"Jason, what am I doing here?" "Dad?" "My dad was the strongest, hardest working person I'd ever known." "But, the last few years of his life he was utterly broken." "Who could blame him?" "He spent years getting every ounce of crop he could out of our small farm in north east Arkansas." "He'd work from sun up to hours after sundown." "And he was doin' good." "Almost had the farm paid off." "And then Harper Dam burst, just north of town." "The water flowed right through a valley in the middle of our farm." "I n an instant the land was cut in half." "It became unfarmable, and my dad became a shell of his former self." "(music)" "It was later when I returned home for the first time as an adult these questions still haunted me." "What am I doin' here?" "Come on!" "Hey Mr. Jenkins." "Jason!" "What on earth are you doing here?" "I'm just in town for the summer, thought I'd come in and say hi." "Good, good." "Did you come to see Paul?" "Paul's here?" "Man, you do not want this mattress." "It's really bad on the lumbar region." "I mean, I don't even have lumbar problems, but the other day I took a nap on this bed, and my lumbar was killing me." "Trust me it's not" " Hey man!" "Oh, look at those, I'll be back okay?" "Hi." "What are you doing here?" "I'm in town for the summer." "Really?" "I thought you were working for some big law firm up north or something." "Yeah." "I don't start that until the fall." "Gotta pass that Bar first." "And it's not really that big of a firm." "Still bigger than any of the ones we got around here, right?" "That's true." "How about you?" "Did you decide for a career in furniture?" "No, man, this is temporary." "You know, L. A got the better of me, so I gotta get back on my feet." "But I'll go back again as soon as I can." "That's cool." "No shame in that." "No." "I mean" " Oh!" "Lay down!" "Seriously, lay down." "You all will love that one it's got" " I gotta get back to work, but let's get together while we're both here all right?" "Sound good." "It's great to see ya." "Layla, you're gonna melt if you stay in the rain like this." "Jason?" "It's good to see you." "Whoa!" "When did this happen?" "Are you engaged?" "Yeah." "I, ah, forgot to tell you." "Well who's the lucky guy?" "You don't know him." "His name is Michael, he moved here a year ago." "Wow." "I can't believe this." "Congratulations." "Thanks, So, when do I get to meet him?" "I don't know if I want you to meet him." "I have to meet him, how else am I gonna approve of him for ya?" "Right." "And why exactly do I need your approval?" "You know, I gotta look out for ya." "You're like a sister to me." "Uh, well, he'll be at church with me on Sunday, so I guess you can meet him then." "My ice cream is gonna melt, I should probably" " Yeah." "Hey, Layla?" "What?" "It was good to see you." "You too, Jason." "(alarm clock)" "It doesn't work by osmosis." "What's that?" "Well you can sit next to that all day long if you want to, but you actually gotta crack that rascal open for it to do you any good." "Thanks." "I'll keep that in mind." "Well, that's a problem." "You're trying to keep in mind, when you need to keep it inside." "It's when you just keep it in mind when you start misremembering what's inside of it." "All right." "I'll keep it inside." "There." "How's that?" "Well, it's a start." "So, did they run you off up north, or did ya just get homesick?" "Do I know you?" "No, you just look weak." "Listen, I'll let you get back to absorbing God." "Fish are biting better downstream anyway." "See ya." "All right." "Good luck?" "(music)" "All right if we join you?" "Oh, hey!" "Jason, this is my fiance, Michael." "Jason." "Layla's told me so much about you." "It's terrific to finally meet you, man." "Yeah man, it's great to meet you too." "Although, I have to question the logic of anyone willing to commit to a lifetime with this gal." "Sometimes I question that logic myself." "Oh!" "We'll talk later." "Excuse me Michael." "I've got a song I'd like you to learn in about three weeks." "Give me the sheet music, and I'll be ready." "All right." "Pastor David, this is Jason who I was telling you about." "How are you?" "So far, so good." "I haven't been accosted today." "It's early." "I'm sure it'll come." "I'm sure it will." "Have you two met already?" "Something like that." "So, is it true that you spent a couple of summers as a youth group intern during college?" "How did you kn" " Don't give me that look!" "We really need the help." "The church has been growing ever since Pastor David got here, and right now it's just me and whoever I can get to volunteer with the kids." "Well, you must not be doing that good if you have to recruit me on my first day." "What can I say?" "I'm desperate." "Otherwise, I wouldn't even consider you." "Come on, you're like the Pied Piper when it comes to kids." "I don't know about that." "Fifteen, twenty hours a week." "Max." "How much of that would I have to spend with you?" "Minimal." "That there's