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Ezekiel L. Henshaw will conduct our revival.
OLIVIA: Ben, I'm not gonna have your soul lost to the devil.
Now you're gonna come to that revival meeting, and you're gonna listen!
Ma, the children have minds of their own.
Well, then you should be showing them the way.
John, you know how much this means to me.
You have two choices!
Your house in heaven or an eternity in hell!
JOHN-BOY: We were a religious people on Walton's Mountain.
The church was the center of our social as well as our spiritual lives.
Each year, there would come a great religious revival
when each of us would be called upon
to examine our conscience and to receive salvation.
It was a time of joyous reunion,
of intense religious fervor, and it was looked forward o
with great anticipation by everyone except my father.
Oh, there they come!
Get here! Come on, he's waiting on the phone.
I had to go all the way to Maude Gormley's, but I got him.
IKE: He can't wait all day. Come on!
MAMIE: Yes, we knew John-Boy'd find you.
It must be splendid news, Matthew!
Well, I'm not exactly sure yet, Miss Emily.
He's staying at the Thomas Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Reverend. Hurry.
Y-Yes, so John-Boy informed me.
Erin's at the switchboard. She's keepin' the line open.
Yes! Come on!
(ALL LAUGHING)
Get on the phone.
Well...
Maybe we ought to let the Reverend
have his phone call in private.
I agree, Olivia. The call was personal.
You're right, Sister.
Papa used to say,
"Eavesdroppers seldom hear good of themselves."
I wasn't gonna eavesdrop. I work here.
What's goin' on?
Reverend Fordwick is talking long distance to a very important preacher.
Oh, okay.
What an interesting hobby, collecting car parts.
Oh, no, it's not a hobby, ma'am.
He's takin' those parts and making himself a real car.
Oh, we have a spare tire on our car.
Perhaps he would...
Oh, no, dear.
We have to have that in case we have a punctur.
Oh.
Oh!
Divine providence has answered my prayers.
Ezekiel L. Henshaw will conduct our revival.
(ALL CHEERING)
Through friends at the theological seminary,
I was able to persuade him to stop by
on his crusade through the South.
I can't believe my children are gonna hear that wonderful man preach.
I hope you will see fit to publicize this event
in your paper, John-Boy.
Oh, it's a front-page story for sure.
Good. Now-- Now what we want to let everyone know
is that we will hold our revival meetings where we seek commitments
next Sunday.
The following Sunday we will have the baptisms.
Now, I'll bring you some background material on Reverend Henshaw.
Oh, don't worry. I'll get it all in.
You know, it was once my great opportunity
to hear Reverend Henshaw conduct a service,
and I doubt if there's another minister of the gospel
who can bring converts to the fold as he can.
Excuse me.
I'd like to think you'll join us
at the revival services, John.
(SIGHS)
I'm making no promises, Matt.
Takes a lot of work to feed my family, pay my debts.
John, there is gain for everyone
in resting on the seventh day.
It's fine for them that can afford it, Matt.
It'd be a great comfort to me to know
that you've accepted Christ as your personal savior.
Matt, I'm afraid you're gonna have to get along without me this time.
Better luck with the other lost sheep.
You are a challenge.
(PEACOCK CAWING)
Oh, here comes Mary Ellen, I bet.
Oh, Mary Ellen.
There she is.
Hi, honey!
Good to have you home.
Hi, Mary Ellen.
You're too thin!
Anytime, sweetheart.
I gotta finish that article now. I'll see you later.
Okay, Elizabeth. I can't wait to get upstairs
Yeah, yeah.
Give any vaccinations or take out any tonsils?
No, all I do is study.
I missed you!
Jason.
Did you get to take out any interns?
No, but one took me out.
Yeah!
Where's Jim-Bob?
Oh, more than likely he's off
gettin' some parts for that new car he's building.
Call that a car, Grandpa, with three wheels and no engine?
Well, what's been happening around here? Anything exciting?
Not much this past week, but on Sunday we're gonna have a revival meeting.
I hope you'll be there.
Oh, sure, Mama.
Well...
Oh, hi, Jim-Bob!
Hi, Mary Ellen.
Jim-Bob, you better get washed up for supper.
Mama!
Sorry. James Robert.
All right, come on, son. Look lively.
