Identity | LGBTQ Drama | Full Movie

(dramatic music) (birds chirping) ♪ Just ♪ ♪ I just really want your world to be ♪ ♪ Just ♪ ♪ I just really want your world to be ♪ ♪ Just ♪ ♪ I just really want your world to be ♪ ♪ Just ♪ ♪ I just really want you ♪ ♪ I just really want you ♪ ♪ Just ♪ ♪ I've just been on prayer and meditation ♪ ♪ Just ♪ ♪ Working hard since our last conversation ♪ ♪ Just ♪ ♪ Making sure that you get all the glory ♪ ♪ Just ♪ - So, how long have you been working on your sermon? - Since 5:30, Stephanie. I just wan

t to make sure I give a good sermon this Sunday, the Bishop's gonna be hearing this sermon, and it really has to hit its mark. Because I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the Bishop recommending me. - Well babe, don't worry. I'm sure the Lord's gonna give you the words to say, just don't force it. - Yeah. Okay. - So, are you taking Anthony to school this morning or is he gonna ride the bus? - School? Is he even up? - Let's see. (knock on door) Ant. Come on, wake up son. Come on son, wake up. It'

s your first day, you don't wanna be late. - Why would dad accept a pastoral position in my senior year? I mean, come on ma, we just moved yesterday, I'm tired, can't I just start like next week? - Oh son, you'll be fine. No worries. Like God told Joshua, don't fear, He's with you. Now come on, you gotta get up. Your dad's downstairs, he's taking you to school. And this afternoon you gotta ride the bus. (Anthony groans) So, you gotta get up. He's waiting for you. ♪ Wake up to a brand new day ♪ ♪

Bow my knees, it's to the Lord I pray ♪ ♪ What do I hear ♪ ♪ What do I hear ♪ ♪ What do I hear him say ♪ ♪ Urgency ♪ ♪ Urgency ♪ ♪ It's in me ♪ ♪ I'm in you therefore it's in you too ♪ ♪ Urgency ♪ ♪ Urgency ♪ ♪ Get up and move ♪ - Good morning, dad. - So, Ant, you trying out for the basketball team this year, they gonna need someone like you? - I don't know. - Honey, I think it'd be a good idea, you can make friends. You know our neighbor down the street, Mrs. Kelly? She has a son that's on the

team. And she said tryouts are today after school, so she can bring you home, and then you don't have to ride the bus. - Hmm. Now, honey, how'd you meet new neighbors already, when we just moved here yesterday? - Well, when y'all were helping the movers, she walked by and waved and I went over to talk to her. - I'll do anything, so I don't ride the bus. - What's so wrong about riding the bus? Hmm? Now see, back in my day that was the best thing to do, you see, all the guys will be riding in the

back of the bus and we try to talk to all the girls in the front. - What girls were you hollering at? - Oh well, see I was looking for you. - Oh, okay. - See, God had already shown me that you were destined to be my wife. - Hm-hmm - Hm-hmm - (laughs) All right, well I'll be waiting in the car, I'll see you later mom, dad I'll see you in the car. - See yah. You really need to make a connection with him, he's almost 18 and he needs a relationship with his father. Talk to him, see what interests h

im, 'cause hollering at girls isn't it. - What does that mean, Stephanie? He's a punk or sissy now or something? - No, I mean, have you seen his room? He has pictures of girls on his walls. Just talk to him before it's too late, try to make a relationship with him. (pen clicking) - Okay. (gospel rap music) - Hi, um, I'm Anthony Davis. - Good morning, Mr. Davis, let me pull up your information. - So, where are you from? - Atlanta. - Oh? Do you play basketball? - Yeah, why? - I don't know, you jus

t look like a jock. I bet you had all the girls at your old school. - (scoffs) Not quite. - Well, hey, I'm Amanda. You'll probably see me in this office all the time, because they always call me in here for something. They stay claiming I like to start stuff, like I'm a rebel. - Cool, I'm Anthony. - Mr. Davis, can you come here, please? Here's your class schedule, first period will beginning soon. Amanda, since you like to start stuff early, why don't you help Mr. Davis get to his classes, espec

ially since y'all have classes together. - Cool, come on. - So, what exactly did you do? - Oh, um, there was this girl, I thought she was cute, so obviously I told her. Um, but she's a Christian, and felt like I committed an evil sin, so she texted her parents and they turned their cars right around and went to the principal. I got called in and was told I should keep my feeling to myself, because not everyone agrees with the "LGBT" lifestyle. - Wow, you're bold. - That's how my parents raised m

e, to be bold and go with the flow, take what's yours. We don't believe in God or anything, so we have no rules to keep us bound. (bell ringing) My parents are even swingers. This is English, and we made it right on time. I'll explain more later. - Hey girl, so how was your weekend? - Hey, it was actually really good, I'm going for my driver's test really soon, so I was able to take some lessons over the weekend. - Oh really? - Hm-hmm. - Me and my mom got our hair done and our toes done. - It's

so pretty. - Thank you. - [Principal West] This is Principal West here with your morning announcements. Welcome back everyone, and let's have a great school year. If you see someone you have never seen before, then welcome them, don't shun them. - Like that kid with the funny hair. - Why would you do that? - [Principal West] Today after school, Coach Morrison will be having basketball try-outs, if you are interested, then please meet in the gym at 3:00 PM. Have a great day. - You see what I mean

? Oh, my gosh - [Teacher} All right class, let's open our books. - Man, I'm so ready for lunch. - How's the food here normally? - Oh, it's okay. Sometimes it's great and other times it's not, but most of us usually sneak out to Chick-fil-A for lunch anyway. - You have a car? - Yeah, now I do. I just got it this summer, but usually I would ride with a friend. - So, where you from? Nah, you don't talk? You hard of hearing? You hard of hearing? I know you can talk, Amanda talk a lot. She talk a lot

. - Hey, over here. This is Leanne and Jasmine. - Hey - Guys this is Anthony. - Hi, Anthony. - He's from Atlanta. - Okay. - So, um, is Caleb already bothering you? - Who's Caleb? - The guy in our English class, the one who just stopped you over there, his name's Caleb. - It's nothing. - Well, if he does become a problem, then let me know. - I don't need a girl fighting my battles. - And that's exactly why sexist pigs like you get under our skin. Woman can do literally anything a guy can do, and

if I want to help you not become bullied, then I'm allowed to and you can't stop me. I'm over here just trying to be a friend to you and you already want to do things on your own. - I'm sorry, I just miss home. (hip-hop music) (indiscernible speech) - She cute though. She cute though. - Oh, look at this dude. Think you hoop or something, (indistinct)? (indiscernible speech) - I wanna tell you something. - All right, guys, listen up. Today's going to be pretty simple, you're taking the balls and

putting them in the hoops. Before we get started, I need each of you to understand and hear me clearly, these are physicals, I need these back by the following Tuesday. You understand? Next Tuesday I need these back. This Friday we're going to meet up, you guys are going to run some drills. The following Tuesday, after this coming up Tuesday, the names will be posted on who made the team. Now... Go ahead. - What is the purpose of a physical, if we don't even know if we're gonna be on the team or

not? - Because in the past I used to do that, but guys would wait until they make the team to get the physical, and I never got the physical back. So, until now that's what we're gonna do, get the physicals back, let's make it happen. Let's go play some ball. (ball thudding) Hey, Anthony, Caleb, come here. Everybody else move to the bleachers. Well, I like what I see. Now, Anthony what you don't know is Caleb was our star player last year. Now, I did a little research on you, and found out that

you were a star player at your old school. Now, the good Lord has blessed me to have two star players on the team. Now, I, I think we can do some good things, but I need to know if y'all can work well together. So, this is what we're gonna do, I want y'all to play one-on-one. - Wait, how's that supposed to help us work better together if we're working against each other? - Look, look son, I'm the coach, right, let me figure that out. (whistle shrilling) (upbeat music) (ball thudding) - You gonn

a come in my house and take my place? (upbeat music) (ball thudding) This is my house. (upbeat music) (ball thudding) (whistle shrilling) - Hey, well we know y'all won't work well together. - Why you say that coach? - Because y'all are sitting over here showboating, trying to outdo one another. And you, talking about my house, this is my gym, son, if I hear you say that again you'll be out. Listen, I need y'all to exchange numbers, come back in here next Friday and I need to see y'all working we

ll together. Is that understood? Is that understood? - Yes coach. (whistle shrilling) - Get in the shower. (ball thudding) - Hey mom, what does Mrs. Kelly look like? Oh okay, all right see you later. Bye. - Yo, what you waiting for? - I'm waiting for my ride. - Who's your ride? - Mrs. Kelly. - Mrs. Kelly? That's my mom. ♪ I stay in my lane ♪ ♪ I stay in my lane ♪ ♪ Uh-huh ♪ ♪ I stay in my lane ♪ ♪ I stay in my lane ♪ ♪ I ain't gotta prove a thing ♪ ♪ I stay in my lane ♪ - Thanks for the ride, Mr

s. Kelly. - No problem. Oh, and tell your mom I will be calling her to have her try my casserole. - Okay, I will. ♪ I was putting in the work ♪ ♪ I was putting in the time, no lie ♪ ♪ I had shows where nobody showed up ♪ ♪ Where nobody showed up ♪ ♪ But it helped to grow up ♪ ♪ Money in the beast before I put in my tummy ♪ ♪ Now I'm stuck and like my daddy ♪ ♪ But it ain't the cash money ♪ ♪ I make kids like crunches ♪ ♪ I eat (indistinct) like lunches ♪ ♪ I bow to the ground, yeah ♪ ♪ I've been

doing lunches ♪ - [Amanda] Hello? - Hey Amanda, it's Anthony. - Oh, hey man, how did tryouts go? - Um, it was interesting. Um, coach wants me and Caleb to learn how to play together, and unfortunately he's my next-door-neighbor. - [Amanda] No way. - Yeah. So, what you doing? - [Amanda] Oh, I'm just doing some yoga and exercise. Maintaining harmony of all that is me, myself and my higher self, also staying in shape. - Okay, don't know what that means, but... - [Amanda] People do all sorts of thi

ngs in the name of God or religion, that's their path, our path is yoga. My parents teach a yoga class on Saturday. Do you wanna come? - I highly doubt that my parents would allow me to do that. I don't know if I told you or not, but I've been raised in a Christian household and my family is deeply rooted into their beliefs. - [Amanda] So, do you personally believe what they've been teaching you? Are you following their beliefs, because you're in their household? - Um, I believe in God, I believ

e in Jesus. Um, there are some things in the Bible that I don't agree with, so it makes me question whether, you know, it's true or not, but yeah. - [Amanda] Well good, take those doubts and questions and figure them out for yourself, not for your family or anyone else, but you. I have to go, but I'll see you tomorrow. - All right, bye. (zipper whirring) (bag thudding) - "To Anthony, let these words order your footsteps, and let the Holy Spirit guide your heart. Love Mom and Dad." "Do you not kn