a selling point." "Please?" "I won't beg." "Twenty hours a week?" "Probably not even that much." "Ah, why not?" "Just so long as I don't have to deal with any of the teenage drama." "She won't even talk to me anymore." "We used to talk all time." "I can't talk to you." "You don't even understand me anymore." "You're right." "I don't understand you." "How can I understand someone who continually treats me like I don't know what I'm doing?" "Well, maybe that should tell you something." "It tells me that you're as stubborn as your father!" "You see how she treats me?" "Um, I'm not a licensed ther..." "I mean I don't have a degree in counseling." "I'm not a professional problem solver, maybe you guys should see someone who is?" "You think we need therapy?" "You're right." "She does!" "If anyone needs it, it's you, little Miss Smart Alec!" "I'm not saying that anyone needs to see a therapist." "It seems to me that you both need to think of this through the other person's eyes." "You both love each other." "You do, otherwise you wouldn't be here right now." "You need to understand that your mom has lived a little bit longer than you, and so she probably knows a little bit more about what's best." "And you need to realize that she is growing up, and she needs a little more freedom to make some decisions on her own." "Is that at all helpful?" "These things are surprisingly heavy." "Yeah." "Tell me about it." "So is it awkward?" "What?" "Being around Layla again." "No." "We've been friends since we were kids, why would it be awkward?" "Not after talking to you." "That's because I never professed my love for you." "I'm sure it's only a matter of time." "Besides, she's engaged, and I'm sure she's beyond all that." "I don't know, man." "Speaking of." "Are you seeing anyone?" "Well, I was kind of seeing this girl Melinda for about eight months, but we broke up a couple of months ago." "Eight months." "That sounds pretty serious." "Yeah." "It kinda was." "I actually think I was in love." "Wow, that's a big step." "So, what happened?" "It's complicated." "Well, it can't be anymore complicated then some of the stuff I've been dealing with." "I'd rather not talk about it, if that's cool." "Okay." "Man, seriously, I really owe you." "Normally I have to do this by myself." "I get all sweaty." "I hate being sweaty in work clothes." "Don't mention it." "No, seriously, if there's anything I can help you out with, let me know." "Well, all right, since you bring it up, we could use another adult to help with the youth." "I would, but the church and I don't really mix all that well, so I was thinking more along the lines of giving you a hand at the farm or something." "Thanks man." "I'll keep that in mind, if I ever decide to become a farmer." "(music)" "Come on, come on, come on!" "Cut off." "So sorry, I had to get you out." "Okay guys, one down." "The play is on second base." "Double play get two." "All right!" "Miss Layla's tricky, she'll try to steal on us." "Two down, one more to go here." "Let's see if you can kick my curve ball." "Nice kick, Sam!" "Yep." "He can kick my curve ball." "Hey, Marcus." "Why don't you come out here and join us?" "All right guys we've still got two down, play is at first and second if..." "Come in." "Hey, Jason." "You wanted to see me?" "Oh, yeah." "Cindy and I would like to have you over to dinner." "A night without dinner in a microwave sounds good." "When?" "Anytime next week, you name the day." "How about Monday?" "No, that ain't gonna work." "Okay." "I forgot that the contractors are coming by to look at the land next Monday, and I've already moved three appointments in order to accommodate them, so I can't cancel it." "I suppose I am the first pastor here to oversee a building project over 35 years." "There's some pretty high expectations about this." "Well how about you name the day then?" "How's Tuesday?" "Sounds good." "See you then." "We'll see you." "(music)" "I was planning to schedule a mystery outing for Wednesday at one o' clock but, I wasn't sure if anyone would be able to make it." "Would any of you guys be able to make it on Wednesday for that?" "Perfect." "Then, I will see you guys on Wednesday at one for our first service project." "(grumbling) All right, keep it down now!" "Come on." "Quiet!" "Thank-you." "This week we're gonna start a new series called "This Is My" "Story." ""We're gonna take time each week to hear from you guys." "This will be your time to share with us whatever it is that makes you, you." "Where you're from, what's your favorite thing about life." "How does God play a role in your life." "What are you most afraid of." "Basically, anything that will help us understand the unique creation of God that you are." "As the summer goes on, you're all gonna get an opportunity to share with us your story, but for this week," "I have asked Justus to share." "Hi, I'm Justus." "Probably the first thing you should know about me is that" "I love skateboarding." "What