Trying Grace (2021) - full transcript
African American church, with a Pastor's spouse dying of cancer. Pastor Robs constituent businesses to pay for wife's treatment.
I am a man
just like any other
i love my family
my wife is my backbone and my
sister-in-law
is an angel when
tragedy strikes any
family
it leaves you with
a lot of questions
and very little answers
but what happens when
you leave god god
is the center of my life
and my wife has always
told me that god
never makes a mistake
so i won't say
that he did he just
misjudged me some
husbands and brothers
say they would do
anything for their
families anything to
save their lives
even risk their own well
i didn't say it i
never had to i just
did
ah come on now all right
so uh how's your
church man man we're
doing all right
we are doing all
right attendance and
membership is on
that steady incline
together which is always good so
yeah we can't complain
and your wife how
is she
she's holding on
she's holding on she's
a fighter
strong woman but a
fighter yes you know
that yes she is
have they given
you an update well
we got a call from
the insurance company
the other day good so they're
going ahead with the
procedure thank god
not exactly joe not exactly
i mean they said
they're canceling our
coverage
so they've worked
with us as long as
they could just
like that that's it
and just like that that's it
jt i'm sorry man god
i mean is there
anything i can do my
church
anything well i know
it sounds kind of
cliche but honestly
you guys agreeing
with us praying with us
that's what we really
need right now is
something nothing
short of a miracle no
doubt no doubt
we'll get that done
hey i know we're not
a big congregation
but we'll take up
donations every sunday
we'll do whatever
we can to get this
resolved man i really
appreciate that
thank you guys
hey you took care
of us and we needed
help right at least we can do
yeah that's true hey uh
how much is the surgery 120 000
at least
yeah yeah but
we're gonna do all
we can while we can
right
yeah yeah that's right
i only bring this
up because uh well
it's been an issue
in the past but right
but god's got this okay
i mean don't uh don't
rob peter to pay
paul okay
yeah we're gonna get
through this we're
gonna get through
it the right way
because god don't
make no mistakes
let me get this right
so you're saying
if my wife dies of cancer
this is part of god's plan
get real joe then
we're not just talking
about somebody
random we're talking
about my wife here
my wife it's okay
man calm down look
i'm sorry i i wasn't
trying to get you
riled up i just
just want to make
sure your head's on
straight man that's all
yeah yeah i'm good
i'm good i'm gonna be all right
but i'll tell you
what christina's
sister jessica
she's supposed to be
coming over to the
house and
we've got some shopping
to do christina
made me promise and
all this stuff so
i need to get going
well that sounds fun
yeah it'll be good
for you too to sort
of clear your mind to things
yeah yeah it will
are you all right
i'm good i'm good
brother i'll see you
you cannot be eating
all of this candy
you know i just
just let me eat it
what am i supposed
to eat when i get out
of here come on
i'm sure they'll
give you a list of
things that you can eat besides
i want my sister to
be healthy when she
gets out of here
please come on
okay so you know when
i get out of here
i'm your big sister right
which means guess
what what i'm still
your big sister so
share some of the
candy that bread
so how's your education going dr
williams
sorry i'm just ready
to be done with all
things education
hold your horses baby
girl okay because
graduation
is not far off and
you have a lot of
decisions to make
i have time come on
it ain't never too
early to start making
decisions
good decisions
there are a lot of
successful people
out there who are
successful because they started
planning if you don't sound
like mama girl i know
that came out way
too easy god rest her soul
i bet she's up in
heaven telling all
kinds of stories
about you not you too
jess i'm serious
though i know i know
listen i have this under control
okay don't worry
about me okay okay
um so what's going
on with you and
marcus
we're okay um he actually
is on his way up here
we're gonna go run
some errands
errands for what running shoes
okay i'm sorry what
do you need running
shoes for
running obviously okay
yeah his major is
extra exercise science
so
He agreed to train
me oh train you
like touch you oh you
know what maybe it
should be a virtual list
let's talk about
virtual training you're
crazy
you know what that
man needs to get some
training and uh just stop
just stop
so
Hey how's my wife
going oh she's she's
good how's my husband
uh i'm okay i'm okay
i can't complain
jessica how are you
everything's peachy
that's good to hear
good to hear you about ready
yeah hello hi looks
like you two are
ready to go
yes
don't worry mrs
thomas it'll all be
worth it
yeah you're right
thank you look at
these two people
my amazing husband
and my hard-headed
baby sister
they're here taking
care of me it's
beautiful thank you
hey marcus how are
you hey jessica
where have you been
i'm good thanks for
asking how's your
face jessica don't
ignore me where have you been
that's good i'm
glad to hear that
they're doing well
jessica i haven't
spoke to you in a
week where have you
been
you know i was just
thinking about your
mom it was something
that she was
jessica where have you been
i told you it's none
of your business
jessica look i i'm
just concerned about
you
i don't like when
you go away like this
we'll get used to it
it's gonna be this
way for a while
jessica what are you doing
ever since your sister
was admitted here
it's like you changed
