The Forge (2024)
Genre: Drama, Inspirational
Director: Alex Kendrick
Writers: Alex Kendrick, Stephen Kendrick
Stars: Cameron Arnett, Priscilla C. Shirer, Aspen Kennedy, Karen Abercrombie, T.C. Stallings
Release date: August 23, 2024
Synopsis: In Charlotte, North Carolina, 19-year old Isaiah Wright plays basketball and video games with his friends, but is negligent in his home life with chores. His mother Cynthia insists he get a job or move out, as he’s passed on attending college. Isaiah has a decrepit Ford Mustang in their garage that his father failed to restore with him as promised, so he commutes by bike. At a coffee shop, Isaiah flirts with the cashier Abigail, until her father kicks Isaiah out. Isaiah fills out an application for Moore Fitness when a man walks in and asks Isaiah why he’s there. A dismissive Isaiah finds out the man is the president of the company, Joshua Moore. Leaving, Isaiah is stopped by Joshua, who invites Isaiah to lunch.
During lunch, Joshua gives him his business card and asks him three questions, telling him to call when he’s ready to answer them. Cynthia discusses Isaiah’s life prospects with her friends when Isaiah asks to borrow her car. After facing one dead end for applying, Isaiah gives up his daily search to play basketball, losing track of time. When he returns late, Cynthia lambasts him, comparing him to his father, leading Isaiah to storm off. Cynthia laments to her friends while Isaiah decides to take up Joshua’s invitation. Isaiah returns, answering Joshua’s questions vaguely. Joshua tells Isaiah that he wishes to mentor him and promote life principles, and shows him the factory floor. Joshua introduces Isaiah to his wife Janelle.
When Isaiah shows up late and unprepared for work on his third day, Joshua firmly tells him the importance of being on time. Cynthia invites Miss Clara, a devout Christian, for prayer support. Joshua tells Isaiah biblical verses and invites him for a food distribution event. Isaiah volunteers and begins to feel better. Isaiah learns from Janelle that her son Jalen was killed at the age of 17 by a drunk driver. Joshua had blamed Janelle, and a mechanic introduced Joshua to the Christian faith. Isaiah contemplates over a paper at the charity event and expresses desire for Jesus.
Joshua takes Isaiah as his brother in Christ and suggests baptism. Isaiah is given more work experience and is introduced to the Forge, a meetup of Christian men who were inspired by Joshua. Isaiah begins reading the Bible and organizes his room, reluctantly surrendering video games. Isaiah learns of the international missionaries done by Moore Fitness (mission accounts) and the importance of “top accounts” needed to sustain them. While meeting with a truck driver, Isaiah finds out the driver is his father, who abandoned his family after cheating on Cynthia and taking most of their savings. He opens up to Joshua about his desire for revenge, and Joshua relates once wanting the drunk driver who killed his son to “rot in his cell.” Joshua emphasizes the need for forgiveness and gives him his journal.
Overheard by Cynthia, Isaiah forgives his dad and praises the Lord. At the Forge, Joshua gives him a sword, telling him the importance of support. Forge member Bobby tells Isaiah he was the drunk driver responsible for Jalen’s death; Joshua led Bobby to Jesus and was the first person Joshua helped. Isaiah begins paying rent, exercising, is baptized, and continues to follow the Lord. Now 20 years old, Isaiah tells Joshua he sent a letter to his dad. Joshua blesses Isaiah before the Forge, and Cynthia shows Isaiah the newly constructed Mustang fixed with Joshua’s help and gives him the car. Isaiah returns to the coffee shop and apologizes to Abigail and her dad, who accepts the apology.
The Moores are at a business meeting in Dallas when accountant Emmet tells Joshua of competing gym company Slayer Sports; Moore Fitness’ top account Gym Fit recently elected a president, Greyson Lance, who requested 3,000 units from both companies as a competition over who could supply them faster. Failure to deliver the units and secure the top partnership with Gym Fit would mean Moore Fitness loses the mission account or dismisses a third of their employees. Meanwhile, Joshua convinces the remaining employees, who have just done an 8-hour shift, to take on the extensive order into a further 16 hours. The engineer Cody uses his robots to assist. Joshua tells Emmet to let Isaiah speak with Lance; Isaiah convinces him to agree to a 7-year partnership.