ow that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God. Do not be deceived, neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, "nor homosexual offenders..." Nor homosexual offenders. Nor homosexual offenders. (congregation clapping) - Now, let me hit you with some knowledge. - [Congregant] Hallelujah. - Because this world is just getting crazier, because everywhere you go, everywhere you look, what do you see? Huh? Guys with guys, girls with girls, guys wanting to

be girls and girls wanting to be guys. This is nonsense, because God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. This is an abomination to the Lord. And we know for certain that these types of people will most definitely burn in hell. We don't need them in our society, tainting our children's minds. That's why as a church, my brothers and sisters, we have to make sure that our children don't turn gay or have any gay friends. We don't need that negative spirit of demons rubbing off on them. What we d

o need is the spirit of perversions to leave this church, this town, this state, this nation in Jesus' name. Amen. (congregation clapping) (hip-hop gospel music) - [Congregant] Hallelujah. Thank you, Lord. - Bye, love you too. - Do you write poetry? - No, I used to a long time ago, but not anymore. - Why did you stop? Oh, let me see, somehow your parents convinced you that God doesn't approve of that. - No, I just lost the passion for it, that's why I stopped. - I think I can change your mind ab

out that. - Oh my God, girl, did you see what happened on Snapchat? Girl, there were talking about all boy, all girl. They just talking about how they were, you know, in the hallway, they got caught by coach. You didn't hear about it? I have to show you, they had it on Snapchat, you got to see this. - Let me tell you something, on the court we're cool, that's what coach wants. But anywhere, I mean, anywhere off the court, especially in my neighborhood, that you so happen to live in, we're not co

ol, you understand? All right, cool. Capiche? - [Coach] All right, guys. (whistle shrilling) So, it looks like most of you done and turned in physical form already. Anthony, listen man, you got until Monday to turn that in or your off the team. All right? - I know, my mom said she'd take me today to get it. I'm gonna to have it back. - All right, cool. So, Caleb, Anthony, you're gonna play against Spencer and Adam today. Let's see if y'all's spirits have gotten a little bit better. All right? (h

ip-hop music) - Look man, I know we don't like each other, but on the court, like coach say, we're good friends, and off the court... - We are enemies. (whistle shrilling) - Caleb, Anthony, on me. The rest of y'all, shower. Y'all had me worried. At first it looked like y'all just wanted to outshine one another, showboat and all that other stuff, but y'all are turning that around. All right. (sighs) I shouldn't be saying this, but I'm gonna go ahead and say it anyway, y'all made the team, that is

if you can give me back your form. All right? You boys hit the shower. - Let's go, bro. (hands clapping) - Huh. - Huh. - I'm telling you, this year's gonna be great for sure, we gonna win the championship for the first time. - Yeah, as long as you don't choke. (gospel hip-hop music) - Thank you for the ride, Mrs. Kelly. - It's no problem at all. You, why don't you invite him inside and offer to show him around the place? Anthony, when your ready to head home, you can borrow one of Caleb bikes t

o take home and no, your parents are not home. Caleb, why don't you invite him inside and offer to show him around the place? - Oh, that's okay, I can walk. - [Mrs. Kelly] Please, I insist. - Come on, man. - Wow, you did a lot. - Yeah. I did track my freshman year, I was part of the National Spelling Bee in middle school, um, my sophomore year I started playing football and what not. And in my junior year, I starting hooping. You know what I'm saying? I've been doing it ever since. But let's get

to business, the nitty-gritty. Who are you? Why are you here? And who do you think you are showing up in my town, thinking you can just take my spot on my team? - Well, I don't know if you heard coach correctly, but we both made the team, I'm not trying to take your spot. - Yeah, I heard him. Still, what's up? - Well, my father's a pastor, we are originally from Atlanta, we go to Rockwell Missionary Church, he just accepted a position there, so. - Okay. Your dad's a pastor? We go to, we actuall

y go to Rockwell. Um, last Sunday they talked about a new pastor was coming in, but they didn't mention any names or anything, but I guess... What's it like being a preacher's kid? - Hm, I don't know, um, my parents want me to believe everything they believe, think the way they think. They really want me to take up preaching. - All right man, have a seat, sit. Just don't tell anyone I'm being nice to you. All right, who is Anthony Davis? And, I guess, who's the person you want your parents to kn

ow about? - Hm, you know, I don't know, I don't know who I am. Some days I think I do, and then others... - All right. It seems like you've been through a lot, so I'm sorry for being so tough on you. I just gotta look tough, you know what I'm saying? - Why you wanna look tough? (Caleb sighs) I have, I have my insecurities, you know, um, and I don't want people to know about them, so I, I hide behind them, you know. I portray this image of a person who really is not me. I'm just a, a caterpillar,

you know, stuck in my cocoon, just waiting to, to break free and fly. You know what I'm saying? Like that's me (laughs). (sighs) I'm sorry. Yeah, so. Do you want anything before you go? I can go and get it and bring it up here for you? - Mm, nah, I'll take something to drink though. I'm going to JJ's Peace Bar with Amanda tonight, so I wanna eat there? - Honestly, you do spoken word? - Nah, you I'm just going... She invited me to go, so I'm going. - Well, be cautious, she is an interesting chic

k. - What, do you like her? - Absolutely not. (claps hands) She is free and open, there's something about that, that I do like, but I don't like her. All right? But I'm gonna go get you some water, hm, make yourself at home, just stay right there. (door clicks) (upbeat music) - HIV? (upbeat music) - You wanted some water? (upbeat music) - This is not what it looks like. - Get out. - I... - Get out. (door slams) (upbeat music) (paper rustling) (upbeat music) (speaker groans) (upbeat music) - Swee

tie, what's wrong? (door clicks) (paper rustles) Sweetie, you have to open up to somebody, and I feel like Anthony's a nice kid and could be your friend. - (sighs) You know his dad's our new pastor? - No, I didn't. - Uh, he's a preacher's kid, like they do and believe everything that their parents tell them to. Once he founds out, finds out how I got this, he's not gonna want anything to do with me. - I don't know why, but I do feel like God sent that family to us. Now, we may not know how they

feel about homosexuality, but I do feel in some ways we are closer than we think. - But, mom, that's a, that's a preaching family, you know, once they find out about me, they're, they're not gonna let anything, have anything to do with me. You know? And they're just gonna tell me how I'm going straight to hell. And the last thing I want is another preacher telling me I'm an abomination for feelings I can't control. You know, if, if God made me like this, why would he send me straight to hell? I,

I should've never even have been born. (Caleb sighs) (doorknob rattles) (door clicks) (paper rustles) (Mrs. Kelly sighs) Dear Lord, I know you hear us, I know you see my son in distress. You created him, but I don't understand why You would send him to hell. Please Lord, help us. He never asked to have any of these desires. A mother crying out for her child. Please send us somebody to help us better understand Your purpose for his life. I know I haven't been the best Christian, but ever since Z

ack left I feel like I'm falling apart on the out, inside while trying to maintain control on the outside for Caleb. Just please, Lord, help us. ♪ I have been battling ♪ ♪ All these thoughts ♪ ♪ And all these sins ♪ (door squeaking) (door clicking) - Anthony, come here for a sec? I heard you on the phone with someone the other day and I want to talk to you about something. Who were you talking to? - Oh yeah, that was a friend from school. Now, that's actually why I'm here, I was invited to go to

a poetry bar, and I wanted to see if I can go? - Of course, sweetie. Are you writing again? - No, no, I'm just going for support, just to check it out. - Okay. - Okay, well who invited you? - Uh, her name is Amanda, she's a friend from school, and she's actually outside. I wanted to see if I could go. - Anthony Davis, now we have told you, you have to run these things by us before you talk about going anywhere. - I know. I know. I just figured it was a teens' night and it's a poetry bar, they'r

e doing spoken word. You guys can come too, if y'all want. - No, that's all right, son, we trust you. But I wanna meet this Amanda girl first. So, you can go with her, but she has to come inside and meet us. - Okay, cool. I'll let her in. - You know, I'm really glad that he's making friends though. I kinda got worried for a little bit, but I realized if I am worrying, I'm not trusting God. Right? - Hm-hmm. - James? - Hmm? - What is it? You got that look on your face. - Hmm? - What's going on? -

Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing, I'm just inside of my head overthinking. - Okay. - Probably. Hopefully. - About what? - Uh, well, our, our son, he was, uh, I overheard him say he wasn't sure if he can believe everything that's in the Bible. - What? Are you sure? - Yes, Stephanie, I'm not deaf, I know what I heard. Yes, I'm sure. I just, I just think it's the same person who he's going to this poetry bar with tonight, and I don't trust her. - I see. Hmm. - Well, I'm just overthinking, he'll b

e fine. - Yeah. - He'll be fine. - Dad, she's here and please don't start with all the questions. - So, you expect me to let you go out with someone and not ask any questions? - I mean, you can be a bit embarrassing. - Uh-huh. (knock on door) (door squeaks) - Hey, what's up? (door squeaks and clicks) - Amanda, these are my parents, Stephanie and James. - [James] Hello, Miss, Miss Amanda, how you doing? - Nice to meet you. - [James] Nice to meet you. - Meet you as well. - So, Anthony tells us you

're taking him to a poetry bar, that's nice. So, tell me how does that work? - Uh, yeah, so, uh, it's a teen spoken word bar called JJ's Peace Bar. It's a place for teens to just flow with whatever they wanna talk about. They even have instrumental in the background for some pieces. It's pretty dope. - Great. Right. Or dope in this case. (James laughs) So, do y'all ever have any Christians sharing any poetry there? - Uh, well, yeah, um, we have one person, but she technically isn't a teen. She w

orks there as a waitress, but every now and then she'll perform. - Okay guys, well we gotta go. - All right. - All right, have a good time. Nice meeting you, Miss Amanda. - Bye y'all. (door squeaking) - Welcome to JJ's Peace Bar. If you ever had any doubts or questions about your beliefs, then you're gonna have more, because these people are gonna make you think. (chairs scraping) - Welcome, welcome, to JJ's Peace Bar, I am your waitress, Solfege. Can I start you guys off with an appetizer? - Um