Dear Lord,
thank you for bringing this family safely together
for the food on our table.
Especially bless those who provide for us.
We ask you to bless Reverend Henshaw
as we welcome him to our revival.
And please, Lord, open the hearts of those
who have not yet found their way to salvation.
ALL: Amen.
JOHN: Looks good, Liv.
MARY ELLEN: Who's Reverend Henshaw?
He's gonna be the guest minister at our revival.
GRANDMA: Baptized people halfway around the world.
GRANDPA: He's a busy man.
OLIVIA: He's a real crusader.
JIM-BOB: Mama, what's a crusader?
BEN: Somebody pass the bread, please.
ELIZABETH: A crusader is a man who goes on crusades.
And he helps people find the joy and comfort of living
once they've taken God into their lives.
JASON: Oh, I don't know. I was baptized,
and I didn't feel all that much different.
Well, you don't play the piano any better.
You wouldn't know good piano-playing if you heard it.
I wish those of you who haven't taken the step
would do some serious thinking about this.
BEN: Oh, I think about it a lot, Mama.
Well, I'm glad I was baptized with John-Boy.
It was a beautiful experience.
MARY ELLEN: Mama, I suppose you want me to get dunked this year.
(GRANDPA CHUCKLES)
OLIVIA: I want you to be baptized,
Thank you.
Just come to the service and listen,
and if you feel the call to accept Christ,
I'm sure you'll find it a wonderful experience.
Well, a lot of times people's lives are gonna depend on me.
If I'm gonna be a nurse,
GRANDPA: Amen.
Maybe it's time I made my witness.
Mary Ellen, that would make your mama and me very happy.
Mama, why would it make you so happy?
Because I want this whole family together, now and in the hereafter.
There's no salvation in life beyond the tomb.
GRANDPA: Turn or burn.
I don't even like thinking about the tomb.
GRANDMA: Isn't it time, Jim-Bob, that the Lord touched your soul?
Me and my soul aren't too happy about going in the water.
(GRANDPA CHUCKLES)
JASON: Might wake you up, Jim-Bob.
Now, just a minute here.
Jim-Bob and Ben and everybody else
has time to make up their own minds.
Finished, Daddy?
Yes, I am, honey.
Excuse me, Yancy and I are going *** hunting.
You're telling me, son? Last year, you asked me.
Oh, I'm asking, Daddy... Sir.
Seems to me you've got better things to do with your time
than running through the woods and gullies
with that crazy Yancy Tucker.
Liv, I don't see any harm in him knocking around in the woods.
Wish I had time.
You be careful, Ben.
I will, Mama. Daddy.
And while you're out there, give some thought to your soul.
I will. Good night, everyone.
CHILDREN: Goodnight, Ben.
That Ben.
Zeb, if you'd insisted that John follow the Christian way,
Livie and I wouldn't be going through this torment right now.
Old woman, with the ever-blooming springs
comes this ever-blooming argument about baptism.
Year after year after year.
Yeah, and we're gonna keep right on trying until I get results.
Can we talk about something else?
Arguments make my stomach growl.
Can I be excused, Daddy? I don't want any dessert.
Yes, you can, son.
I even named John after John the Baptist.
And what come of it?
A good man,
a Christian who doesn't go to church.
He takes after his daddy,
and I try to take after John the Baptist.
Grandpa, I thought you liked church.
I do like church, Elizabeth.
I like to go there for the singing and the gettin' together,
but I believe the whole wide world is one cathedral
where you walk in silent hills
besides quiet waters.
Church is where you find it.
Old man, don't you spread sacrilege to this child, you hear?
Sacrilege?
Ma, the children have minds of their own.
John, you know how much this means to me.
Yes, I do, Liv.
I still have faith in Reverend Fordwick and Reverend Henshaw.
After all these years, I've just about given up hope.
So here's the article on Henshaw right there.
I just set that up here, and I take the type out,
and, you see, each one of these little pieces of type's got a little notch in it
so that when you set it in this part here, see,
you feel your fingernail go in there, and you know you got it right side up.
Then you memorize where all the boxes are for the different letters.
Your paper sure is looking better all the time.
Yeah, well, I'm gradually getting the kinks out of it.
(PEACOCK CAWING)
Good Lord!
What was that?
I don't know.
I thought it was in here.
Like a lady yelling
or a wildcat or something.