why don't you just
come out and tell me
the truth why
huh so you can judge
me so you can tell
me how wrong i
am no so you can show me the way
jessica you know
i wouldn't do that
really
because this is
starting to sound an
awful lot like the last time
i'll always be here for you baby
whatever you decide
it's fine with me
you remember that
jessica please
no just good
you know how i feel
about that i don't
i don't because the
last time we talked
about that
you stormed out of
the house look i'm
sorry
i was young i didn't
know what to do
i did what i thought
was right but you
said it was okay
i said that to make you happy
it wasn't okay with
me you should have
said something
you don't blame me
for not speaking up
you you pushed me away
i didn't know what
to do you didn't try
it was my son too
i didn't want to walk away
i was worried about
our future i didn't
want to throw away our future
well you know what
you made a selfish
decision marcus and
now it's time for me
to make one
i'm not telling you anything
jessica come back jessica please
is
I can't believe they
found another one
you just keep fighting christina
we'll take care of the rest god
will take care of
the rest that's right
don't try to play god
do you hear me i
know i know we have a
terrible history
in this family of
people trying to
be god whenever
life gets rough i
remember what your
father said to me
right before he died
he said don't worry
about me god just
misses me more than
y'all ever could
you just take care
of my boy and now his
boy is taking care of me
how are we going to
pay for this without
the insurance
well the church took
up a donation and
they knew we were
in a tough spot and
they knew how hard this was and
they said they wanted
to help look look
see they sent me
down here to put this
towards the surgery
look what they did
for us justin that's
so sweet but
i don't i don't know
if that's gonna be
enough i
i know well it's
gonna happen every
sunday they're gonna
take up a donation
and it's
three different
churches they asked what
they could do and
i was just honest and
and i said this is
hard and we really really
need the money and
that's what they did
so god's blessing us baby
justin do you
think i'm gonna die
they said it's gotten
larger than the
last time they saw it and
i can't have people
giving money if i'm
just i'm just going
to end up saying
stop that don't
even think like that
god's not going to
do that he's not
going to take you
away from me you're all i've got
and said he's not
going to leave me and
your sister here by herself
besides i can't
handle her that's your
job
okay i needed that thank you
me too me too baby
well i'm gonna go
lock up the church
you get some rest
okay
you nervous yes
but it has to be
done god understands
right
he does he does just think about
christina
come on let's pray
jesus we just ask
that you're
with us through all
of this that you
forgive our sin
and you give us mercy
for today in jesus
name
amen
scott it's the pastor
what the pastor he's the thief
come on sir why would
you say something
like that i mean he's a pastor
i'm serious jay why
well why not his wife's sick
he doesn't have the
money he needs it
so just because a
man's wife is sick and
he doesn't have money
doesn't mean he's
going to steal it
besides he's a pastor
i mean he's not
alone in his circumstances
the wall is full
of them take a look
around look
how many bible studies
did he have three
months ago please
would you listen to
me how many bible
studies did he have
three months ago
look
two right two and
how many did he have
last month
four and how many
what days is he
usually in the office
monday tuesday
thursday and friday but
when was he in the
office last month
monday and thursday
i want to bet that
he
Only has bible study
twice this month
so you think
there's some sort of
pattern to this there has to be
michelle so you
wanted to arrest the
pastor right now
off some suspicious
hunts that could be
a total joke
well what do we have
to lose our jobs i
mean look i'm getting
married next month
i can't afford to
get fired from this
case i mean
besides lisa's dad it's broke
who's gonna pay for
my wedding if i get
fired scott come
on we have one shot
yeah one shot at
finding a liable
criminal
look we can't play
russian roulette with
the pastor
and end up losing i mean look
this is ridiculous
michelle hey would
you trust me
i've got a foolproof
plan this is gonna
work
hey don't move
give us some cash
come on come on come
on come on come on
come on come on come
on
Come on
is
Yeah i still rep
them never catch me
switching probably changed
where's the officer
i money don't know
what you're talking
about well i'm
talking about preaching
now where's the
money
i have no idea what
you're talking about
we've been watching
you for a long time
we know you have it
now i'm gonna ask
you one
more time where's the
money what are you
doing get out of this church
get out god just please please
come on let's go
we're getting close real close
preacher you're a
different type of
criminal
but you're still a
criminal we don't
lock you up
a lot of nerve bringing
this young lady
into this
you're brave real brave
but you better get
out while you still
can
god don't let you
get away gonna be
another day scott
hey what was that
about what are you
expecting
you expected me to
be nice to a criminal
no one is a criminal
unless proven
guilty under a court of law
you are being soft
and you're being
unreasonable
are you coming or not
hey michelle how are you
not so good ah problem
can uh somebody
talk to me please
scott what happened
we were supposed to
follow two potential
suspects
scott decided to
chase him almost shot
one of them
i wasn't going to
shoot her i just
wanted to scare her brother
