-- what-- that Luby's Cafe or that Golden Corral." "Ooh, did you say Golden Corral?" "Mm-hmm." "Ooh, girl, I love their coleslaw." "But it don't love me." "Now, the last time I ate there," "I was on the toilet for four days." "Oh, would y'all..." "Girl, you was on the toilet!" " Whoo!" " Listen here!" "Stop all of that!" "Y'all keep talking about your bowels, we need to get on with the service here." "She just jealous, 'cause she been backed up for four years!" "Got that purple suit, she just" "Every Sunday we get to this point in the service and every Sunday we have to stop." "Now, Hattie May, I need you to go ahead and make your announcements or get on out the way so I can introduce the reverend." "Mm-hmm." "Well, who you talking about?" "We ain't go no pastor no more." "I'm just saying and doing like the Lord told me to do." "Like he put on my heart." "Just like Hattie May here, I tell it like it T-I is." " T-I is." " T-I is." "But before you do that... let's take up a collection for the building fund." "Oh, Lord, you and this building fund." "Why is always everything for the building fund and ain't no building?" "Come on, look at this place." "It's all raggedy." "Why don't you spend some of that little building fund..." " on the building?" " On the building?" "Now, Lord, every man that had a hand for fixing done left the church." "Well, why don't you put out an ad?" " Mm-hmm." " Mm-hmm." "I have for the last ten years." "I put one in all the flyers and the newspaper." "I even put one out in the weekly bulletin that comes out the House of Paradise." "That's a rest home." "Oh, hell no!" "I am not taking care of no old-ass man." "Hattie May, you in the church." "And "ass" is in the Bible." "Ass, ass, ass!" ""Ass" is in the Bible." "Now, see, that's why we need to do something new." "There ain't nobody coming to this old church." "We can't get a carpenter." "Mmm, wait a minute now, a carpenter." "Hold up, I feel something." "Hold up." "Lord have mercy." "Oh, Lord." "Oh, the Lord done put something on my heart." "That's it, that's it." "That's what the Lord said he said?" "What you say?" "Huh?" "What, what?" " He said" " What?" "He said if we stay steadfast in His word, we will get a carpenter and a pastor." "We've been steadfast for 25 years." "Now, I don't know how much more steadfast I'm gonna be." "Now, wait a minute now." "Y'all remember, our job is to find a new shepherd to lead this old flock into a new day." "I don't know about old." "I sure would like me a nice, young, strong shepherd." "Like that man on, uh, "American Idol."" "What's his last name?" "You mean Ruben Studdard?" "Oh, hell to the hell no." "Go on, let the Lord use you." "You just ruined it for me." "Oh, Ruben, oh, my goodness." "He can't do nothing for me but show me where a slim man is." "Hattie May, let's get on with the service." "I got to introduce the pastor here." "Now, wait a minute, wait now." "We denying reality." "Now, how many times I got to tell y'all, we ain't got a pastor and we ain't got a carpenter?" "We like sheep gone astray." "Well, hold up now." "He said that if we stay steadfast, all we got to do is listen to His word." "He gonna give us a shepherd and a carpenter." "You know what?" "You're right." "We just got to trust and believe, Hattie May, that it's gonna be in our darkest hour." "It's pretty damn dark now." "I don't know how much darker it's gonna get." "You know what?" "Just stop all that doubting and disbelieving." "How about that?" "How about you go ahead and sing us a wonderful, stirring rendition of "God's Unchanging Hand."" "Oh!" "Oh, Lord." "I said-- I said "stirring," y'all." "Now, hold up." " Okay, okay." " All right, hit it!" "Praise His name!" " Hattie May." " Hallelujah!" "You know, you didn't have to sing like that." "You didn't rehearse with us and you" "Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt, but is this the First Greater Saint New Mount" "Pilgrim Baptist Church Sanctuary?" "Yes, this is the First Greater Saint New Mount" "Pilgrim Baptist Church Sanctuary." "And what do you want with it?" "Well, I was answering this ad that said you might need a carpenter." "Oh, that's the ad I put in the paper." "Well, carpenter." "Well, you don't look like no carpenter." "You look like one of those thugs." "I like a little roughneck." "Where's your set, baby?" "Oh, girl, he'll break your old-ass back." "You ain't even got no tools, baby." "Well, ma'am, I was hoping the church might have some" "I could use." "Now, I can raise some money for some tools." "Oh, he don't need no garden tools." "He ain't a gardener, baby." "He don't need a hoe tool." "Oh, look, anyway, why don't you come back after the church anniversary?" "We'll probably have some money then." "We always get a good collection doing that occasion." "And y'all know the church got plenty tools." "Don't play, child, we just ain't used them in 20 years." "Look, ma'am, I swear I need a job." "I