To Forgive A Thief (1966)

oh [Music] Dusty Dusty you'll be leaving here in just a few days we want to help you get settled where will you go son we're trying to help you I don't need your help you're 18 and getting a late start Dusty you've got what it takes to succeed on the outside you've impressed us and we want to help you I wrote my father about going home good no better place to start than at home told me to go to hell my own father told me to go to hell where am I go now where can you go when nobody wants you oh [Applause] [Music] certainly not in our neighborhood that boy is a criminal a convicted Thief Now dust is a teenager Mr Sterling he deserves another chance here in our community Oh Come judge Brian are you going to allow a small group of religious do gooders to establish an outpost of delinquency in a residential area like Rolling Hills Estates the halfway house sponsored by Park Avenue Church is not an outpost of delinquency it is a Christian home where where broken boys can be rebuilt why don't these broken boys go back to their own homes well some do those who have parents who still want them but there are thousands of delinquent boys and girls released with nowhere to go like Dusty their problems began at home now here's a copy of a letter dust his father wrote telling his own son to go to hell now would you send that boy home but judge think of the influence these criminals will have on our children frankly I'm more concerned about the inflence of your children from them I honorable oh but uh the boys are here now let's go and meet them no thank you not now but if your plan fails we'll meet again soon enough in court with our lawyers good day judge Brian what's he in for murder hello boys I uh want you to meet some some real friends Mr and Mrs Smith hello is it Keith Dusty dick and Melvin yeah but you can just call me Gabby are you the people we're going to live with since we never had a family of our own we uh we decided to go out and get one that's funny you don't look like jailers jailers no sir in fact you're going to live in real style with a room of your own and an allowance oh yeah how much allowance well we'll work that out together okay okay pop [Music] no pretty tough huh why'd you call him Pop Just for Laughs I never had a real pop my mom ditched me when I was just a baby my grandpa had me for a while before he died he made me this boat yeah this ain't bad me with an allowance yet man this is living shut up Gabby all right you don't have to get sore I like it here I mean what's wrong with a shut up I said shut up Christian halfway house what a laugh fancy jail they mean I'll lay off they're just trying to help look I can help myself I don't need them or their fancy experiment I'm no guinea pig you know dinner come and get it may not be a pig but I'll bet you eat like one well come on hey what goes nothing just an accident Dusty did you break Gabby's boat you can at least say you're sorry I never say sorry to [Music] nobody Boys in our home we always start with a SH word of thanks for the food would you join us father we are grateful for this food and for the boys who have come to share our home bless us all with thy love in Christ's name amen well dig in hey wait a minute save some room for this say what's the occasion well it isn't every mother that inherits four handsome sons and that deserves a celebration well if we're going to be a family I thought we should have some basic rules from the start here we go judge Brian uh gave me a short list and uh I thought you fellas could help us make up the rest I know rule will take care of all the RIS no rules no Gabby a family with no rules is a family in trouble what sort of rules the judge give you the judge suggested that we set a curfew hour and uh if you need to be out later while you you call home and check in seems fair enough a few others include a hands-off policy on smokes and liquor they're off limits period say are you really serious about us making up the rest of the rules why not we're a family now and a family is run best by everyone working together oh Dusty would you get the door please how about some more chicken hey perfect timing let e well hi Mike you're just in time for a piece of cake sit down and meet the boys hi Mike I'd like to have you meet our new family this is Keith Gabby hi Mike Dusty and Dick hi Mike Mike is studying for the ministry yeah well don't uh don't hold that against me Mike's quite the surfer you boy should see him huh a surfing preacher what do I think of next that's why I came over the surf will probably be up tomorrow I thought you guys may want to go to the beach with me me on a surfboard no thanks you could get killed out there how about you Keith a Dusty will go he's The Brave One how about a Dusty no I he's scared too I'm not scared I'm so you're not scared so go I'm scared [Music] isn't that one of those juvenile delinquents my dad was trying to keep out of Rolling Hills yeah we're lucky he'll drown them oh I don't know having them in Rolling Hills might be just what we need what do you mean you'll see hey Dusty come on back the big stuff comes later can it will you I can take care of myself come on back I was doing all right sure champ but next time try going over it instead of under it come on