you you should have
never put a gun to
that girl's head that was wrong
i see where this is
no okay can someone
please
bring me out of the
dark here who did he
point a gun at
pastor thomas's sister-in-law
pastor thomas
chief go get y'all
you know she don't
play that right
you seem to be okay
with his actions no
no no
i actually wish i
could have seen the
look on the pastor's face
he was shaking i bet
he was what did you
do
So i walked up right
and i pulled my
dress
man oh man tell me don't show me
jeez look i hope the
man gets what you
deserve
well we can't say
that until we catch
him and and prove him guilty
right scott i'll
make sure and do
anything
to see he does listen
i'll be there to
catch you
anytime you mess that up again
something or
something let it out
i'm thinking i need
to be playing on the
inside
that doesn't sound
like a good idea
don't you
think the pastor
won't recognize as you
that almost shot
his sister i didn't
almost
you know what whatever
well no matter
what he'll notice you
besides i need you
here in this case
yeah but we can't
keep working the case
from the outside
i mean we need
someone on the inside
where the action is
i need to be inside
listen i get your
point that we need
someone in the church
why don't we plant
someone else you got
someone else in
mind oh i have the
perfect person in mind
come on follow me
and to what do i
owe this visit hey
chief
how's the family
detective michelle i am
not in the move for
your exploratory
questions
i have a repeated
robbery on my hands
that none of you can
seem to get a lead
on
And the two detectives plus one
who had the best
opportunity to nab
these crooks
are standing in my face
so what could you
two possibly have to
say that i would be willing
to hear nothing
ma'am we have an idea
we'd like to present
to you more like an
option
so is this gonna be
good i i don't think
i love it so what is it
well michelle levi
here would like to go
undercover at the church
to uh gain some
intel wait what i'll
never
yes yes i do detective levi
if this is your way
of getting more days
off it's about to happen
no no no chief i don't
want any days off
this was all michelle's idea
really michelle
when did you come up
with this idea
for weeks yes
michelle brought
this to us weeks ago
weeks
there's just there's a lot of
information that we
have that points to
the pastor
detective michelle i
don't know what you
have up your sleeve
but i can't run the
risk of you any of
you
being found out
but i want all the
details of this operation
don't leave any holes detective
no ma'am we won't all right
all right get out of here
oh and michelle
you know the worst
part of the night
shift what's that chief
your ideas
now aaron are we
going to make budget
with all this
expansion that we need
the way we've been
growing we know we
need a new nursery we're just at
capacity and we can't
hold them anymore
yes giving is up
currently we are 85
of our budget pastor
i don't know how
you do it but
these people love
you probably more so
your wife
i think definitely
more so my wife well
let's just keep
building on our end for
sure so tiffany give
us an update on the
media
well for starters
the switchboard is
about to call it quits
it's two cameras
not working and that
sound board is archaic
okay well thank you for being so
positive
i'm just being honest
just stating the
facts okay
that's true but what
are we going to do
about it
well i asked aaron
for some funds and
she was saying that
it's not in the
budget it's not in the budget
is there any wiggle
room in this budget
honestly pastor no
we've used all of
our excess on that
nursery project
well maybe we can
fund that project with
the excess overflow
for this project i
mean but the only
problem with that
would be we'll be
waiting
because waiting
would mean that we
wouldn't be able to
livestream services
for at least
two to three weeks
and that's a good
point
so what are we gonna
do we're going to
trust god
that he's always
provided for me he's
always provided for my wife
and he's always
provided for my family
and i know if he's
done it for us
he's going to do it
for the church too
amen amen amen all
right now i want to
introduce you ladies to somebody
mr levi mr levi
is a carpenter by
trade and a handyman
of source isn't that
right mr levi yes
that's correct
my father owned a
carpentry shop and on
the side he taught a lot of
handyman stuff
and that's perfect
because we know we need that
around here so feel
free spruce up what
you see
any area that you
know needs a little
bit of extra love
and tender care
please do so whatever is in your
capabilities
honestly and ladies
i want to ask you
this whatever he needs
make sure we have
his back okay okay oh
pastor by the way
a detective scott
stopped by the church
the other day he
said he had some
information he wanted
me to pass on to the
congregation okay
go ahead
well there have been
some robberies in
the city and the
police department is
working really hard
to try to figure
this thing out
detective scott said
the last robbery
happened closer to
our neighborhood and
he just wanted us
to know so that we
wouldn't be here so late
well they haven't
robbed any people have
they i thought it
was just businesses
well that's true and
i mentioned it to
him but detective
scott said that in
situations like this
you can never be too
careful people get
desperate so we
don't know what might
happen
well we'll certainly
pass that along to
the church this
sunday but i wanted
y'all to meet mr levi so
thank you so much
for all you're doing
seriously it means a lot
pastor how's your
wife doing did she
ever get the gifts we sent
she got the flowers
the balloons and the
candy
for sure so she says
thank you so much