work well with my hands." "I bet you do." "Go" " Sit down somewhere and close your legs before your hemorrhoids fall out." "Look, ma'am by the look of this church, y'all need all the help y'all can get." "Yes, this is a deal, baby." "A deal!" "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no." "This ain't no deal, this ain't no deal." "Hold up, hold up, hold up, young man." " Where you from?" " Huh?" "Who's your people?" "I don't have any, ma'am." "You ain't got nobody?" "No, it's just myself and... my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ." "That's the one right there, that's it right there" "Oh, praise the Lord!" "We done found him!" "We can't let this boy go nowhere." "No, we can't, Hattie May." "He is the answer to my prayer." "What... what you mean your prayer?" " That's my prayer." " My prayer!" "I'm the one that's been faithfully seeking the Lord for a strong, strapping young man." "Yeah, you were seeking him, but not for the church." " Get over here." " Wait a minute." "Now, I don't know what neither one of you talking about because I been praying for a carpenter ever since I became the head of the building fund." "Look, ladies, ladies, please calm down." "I'm just" " I'm just happy y'all giving me a job." " He's so sweet." " You know what?" "Y'all don't-- Back up off him." "Back up off him!" "'Cause it was my prayer, and you will have it over my dead" "My prayer!" " Over my dead body." " Ladies, ladies" "That can be arranged now." "Ladies, ladies, come on, come on." "Ladies, please, I just" "Thank you, thank you for giving me a job." "Please calm down." "Okay." "Ooh, Jesus." " So, baby." " Yes, ma'am?" "Tell me something." "What is your name?" "Samuel Nelson." " Samuel Nelson." " Uh-huh." "Ooh, I like that name." "That's a good Christian name." "My name is Coretta Mulligan." "Sister Coretta Mulligan." "They call me Coco." "That's 'cause I was a stripper before I found the Lord." "Sister Coretta, you just nasty." "Excuse me, baby." "Listen, my name is Sister Viola Mars and this here is Sister Hattie May Winbush." "Nice to meet you, ladies." "Nice to meet you, too, baby." "Nice to meet you, too." "Listen, I have one last question." "Can you sing?" " Can I sing?" " Yeah." "Singing is the only way I can get by sometimes." "Been doing it all my life." "Okay, then let's go ahead and hear what you got." "What, right now?" "Ain't no better time for the Lord than right now." " All right." " Come on, baby." "Viola, give us a note." "And make it a good one this time." "Y'all want to sing it with me?" "Hallelujah!" "Hattie May." "Hattie May?" "Hattie May!" " Let your ear go." " Baby." "You're not no world." "That was good!" "Boy, you belted that, I felt" " Ooh, the spirit!" "It just" " Ooh, Jesus!" "It made me happy." "Ooh, Jesus, whoo!" " I feel it, I feel it!" " Hattie May, Hattie May!" "Ooh, welcome to church, baby" " What?" "Sit down." "Lord, have mercy." "Stop all that." "The boy sang and it" "Whoo!" "So I got me a job and a new beginning." "Hey!" "Excuse me." "Excuse me." "Who are you?" "And what are you doing in my church?" "My father's church." "He willed it to me when he passed." " So this is your church?" " Do you have a name?" "Yeah, it's Mal" " I can call the police." " No, you don't have to do that." "My name is Samuel Nelson." "Well, do you have a shirt, Mr. Nelson?" "I'm sorry." "It got a little hot in here." "So what are you doing here?" "I'm the new carpenter." "Since when?" "A couple of days ago." "Says who?" "The three ladies who run the church." "Huh?" "The three ladies who run the church?" "What, you saw them here?" "Would I say so if I hadn't?" "And what were their names?" "Sister Viola, Sister Hattie May and..." "I don't know, the horny one." "Sister Coretta." "Yeah, that's her." "Well, I came here to see them, so I should probably get to the office." "Oh, the-- the office is that way." "I knew that." " Just gonna" " Your smile is beautiful." "It's like I haven't seen the sun rise in ten years." "I should probably get going." "What's your name?" "Tiffany." "Tiffany Scott." "Tiffany." "Tiffany." "The origin is Greek." "Literally meaning "revelation of God."" "Or one who could see and know that God is being revealed." "And Christianity refers to the three wise men who visited the baby Jesus on the night of his birth." " How did you know that?" " I read." "Or did you assume that I couldn't?" "All right, I'm busted, and I apologize." "Thank you." "Apology accepted." "Refreshment time!" "Ooh, yeah." "Oh, well, look who's here." "Hey, baby girl." "I see you done met our Malcolm." "And Coretta done tried to get in his pants and everything." "No, I didn't." "Baby, do you want something to drink?" "Yes, ma'am." " Why is she going there?" " No, you did" "Hattie May, you want to explain to me what's going on here?" "Look, I know what you three are trying to do and it is not gonna work this time." "Listen here." "Have you met our