I am going to share with you today is what I consider my greatest achievement in terms of skateboarding." "Everybody." "Don't forget to come and grab directions for the service project." "Marcus." "Let's go." "Hey." "Are you Marcus's dad?" "I'm Mr Blayton." "I'm Jason." "I'm the youth minister for the summer." "I just wanted to come out and say hi." "I wanna make sure I get to know all the parents and they get to know me." "I mean, since you trust me with your kids and all." "We got a lot of fun things planned for the sum" " We're in a bit of a rush, so if you'll excuse us." "Sure." "Bye." "See ya." "(yelling)" "Oh." "Hey Jason." "I'm not early, am I?" "No." "Cindy's just putting the food on the table." "Come on in." "Really?" "You put sugar in the green beans?" "Um-hmm." "That's weird." "Never had that before, but it sure tastes good." "Thanks." "So, I got to meet Gerald Blayton the other day." "Wait." "Isn't that Marcus's dad?" "Yeah." "He's kinda weird." "Nicole!" "Well, he is." "How do you mean?" "I don't know, he used to be really nice and all, and now he's just kinda stuck up and never talks to anybody." "I think you're just jealous 'cuz he beat you out for the church scholarship." "No, I'm not dad." "That's funny." "No, it's not." "You don't have to live with him." "So, Marcus is pretty smart?" "Yeah, he was top of our class until last year." "What happened last year?" "He went to some private school out of state because he thought he was too good for our school or something." "Nicole!" "Mom." "You're not there." "You have no idea." "He just sits by himself all the time." "He never talks to anybody." "So, do you ever say hi to him?" "No." "But he's the boy." "He should say it first." "Oh." "What about his dad?" "What's his story?" "Mr Blayton." "Well, he's one of the more active church members, heading up the building committee, he owns his own business, and does pretty well." "He does really well." "He's already promised to donate half of the money for the new building himself." "That's impressive." "Yeah, it is." "Except for, I think he thinks it entitles him to have David at his beck and call." "Well, it's true." "What about his wife?" "I know that she's out of the picture, and has been for a lot of years." "I've heard a few things, but, I think it's just small town gossip." "All I know is that it's just Marcus, and Mr Blayton, which is what he prefers to go by." "I learned that the other day." "Hey." "Put down that clip board and come with me." "I need your help." "Where we going?" "There's a lady from the church," "I promised her I'd help her move her couch." "Better not be a sectional." "What if it is?" "What?" "I thought we were moving a couch?" "We are." "And then we're gonna paint the room the couch is in." "Roped me into this." "Whoa, guys, you all can't just set a couch down like this." "It's got legs for a reason." "There." "See?" "Good job." "Wow." "I didn't know we had a professional painter on our hands." "Have you done much painting?" "Do you hike?" "Sometimes." "I was thinking about going for a hike next week." "Do you wanna go?" "Sure." "When?" "How about I call ya?" "Okay." "But, I might need a ride though." "My dad's gonna be working." "That's not a problem." "Man." "You gotta watch these kids every second." "Something's gonna get broke!" "That's why you're here." "Guys!" "You've gotta put a tarp down first." "Whoa, whoa, whoa." "I think you'd better let me do that before you hurt yourself." "It's all yours." "It's nice to have a tall man around." "Yeah." "Shorty?" "That is it." "It is on "Goob." """Goob?" ""Who even says that?" "The man who is gonna beat you up, that's who." "Uh-huh." "Yeah." "Hey." "I've had enough of that." "(laughter) You kidding me?" "Mine I will take you behind the shed and whip you." "Thanks man." "You know, I actually had fun today." "Sure beats swindling people into buying cheap mattresses, huh?" "I guess." "Look, I know it's not my place, but, be careful with Layla all right." "Don't forget, she's engaged." "What?" "Look, I know what I'm doing all right?" "Besides, we're just friends." "I know you know that." "I just wonder if she does." "Yes, she knows it." "Trust me, I know her better than anybody." "All right." "Take it easy man." "Bye." "See ya." "Isn't that just how God works?" "You think you know where you're headed, but he gently nudges ya, very gently, to the place where He wants you to be." "But, boy can we be stubborn?" "We choose to follow distractions all day long, rather than to submit to what God is trying to do in our lives." "So, what are you gonna do next year?" "Probably go to State." "Is that where you want to go?" "I don't know, I guess." "It's cheaper." "Plus they'll cover my tuition, room and board." "Do you know what you wanna study?" "Pre-med." "Well, at least that's what my dad wants." "Is that what you want?" "I don't really don't know what I want, so," "I guess that's as good a choice as any." "Well, you've