In a mid-credits scene, Isaiah receives a message from his dad in which he asks to talk. Abigail and Isaiah share a friendly encounter in college.
* * *
The Forge (2024) | Transcript
BOY 1: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Look, look, look.
BOY 2: I got you. I got you.
That’s too easy. It’s too easy.
Are you talking?
Are you talking?
BOY 3: Let’s go, let’s go.
BOY 4: He ain’t goin’ nowhere. He ain’t goin’ nowhere.
Let’s go, Key. Let’s go, Key.
[PLAYERS CHEERING]
KEENAN: Let’s go!
All the way.
Why ain’t you tighten up, bro?
Calm down, bro.
Yeah, where you at, Zay? It’s tie game, baby.
You ain’t won yet. Let’s go!
BOY 3: Yo, man.
Come in, come in, come in.
BOY 3: I’m here.
Watch, watch. Over here.
BOY 5: What you doing? Zay. Zay. Watch out.
[ISAIAH SCREAMS]
Let’s go!
BOY 3: Let’s go, boy.
Yes, sir!
BOTH: One, two, three.
Yo, man.
BOTH: One, two, three.
Yeah! Hey.
[EXCLAIMS] Zay.
That’s game, baby. That’s game!
Yeah. Zay.
[GUNSHOTS ON TV]
ISAIAH: Hey, Dre, you got two guys coming in.
ANDRE: I see ’em.
Yo, Jamal, where you at?
JAMAL: Yo, I’m pickin’ up loot.
Isaiah, can you come help me?
ANDRE: Hey, hey, shots left. Shots left. Come help me.
Yo, Jamal, build up.
JAMAL: Oh, he got me.
CYNTHIA: Isaiah?
Yo, Dre, you got a med kit?
ANDRE: Yeah, cover me.
[BOMB EXPLODES]
[GUNSHOTS CONTINUE]
Isaiah?
Dude, are you serious?
ANDRE: I’m down, man. He got me.
That’s my bad. He came out of nowhere.
CYNTHIA: Isaiah Tyrone Wright!
JAMAL: Let’s run it back, man. We are not ending on that.
Look, I gotta go. I’ll catch you later.
Could you not hear me?
Uh, I was in the middle of a game. I can’t pause it.
Boy, I don’t care nothing about no games.
You’re always in the middle of a game.
You want to tell me why our trash can is still full?
Did you at least start your laundry?
Not yet.
Is your room clean?
No, I’m about to do that right now.
Okay, listen.
I’m tired of having this same conversation over and over again.
You are 19 years old.
That means it’s time for you to step up.
If you don’t want to go to college, that’s fine, but you’re gonna get a job, ’cause let me tell you what you’re not gonna do.
You’re not gonna sit around here living off of your mother, not when you’re fully capable of taking on some of this responsibility yourself.
Isaiah, I love you, but if you’re going to live here, you’re gonna pay me rent here.
You’re not gonna spend all your graduation money on sneakers and video games.
Rent? You gonna make me pay to live in my own house?
Your house?
[SCOFFS]
You are my son, but I’m giving you one month to find a job, or you can find one of your little friends that’s gonna let you sleep on they couch for free.
[SIGHS]
Oh, God, help me.
And help him.
[LAUGHS]
ISAIAH: Look, I told you, man.
It’s been sitting here since I was nine.
[KEENAN EXHALES]
Your grandfather drove this?
Well, my mom said it was in bad shape when he got it.
He was gonna fix it up with my dad.
Then my dad told me he was gonna fix it up with me.
And this is the way he left it.
Like everything else.
You know, if I could get something for it, I’d sell it.
Well, if you looking for a job, you better find one that’s close.
‘Cause you ain’t driving this.
Yeah, obviously.
[HIP-HOP MUSIC PLAYING]
Thank you so much.
Of course, have a blessed day.
You, too.
Excuse me.
Oh. Hi there. What can I get for you?
Hey, what’s your name?
Uh, my name is Abigail.
Is this your first time in our shop?