, I just want a burger, fries with juice. - Okay. Hey, wait a minute, are you new here? - Yeah, it's my first time. - Nice. Okay. Well, let me give you a little bit of advice (laughs), watch yourself when you hang with Amanda (giggles). And another great advice would be to also get the burger, fries it's juicy. - Cool, I'll do that. - Okay, great. Um, I'm just gonna put that in for you. Amanda, are you performing tonight? - Oh no, I'm just watching, since I brought a friend. - Okay. - What about

you? - Most definitely (giggles). I am actually doing a new piece, um, that I believe your friend here would enjoy a lot. (indistinct) well I'm gonna get your order in and, um, it'll be right out. - What was that all about? - (laughs) Solfege at times can be a little strange. It's like sometimes she can know things about people without them actually saying anything. She claims it's the Holy Spirit, but I think it's baloney. - So, how does she know certain things? - Well, she's a psychic, I beli

eve. But Christians in general are strange to me. So, who knows? - So, is that the one you ere telling my dad about? - Hm-hmm. And by the way, I feel like your dad does not like me. Like I get great vibes from your mom, but your dad's aura just seems off. - Aura? - Yeah. But I know you have no clue what I'm talking about. Just know that your dad does not like me. - We all know here, we all love her, and she has a new piece called "Identity." Uh, could you please give it up for Solfege? (audience

clapping) (footsteps tapping) Look at me. What do you see? I've been abused, misused, confused and misunderstood. I found myself doing things that I never thought I would. Compromise. I've been mistreated, seeking, people pleasing, never understanding the reasons I was always looked down on. Every mirror I looked into displayed every damage and demon I've come in contact with. (indistinct) anything that will reflect my image. Scrimmaged and wounded. Although I feared many things, my greatest fe

ar was me. Great fear of who I've become and greater fear of who I'll be. Who am I? Yells my spirit man within. And who's this voice I'm hearing that keeps calling me his friend? Telling me my sorrows are coming to an end, opening up my ears, saying to me, "Try again, you see." One day we'll see the lies, but when will we realize that everything we perceive ain't true, y'all? I should only be me. And you should only be you. For who we are in private is nothing but the truth. God is setting free

our (indistinct) eyes, I declare to you, (indistinct). So, stop looking at the outer man, and tell me what's the use for behind a, behind a pretty face or nice eyes is the (indistinct) to the most high. Who's life was (indistinct), but is now accepted as a beloved? There's no need for cloudy judgment, my past has passed away. I post in the office orchestrated by God sorting all the mail from that old road of sin, 'cause I live there no more. New things are in store, therefore don't judge me for

what you see naturally. For the God that's in me has made me free. Free from hurt, free from pain, free rejection, free from agony. I'm walking in my destiny, my God has made me holy. I can't (indistinct) cataracts causing blindness (indistinct) to the darkness, suppressing my very life. And I thank the Holy Spirit for clearing up my sight. So, now with your new eyes, I ask you once more to look on me. Now, right now, what is it that you see? It's the new me. And I've been made free in me. (audi

ence clapping) - That was powerful. - Yeah. I mean, she's deep and vulnerable. It's just the whole Jesus stuff just doesn't need to be in there so much. - You know, if you don't like Christians and Jesus, why do you hang around me if you know that's how I was raised? - Well, because you don't know what to believe. You haven't fully been brainwashed, and I don't mind showing you different aspects of life. I can tell you just wanna know the full truth. And that truth is your truth. - My truth? - Y

eah, your truth. For instance, I'm gay, my truth is I'll always be gay and nothing can be changed about that. For Christians, their truth is you go to hell for being gay, and I have to become straight just to make it into heaven. I'm not buying into that. So many people in the LGBT community have committed suicide and been bullied all because they felt like they had to forsake their truth for someone else's religion. - Yeah, you hear about that a lot. - So then let me ask you this. If you're so-

called raised to be Christian, then why do you hang around me, even though you know I'm gay? - Well, you're the first person that's been nice to me. And you're very interesting. - Yeah, I've been told. - Well, I'm gonna go check on the food. - Oh hey, I bet you're wondering where you food is, huh? - Yeah, actually. - Yeah. Well, it actually just came out. - That was a cool piece you did. - Oh yeah? Well, to God be the glory. It took me quite some time to actually become that vulnerable. - So, Am

anda tells me you're not a teen, so why do you keep coming here? - Well, technically I'm 19, but I did graduate high school last year. Um, I just sincerely believe that God is able to use our gift at any moment, any age, and I just don't wanna, you know, lose it (chuckles). - Really? - Uh yeah. Well, I've heard stories, countless stories, of people that, you know, used to be able to sing and then they stopped singing and turned their backs on God and the gift was gone. And then after repenting a

nd coming back to Christ, the gift came back. I don't wanna be that person. I mean, again, it's just stories I've heard. - That is crazy. You know, I used to write poetry, but then I stopped. - Really? Well, when you wrote, what did you used to write about? - Well, normally my relationship (indistinct). - Okay. Well, your food is here, let's go ahead and get this out and you get you to your table so you can eat. We'll bring it right out. - Okay. (chair scraping) - Alrighty, here's your food. Her

e you are, mister. - Thank you. - All right. Yeah, so, uh, Anthony, um, when you stop writing about your boyfriends and more so about God, maybe He'll bring that desire back. Okay? - What was that about? - I don't know. (cellphone ringing) - Hello. Nah, I think I'm gonna stay home and rest and shoot some hoops. All right, bye. - [Solfege] When you make the decision to stop writing about your boyfriends and more so about God, maybe He'll bring the gift back. (knock on door) - [Anthony] Come in. (

door clicks) - Hey, you got a minute? - [Anthony] Sure. - So, how'd it go last night? - It went great. - Did a Amanda perform? - Nah, she didn't perform. Oh, it was my first time, so she wanted to sit with me, make sure I was straight. - What about that, uh, that Christian chick that she was telling us about, did she perform? - Solfege? Yeah, she was our, our waitress too, and she performed. She did a powerful piece called "Identity." - So, when she says, "Identity," is she referring to her sexu

al identity? - Negative. It was more so about her struggling with finding her identity. And she let God come in and change that. - Good. Good. Well, sounds like you had a lot of fun. And maybe one day we'll all go down there and we'll get to meet her and watch her perform. - Yeah, maybe. Maybe. Maybe. - Listen, uh, something's been bothering me, and I have to ask you, and be honest with me, do you believe in the Bible 100%? - No, I don't. Well, I was on the phone with Amanda and we were talking

and we just couldn't understand why do gay people get sent straight to hell for feelings that they didn't choose. - Hm (laughs) (sighs). Well look, I know you're not gonna want to hear this, but I don't think that Amanda girl is gonna be any good for you. I saw the moment she walked in the house that she was gonna be trouble for you. And now look at yourself. Look at yourself, you're already doubting the Word, and it's only been what, a week since we moved here? Now, this Solfege that you're tel

ling me about, she seems like she would be a better friend. - Dad, stop it. Stop it. See, this is exactly why we don't have a great relationship now. You're always looking down on somebody or you're judging somebody, just 'cause they don't have the same feelings as you. Like I'm supposed to follow you and mom blindly. What if I have questions? What if I don't believe everything that's in the Bible? - Because we raise you as a godly man, son. Okay? Satan is the fall of this world and deception is

running rampant. And the last thing I need is for you to be out there caught up in the lies that he's telling these people. Okay? And it's an abomination to the Lord, - Well honey, I think you were kind of harsh. - Too harsh? Stephanie, that boy doesn't know what he's messing around with when it comes to these spirits and demons. And then he has the nerve to tell me that he can't ask me any questions. - Well, (laughs) this is true. - [James] What? What do you mean? - I mean, whenever he has a q

uestion, you make it seem like he doesn't have a right to even have one. He needs to be capable of having a relationship with God for himself, he can't just piggyback off ours. He has to find the answers to his questions for himself. And as his parents, all we can do is pray for him and give him the guidance to find those answers. - Well look, there's something else he said that I didn't mention to you. - What's that? - He said this is why our relationship isn't good. And look, I just, I just wa

nt the best for him. Okay? And to see our relationship go from close to distant, I just, I never understood why until now. - Honey, you're a good dad. You just gotta love him unconditionally. Let him open up to you and don't shut him out. - Okay. - All right? - I will pray on it and ask God for wisdom and guidance. (hip-hop gospel music) - Hey, (indistinct). (ball thudding) So, I went to JJ's Peace Bar last night. (ball thudding) (metal clanging) (ball thudding) (sound distorted) I might just go

and make some... (ball thudding) Look man, I'm not gonna tell anybody. (metal clanging) I know what I did was wrong. I invaded your personal space. And I'm sorry, I won't do it again. (ball thudding) Seriously, man, even though you're mean as a snake to me, I'm not gonna tell anybody. I definitely won't want you to beat me up. - Trust me, people would rather beat me up than see me beat you up. - But why? You're the cool dude. - You wanna come inside, man? - Sure. - So, we found out earlier this

spring. Um, I started feeling weak and tired and I started losing a lot of weight. And I just, I had fevers, and my mom knew something was up. And so she, she took me to the doctor. - Yeah. And that's when you found out? - Yeah. - That's crazy. So who do this to you? - It was a past relationship from my freshman year. Um, actually, they don't go to the school no more, um, they transferred, their parents took them out, because they're embarrassed that I might say something. Um, but the irony is,

you know, I would never actually say something like that, because, you know... Especially since... - It's okay. - The person I was in a relationship with was on the basketball team. He was on our basketball team. I'm gay. (cellphone ringing) - Hold on, that's my mom. Hey, mom. Yeah, I'm at Caleb's. Okay, cool. Well, that was my mom, she's supposed take me to the clinic, I forgot. But if you want, I can come back over and finish this conversation. - Sure. I mean why though? I wouldn't think that

someone like you would wanna be around or hang out with someone like me. I mean, considering the fact that you're a Christian guy that comes from a Christian family. You know? My mom told me. And also, most straight guys don't wanna be around me. So, just, you know, I don't wanna get... - (scoffs) Don't judge a book by its cover. Um, you know, yes, I am a part of a Christian family, but I don't believe everything. You know? I'll see you later. ♪ Yeah, you really made a show about it all ♪ ♪ Oh,

I gotta go ♪ - So, your dad told me what happened between y'all. - It's whatever. - No, it's not. You need to establish a relationship with your father. Anthony, this is your last year in high school. I know we haven't talked about college or your future, but it's time. You need to have a relationship with your father before it's too late. - Ma, he don't care nothing about me. The only thing is, he just want to make sure there's no spirits around me or just want me to become just like him. - An

d what's that? - Nothing. - (sighs) So, what did the doctor say? Is everything good? - Yep. He signed my form and said I was good to go for basketball. - Awesome. So is my son the best player on the team or not? - They have other good players on the team too. But coach did say with me being on the team, it could help them get to the championship. - See, that's my boy. Go Ant. Go Ant. Go Ant. - Ma, stop. (both laughing) - That's awesome. (knock on door) - Hey, man. - What's up? (door clicks) Had

your physical done, hey? - Yes, sir. - That's what's up. I guess you're on the team now. - Good news, you know, guess I'll help y'all make it the championships. - Whatever. Whatever. - So, okay, back to our last convo. - No, yeah, we don't have to talk about that (indistinct). - No. No. No. We do. We do. We do. I wanna tell you that I appreciate your openness and your willingness to share. Um, and there's something I want you to know. So, I understand a small bit, no, I may not have HIV, but I'm

gay as well. - What? Do you know how exciting this is? Ever since my ex left, I've been the only gay person at school. I'm the only one. And now I, I, I don't feel alone no more. I used to feel all by myself, you know? - Well, back in my last school when me and my ex broke up, you know, I felt lonely too, and then coming here. So, wow. - You know, my mom said I could trust you. - Did she? - She sure did. I don't know how she knew what she knew. - Well, I'm glad she sees me as an open, trustwort

hy friend. - I guess I should stop bullying you then, huh? - What do you think? I mean, but, but we are doing what coach told us to do, you know, we're getting along, so maybe we'll be able to play better too. - That's true. I didn't even think about that. So, but, so do your parents know about your... Like how's that? - (scoffs) You're asking if a preacher... - Hm-hmm. - Knows if his son is gay? I mean, at times, you know, I wanna tell my mom, you know, and I feel like she would understand, but

I know she's against it. But I, I feel like she would still, you know, support me. But my dad, I mean, I guess I don't really know what he would think, you know, so yeah. - I mean, that's rough, bro. I kinda feel like, you know, a child should be able to confide in their parents, you know what I mean? That's just rough, bro. And doesn't the Bible say not to judge and to love anyway? - I mean, I read the Bible and stuff, but I don't get into the deep details, you know? - Hm-hmm. - I mean, I don'

t know, I don't wanna talk about this no more. - All right, bro. - Actually, um, I think I am gonna head out though, 'cause I'm pretty sure we gotta be up early in the morning. My dad's supposed to be preaching and apparently some big Bishop is supposed to be coming, so. - I doubt we will go. - I mean, y'all are members, y'all more than welcome to come. - Nah, they don't want my gay tail in them pews, I'll tell you. - I mean, you don't even look like the type, I mean, you're, you look straight.