got time to figure it out." "It's easy to change your major." "What's your dad do?" "He's a tire salesman for a company called Cohen's in" "Memphis." "He's on the road a lot." "Is that tough?" "Nah." "Not really." "We don't get along too good." "My dad's the kind of guy you don't say no to, especially when he's wrong." "I guess that's why my mom left." "That was gonna be my next question." "Do you get to see your mom much?" "I've never seen her." "She left when I was just a baby." "Apparently, she struggled a lot with depression." "Sorry to hear that." "I don't blame her." "Dad's not very forgiving of things like that." "She's better off being gone." "Yeah, but still, that's gotta be tough." "I guess." "You know, you're different than most adults." "How's that?" "I don't now." "You listen, you care." "I feel like I can talk to you." "You can." "Do you swim?" "Yeah." "Probably not as good as me." "Jason!" "Hold up." "I'm old, I need a head start." "Yeah." "I thought you said you could swim?" "Congrats!" "You're old and you cheat." "You got a lot going for ya there." "No, no, there's no crying in swimming." "Five it out!" "Seriously?" "Five it out?" "How about we hold hands later, and go and get some ice cream, is that good?" "Come on, don't be like that." "Just a good swimmer." "Woah... what is that?" "What?" "Those scratches on your arm?" "Oh yeah." "My stupid cat clawed me." "Dang." "That's a mean cat." "Yeah." "Yeah, it is." "It's freezing out here." "I hope I don't have to meet that cat." "(singing)" "Excuse me, oops my bad." "Excuse me." "Ow!" "Sorry." "Not a word I wasn't gonna say anything." "Yeah." "Layla's in the bathroom." "Girls have the smallest bladders." "Melinda's pregnant." "What?" "Who's Melinda?" "You know, the girl I was dating before you got back." "I thought she broke up with you like two months ago." "Yeah." "I sorta broke up with her." "You broke up with her because she was pregnant?" "Yeah." "I know, I'm a jerk." "Sorry." "What are you gonna do?" "I mean you're not still gonna go to L. A are you?" "I don't know, man." "What do you mean you don't know?" "Paul, you" " I know." "It's crazy and completely irresponsible, all right!" "I understand that, just don't preach at me!" "I'm not preaching." "I'm sorry, I'm just a little shocked right now." "Me too." "When she told me I freaked." "I started yelling at her." "She started crying and yelling back." "I think she expected me to be excited or something." "That was two months ago?" "Yeah." "I wanted to call her." "I mean, I tried, but I couldn't do it." "So, why don't you call her?" "Remember how I used to talk about Keegan acting" "Conservatory in L. A?" "I finally auditioned this spring, on the day before Melinda told me she got pregnant." "I found out I got in." "Oh man." "Obviously, it doesn't mean anything!" "So now it looks like I'm stuck here." "Acting is the one thing I'm good at." "I am sorry, man." "Jason, I'd like to think that eventually I'm gonna do the right thing here, but I don't know." "Two months ago, I thought I would call her the next day, and now here we are." "I hate myself for not calling her." "Thank you for trusting me with all this." "I sound like a complete loser, right?" "Yeah." "Haha." "Look, I know that you really don't like me to talk about this, and I'm only gonna say it this once, but," "I really think you could benefit from having God in your life right now." "It's not like He's gonna magically fix everything, because He won't." "But, He will give you the strength to get through this." "I'm gonna pray for you, everyday." "And I'm not just saying that the way people sometimes do," "I really mean it." "I know." "That's probably why I decided to tell you." "Hey." "Long lines?" "Ha Ha." "Can't help it, it takes girls longer." "Obviously." "How was your hike with Marcus?" "It was good." "Yeah?" "Did you get him to talk a little?" "A lot, actually." "Did you find out about his mom?" "Yeah." "She left when he was a baby, and he's never met her." "So, it's just Marcus and his dad in that big house, huh?" "Yeah." "Well, and their cat." "Who apparently is about as friendly as Mr Blayton." "Man, I hate the way cats smell." "They don't have a cat." "Ah, yeah they do." "Marcus even has the scratches to prove it." "No, they don't." "Marcus is extremely allergic to them." "Why did he tell me tha..." "So, um, you're engaged?" "Yeah." "Good times." "Hey." "What are you doing here?" "Just thought I'd come by and see ya." "You got a minute?" "Yeah, sure." "Is your dad home?" "Nah." "He got called out of town again." "Sup?" "I am gonna ask ya something and I want you to answer me honestly." "Okay." "Do you cut yourself?" "What?" "Those are some pretty rough scars you've got there, and I know you didn't get them from your cat because I found out you don't have a cat." "Yeah, I don't have a cat." "I was climbing a chain link fence and I just slipped." "Remember how you told me that you thought you could tell me