baby?" "Our new carpenter?" "How you like him?" "He's all right." "Oh, see, I told y'all he was too skinny to be good." "Now, look, first, it was Barry White, then it was Big Luther, but then he got too skinny." "Yes, he did." "Hey, y'all gonna have to get off my boy Luther." "I damn near died myself when he passed." "Luther died?" "Oh, Lord!" "Are they serious?" "They didn't know Luther passed?" "I can't take this today." "I can't take this today." "Ladies, ladies." "Ladies, now, I came here to tell y'all something." "I'm selling the church." " What?" " What?" "And none of y'all gonna talk me out of it." "You and who came up with this?" "I came up with this here decision." "Mm-hmm." "And what's supposed to happen to us?" "It's time for us to all move on." "Damn, I take it that means me, too." "I'm sorry." "Uh, uh..." "Ooh, my throat." "Could you" " Could you-- I'm thirsty, boo." "Could you go get Mama some water in the kitchen?" "Oh, you a good soldier." "Bless you, bless you!" "Church meeting." " I smell a rat." " Me too." "And his name is Big Bill Herod." "Wait a minute." "My man ain't no rat, okay?" "Bill is a fine man and a wise businessman." " Mm-hmm." " Mm-hmm." "And not to mention, he is-- is a man dedicated to the Lord." "Yeah, the "Lord of the Flies" with his stinking ass." " Hattie May!" " Hattie May!" "I'm tired of y'all." ""Ass" is in the Bible." "Now, I don't know where my Bible is but" "Y'all need to hear me out." "Ass." "Well, what about your father?" "What about the promise you made to your father?" "Oh, wait, look, I don't have the money." "We don't have the money for the mortgage." "Well, the Lord will provide if we hold fast to His promise, baby." "Yes, we get a pastor..." " Uh-huh." " Uh-huh." "...then he brings in the congregation..." " Uh-huh." " Uh-huh." "...and then we pay the mortgage." "Yes." "And just who might this pastor be?" "Here's your water, ma'am." "Him!" "He's the pastor we've been waiting for." "No, I'm not." "Don't be ridiculous, all right?" "He ain't no pastor." "Yeah, I mean, I know Jesus was a carpenter and all, but I ain't nobody's preacher, ma'am." "No, baby." "Jesus was a carpenter and a convicted criminal and he didn't let either one of them stop him from doing what he was trying to do." "Look, I can't lead no congregation." "Listen here, baby." "That anointing's all over you." "I saw it from the very first time you walked in here, all over you!" "Oh, Coretta, you was just horny." "Okay, please, ladies, can we just not make this any harder than it already is?" "Can we please just move on?" "Did you notice" "Do you know that he got the gift, just like you do?" "Hmm?" "Now, knowing that information, you just gonna turn your back on one of God's own?" "Gift?" "What gift are you talking about?" "Look, ladies, I'm not that special." "Oh, you more special than you know, son." " Mm-hmm." " Mm-hmm." "All right." "Y'all are driving me insane." "Okay, okay?" "Now you're bringing a stranger, a stranger into this madness?" "Now, this is just too much." "Mm-hmm." "So?" "What are the terms of this surrender?" "Okay, all right." "First of all, he gets to preach one sermon." "Now, if he's good, he stays, we stay and you stay." "Now, you owe that to your daddy." "Just one more try, baby." "And if he sucks?" "We'll discuss that if and when" "No, no, no, no, no, nah, nah, nah, nah." "He preaches one sermon." "If he don't make the grade, then he goes, I go and we all go." "Deal or no deal?" " Deal." " Deal." "No, no, no, ladies, I appreciate y'all taking me in and all that, but just 'cause y'all giving me a place to stay don't mean I can-- I can do this." "Come on." "Oh, baby boy, you got two choices." "And that's either the highway or the Bible way." "Now, you said that, Hattie May." "What" " I had to put his back against the wall, didn't I?" " You did that." " Did you see that?" "Amen, you did that." "Amen." "Now you sit down and you think about that." "That's right." "Let Him use you, wouldn't you say?" "Uh-huh, pray on it." "But don't take too long, the walls is falling." "No, no, I like that one, I like that one, Bob." "Now, look, listen, listen, listen." "Before we get off the subject, I got some good news for you." "We should be able to break ground in about two weeks." "Isn't that great?" "I told you I got you." "Yes." "No, not yet, not yet." "You're moving kind of fast." "No, she-- she definitely agreed to sell." "So I should have the deed in my hand by the end of the week." "Is that good?" "No, no, no, I'm taking a look at 'em right now." "Hey, hey, Bob, listen, I gotta go." "Tiffany's on her way in." "I don't like that auditorium thing, so I got a guy with some money, we're gonna put a club there instead." "Okay, I'll talk to you about it later." "Hey." " Hey, baby." " Hey, baby." " How you doing?" " I'm good." "What are you doing?" "Well, I am looking at what God is gonna bless us with." "How you like that?" "Come