why are you guys doing this anyway what all the house the cake surfing day why I don't know I'm trying to help I guess we don't need any help no well I don't anyway well I do lots of times don't you ever feel lonely or scared no why should I I do I'll bet why should you probably cuz I'm human just like you that's rich you ever robbed anybody no or been in a fight no not a bad one or in court or jail you don't know what it means to be scared first you run from your your own shadow then you stop thinking about it from then on you're all right now you're never scared anymore is that what you mean what if it is whenever I get scared I pray you what I pray pray sure I just talk to God like I'm talking to you does God ever say anything to you no no not out loud but he's there I can tell how you sort of feel it it's like you're not alone anymore well how you know he's listening how do you know he's even interested in you that's why God sent his son to prove he really cares you really believe that stuff what stuff that's someone so big so way out is is interested in you yes well how can you prove it guess that's why we're doing all this to try and prove it well how are the parents of for strapping new Sons I think we'll survive judge the boys seemed right at home even the neighbors are warming up in fact several of the ladies have stopped by with cakes and casserole it's a good thing too the boys can really put away the food you can't really blame the neighbors for their fears but uh now that they've seen the house in action they're more convinced that it's really going to work oh perhaps but let's hear how the boys are doing it's been quite an adventure we've asked the boys to help with the basic household chores and they p right in we tried to make worship a natural part of the home Bible reading prayer none of the boys had ever prayed before now all but Dusty have volunteered to say grace before a meal the boys came up with some strict rules and are pretty hard in each other when they're broken they vote on penalties they call it their their Board of Education Mike has been the boy's best friend he's been introducing them all around the neighborhood without Mike's help getting the boys accepted by The In Crowd school could have been a pretty miserable Place Keith is older than the other boys yet he never finished e8th grade luckily one of the members of our church owns a taco stand he took Keith on and hopes to make him a manager of his own shop one day and Gabby's becoming quite a man himself one of the finest things is the way the young people at church have practically adopted the boys it's taken real patience to get them to drop the chips on their shoulders and try to fit in but it seems to be working the girls were having the best success so far but then I guess that's the way it should be the boys seem happy for the first time [Applause] [Music] judge the halfway house is doing wonders for the boys they have a home that's clean and happy and and a and a room to call their own and and a place to bring their friends but most of all a church that really cares hey your experiment has been an adventure and a successful one at that last Sunday Gabby had a talk with our pastor about what it really means to be a Christian late that night he came down to have a chat with us about it come on in Gabby been sleepwalking no can't sleep something wrong no well today in church Dr Arn and me and I we were talking about being a Christian and stuff I don't think I understand it all yet do you mind help me figure it all out later that night Gabby decided he wanted to be become a Christian too it's only a start of course but an important start for Gabby his prayer proved that to us God I don't know much about you but what I know about me isn't all good I'm really sorry please forgive me and thanks I never had a father before who really loved [Music] me amen you see judge by simply opening up our home to these boys their lives and our lives are being changed I'm glad to hear it but but you folks know that we in juvenile Authority give you freedom to work as you think best now the courts often hesitate about getting the boys mixed up in religion however people like yourselves have proven through love that you have something that the boys really need frankly it'll do my own heart so much good if I could see the churches across this country pick up your idea they could do so much with so little if they'd only dare and there are thousands of young people who have nowhere to go but um we have some bad news from our side of the fence well what kind of news Well since the boys came to Rolling Hills there's been a rash of petty thefts in the neighborhood at first nobody complained but now we're not so sure but it couldn't be our boys oh it might be neighborhood children but please be extra careful for a while especially at night we will [Music] [Music] oh [Music] e [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] why they kill him if he was God's son why didn't he fight back because he loved him a come on you mean he loved the guys that killed him that's right he loved the Jews that hated him he l the soldiers that killed him he even loved the disciples that deserted him but why did he have to die well Christ had one plan Dusty and that was to