I wouldn't have even known, if you didn't tell me. - Nah, it's all right. I mean, I'll just stay home, you... Let me know how it goes, for sure. - Yeah. - Yeah. - All right, catch up with you later. - Yeah, bye. - Bye. ♪ I know my God was always with me ♪ ♪ Regardless if a couple of them were acting iffy ♪ ♪ They only like me when I'm up ♪ ♪ They don't like me when I'm down ♪ ♪ I remember I was feeling so low ♪ ♪ And nobody (indistinct) ♪ ♪ He gave me unconditional, unconditional ♪ - Come in. (B

ible thuds) (hands thudding) - [Speaker] Good morning. - [James] Good morning. - [Shirley] Pastor Davis. - [James] Hi. - I just want you to know that the church is so happy that you and your family are here. - Well, thank you, Sister Shirley, we are more than delighted to be here. Let me introduce my family. This is my wife Stephanie. - [Stephanie] Hello. - [James] And this is our son, Anthony. - Hi. - Hello. My, you have a lovely family, pastor. - [James] Why thank you. - How old is your son? H

e looks to be my daughter's age. - [James] Oh, you know, he's 17 going on 30. - Okay. My daughter, she just turned 19. I'm sure you'll meet her later on. She's in the choir room getting ready, she's such a singer. When she was three years old, she used to run around the house with nothing on her butt just a singing "Jesus loves me, this I know." (Shirley laughs) It used to tickle me so much. Well, Bishop Williams is here, and he's already sitting in the front row. And that is where your wife and

son will also sit. - [James] Well, thank you, Sister Shirley. We're about to head out right now behind you? - [Shirley] Okay. ♪ Lord, I love You ♪ ♪ Lord, I need You ♪ ♪ Take over ♪ ♪ Take over ♪ ♪ Not for me ♪ ♪ But for You ♪ ♪ Take over ♪ ♪ Take over ♪ ♪ I surrender my whole being ♪ ♪ I surrender my whole life ♪ ♪ I surrender everything ♪ ♪ Take over me now ♪ ♪ Ay-Ay ♪ ♪ Lord I love You ♪ ♪ Lord I love You ♪ ♪ Lord I need You ♪ ♪ Lord I need You ♪ ♪ Take over ♪ ♪ Take over ♪ - Now, we are ble

ssed to have a new pastor from Atlanta, Georgia to embrace Rockwell Missionary Church. He is a happily married man with one son, and we want to glorify God for bringing his family here to us. Now, our new pastor, Pastor James Davis. (congregation clapping) - All right, thank you, deacon. Morning. First off, I would like to thank everyone for the open invitation to come lead and join this church. Of course, I have to give the real praise to our Father God for allowing me and my family safe travel

s here. And speaking of my family, here they are in the front row. This is my son Anthony. And my wife Stephanie's around here somewhere, but you'll definitely meet her after service. (James chuckles) Now, this morning I wanna talk to you all about David. That was meant for you. - I don't think (indistinct). - Don't say that. You don't know what can happen. - Pastor James, Stephanie, this is my daughter, Solfege. - Hello, Miss Solfege, nice to meet you. - [Solfege] Hi, nice to meet you. - You as

well. - This is our son, Anthony. - We've already met. - Where? - JJ's Peace Bar last Friday. I was his waitress. - Oh? - Oh, all right. - So, you're the Christian girl who does poetry there? - Yes, ma'am, that's me. The only one for now. - [Shirley] Oh my, Solfege, I didn't know you had already met the pastor's son. - [Solfege] Yeah. - Not only does my daughter sing, she does wonderful poetry too. Sometimes I go down there myself just to listen to her perform. Do you also do poetry, Anthony? -

Mm, no, not really. I went a friend. - [Solfege] Yes, he does. You do. He just has to find the right reason to get back into it. - Okay, we have to go and thanks so much again, pastor. - [James] Of course, Sister Shirley, thanks for coming. Nice to meet you, Miss Solfege. - Thank you. Nice to meet you. - Y'all be safe. (footsteps tapping) - She seems very nice, I like her. (door squeaking) That was a long service, but thank God it's over. - I agree. - All right, I'm gonna take a nap. - Wait a m

inute, Anthony. Look, I don't think it's a coincidence that Solfege goes to our church now, son. I think you should invite her over for dinner some time. - Dad, please don't. - Don't what, Anthony? Anthony, look son, you need Christian friends in your life, not just that gay girl you hang out with. - Her name is Amanda, she's not that gay girl. - Okay. Amanda. But look, Solfege seems like she'll be a better friend to you than Amanda. I'm not asking you to date the girl or get close to her, but y

ou need Christian spiritual friends in your life. - But what I don't need from you is telling me who my friends should be. I mean, dang, we just got back from church and I'm tired, and you're already on me. Just leave me alone. - Honey? - Hmm? - He's 17, he needs to be capable of making his own decisions, and that includes picking his friends. - Well, I think he's making the wrong decisions, but, uh, I'll be in my office. - So, what did you get for Caleb? - I got him a (indistinct). - Really? (d

oor clicks) Who would've thought that the bully and bullied would become close friends and then lovers. Crazy story. - Well, it's my story and I like it just the way it is, I wouldn't change it one bit. - [Caleb] What's up, guys? - Hey you, we still on for dinner tonight? - Heck yeah. What you got planned? - I got a coupon from Burger King, get three waffles, three burgers, some fries for $12. - Wow. How sweet. A Burger King date, isn't that romantic? - Ah, it doesn't matter. He thought of it, h

e's paying, so it's all good. I gotta go. - You're not gonna have lunch with us? - I gotta go to the library, I've gotta do some studying. So, I'll catch up with you. - How does that work? - What do you mean? I mean, you two are like the straightest-looking dudes at the school. Both are jocks on the basketball team. And yet no one is suspicious that you guys are together? - Well, when we're on the court, our minds are on the court. We don't talk about any of that stuff. But when we're in private

and off the court, that's when we... - I don't, I don't know, I... - What? - I feel like something bad is about to go down. I just, I, I feel the negative vibes flowing this way. - Well, you keep all that negative stuff your way. You know I don't believe in none of that. - Well, you also believe in a God that sends gay people to hell. So, technically what do you believe? (hip-hop music) (whistle shrilling) - Hold up. Hold up. Hold up. Well, fellas, we're number one right now in the district. -

Let's go. (all clapping) - I knew it. - Now, listen, listen, we've got four more games. Two, two in November, two in December, right before our big Christmas break. Okay? So, those are the games we've got right before the championship. - Hey coach, me and Adam need to talk to you, please? - [Coach] Yeah. Yeah. - (sighs) Dang, can you believe it, we're training the future leaders of the team? I knew I was good. I didn't know I was this, this good. I must be smoking, I tell you. - You're all right

, but let's make it clear, I'm the better player. I'm the one that's smoking. - Yeah, you're smoking all right. Oh yeah, so anyway, I've got something planned for after our date later tonight. - I thought we only talk like that outside of school. - Who's gonna know. Seriously? - They will. (dramatic music) - Is there anything you wanted to see? - No. - (sighs) Don't worry about those guys, those are my boys, they're not gonna say anything. - How do you know? - Because I told them about me years

ago. I mean, initially it took them a second to get over, you know, to get over it and realize I'm a human being just like anybody else. And then they had to get over the fear that I would try to sleep with them. But, you know, they're not my type, you know. Everything's gonna be okay, don't worry about it. - That's easy for you to say. Your dad is not a pastor of a church. A church where students go there. You don't understand what it's like. Your dad isn't... - My dad isn't here. I'm surprised

you haven't said anything about that, I'm sure you noticed. - I mean, I've noticed, but I didn't really know how to bring it up. - You see all these artifacts around here? - Yeah. They look ancient. - My dad's an archeologist. He loves finding history underground. These artifacts you see are replicas of things that he found. Um, so he's in Indonesia right now, um, trying to discover something. - Really? How often do you see him? - I haven't seen him since I came out and told my parents that I w

as gay. He said if God wanted me to be gay, He would have made me a girl. - Caleb, I'm sorry to hear that. - It's things like that that make me think I'm in the wrong body, you know. Am I a mistake, you know? It just, it just doesn't make sense. If gay people supposedly can't go to heaven, then how am I supposed to go if I can't control these feelings, you know? Sometimes I wonder like if I was a girl, would my dad come back? You know, my parents aren't fully divorced. They're separated, but my

mom seems to think that if, you know, (sighs) if, you know, that he'll come back and he'll love me for who I am. But, I wanna believe it, but... - It's kinda hard to believe, huh? - Yeah. At least you physically see your father. I mean, it's better than what I have, you know. He may have horrible views on gay people, but I would do anything to see my dad every day, any day, at any given moment. Don't take what you have for granted, Ant. (melancholy music) (paper rustling) (melancholy music) - I

tried calling you last night. I knew you were with Caleb, but this is what I was trying to tell you about. Spencer and Adam made a huge Facebook post about you. Literally everyone around the school's sharing it, calling you gay and saying how they can't have a gay leader on their basketball team. - I told him this would happen. - Hey, girl, hey, (indistinct) (laughs). - I knew this would happen. But he said, "No, those are his boys, they weren't gonna rat him out." - It looks like you need to ta

lk to Caleb. And that may be right now. - I promise you, I didn't know. I mean, those are my boys, I don't understand why they didn't do me like that. - Caleb, Caleb, I told you. I told you that this would happen. But what do I know? What do I know, right? - It's nothing like that. I mean, I just, how was I supposed to know? I know you tried to warn me, but... - I'm outta here. - Where are you going? ♪ I need Your help with it Lord ♪ ♪ I need Your help with it Lord ♪ ♪ Let it be done ♪ ♪ I need