and jess too she
wants to thank you all
for your generosity
it really means the
world well we sure
glad we could make
her smile because we
pray for every day
yes your wife is a
christian woman and
we know she believes
in the power of
prayer
yes yes she does she
is a strong woman
of faith for sure
well pastor are you
sure that she doesn't
want any company
i mean i would like
to get up there to
see you because i
know it gets pretty
lonely up there
yeah well honestly
she's not by herself
a lot so half of the
day she has tests
and all that kind
of stuff and then
when jess gets out
of class she goes up
there to be with her
and then when i get
off work we kind
of switch off so
she's honestly not
alone a lot by any
means and
listen she really
just doesn't want you
all to see her like this
so as soon as she
allows visitors
y'all will be the
first to know i
promise okay
okay pastor well
let's pray and let me
get you all out of
here to your families
lord we thank you so
much for all you're
doing in
and through our
church we ask that you
forgive our sins
and that you give
us new mercies every
day
in jesus name amen amen
ladies have a good
night good night
good night pastor hey
i'm sorry oh my
goodness uh just one
more thing what's going on man
aaron said uh the guy
or the detective's
name was scott right
i think that's
right did you hear
something different
no no i was just
wondering so that
i could remember to
call his name if i
see him here while
i'm working oh man
honestly i love that great idea
uh also basser you
think they'll catch
him
oh you know before he or she
or whoever it is like
hurt someone let's
be prayerful
and hope so you're right
have a good night you too levi
lord if there is any other way
hey doc okay so we
received the test
results
and it doesn't
look good we found
another brain tumor
another one can we
remove it safely
without damaging anything
yes i believe so
i believe so the
surgery doesn't have
to be done today
but definitely soon
as you know your
insurance won't
cover another surgery
like this
has the church been
able to raise any
more money pastor thomas
some some we we've
been able to get some
and
we'll have what we
need by the time of
the surgery okay good good good
there's still time
it doesn't have to be
done today but
definitely soon good luck
thank you
looks like somebody's
had a demotion
from detective
to the help thanks
dad good i'm glad
that worked out
come on he'll be back
sir right right um
he said he needed
to take his wife to
therapy
and then um he was
going to take a
donation down to the hospital
bingo no no bingo not yet
innocent until
proven well whatever
whatever
what's up i'm starting
to think some of
the members of the
church are catching
on to a few things
like what well for
one how many new
members just jump
right in and start
fixing things
these are things
that have been wrong
with this church
for a while now you
don't think it's
weird that i'm just
so willing to help
out secondly
i don't think these
people are stupid i
don't know how much
longer we can keep
this up
well good the quicker
we can get the
information the
quicker we can arrest
the truth and put them in jail
right well the last
time i was here
pastor and i were
the last to leave
now he sat in the
same spot where he
always sits only this time
he seemed to be more
protective of that
area if he stood up
he stood up right
here in front of the
podium and if he
moved he moved from
either one side of the other
as if he was trying
to protect something
something he may have forgot
to remove when
before the people got
here so you think
he's hiding here
but it's a bench let's open it
hold on why well
because i don't want to
be wrong
what if we open
that there's nothing
inside or what if he
knows about us and
he's been watching us or
what if he knows
about levi and it's a
setup we don't even
know what he's doing
with the money
who cares he's the
criminal not us wait
wait
what has gotten
into you it's like
you've changed dude what
look you're taking
this way too personal
what did he do to you
huh it's something
you're not telling
me you need to stick
to your job
no you got something
against this man
don't you stay
out of my business
your business this
this entire case
is our business we
robbed my family
store
what yeah walked right in
and held him up at gunpoint when
last night
you know with all the
robberies going on
i typically stop by
my brother's stop
help him close it down
last night they told
me i had to leave
i told him i'd stay
they insisted that i
leave
so i left look scott
you cannot take
this personal okay
think what will
happen if you take
matters into your own hands
hey listen we have a
duty to arrest them
bring them in that's it
we do our jobs and
we let god in the
courts do theirs levi
you laughed at me
when i told you i
pointed a gun at his
sister
please listen to me
you should have
thought about that
before you laughed
look you two have got to go he's
probably on his way
back for bible study
i ain't going nowhere
i'm staying right
here listen to me
you're gonna blow this
entire thing
ruin all of our hard work
let the court try him first
think about your family
uh detectives i see
you've met her a
crown jewel mr levi
yes sir pastor uh we
just met actually
they got here not
too long after you
left and they were
asking me about the
robberies
oh has there been
more yes one earlier
this week even
closer to the church
yeah they've been
very very close to
home base
it's more like a
rookie mistake well mr
levi we'll just be
sure to make sure
we lock everything
up and secure the
grounds definitely
so uh detectives is
there anything else
as a matter of fact
no sir we'll be on
our way no rush on
our part
we've got bible studies