here, baby." "Wow." "What did I do to deserve this?" "I mean, is it my birthday or something?" "I'm just glad to see my baby." "Well, I'm glad, 'cause when you left out of here this morning, you were acting like a grumpy old bear." "Baby, I'm sorry about being so grumpy this morning, but guess what?" "I got great news." "Financing just came through for my project." " Isn't that great?" " Yeah!" "So I'm setting up an escrow account." "All I need is the deed to the church, then press a button and $100 million will be mine to complete our vision." " Isn't that great?" " That's great." "When" " When do you need to make the transfer?" "Like yesterday." "No, baby, I'm serious." " When do you need to make it?" " I'm serious." "Tiffany, the money is just there sitting, waiting." "All we have to do is say the word." "Now why are you asking me so many questions?" "Uh, 'cause." "'Cause what?" "Baby, can we wait a week?" "No, we can't wait a week." "I mean, this morning, you said you would sell me the property, right?" "Now everything's changed." "Do I have to get you back in bed, hmm?" "Uh, baby." "I just" " I just" "I..." "I need to think about it a little bit more." "My God." "Every time you come back from that church, you start acting crazy." "What is there to think about?" "Look, I made a promise a long time ago to my dad." "You know, this land, this church meant everything to him." "And what about your promise to me?" "Now, I didn't promise you anything." "I said I would think about it." "You know, and if that's a problem and you can't support me, then maybe I need to stop thinking about it and just forget the whole thing, baby." "You didn't say that six months ago when you came in here." "Jesus Christ." "I didn't ask for any of this." "And I was happy living in that little place" "You was happy living in that little rinky-dink apartment over the garage with-- with mice and roaches and everything?" "Come on, Tiffany." "I made a promise to my father." "And what about my promise to my investors?" "What about that?" "Baby, look-- look at me, look at me." "Baby, listen to me." "Your father is gone." "He's not gonna come back." "And I-- and I feel sorry about that." "But I'm right here for you, right here in the flesh and I support everything you do." "And I love you with all my heart and you know that." "The church is almost gone, Tiffany." "I know, I know." "You're $20,000 behind in the mortgage." "I know." "If you do this thing I'm asking you to do," "I will make you the envy of all women, I promise you." "I just need seven more days." "Just seven days, baby." " Okay." " Okay." " Seven days." " Seven days." "Gonna make a decision." "Seven more days, seven more days, seven more days." "I just need one minute." "You know I'm fast." "Lord, I can't do this." "Don't know how I got caught up in this." "Just-- just trying to have faith in you." "Okay." "How am I gonna do this?" "Okay, I can-- um..." "God, how am I gonna do this?" "Um..." "If I ask" "Let's see." "It's 20,000, so..." "Jesus." "Oh, Daddy, help me." "How am I gonna do this?" "How am I gonna do this, Daddy?" "Oh, I miss you." "Ho, ho!" "Yes, sir!" "Thank you, Jesus." "Hallelujah!" "That was good to me." "So, girl, she came down the aisle late-- late-- with feathers, red feathers all over her dress..." " ...and a red feather hat!" " 'Cause she always late." "Coming up in there, I don't know what's wrong with her" "Whoo!" "Ladies." " What?" " What?" "How do y'all expect for me to write this sermon when y'all making all this noise?" "Baby, all you have to do is stand there and let Him speak through you." "You expect for me to get up there and freestyle?" " Yeah, let the Lord use you." " That's right." "I'm trying to get some young people up in this church." "Okay, baby, well, what's your ideas?" "Come up with the solution." "Come on, come on, what, what, what, what?" " Oh, no." " No, no, no, no," "Try it like this." "No, no, no, no, no, no, no." "Uh-uh, that's not how it is." "Try it like this." "Uh-uh!" "Now, I'm gonna have to cut you!" "Coretta, put that old rusty, crusty thing away, before you cut your own self and get blood poison." "Give him you this." "What?" "Oh, you ain't never" "Listen here, I have had enough!" "You come into the house" "Ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies!" "Now, what in the world is going on up in here?" "Coming through the house of the Lord with all that dancing and crap." "Well, don't shoot the messenger just because I'm bringing the message." "Now, wait a second." "Yesterday y'all were telling me that this was an anointed man of God and today you want to slice his neck?" "Now, what is up with that?" "He don't need to be coming up in here with that juke-joint music now, Tiffany." "Oh, Jesus." "What's wrong with you, Coretta?" "Oh, no, Jesus." "What's the matter?" "I had some prunes last night and I think it's trying to push through my hemorrhoids!" "Oh, my!" "I better go with