Your help with it Lord ♪ ♪ I need Your help with it Lord ♪ ♪ Let it be done ♪ ♪ I need Your help with it Lord ♪ ♪ I need Your help with it Lord ♪ ♪ Let it be done ♪ ♪ I need Your help with it Lord ♪ ♪ I need Your help with it Lord ♪ ♪ Let it be done ♪ (cellphone ringing) - Hello. Hey, Sister Shirley, how you doing? Good. Yeah, I, I know I still have my meeting this afternoon with the Bishop. It's at 2:00 PM, right? Oh, it's been changed to now? Okay. Well yeah, it shouldn't be a problem. I just

need to let my wife, Stephanie, know what's going on and... Anthony? You want me to bring my son, Anthony? Is everything okay? Okay. Um, well I just need to go pick him up from school. But other than that, yeah, we can, we can be there. All right, well I'll see you in a bit. All right. Bye-bye. - James? James? - Hello, Mrs. Kelly, how are you? - I'm well. I was just out taking a walk, but I just had to say, I am so sorry to hear about Anthony. I understand what it's like to be a parent seeing yo

ur child, child get bullied on social media. - Excuse me, what are you talking about? - I thought you knew. - Knew what Mrs. Kelly? - The other students found out about Anthony being gay. They made a whole post about him and it went viral. - Uh, thank you for the information, Mrs. Kelly. I have to go. (door clicks) - Have a blessed day. - Shut up. (door clicks) - Caleb? Do you have any idea where Anthony went? - No, he's not responding to my texts or my calls. - Well, his dad's here looking for

him. - Are you serious? - Yeah. He came to pick him up, but when the receptionist went to look on the computer that's when she saw he never went to any of his classes. - Oh, this is all my fault. (door bangs) The boys said that they'd... Ah, (sighs), he said they'd do something like this, I didn't wanna believe him. - Have you talked to Spencer or Adam yet? - I haven't seen them. - Well, you always have lunchtime. That may be your only chance to find them before practice. - Yeah, I just pray Ant

hony's okay. I'm starting to worry. (melancholy music) ♪ Oops, here I go, I messed up again choosing sin ♪ ♪ Oh, but (indistinct) once again ♪ ♪ Lord, I need Your help ♪ ♪ Because You know I'm not perfect ♪ ♪ Save me from myself ♪ ♪ Help me learn from my mistakes ♪ ♪ I'm not perfect, no ♪ ♪ Still a work in progress ♪ ♪ No, no I'm not perfect, no ♪ ♪ Still a work in progress ♪ ♪ No, no ♪ - Anthony? - Solfege? What are you doing here? - I come out here every day (giggles), this is where I spend ti

me with the Father and, you know, just grow closer to Him. But what are you doing here, aren't you supposed to be in school? - Yeah, but I highly doubt I'll ever go back there. - Why not? - I don't wanna talk about it. - Look, just because we go viral and get teased, does not give us the excuse to run away from our problems. - How, how in the world? - I saw it last night on Facebook. - (groans) I guess everybody saw it now. - What? How do you feel? - I'm not sure how I feel. I'm not sure if my p

arents know, but I don't know how this is gonna affect my dad, the church, my relationship with Caleb. - Who's Caleb? - Oh, he's my partner. He's the one that told me that none of this would happen in the first place. He said those are his boys and they wouldn't rat me out. I guess he doesn't know his boys, huh? - Well, can I pray for you? - Hm? - Can I pray for you? You're obviously going through a lot, and you haven't even seen half of what you're about to go through. So, I just really feel li

ke you need God's peace and guidance right now. - I don't think God wants to give me any of those things right now. Remember, I'm still a sinner in his eyes, right? - (scoffs) He loves you. Look, I don't know if you have any other spiritual friends that's really deep in their Word, but I wanna be that friend for you, especially right now. So, I'm gonna pray for you, okay? - Okay. For sure. - Heavenly Father, I thank You for my friend, Anthony. I thank You that he is fearfully and wonderfully mad

e and that You were very intentional in exactly how You created him to be. God, I just speak guidance over him right now in the name of Jesus, Father, and peace that surpasses all understanding. Lead him, Father, exactly where he needs to be, how he needs to be, God. Just declare peace over and over, over his life, over his loved ones, his family, and all of his concerns. I thank You for it, God, and I call it done in Jesus' name. - Amen. - Amen. - Okay, so look, give me your phone? Take my numb

er. Yes. And you call me anytime. Okay? - You don't think it's a bit strange, since you're older? - Look, I, I see you like my little brother, and it's obvious I'm the only child, you met my mom a few Sundays ago. - Oh, Sister Shirley. - Yes (chuckles). - Oh, she's, uh, interesting. - Interesting is definitely the word. - Thanks though. - For what? - Because you may the only Christian I know that's still showing love and not quoting a bunch of... - You know, (chuckles) you know the scriptures, t

hat's not the issue. There's no reason for me to try to shove the Word down your throat. What you need to do is believe it, and understand God's love for you. Now look, I know you already know this, but God loves you so much. He loves you so much that He's sent His only son, Jesus Christ, to die a brutal death for our sins. Better yet, for your sins. And I don't know about you, but I couldn't imagine being beaten with those whips or being pierced in my hands and feet, or pierced in my side. But

you deserve it, all of that, we deserve it, because we live a sinful life. But God sent His son to die so that we don't have to deal with any of that. He died so that we can live again. - Before you go, can I ask you something? - Sure. - Why did He make me like this? - Bro, I'm reminded of Psalm 51:5, it says, "Behold, I was shaped in iniquity" "and in sin did my mother conceive me." We were born into this, bro. This, this is, this is how the earth is. But the greater thing is God has freed us.

It's not all on you. We were all born into a sinful world, and we have this flesh and it wants to do everything that's contrary to God. We just have to be holy. Do you know any children, like small kids? - [Anthony] No. - Okay. So I'm gonna tell you a story. I have a two-year-old cousin, well roughly two, um, and for the first time last week he told his first lie. So, he found a marker and decided to draw all over his wall. And his mom came in the room and asked him, "Did he draw on his wall?" H

e said, "No." Now, who taught him how to lie? - I don't know. - That's the thing. No one taught him. The works of our flesh allows us to desire to lie, to kill, to steal, to cheat, to have a desire to have sex before marriage and to even have attractions to the same sex. You were born into the world, in this wicked world with sinful natures. But there's still hope. That's why we're born again. All of this flesh, all of these desires, we can lay them down at the altar to the Father. And He knows

exactly what to do with them. He said, "Cast your cares upon Me for I care for you." So, all of these things, all of these sinful nature and desires, we can do away with when we take it to Him. - But there are plenty of Christians I know that are gay, that think they're gonna make it in. - There's a scripture for that (chuckles), I was literally reading it this morning. It's actually First Corinthians 6:9-11. "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not im

moral, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, greedy, drunkard, revilers and swindlers, they will not inherit the kingdom of God. "And such were some of you..." That's the part that really got me. "And such were some of you, but you were washed, sanctified, and you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And by the spirit of our God." The key word is, "Such were some of you." I, I, I love this scripture. I'm gonna send it to you right now. Uh, this means that some of these peo

ple, they used to be drunk, they used to be gay, they used to fornicate, but God delivered them. He sanctified them and He made them whole and holy. - You saying they just stopped doing all of that on their own? - Bro, of course not. We can't do any of this on our own. It has to be through the Holy Spirit. It's not by our might or by our power, but only by His spirit that we're able to do these things. And think about it, there's so many people in this world that's been through so much, and as t

he Word just said, "Such were some of us." I know people with testimonies galore about how they used to be in certain lifestyles and came out. And specifically in the homosexual lifestyle, they once lived the life and then they came to God, and God changed them. And it wasn't for society, for the world to say, "Oh wow, look at you, you're..." No, they went to God because they wanted change within themselves. And when they went to God, God cleared them of not just homosexuality, but every other d

ark thing that they dealt with. And most of them today are now married to the opposite sex, and some even with children. - Isn't that called conversion therapy? - Hmm, I don't think too much therapy was in play. It was all God. They went to the healer, more so than a therapist. And God healed them from the things that they were dealing with, because that's what he does. - So, they don't get tempted anymore? - Of course they get tempted. Being delivered does not mean that we're free from temptati

on. It does give us a way of escape every time. So, although we may be tempted in certain areas, God can still bring us out. - Oh man. - What, what's wrong? Is everything okay? - No, I just realized everybody's been blowing up my phone and my dad called me. Oh, give me a second. - Oh, okay. - Hello. Hey, dad. Yeah, I know. I'm at the park, it's a few blocks away from the school. Okay, see you soon. Bye. - Is everything all right? - That was my dad calling saying that the Bishop wanted to meet wi

th us right now. I'm not sure, but I think it has something to do with his post. - It may, but you know I can, I can wait with you until he gets here. - Nah, you should go. It's already, it's already bad enough. And I don't want things to be worse because you're here, so. - I understand. Stay encouraged, bro. And call me whenever you need. ♪ Sometimes I'm feeling worthless ♪ ♪ When I'm hurt and without a purpose ♪ ♪ My life's behind these curtains ♪ ♪ Like I'm backstage with no service ♪ ♪ But G

od don't play, He don't have to act ♪ ♪ There's no curtain call ♪ ♪ The veil's torn in half ♪ ♪ He took the stage and he made the cast ♪ ♪ He broke the most (indistinct) fade to black ♪ ♪ No matter what we're faced with ♪ ♪ We can face death with no anguish ♪ - So, you're not gonna say anything? - (sighs) Look son, more than likely the Bishop wants to talk to me about how can I be preaching on Sundays about sin and then having my son living in it. I mean, you've already embarrassed me enough thi

s morning, I'm trying to pick you up from school, and Mrs. Kelly stops me before I even get in the car to tell me that she knows. And then I get to school, and then they tell me that you haven't been in any of your classes. Do you care to explain yourself? Who are you? I didn't raise you this way. Anthony, this is the Bishop, he's the one that got me this job here and I am trying to make a good impression with him and you are ruining it. Look at me when I'm talking to you. You have better not co

st me my job here, or else. Let's go. - Now, I know it was a shock for you two to see me like this, but the Board Committee, the members of the Board, saw something this morning that was very disturbing. Anthony, is there something that you would like to share before I go any further? - Anthony son, you hear the Bishop talking to you? - I'm not saying anything, you've already judged me. - Now son, I haven't even said the word yet. How do you think I'm going to judge you? You judged me by assumin

g that I was going to judge you. Now, the committee saw this, it was viewed 1.4 million times. And as you can see, 5,000 people reacted to it. (paper rustling) Just hear this. "I thought our basketball team was lucky to have two star players on the team. But really it has only one star player. The other player, Anthony Davis, is sweeter than his jump shot. When y'all see him at school, make sure to offer him some sweet tea, 'cause he got sugar in his tank. (hand thumping) LOL. And that was poste