starting in just
a little bit and
y'all are more than
welcome to join us
sorry to disappoint
you i've got other
engagements
detective michelle actually i i
am interested what
time does it start in
about an hour or so
great i'll see you then
all right one more
verse before we get
out of here tonight
matthew 6 33 real
quick real quick it's
familiar to all of
us but i want to make
it real in our hearts today
the words of jesus
he says but seek ye
first
the kingdom of god
and his righteousness
and all these things will
be added unto you i
love this for a few
different reasons
because number one
he says seek ye first
the kingdom of god
put your eyes
on him just as he
did with peter when
peter steps out of the boat
when peter locks eyes with jesus
everything is okay
and we have to
remember that for our
heart as well
and then he says all
these things will
be added
un to you all things
not a few things
not certain things
not not some distant
things
all things amen i
want you guys to know
this and put it to practice
that god is able
he will provide in
every area
of your life amen
all right here we go
before we get out of
here before we get
out of here i want
to do one quick thing
i want to draw
attention to one of our
neighborhood's greatest assets
she's been sworn to
protect and serve
and she has certainly
done that church
will you just show the love
to detective michelle please
hey actually detective
michelle come
here come here come
on up here come on
up yeah come on
come on come on come
on come on we're
family here come on
uh you have anything
you want to say oh
no
Uh i'm a person of
very very few words
uh i just like to
take action and do my
job
so y'all have a good
night no no excuse
me
Detective um we
like to finish each
bible study with a
little bit of song
before we go to the house
oh would you like
to do the honors no
i don't think your
congregation wants to
hear that come on
detective come on we
listen to pastor every night
you can't be no worse than him
my goodness uh
what should i sing
hey whatever is on your heart
help me lord
i'm here again wondering
are you there they tell
me to trust your word
and that i can't be scared
and lord help me to be faithful
and help me to be sure that
you will be able
to get me off this
floor
i know that you've provided
time and time before but my
confidence subsided
and i'm calling out
once more
and there is a place
where you can hide
when the world seems
to crush you and
there's nothing left inside
and there is a voice calling out
to you saying lay
down your burdens
with me you can't lose
and he's offering grace
he's offering
grace he's offering
grace
let's pray let's get
out of here jesus
thank you so much
that you gave us
your promise of grace
that you've given us
your promise that
if we seek you you
will supply
all of our needs
jesus we ask you
tonight
forgive us of any
sins that might be in
our heart that should
not be there and
we ask
for new mercies
every day in jesus
mighty name everybody said
amen amen and amen
hey let's get out of
here
yo have a good night drive safe
drive safe y'all
be careful y'all be
careful you always
will have a good one
have a good one
so levi what's going on brother
everything okay
i just noticed something
wrong with this
bench here oh well
uh by all means let's
take a look at it
mr levi can i tell you something
a few things actually sure
go ahead i'm all ears
you know my wife is dying
she had a brain
tumor and they really
feel like they were
able to take care of
it
But now we just
got another report
saying there's
another one and they
think this one
could be cancerous
yeah you know my wife
and her sister
that's all i've got i
literally have no other family
they're all gone then
we keep hearing this
from the insurance
company that they've
worked with us
as long as they can
and the doctors won't
do anything until
we
Get either the
cash shop or a new
insurance which is impossible
so we sit there in
that doctor's office
and as i looked as
we're getting the
news and the doctors
saying there's
literally nothing
they can do they won't
even cover a test
i watched this
tears stream down my
wife's face
and i watched him
stream down jessica's
face
and i sat there and
did the thing that
any
good husband and any
good brother would
do
I took things into my own hands
and i started stealing the money
and i've almost got
enough to not just
cover the test
but to cover the
whole thing well you
know
man jessica she's so hardheaded
sometimes and she
kept asking all these
questions about it
what she could do to
help and what am i
doing to help and i
just couldn't lie to
her
and i told her
and then of course
she wanted to help
and she would always
say
let me do something
to save my sister's
life
but i i just i
couldn't i couldn't do
that because listen
i know the danger
that i'm putting
myself in
every time i have
to do that and i
couldn't even
thank to put her
in that situation
she insisted eventually i just
i gave in
we did it we did it together
we'd bring the money
here to the church
hide it right here
until we could safely
get it back to my
house and somehow get
it
Into our savings
account without causing
all these red
flags and alarms we
didn't want to go
through national bank
we went through a
local bank just trying
to
Cover our tracks
because it wasn't about
being
doing the crime
or being criminals
there's nothing about that it
it's about saving my wife's life
for her saving her sister's life
that's what it all comes down to
you know mr levi i really
hope all of this isn't in vain
we've worked so hard for this
we've just prayed
and asked god to show
my wife mercy
and you know for me
i've preached it a
lot god always gets
his man
and i'm hoping i