her, honey." "She ain't had a bowel movement in three years." "I'm coming, Coretta!" "You don't have to go by yourself!" "Oh." "How's the sermon coming?" "Slow." "I tried to put it to paper, but I think I'm gonna take the old sisters' advice and just let Him speak through me." "Well, see, now, that's what my daddy used to do." "I'm nowhere near like your daddy." "You know, if it wasn't for this church and them old ladies," "I don't think I would even consider this." "That's very sweet." "But you just preached your first sermon." "How you figure that?" "Uh-huh." "Go ahead." "See?" "Now you just preached another sermon." "You know what, you're just as crazy as them old ladies." "Yeah, well, I trust their judgment over mine, anytime, anywhere." "If you say so." "But you gonna have to get out of here, 'cause that perfume you wearing is driving me crazy." "Well, it's called Escape." "Escape?" "Who told you that?" "Hey, you don't have to be embarrassed 'cause you don't know what it's called." "My boyfriend is always buying me expensive stuff, and sometimes" "I just wish I could have something simple and ordinary." "Simple and ordinary, huh?" "I like that." "You know, you have to lay low and not draw too much attention." "Is something wrong?" "No, I'm" "You sure you ready for dinner tonight?" "Oh, no, see, I didn't say I was going to dinner tonight." "That's why I asked you, "Are you sure?"" "Look, I have a boyfriend." "I have plans with him tonight." "Well, when you done with that boy, why don't you find some time for this man?" "I mean, it's just dinner." "How about 8:00?" "8:00 it is." "8:00 it is." "Yeah." "How you doing this morning?" "Like that suit." "That thing come back in style, you gonna be saying something." "Ha-ha." "You seen them big-ass pin stripes?" "Yeah, yeah." "And when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, he was afterwards very hungry." "We gonna start in the pulpit." " Work your way around." " Yes, sir, yes, sir." "Be careful with these walls." "The wood in this church is worth a fortune," " you know what I'm saying?" " Yes, sir." "I'm gonna put that wood in my new house." "Oh, yeah?" "Then he said unto them..." "I set you high on a pinnacle." "I set you high, I set you high..." "I sent my angels in charge concerning thee." "Yeah, that's it." "Bless the Lord oh my soul." "All is" "What in the hell are you doing?" "Whoa, whoa, whoa." "Watch the "hells" in here, this is the house of the Lord" "Excuse me-- no, no, no, no." "This is about to be the house of pain if you don't pick that up and get back to work, my man." "Wait-- wait-- wait a minute." "Can y'all tell me what's going on here?" "You want to tell me why you have a skirt on, my man?" "It's called an apron." " Oh, okay." " It's called a homosexual." "Say what?" "Oh, relax, big brother." "I kinda like it on you, anyway." "Ain't nothing wrong with a brother showing his sensitive side, you know what I'm saying?" "Hey, what kind of fabric is that?" " Is that cotton, nylon?" " Are you serious, man?" "Oh, you the cook!" "Cool, man, I'm hungry, brother." " Give me something to eat, man." " Hey, man, that's not for you." "Whoa, whoa, whoa, you here to break wood, not to break bread." "Now get your butt up, let's go, man." "I ain't even got a break yet, come on, now." "No, no, you had a break." "Wait, wait, hold up, hold up, hold up." "You said you was gonna" "Unless y'all got a work order, ain't nobody gonna touch nothing in this church." "Who you supposed to be, man?" " I'm the new carpenter." " Really?" "Yeah, I fix things around here." "Yeah, well, you need to fix your ass out of my face." "Why don't you join the crew at $8 an hour?" "Excuse me, brother man." "Now, I don't know how you feel about the whole down-low thing, but check this out." "I want you take my card and call me sometime." "I got licorice aprons, strawberry aprons, chocolate aprons and I got a long sledgehammer." "You know what I'm saying?" "Holler at me." "That's nasty, man." "Let me ask you a question, my man." "Do you know who I am?" "I know who you're not." "You're not 5-5, 125 pounds and one of the most beautiful women in the world." "But since we getting so personal, you don't smell that good, either." "So you been sniffing around my girl, huh?" "How long have you been working for Tiffany?" "Man, long enough to know that in her heart, she ain't gonna sell this church to you or nobody else." "Tiffany is a young girl." "She don't know nothing." "She know what she needs." "She needs to tell you to mind your business before she catches a case." "I will." "Just as soon as you roll out of here like you rolled in." "What's your price, man?" "I ain't for sale." "Let's see about that." "What about... 