d just last night, it was viewed 1.4 billion times. - Bishop, please, I can explain. Listen, I had no idea that this was going on. Now, I had my suspicions, but my wife just kept reassuring me that there was nothing for me to worry about. - Apparently your wife wears the pants, because if you were being the man of the family you will use your discernment and (indistinct) this evil gay demon, before it went any further. So, I ask you, James, if you cannot control what comes in and out of your hou

se, how can you control the congregation of a church? James, I am sorry to tell you this, but the Board and I decided place you on probation. - Probation? For how long? - Until Christmas. But if you don't have this gay demon under control by then, then we'll be looking for a new pastor. - So... Okay, so what exactly do you want me to do? How am I supposed to handle this? - Exorcize that demon, cast it out, send him to camp, send him to a relative, beat him until that demon is gone. I don't know,

but it's on you to get rid of it, and if you cannot do that, then you must go. Because I refuse to have any damn demon in my church or in my jurisdiction. Do I make myself clear? - Crystal, sir? - Good. Do you have any other questions? - [James] No sir, I don't. - By the way, Anthony, I think it's best that you quit that basketball team. - But what? That's not fair. We only have a few more games left until the championship. - [Bishop] Right now, what's more important is your father's name. If p

eople find out that one of the lead stars of the basketball team is possibly living a homosexual lifestyle, that can tarnish his good name. - Oh, Bishop, with all due respect, I understand your concern, I really do. But basketball is the only thing that Anthony uses as an outlet. Now, as his father, I can't just take that away from him. - [Bishop] Tell me, Anthony, do you have any Christian friends? - No, not really. - Wait, hold on, shut up, let me answer that. Uh, yes, he knows Sister Shirley'

s daughter, Solfege. - Very good, very good. Okay. Okay. Okay. I can call Sister Shirley. And so Solfege could be of some assistance here. Now, you better get control of this, James, 'cause I've seen it take over very many people. You two are dismissed. - So, your family going back to Atlanta for the holidays? - My parents aren't even talking to one another. - What, they're still fighting? - Yep. - Hm, well have you talked to Caleb or Amanda? - Amanda no, Caleb not really. He's tried to text, ca

ll, come over, but I just don't know how to do it, or what to say, I mean, so much has changed ever since I unexpectedly came out. - (sighs) Yeah. Well listen, I know we're supposed to spend the weekends together, but every weekend all we do is walk and talk. So, next weekend I wanna switch it up a little bit. - What's that? - Well, some friends of mine are still in high school, uh, they're seniors, but they go to a private school and they want to do a Bible study at their house. - I get enough

bible stories church and my parents. - Look, it's nothing like that, you get to meet new friends and I think you'll enjoy it. - Maybe. - Let's change it into this, Bishop told you that you have to spend the weekends with me, now I'm telling you that weekends we Bible study, am I clear? - Ooh, feisty aren't we? - If I have to be. Get it together, you're coming. (melancholic music) - [Dr. Blossoms] Mr. and Mrs. Davis? (melancholic music) Please have a seat. All right, so how can I help y'all today

? - Well, a few months ago, our son Anthony came out as gay. - No, wait a minute, Stephanie, he didn't come out as gay, our son was, was discovered, he was founded out as gay by one of them viral posts on the internet. Okay? - And ever since that day, things have been really tense around the house. Anthony, Anthony barely speaks to us. James and I fight constantly. And because of this incident, James has been put on probation until Christmas. - Pro-Probation, how? - [James] Well, I'm the pastor

of the Rockwell Missionary Church and I have until Christmas to somehow fix my son. - So, let me get this straight. They're putting you on probation until your son somehow becomes straight? - Pretty much. - I'm sorry to tell you this, Mr. and Mrs. Davis, but your son's not the problem here, you are. - What? - Excuse me? - Before we go any further, and I need to say I am a Christian, and I stand firmly on the Word of God, and so I agree homosexuality is a sin. But for you as Christian parents, an

d you sir, to try and force your son to be straight, that's the problem. - Hm, (laughs) I'm sorry, excuse, uh, doctor, help me to understand this, 'cause you see in my head gay people are going to hell, so what's wrong with my son being straight? - I think I understand what she's trying to say. We have made our son's sin, that has been exploited to the public, such a big thing. Yet our sins haven't been exposed to the public like his. We show love to one another, but we are not showing any love

towards him. - Quick learner. - Oh, wait a minute now, we show our son love. Okay? We do show him love. But no, he wants love that accepts his mess and says that we're okay with it. We don't show our son that kind of love. - James, you and Anthony's relationship wasn't good even before all this happened. He makes Anthony feel like he has to be just like him in order for him to love him and to interact with him the way that he should. - No, Stephanie, that's not true. And look, all I want to do i

s spend some quality time with my son. And I feel like I haven't known him for years now. - Mr. Davis, what is your son's favorite thing to do? - Oh, that's easy, play basketball. - Okay. What is his greatest struggle in life? - [James] I wouldn't know. And I highly doubt that he would tell me. - Hm. Mrs. Davis? - Getting his father's approval. - Getting my approval? What's that? How do you know that? - You can just look at him, James. He tells me more things than he tells you, because he doesn'

t want you upset with him, or pushing your views on him. - Wait a minute, Steph, what, what do you mean he tells you more things? - I've known for about two years that he's gay. - Woman, what? - You're so pushy, James. He was scared to tell you. - Well, he should be scared, Stephanie. Our son is going to hell because he's gay. That doesn't bother you? - Mrs. Davis, how did you feel when he told you that he was gay? - Well, technically he didn't tell me, I overheard a phone conversation. At first

I was kind of shocked, but then it all made sense. He rarely ever talks about girls. - Okay. Mr. Davis, have you told your son that you love him? - [James] I'm pretty sure I have, doctor. - Have you told him since the situation has happened? - [James] No. - Let's take a moment to see things from his perspective, okay? So, he's clearly being bullied in school, and I know 'cause social media is big, and I've seen the posts. So, he goes to school day-in and day-out, he's laughed at, he's mocked, h

e's ridiculed. Then he goes home to a house that's full of tension and arguing. And to top it all off, he's told that if he's not straight by Christmas, you can't continue preaching. And then let's take it a step further. He's been told his entire life that homosexuality is a sin and that gay people will go to hell. Can you imagine the weight that this must bring for a teenager? He has to go to school and find peace in his friends, but he can't find it. Then he comes home to his house, where his

parents are, to find peace, and he can't find it. - [James] But Jesus gives us that peace though. - Yes. But this is something that he has to learn, and it's not something that he's going to learn overnight. This is why people struggle with suicide. They, they go to all these sources and we, we expect them to know something that they don't. Listen, I have a friend who's gone through this situation, and she understands this mindset completely. In fact, she wrote a book about it, and I think it w

ould really help your situation. "When your loved one comes out off the closet, 10 dos and don'ts." And this can be beneficial to you and your family. And I'm not saying it's something that will help overnight, but I do believe that it's something that can help you understand things from Anthony's perspective. Maybe even understand why people struggle with homosexuality. For some people it's they've been raped or they've been molested. For some, it's the fact that they haven't had a parental fig

ure in their home. But this can truly be of help to you, Mr. Davis. - Thank you so much. - Absolutely. Can I pray with you? - Sure. - Sure. - Lord, I just say thank you. I thank you for Mr. And Mrs. Davis. I thank you for allowing me to pour into their family. Lord, give them the wisdom and the courage to really speak with Anthony and hear him and love him unconditionally. And not just love him, but love each other. Well God, I pray that the joy in their marriage is restored. I pray, Lord, that

Mr. Davis and Anthony's relationship is restored. Lord, I can't wait to hear the testimony from this situation. God, we honor You as in Your name Jesus we pray. Amen. - Amen. - Amen. - You know, sometimes when things happen to us, we think that we're the only ones going through it. But in reality, someone in our family has already gone through it as well. For example, in Genesis Chapter 26, we learn that Isaac lied to King Abimelek to make sure that he didn't know that Rebecca was his wife. Now,

he was probably thinking this is a whole new lie that he came up with. But if you go back a few chapters to Genesis Chapter 20, we learn that his father, Abraham, did the same thing about Sarah to the same king. And King Solomon says, "There is nothing new under the sun." What we are going through in regards of of trials of life, such as sin, even Jesus has gone through it in the form of temptation. Hebrews Chapter 14, excuse me, Hebrews Chapter four, 14 through 15, it says, "Therefore, since w

e have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, lets us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who was unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who has been tempted in every way, as we are, "yet was without sin." This means that Jesus was tempted to lie, steal, fornicate, even see attractions of people of the same sex. But this is great news for us. You see, when Jesus got up on that cross and died for our sins and rose again, h

e conquered the grave. He conquered sin. Meaning we can conquer it through the power of the Holy Spirit. There are no excuses. Cuses, cuses, cuses. (gospel music) ♪ That we have grown ♪ ♪ And that's just part of life ♪ ♪ So why stick to this allegory ♪ ♪ Sad it took me being blind ♪ ♪ For me to see who's there for me ♪ ♪ The story ♪ ♪ People disappear when you tie the knot ♪ ♪ And for some, every bit of their support will drop ♪ - [Solfege] Anthony? Anthony? Anthony? Are you okay? - Um, yeah. Wh

at was, what was the question? (all laughing) - So, there wasn't a question, but more so we are still reading, you know, 7 Corinthians 5:17. It was just expounding on the revelation that we were getting. Everyone's reading it in their own translation, and then sharing what they get. So, do you mind reading? - No. No problem. I have the amplified version. It says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ" that is grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior, he is a new creature, reborn and rene

wed by the Holy Spirit. In the old things, the previous moral and spiritual condition have passed away. Behold, new things have come, "because spiritual awakening brings a new life." - Sounds great. So, what does that mean to you? Cool. You, uh, need me to take you home? - Um, no, I'd rather walk. - Is everything all right? You looked pretty distracted earlier. - I mean, Christmas is next week, and my dad and I still haven't talked. I don't know what he's thinking or what he's got planned. I jus

t feel like everything's my fault. - No. No, I strongly doubt they're gonna kick your dad out of the church. And if they do, the church has a problem. - Hm, I guess. - Uh, my, my wife and I went to, uh, counseling a few weeks ago. - Hmm. What's the counselor's name? - Uh, Dr. Blossoms. She gave us this, uh, this book and it... She advised us to read it in order to know what to do in this situation. - I've heard she does great work. I trust her wisdom and her judgment. Good news, since you went t

o counseling, you're no longer on probation. Congratulations. - Really? - Yes. But your son can no longer hang around those LGBTQRS people. - Uh, Bishop with, with all due respect, but, uh, my son and I haven't really been in communication like that, it's... Things have been kind of tense and, uh, I'm pretty sure if I say something like that, it's only gonna make things more tense. - You either want this job or not. I can easily give this position to someone else. - No sir, I want my job. - Good