Shh.
Get back.
(PEACOCK CAWING)
Well!
JOHN: Jim-Bob, that's a peacock you got up there.
MARY ELLEN: You're kidding.
No, he isn't kidding.
It's beautiful.
That is the ancient bird of royalty.
Famous in song and story.
Well, what's it doing here?
OLIVIA: Where on earth did you find it?
Walkin' around out in the woods.
It's not a wild bird, son.
You're gonna have to find the owner.
Well, can I see him fly first?
I just wanted to see him fly.
I think you better take him outside and let him go.
Well, he'll fly away.
I could put something in the paper for you.
"Found, one screaming peacock." Would that help?
JOHN: It's a good idea, son.
I hope the owner can't read.
(CONGREGATION SINGING)
ALL: Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
HENSHAW: Praise the Lord!
(ALL CHATTERING)
Reverend Henshaw! Welcome!
We are honored to have you with us!
Thank you, brother. Hallelujah!
Where's the jail?
Uh, well, it should be closed by now.
Let me take your bags here.
Is the community ready?
Oh, yes. There'll be a front-page story in the local paper.
The church should be overflowing.
Where's the center of sin?
Uh, we don't have one.
There is always a den of iniquity
given to the wicked gratification
of the sensual and the weak.
Now, where is your center of sin, Reverend?
Uh, well, there is a roadhouse I have heard about.
It's called the, um, Dew Drop Inn,
on Route 29.
There's some shady things reported to go on there.
Drive me there.
Strike sin in the garden in which it grows.
I hardly think it's a garden.
Mostly it's a place where people go to relax.
I shall challenge the devil on his own ground
and make known my presence on this community.
(BLUEGRASS MUSIC PLAYING ON JUKEBOX)
Yancy, you bag yourself a raccoon,
and I'll come by and fix you the finest stew
with black-eyed peas and collard greens and hushpuppies,
and for dessert, you handsome devil,
I'll fix you a sweet-potato pie!
Oh, Sissy, you're stirring up my appetite.
Aren't you the oldest of the Walton boys?
No, I'm the third.
Well, you sure look like you'd be the oldest.
Well, thank you.
Name's Texas.
Hello, Texas. My name is Ben.
You sure look like some redheaded man with his feet on the ground.
Yancy, don't you think we should start going after that ***?
(WHIMPERING)
Ben, I always like to give him a little break.
Let him have a head start.
Oh, Yancy, you got a good heart.
True.
(DOOR SLAMMING SHUT)
I am Ezekiel L. Henshaw, a visitor to your community.
I implore you for your own salvation
and the welfare of your blessed families
to come to Walton's Mountain Church this Sunday.
Wait! Be not afraid.
Let me lead you to the peace that passeth all understanding.
Take this one day out of your sinful lives
and find a new life in Christ.
Consider.
Consider with me the most glorious of religious experiences.
Surrender your soul to God. Then baptism.
Reverend.
What in the name of peace and goodness are you doing here?
HENSHAW: Be reborn, O my friend...
The lameness of your excuse grieves me.
Ben Walton amongst card players
and drinkers of alcohol and...
And, Reverend?
Reverend Fordwick, this is Sissy and this is Texas.
They work here.
This is Yancy. You know Yancy.
Nae, do not say it is too late...
Ben wouldn't even be here if my dog hadn't gotten tired and thirsty.
We're just waiting for him to get his wind. That's all.
SISSY: Yancy's got a good heart.
Fertile ground, Fordwick. Fertile ground.
Ben, I want you to return home immediately
and tell your parents all.
Do I have to, Reverend? I mean, it looks much worse than it is.
Accept deliverance in the name of Jesus
and find your eternal home in heaven.
All my friends, bless you, one and all.
Ben, tell your parents all.
Yes, sir. Come on, Yancy.
Tiger.
Tiger. Come here, Tiger.
Tiger, come here.
(DOOR CLOSING)
Hi, John!
Hi, Yancy.
Yancy, watch out! The chicken coop!
Now, Yancy, you kind of overshot, didn't you?
John, I'm sorry. I was just hurrying Ben home
so I could take full blame.
Blame for what, Yancy?
I dropped by the Dew Drop Inn,
and Ben just happened to stop by with me.
It's all right, honey. They just overshot a little.