100?" "200?" "300?" "400?" "$500?" "Like I told you, man..." "I ain't for sale." "$500?" "What about 1 ,000?" "Think about it, my man." "Think about what you could buy with $1 ,000." "Tell you what I'm gonna do." "I grew up around the hood." "I know you're poor." "So I'm gonna up the ante." "$5,000." "What you gonna do, play with your little Bible all day?" "Or you want to come work with me and make some real paper?" "Think about it." "$5,000." "Live the good life." "Eat lobster... instead of ham." "Man, I'm glad he didn't say 10,000." "Hey, Judah, listen, I got a little job for you." "Yeah, I need some information on somebody." "I don't have his name, that's the problem." "I just need some information on him in case he comes back." "Yeah, you know how I do it." "You might as well kill yourself before you deal with Big Bill." "All right." "Listen, I need that information in 24 hours, all right?" "Get back to me as soon as possible." "All right, talk to you later." "I want you to have this." "It was my father's." "Why are you giving it to me?" "Well, I mean, if you can really turn this church around, then maybe this" "I think what we're gonna do is" "Tiffany!" "Are you out of your damn mind?" " Huh, huh?" " Wait, wait, wait..." " What you mean, "huh"?" " Hold on, we were" "Calm down, we were just having dinner." " Just having dinner?" " Yeah." "Do I look stupid to you?" "You know what, you're having dinner?" "This is your last supper, all right?" " Now, wait a minute, man." " No, no, you wait a minute." "Now you, brother, just be teasing me and playing with all my emotions and everything." "Man, what are you talking about, man?" "And to think that I bought you a new apron." "Well, you ain't getting it, you two-timing heifer." " You ain't that fine." " I don't want you, man." "What are you talking about?" " Obviously somebody here does." " Okay, okay, fine." "This was a bad idea, I shouldn't have come," " but now, baby, let's just" " No, no, you should have come, 'cause we here now and you know what?" " We gonna have some action." " Now, baby, let's just go." "Let him go, let him go." "I'm not gonna hurt him." " Get him, George." " Wait, wait, wait!" "You lay one hand on his head" " and you will not get the deed." " No, I got this, Tiffany." "If you want to tear that church down, then you have to tear me down with it!" "Is that how it's gonna be, Tiffany?" "Look, this is not about him." "This is not about the money." "This is about us." "And the promise that I made." "To who?" "Your father or to me?" "Look, Tiffany know what she wants" "You weren't speaking for my fiancee, huh?" "Look, I can handle this." "I tell you what." "We gonna see how committed your little carpenter boy is to saving his church." "$15,000." "That goes with the other five I gave you earlier today." "Take it, boy." "Stop trying to be a damn hero." "Take it, boy." "You know you need that money." "Oh, he's going, baby." "Everybody's got a price." "Anybody home, anybody home?" "Hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello!" "Man, you better get away from my door, knocking on my damn door like that!" "My name is Lil' Bobby." "B-O-B-B-Y." "I know how to spell Bobby, fool." "I'm looking for Dollar Bill." "Who?" "Dollar Bill." "No, I don't know Dollar Bill." " I know Big Bill, Big Bill." " Big Bill." "That's why they call me Big Bill." "Big Bill, Big Bill, okay." "Who sent you here?" "Tiffany sent you?" "No, I don't know no Tiffany." "You let me find out Tiffany sent you and I'm gonna pop a cap in your ass, boy." "Look, I want my reward." "You know what, stay right there." "Gonna get my gun to pop a cap in your ass." "Look, look, look, look, look, look, look!" "I got the information that you need." "You're looking for information, ain't you?" "Lookee here, take a real good look." " Don't he look familiar?" " Yeah, he do." "Yeah, yeah!" "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!" "Hey, man, what's wrong with you, man?" "But look, look, just look at it." "Look it all over." " It's good, ain't it?" " Ahh!" "It's good, it's good, it's good." " That ain't funny, man." " That ain't funny?" "Take your little retarded ass out of here." "What about my reward?" " You don't get no reward." " My money?" "Take back your information." "I got everything I need, thank you." "And whoever sent you, Tiffany, or whoever else, tell them I said thank you." "You promised me!" "I ain't got time to play games with you." "I want to do what's right, Tiffany." "Yeah, well, you didn't." "Well, check the deed." "I took every penny of that $20,000 and paid off the balance." "It's zero." "Can you give me another chance?" "I just want to do what's right." "Tiffany, please." "Look, I just want to do what's right." "Tiffany in my arms felt like heaven." "I asked her about this gift Hattie May said I had." "She told me that I could see spirits, and that those crazy three old ladies are ghosts." "I think-- now I think that the flowers should go right here in front of the pulpit." "Oh, oh, oh, no, honey, they need to go right over here." " It makes it" " Oh, no." "No, no, no, no, that's where they go when we have funerals, baby." "I