don't know i'm just
hoping he'll make some unusual
pardon for me and for once
just once he doesn't
because after all to save life
my wife's life
wow uh i don't know what to say
i'll tell you what say
your secret's safe with me
your secret safe with me
thank you mr levi it
sure doesn't mean a
lot
pastor thomas yeah
why did you tell me
that
levi
you'd be surprised
how much weight
secrets carry
brother i've carried
that one for a long
time and it almost
crushed me
let me ask you you
have any secrets like
that
well um yeah
yeah i do well let's
hear it it can't be
any worse than what
i just told you
come on
okay i've never been a handyman
this man you sure
fooled me oh i did
hey look that's uh
i gotta get out of
here gotta go pick up dinner
the lady's coming
over to fix dinner yes
sir hot little date huh
sir look it's been
so long i hope i
still know how to be polite
i'm sure you do
yeah i'm sure you do
thanks again man
i really appreciate
you letting me just
get that off my chest
uh pastor thomas yeah
why did you really tell me that
levi because even if that's true
they wouldn't believe
it coming from you
now you're absolutely
correct about that
good night man have a good night
hey
you you and justin
you two of the
thieves you doing here
he's following me
just why did you
tell me why did you
tell me
you couldn't handle it
jessica you can't
steal from people and
expect yourself to
to just fix your
situation it's wrong oh
that's easy for you
to say my sister
she is dying she
needs this money
just what i do know
is that this is
wrong
how do you think
those families gonna
feel when they find
out that you've been
stealing from them
jessica how would
your sister feel
first of all the
people that we steal
money from they have
more than enough
they will do fine
without a few dollars
here and there
second of all my
sister is in the
hospital and she
is dying i think it'll
make her happy to
know that we would
do anything to save
her life
i'm telling her what
the two of you are
doing good
i'm glad you finally
want to be a man
i'm glad you finally
want to tell the
truth why don't you
start with telling
her how you got me
pregnant at a party one night
yeah why don't you
tell her that what
you
actually did was
rape because i was
drunk
then won't you tell her how you
convinced me to kill her nephew
her only nephew start
with that marcus
see we all struggle
with something
marcus the question
is do you have the
guts to expose it
i don't think you
do marcus do you
no you don't so
why don't you just
do what you do
tuck your tail and
run get out of here
jessica this has to
stop before i get
worse
i gotta save my sister markets
i got it i don't
have anybody else
if anybody they're
all dead it's just me
and my sister marcus
she is all i got
i can't i can't be
without her
look jessica i know
you don't want to
hear this
but your sister's
in god's hands now
so what am i supposed
to do am i just
supposed to let
no watch my sister die
am i just supposed
to take this money
give it back
i can't do that jessica
this has to stop
it's wrong
god you weren't saying that
that's great what
is he doing here
jessica what is he doing here
what is he doing here
he he followed me
i didn't bring him i
promise jessica did
you two
no listen he he
didn't mean any harm
he he just she look
she's telling the
truth
she didn't tell me
anything but i do
know what's going on here
jessica go home go home
it's all right just
leave us two here
so what are you gonna
do are you here to
turn this in
no sir i was hoping
you would do that
yourself
you're hoping i
would do that this is
real man
there's not any
hidden cameras there's
no surprises
this is a real gun
that's real money
and you're messing
with the real man
let me ask you some demarcus
you ever lost anybody
that you loved
of course i'm not talking
about some distant relative
that you barely knew
and saw every once
in a while
i'm talking about
somebody you laughed
with somebody you cried with
somebody you spent
your life with
have you ever lost
a family member like
that
yes and how did
that make you feel
i was upset hurt
i didn't know what
to do well you know
what pastor
that hurt it was
going to bring them
back
see i don't expect
you to understand
everything that
i'm going through
i'm losing my wife
and that very pain
that you're talking
about
i don't want to
experience because
marcus there is a fine line
between misery and pain and that
includes their lives
jessica could spend
the rest of her life
in prison
do you not care i got
a question for you
pastor
when you stand before
god and he asked
you
why did you let jessica help you
steal and rob from people
just to save a life
what will you say
i'll look back at
him in his face
and say lord you'll
have to ask her
no christina thomas
you have some company
okay sentiment
i don't i don't
know them christina
thomas this is
detective michelle
and detective levi
they have a few
questions that they
want to discuss with
you i'll be right
outside thank you
hello christina how
are you i'm okay how
are you
i'm fine fine thanks
look christina
i'm just gonna get
straight to the point
i know your rest
is really important
right now but
we know that your
husband has been
stealing money and
using it to pay for
your surgery coming up
and the easiest way
for us to just wait
excuse me now's not
the time to play
dumb
we know the entire
story we heard an
outright confession
from your husband
excuse me no my
husband would never do
anything like this
would be doing your
family a favor if
you would just tell the truth
we could end this
investigation and put
a criminal behind bars
what about the
families that he's
robbing to save you
what about the fear
that he's putting in
the hearts of
innocent people hey