. Now get out my office. - Yes, sir. (footsteps tapping) (door clicking) (hip-hop gospel music) (door slams) (hip-hop gospel music) (fist thumping) (hip-hop gospel music) (pages rustling) - [Voiceover] "For most parents, it is first love" when you are finally able to see your precious child. You changed their dippers, and you made sure to teach the right from wrong. You were there to wipe the tears from their eyes, and they came to you for everything. Every moment of every day you told yourself

that you did not want to ever miss anything they did, because you knew that one day they'd be old enough to make their own decisions and move out. But there is a moment that no parent wants or expects to hear from their child, no matter what age they might be. Rumors may start to spread about your family. You may even think you did something wrong. That moment that no parent wants to hear from their child "is mom and dad I am gay." (gospel music) (door clicking) - Steph? - I'm home (laughs). - H

ey. - Hey, how are you? How was your day? - Hm, good news and bad news. - Okay. Well give me the good news first. - Well, the Bishop said that, uh, um, because of the counselor that we went to go see, she happens to be very well known, and I'm not on probation anymore. - Honey, that is awesome. Oh, my goodness. Are you serious? - Yeah. - All right, so what's the bad news? - Um, well Anthony is not allowed to hang out with any of his, uh, his friends, his, his gay friends. And if I don't make him

do it, then the Bishop is going to take away my job. - And so how are you supposed to tell him this? - Hm, I don't know, Steph. I don't know, you know, I, I read a little bit of that book, but then he's, he's not going to want to hear what I have to say. I should just go ahead and resign, right? - All right, so don't start thinking that everything is going to go wrong. Let's not assume that he will not take it the right way. Actually, I think that you should read that book that the counselor ga

ve us, in its entirety. And then talk to him. - Have you read it? - I have, and it's actually helped me in a couple of areas. - What areas? - Well, I think you should read the book for yourself first. - Hmm. - Okay? - Yeah, somehow I knew you would say that. - Honey, we're gonna be okay. - Yeah. (hip-hop music) (knock on door) - Sweetie, I know it's midnight, but don't think I forgot our tradition of eating marshmallows. Caleb? Caleb, sweetie, baby, sweetie, baby, please wake up. Caleb, Caleb pl

ease. - [911 Operator] 911, what's your emergency? (door squeaking and clicking) - How's Caleb? - He's stable, but they gonna keep him for a few days, because they say he's considered suicidal. I'm going to bed. - All right. (hands tapping) - Anthony, wait a second. I, I know you're slayed and you're probably tired, and you wanna go to bed, but I have something to tell you. - Sure. (melancholy music) - Anthony, I know you had a long day, but I have something I want to tell you. So, I really want

you to hear me out on this. Okay? Well, first I want you to open your gift. (wrapping paper crinkling) - Uh, thanks, but I don't get it. - Well, yeah, yeah, I know you don't get, it's just a mirror. Right? But it's, it's more than a mirror. Uh, look I, I know I haven't been the best father to you. I've treated you wrong and I haven't cared about your feelings of what you like. And I'm sorry. And the truth is I haven't been the best father to you, because my father wasn't the best for me. And my

father was so deep in the church that he barely had any time for me. The one thing he truly cared about was that he looked a certain way and that his household appeared a certain way. So me, son, I naturally just did the same thing. And I cared so much about the appearance of this family that I didn't take the time to care about the heart of this family. But, uh, your mother and I went to counseling a few weeks ago and she gave us this book and it, it teaches you how to minister to people in th

e LGBT community. And I'm not gonna lie, I didn't want to read it at first, 'cause I thought it was a bunch of hogwash. You know me. But there was this moment, a moment of clarity, when I started reading it. That's when God exposed my heart, son. And I realized that we all have sin. But it's that one sin that gets so much attention that we treat those people wrongly. Now we claim we're showing them love, but really for most of us, we're just already condemning them in our hearts. What I'm really

trying to say, Anthony, is that I'm sorry that I made you feel like you had to earn my affection. I'm sorry that I never made you feel comfortable around me. And I'm sorry that I made you think that I hated you, son. That's why I gave you that mirror, because I want you to see what I see. You see what I see, I see my son, Anthony Davis. But more importantly, God knew you before you'd even been born, son, you are loved and cared for. Jesus loves you so much that that he died for you on that cros

s. He knew your struggles and everything you will be going through right now. But he didn't want you to go through it alone, which is why when he died for you, he rose again, so you have the power, not just to overcome one struggle, but over any and all temptations in your life, son. You understand? Your identity is in Him alone. He's not calling you to be straight. He's calling you into the kingdom to be a child of the King. He's calling you from a sinner to a saint. And one thing I've noticed

is people in our neighborhood think that just because they say they believe in God and they say they love Him that they can just keep actively pursuing their sins, but that's not true. Jesus has given us the power through His Holy Spirit not to pursue our sins at all. This walk, this path that we're on is all about denying ourselves, son. Jesus says, "If any man wants to come back to me, he must deny himself, take up His cross and follow Him." You understand me? All right. - You know, I was in C

aleb's room and he yelled at me and told me to get out. I told him that, I believe in God and I believe that if the God in the Bible is true, then I can't be in a relationship with him like that. And to come home after all of this, and out of all people hear you say this... Thank you. - Oh yeah. It'll be okay, son. I love you, you know that? - I love you too. - Regardless if you follow Christ or not, I will always love you. You're my son. All right? Good night, go to bed. (door clicking) (melanc

holy music) - Lord, I know I haven't been praying to You as often as I should, but thank You for creating me. I'm sorry that I've been living, you know, just doing my own thing, knowing which way is right, but still not living for You. Lord, I want to do this for You. I want to live for You. I pray that You would help Caleb and Amanda. I love them and I want what's best for them. And I pray that You would give me the words to say to them. Amen. (hip-hop gospel music) - I'm Anthony Davis, a child

of the King. (hip-hop gospel) Caleb? Caleb? (footsteps tapping) Hey wait, good game. - It was not a good game, I missed the last shot, we lost the championship. - I mean, yeah, but it, it was still fun though, and I had the pleasure of playing with you this year. - What do you mean? Aren't you a Christian? Why are you talking to me? Why are you being nice? You're a Christian, y'all ain't like that. - Yes, I am a born again Christian, but that don't mean that I don't love you and respect you. -

Look, I'd do the same thing, I'd claim religion if I was going through what you were going though, you know me, everybody figured out, you know, you're gay, you're the preacher's kid and whatnot. But what does that matter, you and I both know, you and I both know you feel the way you do, you and I both know you still have feelings, even though you try and hide it from everybody else. What's that about? - Yes, I am a Christian now, and yes I do have a piece I'm hiding. And yes I do still do have

an attraction for men, I also wanna lie, I also wanna watch porn, and I also wanna masturbate. Does that make it right though? No. I know those are things that the flesh wants and the flesh does not want to honor God, it wants to create a God in my head. - So, you're okay being a man who may never have sex, may never get married, that's fine with you? - Look, I don't know what the future holds, all I know is sex is a gift from God, of marriage. - Yeah. - And I don't know if it's His will for me

to get married or not, if it is His will then fine, if not then my desire right now is Him and only Him. - Whatever. - Look, look, I know what you've been through with Christians and for that I am sorry, but this isn't just a phase, I'm telling you, my identity is in Christ. And I just pray that you get that same revelation and guidance that I've got. - Your God's a healer, right? If He's a healer, then why do people die, why do people get sick? Is He gonna let me die from my HIV, this horrible

disease? No, I can't do this, just leave me alone. - Caleb? Caleb? - Kelly. - Hey Stephanie, can I talk with you? - Yeah, sure. Have a seat. (door squeaking and clicking) - I'm trying to be there for Caleb, but it's so hard. I know he's feeling rejected by his father and Anthony. - Well, I can tell you that Anthony isn't rejecting Caleb, Caleb's rejecting him. Anthony's trying to be his friend. And I just think Caleb is feeling the rejection of not being in a relationship with my son. - Did you

support Anthony, when you first found out? - The lifestyle? No, I didn't. But I made sure he knew I loved him unconditionally. - I want Caleb to be happy and not depressed. That's why I support him. I want him to find true love and be happy. Not live some fake life for everybody else but himself. - When's the last time you've been to church? I see that the last time you came was a little bit before we moved down here and you haven't been back since. - I haven't been there since they announced yo

ur family was coming. See, the last time I went, I opened up to one of the other members about my son. They immediately told me how disgusting he was and I, his mother, for letting him to continue to live under my roof. I was so devastated hearing that. We just never went back. - I am so sorry to hear that. That is so uncalled for. - I never told Caleb why we never went back, because I didn't want his feelings to be hurt. But he also never asked why we didn't go. - I know it's hard being a lovin

g mom and trying to raise someone who's struggling with something that everyone says he shouldn't be struggling with. How's your relationship with God? - It's okay. I haven't been reading the Word or praying as much as I should. Sometimes I feel like God's punishing me. - Why do you say that? - One minute your marriage is great, and then the next your husband tells you he's not gonna raise a sissy or stay married to someone who supports that kind of lifestyle. God's punishing me. I know what the

Word says, but he's my son. - All right. I have something for you. Give just a minute. (footsteps tapping) When James and I went to the counselor, they gave us this book. It's been so helpful on how to respond to Anthony. And it teaches how to stand on the Word of God, but also love with the love of God. I really believe this book will help you. Thank you. I will read it. - Awesome. - Can you pray with me? - I sure will. We can pray right now. (knock on door) - Come in. - Hey, honey. - What's u

p? - Can we talk for a sec? - Yeah. - I just wanted to know, how are you feeling? - You don't have to worry, mom, I'm not gonna pull a stunt like that again, you know, so everything's fine. - I know you won't, but still. How are you feeling mentally? - I mean, hopeless, lost. I mean, Anthony's trying to be nice to me, but I'm just treating him like dirt. - And do you believe what he says about following Christ? - I do, I just don't wanna admit it though. - I need to tell you something. - Okay. -

I've been thinking and praying and... I haven't been a very good mom to you. - What you mean? You've been a great mom. - No. Hear me out. I haven't been a very good mother to you, because I say I'm a Christian, but I'm not really living it. I was so fearful of not rejecting you, when you first came out to me, that instead I rejected the Word of God. - What made you dec... What made you decide all of this? - I've been reading the book Miss Stephanie let me borrow and it's really opened my eyes.