anything?" "This is one of those things you should probably tell me." "Are you gonna tell my dad?" "I don't know yet." "How long have you been doing it?" "Last summer I got really depressed." "My dad saw it as a sign of weakness and shipped me off to military school to toughen me up." "I started doing it while I was there." "Why?" "I don't know." "Different reasons." "To prove that I was tough." "To punish myself when I wasn't." "To get back at my dad." "Have you and your dad ever gotten along?" "No." "The last time I remember him hugging me was probably my eighth birthday." "I don't think he's ever told me that he loves me." "You know, this, isn't the answer though." "Yeah, I know." "But I haven't done it since I've been here." "I know that doesn't make it better, but, it's true." "Have you told anyone about this?" "No." "Who am I gonna tell?" "The church?" "It's not that bad of an idea." "They don't wanna know about my problems." "Well, some of them probably don't." "You're right, I'll give you that, but the church is made up of people with problems." "That's why we're all there." "Because we know we can't make it alone." "I really don't think they're gonna want to know about this." "Just think about it." "It's a lot easier to face challenges with people at your side." "Are you gonna tell my dad?" "Not right now." "But, if I even think that you're doing this again," "I can't stand by that promise." "Thanks." "Promise me something." "If you ever even start thinking about this again, will you please call me?" "Hi, Mr Collins?" "What are we doing here man?" "Just wait." "Hi Jason." "Paul." "Here you go guys." "Hot off the press." "This is the show I wrote." "Yep." "I talked to Mr Collins about you performing here." "And I thought it was a great idea." "Figured while you're here you might as well be using your talents." "I don't really know what to say." "I don't know if I'm ready for this." "You'd better be." "Performances start in four weeks, and I plan on making some money." "Thank you." "No problem." "So this was your idea?" "Can't take all the credit for it." "Layla did help me brainstorm, but I did think of the theater." "What's the matter?" "What are you doing man?" "What are you talking about?" "With Layla?" "Dude, come on" " She said you told her she's looking really good lately." "What?" "So I'm not allowed to give a girl a compliment anymore?" "Give me a break." "Man, you know that's more than a compliment to her." "There was a time when she would have given anything to hear you tell her that." "What do you want me to do?" "Do you love her?" "What?" "Do you love her?" "Because if you don't, you're seriously leading her on right now." "So, do you?" "I don't know, maybe." "I think I could someday." "Okay, well until you actually know." "Just know that there is a guy out there that does love her." "That thinks she's his world, in fact." "And until you came back she felt the same way about him." "Who are you to be giving me relationship advice?" "The last time I checked your pregnant girlfriend was trying to figure out how she's gonna raise y'alls baby on her own!" "That's pretty low." "Huh, dear?" "Be right there." "(music)" "You sure you're up for this?" "Yeah, I'm sure." "I think I have to." "You don't have to do anything." "All right everybody, we're gonna get started here." "If we can grab our seats." "Today's "This is My Story" is a difficult one for this person to share with us." "So, I want you to give him your undivided attention." "Treat him as you'd like to be treated." "Marcus." "Most of you already know me, but for those of you that don't, I'm Marcus." "Hi Marcus." "Hi." "I've been coming to this church for as long as I can remember." "It's always just been my dad and me," "I never had any brothers or sisters, and my mom left when I was just a baby." "I used to come to school here." "Some of you probably already know that I wasn't here last year, but what you don't know is why." "Bye Jason, bye Layla." "Bye" " Paul." "Yeah." "Hold on." "Is your mom here?" "Yeah, she's right outside." "What are you gonna do the next time Lacey wants to ride in the front seat?" "Not kick her." "Bye." "Thanks." "All right, we'll see ya." "I hope I did the right thing." "You did." "Stop worrying about it." "A few of the kids seemed a little weirded out." "Exactly!" "That's what I'm worried about." "He already has nobody to turn to." "He already feels like a freak." "What if the one place where he should receive love becomes another place where he feels like an outcast?" "Would you relax?" "Have a little faith." "I am proud of our kids." "This could have gone a lot worse." "Nobody made fun of him, nobody acted out." "A couple of the kids even went up and talked to him afterwords." "Think about it, when was the last time you saw kids going over and talking to Marcus?" "That's a good point." "I just want them to treat him like a normal kid." "They will." "It just takes time." "Are you kidding me?" "Who