my husband wouldn't
do anything like
this okay he's the
pastor of our church
he's a dedicated servant to our
community
he holds up countless
donations to help
people in need he would never do
anything like this
if he was so dedicated
to doing what's
right then why
wouldn't he go to the
church to help his family
he did
i was admitted
here two years ago
for a brain tumor and
at the time i was
working full time and
so was my husband
so we had insurance
to cover the surgery
then last year my father died
my husband then took
over as lead pastor
of our church
after that i had
to go back to the
doctor for headaches
and seizures
we no longer had the
insurance okay my
husband was just
working at the church
and i got laid off
so the idea came up
to get the church to
help its donations
of course i didn't
want him to take it
to the church
i was embarrassed
i felt responsible
but my husband is a
loving and trusting
man
and he insisted that
we allow the church
to help us
and after a long
conversation i i did i
let him take it to the church
and he said that they were doing
multiple donations
for this to pay for the surgery
so you clearly
have the wrong man
my husband would
never do anything like
this i don't believe it
his faith is way
too strong for that
christina there's
something we need to
tell you
the past couple of
months detective levi
has been
undercover at your
husband's church
disguised as a handyman
while his main focus
was to infiltrate
the congregation
and and figure out
what the pastor was
up to
we couldn't do
anything unless we had
hard evidence
and the other night
detective levi and
your husband
they were at the
church alone and he
told him everything
i know where the
money's being hidden as
well as the motive
christina i know
this is a really hard
time for you
but we have to bring
your husband and
your sister to
justice it's just not
fair for the many
people whose lives
have been threatened
what what we need from you is an
affidavit
saying that you were
the recipient of
the money
the story that he
told as well as the
motive behind his decision
i know this is very
hard but we have to
bring this to an
end will you help us in this
get out what
i said get out
christina think about
this this isn't right
please just go
you know how difficult
it is to break
into this church
who are you and how
did you get in here
i walked in the back door
pastor daniels what
are you doing here
i'm trying to save you and your
brother-in-law's lives
joe get out of here
man before you get
yourself hurt
or killed jt what are you doing
i'm trying to save
her life what does it
look like i'm doing
and how long do you
think you can keep
this up before the
police figured it out
just long enough
till we get all the
money that's it
and then we'll be
done what do you want
joe i want you to stop
i think you know
the answer to that
let's go
just what are you doing
i've already told
you so why don't you
say what you're gonna say
so i can get back to
jessica because man
we've got work to do
you know what the
scripture said come on
man
really you know what
go ahead amuse me
with that please
scripture says that
when you have a
grievance with your
brother you're to go
to him first
so i'm here to see
if we can reach some
kind of common ground
do you think that included
or excluded a pastor
who's trying to
save
his dying wife jt trust god
trust that he knows
what he's doing he's
brought you shut up
okay god understands this
he doesn't want this
to happen he wants
us to grow together
and have a family
together
you don't understand
this man j.t i've
been there
i've seen what love
and passion can
drive a person to
do listen you don't
know there's pain
i've lost my wife
what us
i said i said i've lost my wife
before i moved here
a couple years ago
she had cancer
doctors gave her about
six months to live
i couldn't deal with
that
i knew there had to
be some way to make
her live longer
i had the same thoughts
you do stealing
doing whatever i
can to save her life
but i realized
something me rob and
stealing doing whatever
had nothing to do
with saving her life
but it had everything to do
with making sure that
someone else hurt
as much as i hurt
i covered up that
feeling of saving her
life
but i didn't go through
with it you know
why
the lord spoke to
me clearly and said
everyone will bear
their own cross in
their own appointed time
this this is your
time don't allow your
testimony to get lost
in your test stay faithful
so i i kept giving
i kept smiling
i kept on praying
and she died just like that
she died but jt
god had me
god carried me not
because i deserved it
because i had been
in pain we all had
pain though
he carried me because
i stayed faithful
stay faithful j.t stay
faithful
give me the god
i can't do that
all right leave me no choice
don't call me please
i can't let you do
that
i told you all god will provide
so pastor thomas
you're under arrest
excuse me
officer there has
to be a mistake you
have the wrong man
i'm trying to conduct
a meeting here and
obviously you all are
in the wrong place
so please get out of
this church this is
not right you have no evidence
you can't just
take a man in jail
because you think he's done
something i have the
warrant and all the
evidence i need right here
she's right we have
all the evidence
right here
meet detective levi
detective came over
pastor
i told you we were
getting close we have
your sister too let's go
what what no no
you have a right
to remain silent
anything you say
can be and will be
used against you when
i throw the law
you have a right
to an attorney you
confuse that right
we can provide one for you
what's my next case your honor
justin thomas case number 11694
thank you state
versus justin thomas