Yeah, this is my first time here, but, um, you know how to make good coffee, Abigail?
I mean, our customers seem to think so.
Uh-huh.
You live around here?
Um, yeah. But I… I don’t really…
You don’t?
Hi.
Can I help you?
Nah. I mean, you good, man. I’m just trying to talk to the young lady right here. [CHUCKLES] You feel me?
Hmm. Yeah. That’s my daughter.
I’d like to know if you’re interested in getting a coffee today?
ISAIAH: No.
I mean, to be honest, it’s really not my thing, so…
Hmm. Well, then you need to move on.
What? Man, you can’t just kick me outta here.
I ain’t did nothin’ wrong.
Well, like I said, if you’re not here to get coffee today, then you need to be on your way.
Look, what’s your problem, man?
You can’t just come out here and threaten me.
I ain’t committing no crime. Huh?
Do I look like a criminal to you?
Okay.
Let me tell you something, I would like for you to leave.
I need for you to leave my shop right now.
Or what, you think I’m beneath you? Hmm?
Get out.
Go on.
I’m going.
And I won’t be back, either.
Believe that.
[HIP-HOP MUSIC PLAYING]
Hi. Can I help you?
Uh, I’d like to apply for a job.
Okay. Well, is there a certain type of job you’re looking for?
Nah, I just, you know, wanna see what you got.
Okay, well…
Here’s an application, if you’d like to fill it out.
Hello there, young man.
How are you doing today?
I’m good.
You interested in some fitness equipment?
I don’t know, man. Maybe.
Well, I’d be happy to talk to you if you’d like.
Hey, look, man, I’m just trying to see about a job, all right?
That’s why I’m filling this out. I ain’t here to buy nothing.
What, you a salesman for this company?
I’m the president.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Where you going?
Well, I ain’t gonna get a job now.
What’s your name?
[SIGHS]
Joshua Moore.
Will you tell me your name?
Isaiah.
Good to meet you, Isaiah.
You got lunch plans?
What?
I can buy you lunch. We could talk?
Are you being for real?
I am.
And, Mr. Moore, would you like your usual today?
You got it.
All right, sounds good. I will be back shortly.
So,
tell me about yourself, Isaiah.
I mean, I’m 19.
I just need a job, you know.
You have family here?
It’s just me and my mom.
She owns a hair salon off of Heartwood.
College plans?
[SIGHS] Naw, that ain’t me.
[LAUGHS] Okay. Well… five years from now, where do you wanna be?
Five years? Um…
I don’t know. I’m just taking it a day at a time.
Well, Isaiah… if you’re available to work, we can discuss options in my company.
But I want to ask you a few questions first.
Now, if you wanna take some time to think about your answers, we can get together and talk again when you’re ready.
My questions are these.
In what ways do you want to grow in the next year?
What kind of man do you want to be?
And what do you want people to think when they see you coming?
I’ll tell you what I think.
You either help at home to the degree you adding value like a job, or you get a job that funds the value of your home to the degree it equals the work at home you would have done.
Yes, ma’am.
CYNTHIA: Girl, what?
You lost me. You’re gonna have to say that again.
KEISHA: Cynthia.
Honey, I agree.
You need to draw a line in the sand.
Well, I’m just trying to figure out how to balance helping him know I understand him, but still pushing him to become an adult.
And that is not easy.
You’re on the right track, girl.
He’s got to step up and step out, ’cause you can step in and speak up about him not stepping up, but you don’t want to overstep the main step of loving him.
Yes, ma’am. That’s exactly what I was thinking, girl.
Okay. You two must be at a higher level, but I’mma catch up.
Oh. Here he comes now.
WOMAN: Hey, Isaiah.
Hey.
Isaiah, you walk here?
Oh, it’s just one mile from the house.
But, um, I need to use your car.
I found a couple places online that are hiring, so…
Well, okay, but I need you back here by 5:00.
I’m picking up a case of product from Maxwell’s at 5:15, and they’re staying open late for me.
So, you can’t be late.
I won’t.
Isaiah. Five o’clock.
I’ll be here.
I’m not playing with you.
ISAIAH: Yes, ma’am.