puts gum under a couch cushion?" "Seriously." "What's that all about?" "It's Michael." "He wants to know how much longer I'll be." "Go on." "We can finish up here." "No." "He can wait." "He does this all the time, it drives me crazy!" "He always wants to know where I am." "That's not cool." "If there's one thing I know it's that you need your space." "See, you get me." "Why can't he get me like that?" "Am I that hard to figure out?" "Are you kidding me?" "You're the most simple person I know." "Watch it." "I've got a stapler in my hand." "See you later, Jason." "Oh hey." "I didn't know you could play like that, man." "It was all right, I guess." "Why can't you just say thank you?" "Do you need any help getting things together for youth tonight?" "I can always use help." "Honey." "We're supposed to go house hunting today?" "We'll have to go another time." "I'm going to help Jason today." "I can't make time another day this week." "Besides, we're meeting the realtor today." "Then you can just go without me." "I don't want to go without you." "This is going to be our house, I want y" " Michael, do I have to hold your hand through everything?" "You know, I really don't have too much to do to set up for tonight." "All right." "I'll help you anyway." "No, actually I could really use the alone time." "But, thank you though." "Hey." "What's up?" "No." "Paul and I can handle it." "Are you okay?" "It stinks here." "All the stupid debris." "When I was little I used to write my dreams onto a sheet of paper and put them into a two liter soda bottle." "Then I'd take the bottles up to Bono Bridge and drop them off into the river because I had this idea that if my bottles could make it to the ocean then that dream would come true." "Every week I would do it." "Sometimes it was different dreams." "A lot times it was the same one." "I guess I thought that the more chances I gave myself, the more likely it was to happen." "Then one day I was canoeing down the river, and I came past this spot." "This nasty place, full of debris." "I looked over and I saw hundreds of my bottles sitting there, stuck." "All this trash, and the awful smell." "All because that stupid piece of land won't get out of the way." "Are you ever gonna want me?" "I'm sorry." "Okay." "Layla" " I just really need to be alone right now." "(music)" "Good night." "Rough night?" "What's that?" "Sorry." "I'm kind of out of it." "So, what' her name?" "Oh no, it's nothing like that." "Um, in fact it's kind of the opposite of that." "Oh!" "?" "Oh." "No, no, not the "opposite" I just mean opposite, different." "I don't know what I mean." "Wow." "That rough, huh?" "I guess so." "What happened?" "I put away childish things." "Okay." "I did something tonight that I've been needing to do for a long time, but, I could never find the courage." "So, you're celebrating." "Wow, what do you do when you're depressed?" "Good question." "So what are you-are you from here?" "Originally." "All of my extended family lives here, but, my family moved to Little Rock when I was five and we moved back about six years ago." "Think you'll ever leave here?" "Oh, I hope not." "Really?" "Yeah." "I love it here." "I mean, I love to travel too, but everything I need is right here." "You know, friends, family, church." "I couldn't think of a better place to raise a family." "Think you'll always work here?" "Oh no." "I just work here over the summer to pay off my college loans faster." "I teach third grade over at Frederick Douglas the rest of the year." "Yeah?" "You like working with kids?" "I love them." "You need a marker." "A what?" "Something to mark the occasion so that you'll always remember the significant decision you made tonight." "Like a tattoo?" "No." "What do you want me to pierce my tongue or something?" "No, you "goob." """ "Ah." "Here." "A coaster?" "Why not?" "Well, ah, it's got stains and everything." "That is to remind of the strain on your heart that today caused you." "Wow." "You're good." "And that's not even my best quality." "I'd better get back to closing up." "Right." "I'm Amanda, by the way." "Jason." "See ya, Jason." "Later, Amanda." "(music)" "We have to say our prayers first." "That's right." "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep..." "Good evening young lady." "Two tickets reserved for the Browns, please." "Enjoy the show." "Thank you." "Gee, I hope this is not stupid!" "Ed!" "Had I known then, I probably wouldn't have tried so hard to prove my neighborhood cred." "So!" "that's nothin'!" "In my neighborhood, people used to jump bricks all the time, everybody did it." "But the tough kids jumped the ditch!" "I will prove it!" "Look, I know I'm not the best looking guy at school but, well you're obviously not the best looking girl either so I was" "Gosh that's the same fella" " What are you getting so upset about?" "That was a compliment." "Shh!" "What do you mean a bad compliment?" "Look, you need to take compliments any way you can