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