case 11694
you understand that
under state statute
812.014
you have been charged
with grand theft
and the second
degree yes your honor
you also understand
that this is a
second degree felony
that could cost
up to 15 years in
prison and a fine of
up to ten thousand dollars
yes your honor you
also understand that
you had a right
to a trial by jury
and upon receipt
of this letter you
waived that right
therefore moving
this case to a bench
trial hearing in
which i will be asking
questions
reviewing evidence
and giving the
ultimate decision for this case
yes your honor also
the detectives who
had been
granted a search
warrant are here and
will provide testimony
and evidence that
is crucial to this
case
they are accompanied
by a lawyer that
was appointed by the
state furthermore
the request to
represent yourself in
this case has been granted
with all these things
being understood
are you prepared to
move forward in this
case
yes your honor in
the case of justin
thomas versus state
how do you plead not guilty
counselor you may
present your evidence
your honor in my hand
i hold the medical
bills for him as
christina thomas from
three years ago
when doctors found a
brain tumor and due
to the coverage of
the family's health
insurance
the surgery took place
and the tumor was
removed
and in this hand i
hold current health
care records stating
that due to the
inability of the family
to keep up with
their current health
care payments second
tumor that was
found was unable to be removed
your honor this is
an affidavit from the
saint vincent's
accounting department
stating that large
sums of payments and
cash
were received by the
hospital from the
hand
of mr thomas over
the past few weeks in
order to pay for
the needed surgery
lastly
here's a recording of mr thomas
openly confessing his wrongdoing
he lied to me i was
just trying to save
my wife's life
don't you understand
that i was just
trying to save
her life her family
can't live without
you her my brother
for life because of
you we had to sell
the family business
that my grandfather started
you can't take
from one to give to
another we're in this
room no matter how
you try to dress it
up and make a new
name
it's still wrong you
may not have been
hurt anybody but you
did you did pastor
ordering the court order
counselor do you have
a closing argument
yes your honor i do
but before i do let
me first say that
the only reason i am
reading this
is at the request of
the what does that
senate mean
hello if you are
reading this letter
then the case is
already underway
let me first begin
by saying i love my
husband and my sister
i always have and
i always will i'm
writing this letter
because i was
approached by the detectives
present and asked to
submit an affidavit
concerning the receipt
of large sums of
money
for my surgery for
my husband and my
sister
justin thomas and
jessica williams
and i was under the
impression that it
was donations from
the church that he
had collected
while under this
assumption i freely
accepted the money
and asked my husband
to thank the church
every time he came
with another donation
i know that my family
was wrong but they
were trying to save a life
my life haven't we
all done things to
save one that caused
the pain of another
even if it was
telling a small lie it
still hurt somebody
but just like this
case that doesn't
make it right to my
husband i know that
you love me
and you know that i
love you i know that
you were doing this
to save me and by
god i hope it works
i know that you are
going to be put away
for a long time and
i pray that god will
allow me to see you
one more time before
i have to say goodbye
to my sister jessica
i knew you wanted
to see your big sister happy
and after you have
served your sentence
i pray that god
will allow me to see
your smile one more time
i love you both
thank you for your
efforts
now everything is as
it should have been
from the beginning
in god's hands
keep praying for me
as i will you i love
you both
goodbye mr thomas
is there anything
you would like to say
no i hereby sentence
you to three years
in prison
you will be eligible
for parole after
one year of good conduct
i apologize for
interrupting who are you
i'm christina thomas's doctor
i have a piece of
information from mr
thomas i'm so sorry mr thomas
no mrs thomas passed
away a few moments
ago
i'm so very sorry
ma'am i regret to
inform you that
your sister has passed away
no tell me is that
true no please no
god no among other things
god is a god of
order and justice
we can't go through
life trying to save
the ones we love by
hurting people we
don't know
god always has a way
of getting his man
or woman
one thing that i
learned is that we have
to be willing to
submit our lives to his
will
regardless of the
outcome we would
prefer
always remember
that we have to be
willing to trust
god no matter what
we think we have to
know that what he
deems as being the best outcome
is the right outcome
i had to learn that
although my wife
was important to me
everybody is
important to somebody
even as christians
we have to suffer the
consequences of
our actions our
punishment from god is
always far worse
than anything man can
decide
we can't let revenge
take over our minds
always remember that
when you go to take
from someone else
because of what was
taken from you
you only take yourself
away from those
who love you
i hope that my testimony
has touched you
in some way
take care of yourselves and
i feel like a mannequin when i'm
battling demons
hounding like savages
i'm low low below
the averages i'm
supposed to be a
catalyst for change
rearranging things
but all this pain got
my weapon
aimed at my own brain
this word
she might get curved
all that commitment
for the bird