prove God's love for all of us oh he proved it in many ways like Healing The Sick feeding the poor raising the dead but he proved it best when he died I don't get it well after the soldiers beat the Son of God stripped him they put those thorns in his face they nailed him up they expected him to hate them but instead Christ looked down from that cross and he forgave them and that's the finest proof that God loves us you keep saying us why we didn't kill him we didn't kill him no but the same thing it made the Romans crucify the Son of God working in our lives what's that oh he called it sin there's no other word for it something down inside of of is that makes us do wrong when we really want to do right it causes us to lie to cheat to steal have gang fights causes black to hate white and white to hate black causes civilized man to drop bombs and burn cities and fire bullets whatever it is Dusty it's it's real in all of us it's only one way to stop it what [Music] way his way his way begins when we admit we're Sinners and it's hard you know why we're scared and lonely is because sin has come between us and God but up there on that cross he proved God will forgive us and all we have to do is admit our failure and to be sorry enough to ask for his forgiveness that's it you'll do the rest now I'm not scared anymore I'm not lonely I've Got a Friend a father who loves me enough to forgive me Father will forgive me Dusty it's after 11:00 you're not usually out this late I've been thinking now Dusty tell the truth what do you mean I'm telling you the truth I've been thinking I'm sorry if I sound a little harsh judge Bryan said there's been a series of petty thefts in the Rolling Hills area and I'm overly nervous that someone might blame you boys you think I've been stealing again huh I didn't say that I just wanted to you think I've been stealing again I can't never live it down can I not even here once a thief always a thief I can't never live it down can I nobody forgives a thief Dusty come back you don't understand Dusty go to hell son go to hell he died to prove he loved you Dusty tell the truth you've been in my leor again we just had one drink it was hot I kept you drinking I'll kill you will you turn off the TV why so I can hear you and Dad screaming at each other don't talk to your mother like that why not you do boys in our home we start each meal with a short prayer of thanks D you knew better than to steal your friends were a bad influence but you knew better I never say sorry to nobody he died to forgive you nobody forgives a thief where will you go now Dusty where can you go when nobody wants you go go to hell son go to hell hello oh yes Frank another burglary last night well it must be those kids it's got to be well don't worry Frank they'll be taken care of all right bye morning Ken where were you last night I thought I told you to be in before 1 I know Dad but we drove over to the beach last night and I lost track of the time why what's wrong someone broke into the old Donovan place last night and I think I know who did it you do who those JDS over at the Smiths who else of course it's one of those J they're the ones have been doing all the stealing around judge Brian this is Conrad Sterling your halfway house experiment has gone far enough I think last night's burglary is proof that it's your JDs and not our young people who are up to the trouble and God thank you for the Smiths me and the guys wouldn't know about you if it wasn't for them bless this food in our home amen hello oh hello judge anything wrong all the boys and I were here last night we watched TV and waited up for oh boy well for Dusty he was upset over something I said and just went for a walk where's he going but judge he couldn't he wouldn't morning good morning say where's Dusty headed in such a hurry headed yeah he passed me turn up the street we better go find him wait I'll go with you hey wait a minute what's happening well there was a burglary last night and they think it was Dusty Dusty that's stupid well I know but they're looking for him we better find him first to [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] he [Music] where can I go now Dusty what happened even he won't forgive me listen I didn't tell you all the story about him when they killed him they killed two others see they they were thieves Dusty they were being punished for their crime one was very bitter and he missed a chance of a lifetime but the other one he looked at Christ and he asked to be forgiven and Christ forgave him because Christ promised him eternal life and he loves us too in spite of all we've done and he proved it when he died I haven't been stealing Mike but last night proved I'm still a thief down in side uh Gabby told me that uh we might find you here judge do you really think it was dusty yes but on the telephone this morning you wouldn't let me finish the last night's burglar didn't even get past the front window he forgave a thief yes will he forgive me yes [Music] forgive me please forgive [Music] me he forgave a thief and so do we Dusty you think someday I could could come back you'll be back Dusty and we'll be waiting yeah Abby about your boat I'm sorry it's all right in seminary we argue why Christ died now I know why to forgive a thief oh