Yes, Mama.
Son, I don't ever recall seeing a *** at the Dew Drop Inn.
Boy just happened to come in to get out of the cold
while I said hello to Sissy. That's all.
Ben, you know I don't like you going into places like that.
I know, Mama. I just wanted to see what it would look like.
I didn't do anything wrong.
No, Ben didn't do nothing wrong.
No, sir. I just talked to this girl.
Well, her name is Texas, and she's a waitress.
Comes from a fine old Texas family. They got oil wells.
There wouldn't have been no trouble if it wasn't for them Bible pounders
coming in there looking for sinners.
Reverend Fordwick and Reverend Henshaw saw you there?
All right, now, Yancy, get out of here. Let me back up here.
You're right here in the hen yard.
Ben, I'm not gonna have your soul lost to the devil.
Now, you're gonna come to that revival meeting, and you're gonna listen!
Yes, ma'am.
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
What you doing?
Storm's coming.
I was just watching the clouds gathering
and the stars getting covered over.
It gave me such a feeling.
Like what?
Well,
storms and clouds and stars and mountains
are all part of the universe,
and I was trying to sense where I fit with all of that,
and I realized
that there's something wondrous in all of us
'cause we're all part of a divine plan.
Liv, this gonna be a sermon?
(SIGHS)
Well, I didn't intend it to be,
but it's something I wish you could share.
How long have you been trying to save my soul, honey?
How long have I known you?
Well, beats me how you could spend all these years
in the same bed with a sinner.
Well, I guess after 22 years, it's just gotten to be a habit.
Oh...
Gotta cover that lumber.
How come every time we start to talk about religion
you find some way to change the subject?
I didn't change the subject. Someone up there did.
Well, why can't the wood just get wet?
'Cause I can't saw wet lumber.
Good! We can all go to church in the morning!
Jason, John-Boy, give me a hand!
(DOOR CLOSING)
Daddy! Is he all right?
I don't know. He's out cold.
Did it hit him? Looked like it hit him.
I don't think so. I think he's all right. Wait a minute.
He's all right, Mama. I don't think...
God.
GRANDPA: Maybe we should get a doctor.
His pulse is steady.
John? John?
John!
What a crowd, huh?
What are you all doing?
Don't you know what happened?
By the grace of the Lord, you weren't killed.
Oh, Daddy.
JOHN-BOY: You ought to see the ground where it hit. You all right?
Oh...
Well, yeah, I'm, fine.
I'm all right.
We'll get you what you need.
You need some watr or something?
I'm fine. I'm fine.
Are you sure you're all right?
I'm fine. I just fell down. It was nothing.
"It was nothing"? You haven't seen it out there, all the stuff it hit!
Everybody go to bed. I'm fine. I really am. I really, really am.
I'm all right, honey. Yes, I'm fine.
He's gonna be okay. He'll be all right. Good night.
Good night, Daddy.
It's all right. Oh, I'm fine.
You sure do know all kinds of ways to scare the life out of me.
You could have been killed out there.
Come on, Liv, a miss is as good as a mile.
Oh, John, don't do that.
Come on, sit down.
(SIGHS)
Don't you think the Lord was telling you something?
He might have been, honey, but I didn't hear anything till I woke up.
I wish you'd come to church with us tomorrow.
Hmm. The lumber's all wet now.
Can't work anyway.
All right, I'll go.
♪ Stand up, stand up for Jesus
♪ Ye soldiers of the cross
♪ Lift high His royal banner
♪ It must not suffer loss
♪ From victory unto victory
♪ His army shall He lead
♪ Till every foe is vanquished
♪ And Christ is Lord indeed
♪ Stand up, stand up for Jesus
♪ The trumpet call obey
♪ Forth to the mighty conflict
♪ In this His glorious day
♪ Ye that are men now serve Him
♪ Against unnumbered foes
♪ Let courage rise with danger
♪ And strength to strength oppose
♪ Amen ♪
The congregation will be seated.
Dear friends, we are delighted and honored today
by the presence of Reverend Ezekiel Henshaw.
Few have accomplished so much for Jesus.
He has led thousands into a new life with Christ,
and now he comes to share his inspiration with us on this holy day.
Reverend?
Gather we now in the name of the Lord.