get 'em." ""He's playing music." "He's playing music." "He's playing music, music, music music." ""Thank you very much." "Thank you." "Seriously, you made it so hard to concentrate." "I know, but it was funny." "Hey, Mr Collins asked me if I would be interested in teaching a theater workshop once a week." "Really?" "That's awesome man." "Although I'm not surprised." "You were, seriously, really good tonight." "Thanks." "You were right about Layla, by the way." "I don't know what I was thinking." "I'm sorry, man." "No, I'm sorry." "And I'm sorry about wha..." "Nah, that's, that's past." "So, hypothetically speaking, ah, say someone wanted to get baptized." "Really?" "Yeah." "What?" "Take it easy, man." "Come on." "(knocking)" "Michael?" "I am so sorry." "I don't know what I was thinking." "I guess I just wanted to make sure that" " I'm here now a hundred percent." "You've really hurt me a lot these past few weeks." "I got scared." "Scared of what?" "I don't know." "Scared that I was just settling for my life, the way a lot of people do." "Don't you ever feel that way?" "No!" "I really don't." "Every week I get to go to work at an honest job." "Every Sunday, I get to lead worship." "I know that doesn't sound like much, but when I'm doing that, I feel like I am right where I belong." "There's no rush." "I'm not going anywhere." "I just want you to be certain about this, okay?" "Okay." "I'm here." "Close your eyes." "What?" "Just, close your eyes." "Please." "(music)" "Yes." "Yeah?" "Yes!" "Ezekiel 47 teaches us that wherever the river flows, there's life." "If you look up and down these banks, you'll see that it is so." "The river brings life and purpose to everything that draws near to it." "The trees are full, the brush is thick, and the grass is high and green." "The banks are alive thanks to the life force of the river." "When we baptize in the river, we are representing a connection to our life source, God." "And asking Him to flow through us with His river of life." "Paul Larone Johsnon, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." "Hallelujah!" "God bless you, son." "Please welcome our newest brother in Christ!" "Would it be okay if we did one more?" "Come on down here." "Last year, we missed out on a big opportunity when we didn't match up the dates with Homecoming." "So, if we move the festival by just one week, we'll be able to draw in those that are coming in from out of town for the game." "Thank you Rebecca." "That brings us to our final order of business." "As head of the board, and father of the scholarship recipient, I would like to recommend strongly that we strip Marcus Blayton of this year's church scholarship." "What?" "!" "This is completely unfair!" "This isn't your decision." "He's his father." "Until Marcus turns 18, Gerald decides what's best for him." "Forget about him for a minute then." "What about the church?" "We've got a lost sheep on our hands here, David." "He feels rejected by his mother." "He's felt rejected by his father for the past year." "He's lost all of his friends." "The only place that's been telling him, "I love you," "You're of value" is the church!" "If we take that away from him now, he'll have nothing." "He'll still have the church." "We're not rejecting him personally!" "He's 17 years old David, do you expect him to understand that?" "Are you a father?" "What?" "Are you a father?" "Are you a dad?" "Do you have any kids?" "No." "You know I'm not." "Let me tell you, as a father, you only want what's best for your kids." "That may not make any sense to you, but Mr Blayton has his reasons for wanting this scholarship to go to somebody else." "Yeah." "Because he's embarrassed by his son." "And because he holds all the purse strings around here, no one is brave enough to stand up to him!" "Well, now who's being unfair?" "Listen, in a couple of months this will all blow over." "Marcus will be up at college, making new friends." "And you'll be up in Philadelphia sitting in your new office, and we'll all look back on this and realize it wasn't that big a deal." "I've dealt with this kind of thing before, especially with teenagers." "They can get very dramatic, but it always blows over in the end." "Okay." "Okay?" "Okay." "David?" "Yeah." "Have you prayed about this?" "I mean, specifically, this?" "Of course." "Okay." "So, when is the last time you've seen him?" "That night at youth, when he shared his story." "You think he regrets telling everybody?" "I think his dad is keeping him home." "Trying to minimize the damage before he's rid of him for good in a few weeks." "As much as I hate to agree with you, you're probably right." "Yep." "So, what are we doing here, anyway?" "What do you mean?" "This backhoe in the middle of the woods." "Oh yeah, that." "Remember when Harper Dam busted, twenty years ago?" "Yeah." "So." "My dad had a hard time letting go of the farm." "He was determined to get his land back that he thought God was trying to steal from