don't know why we wasting money on these flowers, anyway." "We should be donating it to the building fund." "Say something else about that building fund." "I'm gonna hit you in the head with these plastic flowers." "That's what I'm gonna do." "They're just plastic-- how much cheaper can we get?" "Oh, hey." "Hey, look who's here." "Come on in here." "What y'all standing over there, looking like you're pregnant, you don't know who the daddy is?" "Come over here and help us out." "Go on, boy, help us out." "I didn't know dead people can be so demanding." "What?" "What'd he say?" "He didn't say nothing, Sister Hattie May." "No, he said something." "He said something about dead people, I heard him." "Who died?" "Sister Viola." "Oh, Lord!" "Nobody called and told me nothing!" "Girl, when was your funeral?" "Hell, ain't nobody gone and told me nothing either!" "And Sister Coretta." "What?" "Yeah, you dead, too." "Oh, Lord!" "Oh, Lord, baby, you still owe me $10!" "Jesus, pray" "Wait a minute." " If I'm dead..." " Uh-huh." "...and Viola's dead, what about you," "Hattie May?" "You dead, too." "Oh, Lord!" "Oh, Lord!" "All right." "All right, now that's enough!" "Now, y'all knew you were dead, so stop pretending." "Okay." "Well, all right, you right." "But it was rude of him to remind us." "Well, he is sorry." "Well, then he needs to say it." " Mm-hmm." " Mm-hmm." "I will, just as soon as y'all tell me why I can see and hear y'all." "Oh, he wants to know our secret." "Last time I showed somebody my secret, I had two babies." "Look, I ain't trying to get none of y'all pregnant." "Oh, you know he trying to turn me into a freak." "Coretta!" "You already a freak." "That's how you died, with your legs wide up in the air." "Oh, you just mad 'cause it was your husband." " Oh!" " Ooh!" "And tell the truth, tell the truth" "All right, all right, all right, all right!" "All right, all right, all right, ladies." "Now, ladies, let's remember that we have the Lord's supper to prepare." "Oh, yes!" "Tomorrow is first Sunday!" "Oh, and it's your first day preaching." "Oh, son!" "You know you better get it right or I'll cut you." "Come on, Coretta, you always trying to cut somebody." "I thought God would..." "Sister Hattie May, I will be there to help you in a minute." "Oh, I'm sorry." "I was just trying to" "Ooh, Lord." "It's gonna be more than a minute." "You see the guns on that boy?" "Pow, pow!" "Man, those old ladies are crazy." "Mm-hmm." "It's a shame they gonna lose this church." "Oh, no, no, no, they are not gonna lose this church, and we're gonna make sure of it." " We?" " Mm-hmm." "Oh, so that means you're giving me another chance?" "No, that means that I was right the first time." "Oh, okay." "Here's the deed." "Now, it's already registered in your name." "All you have to do is take it down to City Hall." "Tiffany, I don't think I can do this." "Oh, yes, you can." "I have faith in you." "But no one has ever had this kind of faith in me." "I wasn't gonna find you, huh?" "Where you think you're going, huh?" "Where you think you're going?" "A hip-hop club?" "In the same spot, on the same spot as my church." "This whole thing was about money." "It's always about money, baby." "Yeah, well, this time, it's about love" " and I want to be happy." " Yeah, you know what?" "How much does happy cost, huh?" "I want that deed." "I want that deed, you hear me?" "And you gonna sign it, you understand me?" "You gonna sign the deed, okay?" "Let me find out that little carpenter boy's involved in this and I swear to God, he's going to get hurt." "Do you understand?" " Do you understand?" " Go ahead!" "Go ahead, hit me, William!" "Hit me!" "Then everybody can know exactly who Big Bill really is." "Get your hands off me." "I think he's gonna be all right." "He just better be." "We're gonna all be just fine." "Listen, when are we doing the presentation?" "You know what, you can't hold water!" " Why?" " It's a surprise." " Oh, oh, oh." " Excuse me, ladies." "What are y'all talking about, presentation?" "The presentation, the supper, the Lord's supper." "Jesus, praise His name." "Praise Him." "Go on, study." " Who in the hell..." " What?" "Where's the suit?" "It's" " Tiffany, come on, she got the suit." "Get, get..." "Hurry up, get in the back." "All right, ladies, what's going on?" "Okay." "Tiffany has a surprise for you!" "This is to show you that you are the pastor of all of our hearts, whether you like it or not, and we all say thanks." "Thank you." "I ain't never had a new suit." "Hell, I ain't never owned a suit." "Thank you guys so much." "Thank you." " Thank you." " You're welcome." " Thank you." " Bless you." "Thank you." "What in the world?" "Stay away from my man, Sister Coretta." "Oh, honey, I was just taking him on a little test drive around the block." "I'm tired now." "Think you" "I think you stuck tongue in his mouth." "She making a" "We need to pray." "I ain't been like this since the