Oh, my friends,
what a privilege to be among you
on this Christ-blessed morning.
Walking down your pasture lanes, over your greening hills,
between budding trees,
I thrilled at nature's rebirth.
I marveled at the message.
God, through his other creations, is guiding us to personal rebirth.
Will we heed the message and walk within God's divine light?
How many of us deny ourselves the glorious experience of God's love
and his plan for our hereafter
because we are sinful?
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
MAN: Amen.
Romans 3:23.
The Bible tells us
that in the last days, there will be famines!
There will be pestilences! There will be earthquakes at diverse places!
A sore depression has already been visited upon us!
If there ever was a day and age
when America needs a heaven-born,
God-sent, Jesus-brought, angel-sought,
devil-fought, Bible-taught revival meeting, it is today!
ALL: Hallelujah! Amen!
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
Jesus,
give me that wayward daughter who has gone astray.
WOMAN: Hear, hear!
Jesus, give me that son who trembles in fear,
yearning for thy healing grace.
CHURCH MEMBERS: Amen.
That sinner longing for salvation.
Jesus, give every sorrowful sinner
strength to confess his sins to thee,
that he might come forward
and be cleansed of sin and evil.
MAN: Hallelujah!
Touch them, O God!
MAN: Hallelujah!
MAN: Hallelujah!
Give them glory!
PEOPLE: Hallelujah!
Give them glory!
Won't you come forward as the choir sings Just as I Am?
Come forward, just as you are.
(PLAYING JUST AS I AM)
Jesus is waiting.
CHURCH MEMBERS: Amen.
♪ Just as I am ♪
Come forward, brothers.
ALL: Hallelujah!
Bless you, sister.
Hallelujah, sister. Hallelujah!
CHURCH MEMBERS: Amen.
Bless you sister.
I am without sin,
but I seek God's grace.
Let Jesus touch you. Pray with me now.
HENSHAW: Hallelujah, sister. Hallelujah.
Who else among us wishes to know they will be granted the comfort,
the life and fire of love of the Almighty while here on Earth
and know that heaven is to be your home?
Come forward! Jesus, touch them! Jesus, save them!
Kneel and pray for salvation, Judith.
Bless you, William. Bless you. Pray with me now. Let Jesus touch you.
Through me, feel the hand of Jesus on your shoulder.
I pray for you, whatever your transgressions!
Hallelujah, sister. Hallelujah!
God bless you, Mary Ellen. I'm so proud of you. Pray with me now.
Those of you who have not stepped forward, know this.
As sure as that spring rain that has just begun to fall again,
there is a life beyond the grave...
Amen! Amen!
...a hell to lose, a heaven to gain!
Hallelujah! Let it come down, O Lord! Let it come down, now.
(WHIMPERING)
(CHOIR HUMMING)
Dear Lord,
we are grateful for those who have promised their souls to thee,
but there are among us some who have not yet accepted this deliverance!
(ALL MURMURING)
Many of our younger generation have turned from Jesus
and sunk into sin and loose living!
(ALL CLAMORING)
Bless you, Benjamin. Kneel down and pray.
HENSHAW: For in the great span of eternity,
there is a heaven for the righteous
and a hell for the wicked!
Whosoever's name is not written in the Book of Life
will be cast into the lake
that burneth with fire and brimstone!
Shall it be the promised land of milk and honey
or the eternal prodding of the devil's pitchfork in the pits of hell?
CHURCH MEMBERS: Yeah!
CHURCH MEMBERS: Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
HENSHAW: There are yet those among us
who have not surrendered their souls to Jesus.
There are yet those among us who walk the devil's highway,
who have not accepted the Lord as their personal savior.
For what should man profit, if he shall gain the whole world,
if death should bring him only a vast, endless hell?
MEN: Yep.
HENSHAW: If ye be reborn again, confess thy sins!
Be cleansed by the waters!
Yes, praise the Lord.
Ye shall surely die!
You have two choices!
Your house in heaven or an eternity in hell!
John!
I'll not be shouted at.
It's your soul he's fighting for.
I'll do my own fighting.
If he just hadn't walked out...
Mama, you should have known what was gonna happen
the minute the Reverend started with that fire and brimstone.
I know.
I was just so glad to see your father in church in the first place.