him." "Every night he'd come home, climb into this backhoe and dig in this trench we're sitting in." "Man, that's messed up." "I know, the sad thing is, that's probably what killed him." "He only averaged about two hours of sleep a night the last twelve years of his life." "He'd spend just about every night out here, digging." "He wouldn't veer from his plan, even when it seemed like God was trying to show him another way." "Like father, like son, huh?" "Hmm?" "Nothing." "Just saying." "Just saying what?" "Why do you want to be a lawyer?" "What are you talking about?" "I've just never heard you say one thing about how you can't wait to be a lawyer." "I mean, if you ever mention it, it's matter of fact." "Like it's some duty you have to perform." "It's because it's a job." "It's called work, man." "Yeah, but, that doesn't mean it can't energize you." "I mean, if you're going to do something for the rest of your life, shouldn't it make you come alive as a person?" "Kind of the way you seem to come to life when you're fighting for these kids." "I don't know, man." "I just think you're trying to find a way to make me stick around here so you won't be left by yourself." "Yeah, that's probably what it is." "Hey Marcus, it's Jason." "I just wanted to remind you about the lock in tonight at the church." "If you need a ride or anything, just give me a call." "I hope to see you there tonight." "We've really missed you this past couple of weeks." "Peace." "Jason, is Marcus here?" "No, I haven't seen him." "I found this outside our door this morning." "Did you talk to him?" "No, I never saw him." "What's going on?" "I gotta go!" "Is there anything I can do to help?" "Pray!" "Marcus!" "Hey, come on buddy answer the door." "Marcus?" "Marcus!" "Marcus?" "Marcus!" "Marcus!" "Marcus?" "Oh, God, no!" "Marcus!" "I called Mr Blayton, he's getting a flight back this morning." "He said to tell you that he really appreciated what you did." "I'm done." "I quit." "Just like that?" "Yeah." "Okay." "What about the kids?" "You brought what, twice as many kids into the youth group this summer, and now you're bailing on them two weeks early." "What's the purpose of the church, David?" "What does it matter if I bring in 200 new people, if the one who needs me gets hurt?" "Well, it isn't your fault." "I never said it was." "He said he hadn't been hugged in nine years." "I don't know how that could happen." "(music)" "You can come in if you want." "No, thank you." "I've not been the husband that my wife deserves." "Or the father that my daughter needs." "Can you forgive me?" "Please, forgive me." "The congregation, the community we have here is wonderful." "But, it doesn't mean anything, if we overlook the lost." "There's a person in our community who desperately needs to know that God loves him." "I have been so busy running this church, that I have somehow managed to forget what the church is all about." "And that stops today!" "Right now!" "I need to make amends." "And, I'd like to have your help." "I love you, buddy." "There's some other people who would like to see you too." "We love you." "We're here for you if you need anything." "Young man." "I want you out of this bed, and at my house for dinner." "Soon." "All right, then." "Marcus, we're praying for you." "You know, it doesn't work by osmosis, right?" "I heard about what you did." "Thank you." "I've been thinking about your question, what's the purpose of the church?" "I think maybe the answer is both." "We are supposed to bring in as many people as we can, so that more people can experience God's love." "Shoot, that's the Great Commission Jesus left us with." "But we've gotta drop everything if a member of the fold is either hurting or missing." "And you're right." "What good are numbers if you're not loving the ones that are right there in front of ya?" "Is that an apology?" "That's right." "I can admit when I'm wrong." "I have owned up to every mistake I have ever made in my life." "All three of them." "Listen." "I know you got your big plans and all, but we could really use you around here." "And I don't mean just the next couple of weeks, either." "How much time would I have to spend with you?" "Minimal." "That there's a selling point." "Well, I think I'm gonna head downstream." "Fish are biting better down there." "We'll see ya." "We were all created for a reason." "A purpose." "It may not be what we planned when we were younger." "The choices that we make can alter how we reach it." "It could take us a while to figure out what it is." "And if we don't pay attention, we may miss it completely." "But God is always there, working in the world around us." "I've gotta go to Denver this weekend." "Okay." "If you'd like to go with me, that would be okay." "He's waiting for us to take our own dreams, talents and fears." "And join Him in what He is doing." "Once we do, the river will flow naturally from us, and its force brings life." "(music)" "Subtitles by LeapinLar"