auction." "Come on." " We need to pray." " Yeah, we do." " Lord, Jesus." " Praise Him." "Dear Heavenly Father, please, Father, just bless this young man on his journey," "Father God, anoint him, Lord, and give him the words, Father God, walk through him in the spirit, Lord Jesus." "Keep him from the freaks and the lizard-tongue demons, Lord, 'cause she know not what she do" "Hattie May." "Oh." "Amen." " Amen." " Amen." " Amen." " Amen." "Well, you know, we gonna go." "We gonna let this boy pray and prepare." "We need to go." "Let's go, child." "You something else." "Try it on now, it's my daddy's suit." "And that means you, too-- Muah!" "That means you, too, Tiffany." "Ooh, praise Him." "Hey, my man." "Malcolm Anthony Anderson." "Convict." "Number 6-6-6-0-6-1-9." "Does Tiffany know?" "Let me tell you something." "Anything that goes on in this town, I find out." "I know all about you, man." "Hmm?" "I want that deed." "Give me the deed and I'm gonna help you out." "Give you a new name, new driver's license, new social-security number and I'm gonna relocate you to Florida." " Florida?" " Yeah." "I want you as far away from this place as possible." "What happens to Tiffany?" "I don't know, why don't you turn around and ask her yourself." "Look, Tiffany, my name is not Samuel Nelson." "My real name is Malcolm Anthony Anderson." "I'm a convicted felon, Tiff, I'm on the run." "Should I be scared of you?" "'Cause I'm not." "And I've fallen in love with you, too." "Here." "It's the deed." "I want that deed, Malcolm." "Man, you not getting your hands on that deed." "Yeah?" "Well, we'll see." "Huh?" " You don't have to do that." " Shut up." "You don't have to do that, man." "Let me have the deed." "Shut up, shut up and give me the deed." "You didn't pay me my money!" "Who the hell is that?" "It's the retarded guy again." "My name is Lil' Bobby." "Put that gun down, man, you're not gonna shoot nobody." "Come on, man, you don't have to do that, man." "I'm never gonna pay you your money." "Oh, Jesus." "Come on, man." "Oh, my God!" "After the murder of Big Bill," "I knew I couldn't marry Tiffany or fulfill my new role as pastor until I cleared my name." "Well... finally, some good news." "What's this?" "A pardon, from the governor of the state of California." "For real?" "Yeah, signed, sealed and now delivered." "But how?" "I don't understand." "It's a little strange, I'll tell you." "The governor said he never saw so many letters sent in for a convicted felon in his life." "Down in the mail room, we've got a big gigantic bag full of letters dating back from 1975." "That's strange, because you wasn't even born yet." "Who are they from?" "I don't remember them all, but I think I have a few of them here." "A Sister Hattie May, a Sister Coretta and a Sister Viola." "What's so funny?" "Nothing at all, sir." "Nothing at all." "Okay." "Well, get your stuff, get ready to get out of here." "By the way, whatever happened to Lil' Bobby?" "Bobby?" "Well, apparently, he got himself a real good lawyer." "They found him too mentally unfit to stand trial, so after serving a couple of months in jail, he got off." " So he's free?" " Free." "Free as a bird." "Boy, the Lord works in mysterious ways." "Yeah, you could say that again." " Come on, let's go." " Thank you." "I was finally free, so I went back to church, married Tiffany and took my rightful place as pastor." "Oh, what a feeling." "Whoo, yeah, that Mr. Jenkins." "Oh, Lord, I'm telling you, some folks never change." "Well..." "Our job is done." " Sure is, ain't it." " Yeah." "God gets all the glory in this one." "And it was a wonderful journey, was it not?" "Wonderful journey." " Wonderful journey." " I wouldn't have traded it." "Y'all know what?" "God blessed us to have Malcolm as our pastor." "Oh, yes." "And have our church not grown?" "Oh, it's grown." "Oh, our church is so large now, we have standing-room only." " Yes, we did that, didn't we?" " Ooh, yes, we did." "Can I get a "whoo-whoo"?" " Whoo-whoo!" " Whoo-whoo!" "Whoo-whoo!" "I learned that, I learned that, I learned that." "I know, you ought to have learned that, 'cause you sure couldn't hold your note in the choir." "But I'll tell you, I thank God." "That's how you gonna glorify God, right there?" "Well, I'm ready to come on home, 'cause I'm about tired of these two." "Yeah, I" "I certainly got somebody to go on home to." "My Jake is up there." "Yoo-hoo, Jake!" "It's me, Coretta." "You remember the peach orchard, baby?" " Whoo!" " Whoo-hoo!" "We had some fun." "Hey, Jake, what's going on?" "Hey, it's Hattie." "Trust me, it ain't the same as you left it." "But you know what?" "You know what?" "It's peace in heaven." "'Cause y'all know what?" " What?" " What?" "Heaven... ain't hard... to find." "Especially when you been drinking like you." "'Cause I don't know if that's what" "Neema wanted, but..." "She had my rum cake." "Yeah, that's an angel named Neema." "I talk to her, too."