Bye, Isaiah.
ISAIAH: Bye, y’all.
Cute boy.
He sure favors his daddy.
KEISHA: Hmm, he do.
Oh, ain’t he working as a truck driver now?
Girl, I don’t know what Darren is doing.
I don’t wanna talk about no Darren.
[LAUGHS]
[CELL PHONE RINGING]
Yo, Jamal.
JAMAL: What’s up, man?
We’re heading to the park. Come ball with us.
Look, nah, man. Nah. I’m looking for a job.
Dude, you can do that any time. We need you for two-on-two.
Look, naw, man. I can’t right now.
Come on, Zay. Just give me an hour.
Look, one hour, man.
[RAP MUSIC PLAYING]
JAMAL: Zay, break the screen.
No. No.
He can’t shoot. He can’t shoot. He can’t shoot.
[RINGING]
[ALL SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY]
[RINGING CONTINUES]
What you gonna do, man?
No.
[WHOOPS]
ANDRE: Come on. Come on.
There we go.
Hey, that’s two up. Next game wins.
All right, let’s run it back. Come on, baby!
ANDRE: Come on. Come on.
JAMAL: In the post.
Hey, hold on. Hold up, what time is it?
I don’t know. I left my phone in the car.
Yo, I gotta go!
Yo, Zay.
Zay, we got one more game, bro.
ANDRE: Come on, Zay.
Zay!
Come on, Zay.
Hey, that means we won.
Yes, sir.
I’m sorry, I…
I lost track of time.
I’m driving.
It’s 5:39.
Maxwell’s stayed open for 30 extra minutes, only to have me not show up. And now, now I gotta push back my appointments, and I have to hope…
Oh, boy, you better hope they give me the same discount tomorrow they were planning on giving me today.
I called them three times asking them for five extra minutes.
Five extra minutes.
Mom, I said I was sorry.
I let you use my car.
You turned around and made me look irresponsible.
And why are you so sweaty?
[LAUGHS IN DISBELIEF]
Oh, no, you didn’t. No, you didn’t.
You lied to me?
You told me you were going to look for a job.
I was. They were closed. What am I supposed to do?
What are you… You’re supposed to keep looking!
Not give up at the first sign of inconvenience.
That’s something right there your father would do.
Well, I ain’t him!
You acting like him.
Boy.
Ooh.
CYNTHIA: I don’t know, Liz.
I mean, seriously, there are moments when I just feel like I’m gonna lose it.
Yeah, I mean, I love that boy with my whole heart, but I literally cannot be his mother and his father.
No, I get it. I do get it.
Yeah, I’m just… I’m asking you to pray for him.
And for me.
Our top three distribution accounts are the same as last year.
Gym-Fit is still number one at 4.5 million a year.
But with their president stepping down, that’s also our main concern.
Our five-year agreement with them is up next summer.
Yeah. Any word on their vote?
They haven’t announced anything yet, but we’re ready to connect as soon as they do.
If we lose that Gym-Fit account…
If we lose the Gym-Fit account, I’d say you have about four months before you’d have to start making some difficult choices.
One more thing I need to bring up.
Slayer Sports, they’re developing a line of niche equipment that will directly compete with us.
I don’t know how soon they’ll be ready, but we need to keep an eye on them.
Hey, I agree.
Thank you, Emmett.
No problem.
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
RECEPTIONIST: Mr. Moore.
There’s a young man, Isaiah Wright, here to see you.
Yes, I’ll be right out.
RECEPTIONIST: Okay.
Isaiah?
How are you?
Oh. I’m good.
Uh, I just wanted to talk to you for a minute.
I’ve been thinking about your questions.
Okay. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Yeah. Um…
You know, as far as, you know, how I wanna grow this next year,
I guess, you know, I wanna learn to take on more responsibility and, you know, learn some new skills.
That’s good.
And then you asked, you know, what kind of man I wanna be, and I want to be a good man, you know, someone that can get the job done.
Also, you asked, um, you know, what I want people to think, you know, when they see me coming.
And, um, I want them to see someone they respect. So…
Yeah, that’s, uh… That’s it.
Okay.