I realized I can follow God and be loving. So, son, I need you to know I love you so much and you mean the world to me, but I have to follow God. I don't support the lifestyle you're choosing, even though you feel like you don't have any control over it, but I will always be here for you. (Caleb sighs) - So, you got brainwashed too? - I'm not brainwashed, I'm just trying to... - You know what? Just get out. - Okay. Caleb, I'm not gonna bring this up again, but I am gonna ask one thing of you, on

Sunday, you get up, get dressed, and come with me to church. We haven't been in a while, and I would like to do it as a family. - Fine. (door clicks) - So, you nervous? - About tomorrow? - Yeah. - Yeah, a little. Caleb's gonna be there. - What? Oh my gosh, that's great (chuckles). - Well, this could be a make it or break it. Um, if all goes bad, um, he may not even wanna look at my face anymore. - Hm. Either way, God is in control. - Yes, you're right. - Good morning. Uh, before I get into my m

essage, I have something that I need to share with everyone. I'm sure you all know the struggles my family and I had to endure late last year. I was knowing so much about everyone else's life that I barely knew my son's life. So, now I wanna take this opportunity and let him share his testimony. Anthony. - Thanks dad. Uh, good morning. A few days ago I asked my dad if I could share what Jesus had done in my life. And at first he was a skeptic. He wasn't sure how people would respond. But after m

uch prayer, he reminded me that we had to continuously overcome the enemy by the Blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony. Revelation 12:11 states that we overcome the enemy by the Blood of the Lamb and the power of our testimony. At the age of five, I was molested by my older cousin. I didn't tell anyone. My parents didn't know about it. I didn't know what was happening. My cousin was also being molested as well, and he was just showing me what they were doing to him. It was at that m

oment that I became attracted to men. I kept it in. I didn't tell anybody. I didn't know how. It's hard enough being a pastor's son and hearing about something every Sunday, about it being an abomination. I didn't ask for these feelings. I didn't ask to be molested. So, because of those things, it made me question if God was real. That's when I began to further explore the lifestyle. An incident occurred where I had come out of the closet and I was bullied at school. My parents argued every nigh

t. And someone I loved dearly almost committed suicide. It was then I was at a very dark place. But with the help of Solfege, she showed me that I was broken. Not because I was gay, but because I live in a broken world. Then on Christmas Day my dad gave me a mirror and he told me to look at myself and see that I was a child of God, and see that I was created in the image of God. There was nothing wrong with me, but because of sin, and because I started fulfilling the desires of my flesh, it made

me distant from the Lord. It was that night that I decided to surrender my life to Him and fully chase after Him. I also want to say that there are so many people in the LGBT community that have Christian parents. I want to tell these parents that trying to make your kids straight isn't gonna help. They need to know that no man can see God without holiness, and we all fall short of the glory. But through Christ and accepting Him, we too can be born again. (congregation clapping and cheering) -

Thank you, son. I am so proud of my boy. He taught me so much about myself. How I was so quick to condemn him, that I barely looked at the sins of my own heart. Which is why starting next month, we are starting a new group at the church for people who have loved ones in the LGBT community. Now, please understand this is not an alliance. This is a support group and helping you to understand how to stand on the Word of God while still loving them. And, you know, I would preach, but I think my son'

s testimony was the message for all of us today. He reminded us that Jesus is still loving, He's still saving, He's still forgiving, and above all else, He's still delivering. - Pastor James, can I say something, please? - [James] Of course you can, son. - Thank you. Hi, my name is Caleb. This is my mom and I's first time here in a while. Um, I didn't know what to say when I came up here, but I was that suicidal friend that Anthony was talking about. And I was also the reason he was getting bull

ied at school. So, when he started talking about all that Jesus stuff, I thought he was just trying to stuff down everything he was going through. Um, and then my mom started talking about the same stuff like a week ago. And, you know, I just, I just thought it was a mess, and that, you know, they were brainwashed, and I didn't understand it. But while Anthony was talking, I heard a, I heard someone talk to me and they said, "Would you still serve Me, if I never healed you from HIV?" Yes, I have

HIV, you know? But then the same voice again, "Am I still a holy and righteous God, if I never heal you from HIV?" It was at that moment I knew it was the Lord talking to me. And, you know, I may never be healed from HIV and I may never be with a woman, but I do know now that following the Lord is way more important than doing what I feel is right. ♪ Yes, and I give it up ♪ ♪ I give it up ♪ ♪ I give it up ♪ ♪ I give it up ♪ ♪ I give it up ♪ ♪ I give it up ♪ ♪ So, you can have it all ♪ ♪ You can

have it all ♪ ♪ So, I give it up ♪ ♪ I give it up ♪ ♪ I give it up ♪ ♪ I give it up ♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, I give it up ♪ ♪ I give it up ♪ ♪ So you can have it all ♪ ♪ You can have it all ♪ ♪ You can have it all ♪ ♪ You can have it all ♪ ♪ Yeah, you can have it all ♪ ♪ You can have it all ♪ ♪ You can have (indistinct) ♪ ♪ You can have it all ♪ ♪ So you can have it all ♪ ♪ You can have it all ♪ ♪ I don't wanna go another day ♪ ♪ You can have it all ♪ ♪ Without giving you all of me ♪ ♪ You can hav

e it all ♪ ♪ You can have it all ♪ ♪ You can have it all ♪ ♪ My Jesus, you can have it all ♪ ♪ You can have it all ♪ ♪ Here I am ♪ - When I finish my homework, we can probably play ball. - Right, sounds good. - Oh my gosh. I cannot believe you guys are talking again. Like do you have any idea how lonely these months have been with nobody to talk to? I mean, no offense, Anthony, but I really didn't want to hear about Jesus all the time, so I'm really glad you're over all that. - Amanda, what are

you talking about? I'm still serving Christ. - But you guys are talking. I, I thought... - And me, I'm serving Christ as well. - You've gotta be kidding me. - Mm-mm. - Wow. Oh, okay. You know what? Go fill somebody else's brain with that crap, I'm out of here. - Amanda, wait, wait, wait, before you blow us off, I'm speaking at JJ's Peace Bar tomorrow night, and you introduced me there, I would like for you to come. - Are you gonna be spitting religious crap, like Solfege? - Please, just come out

. - We'll see. - Could you all give it up for Anthony. (audience clapping) - This is called "Civil War." It's a civil war daily. It's a civil war daily. Do I choose to stay in sin while (indistinct)? I know the Lord is spiritual, but we're fleshly bodies, we have to die daily, because sin is so legal. The things that I shouldn't do, I keep doing it. The things that I know I'm supposed to be doing, I just don't do it. But if I continue to do the things that I know I shouldn't do, I admit that the

law is good, but now your judgment. But is it really me or is it the sin within me that's causing it to do it? See, I know the flesh isn't good, but I just don't know how to improve it. It's like this thing in my mind keeping me enslaved to sin, bound up, chained, no hope within. Like a rollercoaster up, down. Tug of war, back and forth. Oh, wretched man I am. Who can cleanse me from this stain? Oh, wretched man I am. Who can free this burden of pain? Thank God, Jesus Christ our Lord. Thank God

, Jesus Christ our Lord. He reigns on the throne and I serve Him, and Him alone. (audience clapping and cheering) - Go Anthony. Bro, now that's what I'm talking about. Yes. What did you (indistinct) for the kingdom, come on, how you feeling? - I just pay attention. - Yeah, I'm sure you did. Super powerful. - [Principal West] We couldn't be more proud of the graduating class of 2020. Though this life may give you storms with turbulence, we know that every one of you will succeed. Remember the mem

ories you have made here, along with the friends and teachers you have encountered. Congratulations, you did it. (attendees clapping) - Well, guys, we did it. - We sure did. So, what's happening in the future? - You mean like today or a future reference? - I'll say a future reference. - Um, I don't know, I'm thinking of taking some classes at the community college and picking up a job around here. Save up until I can move out. What about you guys? - So, I have news, guys, um, I got accepted into

university. I'm gonna study to be a doctor. - That's awesome. What about you? - Um, so I got (indistinct) church staff, I'm working with the support group. Um, taking classes online. I don't know what I really want to do with my life, but I'm leading towards counselor. - Yeah, you get to fill other people with your religious garbage. (Caleb and Amanda laugh) No, no, listen, uh, um, I did hear your spoken word and I wanted to say that it was deep, and I can actually relate. Sometimes it does fee

l like I'm at war with myself, and I have these demons that I can't get rid of or fight with mentally. I used to think that Christians only used Jesus as a scapegoat to get out of their problems, but after that night, while I was driving home, it hit me, you don't use Jesus as a scapegoat to get out of your problems, but He's the scapegoat for our sins. I can't really explain it, but I kind of had an encounter with Him that night. I'm just sorry I treated you both so badly, and called you both n

ames. I see you guys were right all along. - Wait, wait, wait, you have to break that down. What happened? - I guess you have to watch the sequel to find out. - But, you know, guys, this is an exciting moment, this is the best part. Look, it's raining outside, let's go running. - [Mrs. Kelly] Caleb? Caleb? There's someone who wants to see you. - [Zach] Hey, son. - Dad? What are you doing here? I didn't invite you. - [Zach] I know you didn't. But I invited myself. Son, I know that you have the ri

ght to hate me, and I... That's perfectly fine. I just need to say I'm sorry for wanting to disown you. And I'm also sorry for leaving you and your mom. I know I told you that I left because I didn't want no sissy for a son, but I, son I think I just needed an excuse in general. I wasn't happy living with your mom and I just didn't know how to get out. I had my own demons to deal with, son, and I just didn't wanna admit it. Every night I would look out the window and I would wonder what kind of

man you would become. I wondered if you would even still love me. I started praying again. I don't even know if God was, if He was even listening to me. So, I asked Him to let me see you again. I called your mom the other day, at first she didn't wanna talk to me, she was very reluctant. But then she began to tell me everything. I was wrong, son. I was wrong for leaving you and I'm so sorry. Caleb, I am so proud of you. And if you'll let me, I wanna be a part of this family again. - You know, I

really wanna scream at you right now and just and just be so mad. But, you know, I forgive you. I forgive you and I'll be more than happy, and, you know, I love you too, and I'm, I'm glad you're back. Dad, these are my friends, Anthony and Amanda, and I'll, I'll really love for you to meet them. They're my best friends right here. Guys, come on. Amanda. Anthony. Guys, this is my dad. - Nice to meet you guys. Say, listen, this is a celebration, I'm taking everybody out to eat. Tell your parents.

- Whoo, whoo-hoo. ♪ Okay ♪ ♪ Whoo ♪ ♪ Remember who you are ♪ ♪ Not what they told you to be ♪ ♪ I'm not aiming to please ♪ ♪ I am a child of the King ♪ ♪ He can supply all my needs ♪ ♪ I am the breath that He breathes ♪ ♪ (indistinct) He planted the seed ♪ ♪ Sacrifice left blood on the leaves ♪ ♪ That's the price so His love is on me ♪ ♪ I don't have no people that hurt me ♪ ♪ It was the pain that birthed me ♪ ♪ (indistinct) that earthed me ♪ ♪ (indistinct) in disgrace, now I am worthy ♪ ♪ (indi

stinct) ♪ ♪ Coming back in town just like He heard me ♪ (hip-hop gospel music) ♪ You rock, I roll ♪ ♪ You say, I go ♪ ♪ My God I know ♪ ♪ Whoa, whoa ♪ ♪ You rock, I roll ♪ ♪ You say, I go ♪ ♪ My God I know ♪ ♪ Whoa, whoa, whoa ♪ ♪ You rock, I roll ♪ ♪ You say, I go ♪ ♪ My God ♪