I just think it's a shame they never got a chance to talk quietly with each other,
but my father is never gonna make a decision on this business
with somebody yelling at him and pounding the Bible.
Reverend Henshaw's gonna to be here through the baptism.
I'll just hope for a miracle.
Need any help?
I can manage.
What's your mama doing in there?
I don't know. I think she's kind of hoping I'll come out here
and help you see the light.
If I could've seen the light, I would've seen it a long time ago.
The last thing in the world I wanna do is hurt your mama.
Had to get out of that church. I couldn't stand another minute.
I'm lucky. I did it when I was 12.
Saved myself the trouble of having to go through all this bad time.
That's just what it is, son. Bad time.
Maybe I am some kind of heathen,
going fishing and hunting and working on Sunday.
I'd like to go to church with you all,
but it makes me feel like a hypocrite.
You know, you don't have to explain it to me.
I understand exactly how you feel about it.
I'm glad your mama has her religion.
I mean, it brings her joy. I just...
I'm just not made that way.
I can't help you. I'm sorry.
I've just been in the middle of it all my life, I guess,
and to tell you the truth, the only time it gets rough for me
is when you two fight about it.
(CAWING)
Boy, he sure would look funny without his feathers.
Sort of like a turkey. I guess we could eat him.
Nobody's eatin' Rover.
Rover?
Yeah, what's wrong with that?
Ben had a pig named Rover. Why can't I have a peacock named Rover?
(PEACOCK CAWING)
Here, why don't we let him walk outside?
No, don't do that! He'll fly away.
But you want it to fly.
Yeah, but not away.
(CAWING)
Jim-Bob, you're strange.
Thanks.
First corn of the season always tastes the sweetest.
Cooking might have something to do with it.
Sorry I'm late. I had to drop some papers off down at the bus depot,
and there's always someone down there wants to talk.
Reverend Fordwick dropped by to thank you for the article on the baptism.
Good.
Fresh corn, I see.
Well,
can't wait to try that.
Can I have the butter, please?
JASON: Erin, you've got the butter. Hand it here.
Ben? Gonna get baptized?
Maybe.
I know why Ben wants to get baptized, because he's guilty.
Of what?
You name it.
You just better watch your step, Jason.
All right, you two, that's enough.
But it's true! Pure guilt.
Come Sunday, all those roadhouse sins are gonna be washed away.
Jason, I have nothing to wash away.
Oh, yeah? I know your Texas dish.
She may be from the Lone Star State but she's not alone much.
(ERIN AND JASON LAUGHING)
Yeah, I do.
Jason, I got no reason to be baptized.
Look at Daddy. He never was.
I just may not.
Ben,
I'm worried about you.
There's no need to be, Mama.
I think there is.
Something's bothering you,
and I do think you're spending too much time with Yancy.
Maybe I am.
That doesn't mean they have to pick on me.
I know you didn't mean what you said in there.
Mama, I'm not a sinner.
I know that.
Well, if I go in the water on Sunday,
they'll say I'm washing away something I'm ashamed of,
and I'm not!
Ben, it's not like that at all.
All it means is that you've accepted the Lord.
Well, I accepted him. You saw me last Sunday.
Then you'll be baptized?
I don't know.
I just gotta think about it.
How come your feathers are falling out, Rover?
Not feeling well?
Maybe Elizabeth was right.
Maybe you are getting kind of sick from being cramped up in here.
Jim-Bob... Uh, I'm sorry.
James Robert, there's an answer for your newspaper ad.
(PEACOCK CAWING)
Well, there goes Rover.
The man says that he's missing this peacock from his farm outside of Westham,
and if it's the same peacock as the one we've got,
he says he's always been a free spirit, and if you fence him in
he's gonna take off and fly away.
Will you just wait a minute?
He says his peacock has always had a wild streak in him.
He loves roosting in trees and so on and so forth.
Anyway, the short and the long of it is,
this man says if Rover likes it here he'd be happy to have him stay with us.
Did you hear that, Rover? You get to stay.
Jim-Bob,
don't you think you ought to take the bird outside and let him decide for himself
whether he wants to stay or not?
Well, he'll fly away.
What are you gonna do, Jim-Bob,
leave him in here in the dark till all of his feathers fall out?
(CAWING)
Well, okay, but can I have a few minutes with him before I let him go?
Yeah.
Well, Rover, looks like this is it.
Come on.
You gonna put him down?
Don't worry.
Come here, Esther. This bird reminds me when I was in my prime,
a year or two back.
(CHUCKLING)
ELIZABETH: There he goes!
(CAWING)
JIM-BOB: Looks like he wants the tree house.
Yeah, just like the man said in the letter. He likes to roost in trees.
He can have the tree house, can't he?
We don't play up there anymore.
He can have anything he wants.
JIM-BOB: Isn't that something?
(CAWING)
Coming to bed, Liv?
Soon.
I'm sorry about Ben.
I have a feeling he'll be at the baptism tomorrow.
I hurt for him.
So young,
being pulled this way and that.
One of the things pulling him the wrong way is me, huh?
That's right.
(KNOCKING AT DOOR)
JOHN-BOY: Grandma has breakfast ready.
Mama?
(KNOCKING AT DOOR)
Daddy? Breakfast is ready.
John-Boy, have you seen your father?
No, I haven't.
Maybe he went for a walk, make up his mind.
You're never gonna give up, are you?
♪ Yes, we'll gather at the river
♪ The beautiful, the beautiful river
♪ Gather with the saints at the river
♪ That flows by the throne of God
♪ Shall we gather at the river?
Livie, I know what you're thinking. It's all right.
♪ With its crystal tide forever
♪ Flowing by the throne of God
Sister Corabeth!
♪ The beautiful, the beautiful river
♪ Gather with the saints at the river
♪ That flows by the throne of God ♪
Do you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior?
I do.
Turn around.
Put your hands over your face.
I baptize thee in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Hallelujah, sister.
Hallelujah, Corabeth.
God bless you, sister. Return to the bank.
Hallelujah, sister.
ALL: Hallelujah!
Glory be!
ALL: Glory be!
FORDWICK: Sister Judith!
GRANDPA: Hallelujah!
Okay, Andrew.
Do you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior?
Do you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior?
Put your hands over your fac.
I baptize thee in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
I baptize thee in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Sister, were we baptized?
Oh, well, of course, dear, but not like this. We were sprinkled.
Oh.
FORDWICK: Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
...in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
The Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
MAN: Hallelujah! Glory be!
MAN: Hallelujah, Ben!
Oh, Ben! Praise the Lord!
Yancy, do you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior?
Put your hands over your face.
I baptize thee...
Yancy just come to church to get out of the rain.
He's ended up wet all over!
MAN: Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord!
MAN: Glory be!
♪ I am Thine, O Lord I have heard Thy voice
♪ And it told Thy love to me ♪
Oh, Liv.
You know, I've been standing here thinking about my life.
Sure, I've had a drink now and then. I've sworn a little,
cut a few corners,
but I never tried to harm any man.
I just don't know what getting screamed at
and getting dunked is gonna do.
Maybe a good dunkin' would cool you off some.
What you looking so pleased about?
Ben was baptized.
That's nice for Ben,
but it's you and me I'm worried about, Liv.
Maybe I'm not a religious man, but I've always looked for God in my own way.
I just don't understand,
and I'm never gonna understand
what being thrown in the water
and having a preacher say a few words over me is gonna do.
I mean, all it does is get me wet.
I was reading this book last night.
It was telling how there was this great Baptist, Roger Williams.
He left the church for what he believed.
Called himself a seeker.
Maybe that's what you are.
I'm sure the Lord loves you and knows you're a good man.
I know I do.
Maybe next year you'll go into the water, on your own.
(LAUGHING) Liv, you just don't stop!
You just... You go on all the time!
JOHN-BOY: Each year, revival time would come and go.
My father never was baptized,
but that did not keep him from worshipping his God as he saw fit
and being, at least to his friends and to his family,
the most godly of men.
(PEACOCK CAWING)
GRANDMA: Good Lord! That peacock again.
Yes, sir?
I want that racket stopped.
I don't know how to shut him up.
You think of something.
(PEACOCK CAWING)
BEN: Now, where are you going?
JIM-BOB: Guess I'll have to sleep in the tree house so Rover won't be lonesome.
ELIZABETH: Good night, Jim-Bob.
JOHN-BOY: Good night, Jim-Bob.
JIM-BOB: Night, everybody.
(PEACOCK CAWING)
GRANDMA: Good Lord!