So, are you looking for full-time work or part-time?
Uh…
Well, [CLICKS TONGUE] start part-time.
Okay.
Would you be willing to meet with me twice a week for some mentoring before your shift starts?
Mentoring? Like for this job?
Well, yes.
But also, some life principles.
Things that you could use no matter where you’re working.
I mean, yeah. [CHUCKLES] I guess.
Yeah.
Well, let’s go to the factory floor and I’ll show you what we have available.
I’ll connect you with a manager and finish the interview process.
Cool.
Good?
Yeah.
All right.
So, what happens in here?
Well, I’ll show you the packing and shipping division first.
Division? [CHUCKLES] How big is this place?
[BEEPS]
Oh.
We make 205 different products for the fitness arena.
Weights, treadmills, jump ropes, almost everything in between.
We store the pieces and then we supply distributors with all the parts to assemble and sell.
Each day, we fill 600 to 800 orders.
How many people work here?
JOSHUA: In this area, 24.
Todd.
How you doing?
Mr. Moore, I’m fine.
How are you?
I am good, thank you.
This is Isaiah Wright.
When you have the time,
I want you to take him through the interview process for part-time work.
Okay.
I’ll show him around and bring him back to you.
Yes, sir.
It’s taken me 21 years to get here.
It’s been hard, but God’s been good.
Yeah.
[MACHINE BEEPS]
Oh.
[CHUCKLES] It’s not gonna run into you, the scanners will see you and stop the cart.
Yo, that’s… that’s crazy, man. How many of these you got?
We got 10 floor robots and 75 storage robots, all programmed by our engineers.
Oh, nice. Nice.
Come on.
Take a look.
I ain’t never seen nothing like this.
Cody.
How are they rolling?
Well, none of them called in sick today, so I’m feeling pretty good.
[BOTH LAUGH]
This is Isaiah.
Give him a quick explanation of the system.
Hey, man. Uh…
Oh.
Yeah.
Well, [CLEARS THROAT] basically, when an order comes in, one of the bots will pick it up and take it over to its specific port.
And then it’ll go down to a conveyer belt and be placed in a box that’s specifically designed for that product.
And then it’s then labeled and stacked for shipping.
They’re like my best friends.
[LAUGHS] You got all that?
Um, yeah.
[LAUGHS]
Thank you, Cody.
Uh, yes, sir.
Keep it up.
Yeah.
Come on, follow me.
Good to see you.
Janelle?
Yes?
May I introduce you to someone?
Of course.
Hello there.
This is Isaiah Wright.
We’re talking about him working part-time with us.
Nice to meet you, Isaiah.
Good to meet you.
Janelle oversees the human resources department.
She has put up with me since the first day we opened, and knows about just as much as I do around here.
But I don’t work as many hours as he does.
And he needs to learn to push the pause button sometime and come home with me.
We’ve also been married for 35 years.
[ALL LAUGHING]
Gotcha.
JANELLE: Gotcha.
Yeah, you should have seen your face. [LAUGHING]
That’s what’s up.
TODD: And our only part-time opening is Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:00 to 5:00.
That’ll work?
Yeah.
Okay. Your training starts on Monday. Please, be on time.
It takes everyone here to stay on track.
And this is your key card. Don’t lose it.
[SIZZLING]
Hey.
Hey.
What’d you do today?
Not much. Just stopped by Moore Fitness.
Moore Fitness?
Why?
You know, they were, you know, hiring some guy. Yeah.
Who?
This guy. [LAUGHS]
Oh, my goodness!
Isaiah, you got a job at Moore Fitness?
Yes, ma’am.
Oh, I’m so proud of you.
When do you start?
9:00 a.m. Monday.
That’s what I’m talking about. You have made my day.
Ooh. Do you know that he helped your Uncle Tony for several years?
Uncle T? Uncle Tony?
Mm-hmm.
He discipled him, helped him with his work and stuff.
Discipled him? What does that mean?
You know, it’s like when one person…
It’s… It’s kind of…
You need to come to church with me.
Ma, we already talked about this.
Church? That’s… That’s your thing.
Isaiah, God wants you to know Him.
And I ain’t hiding from Him.
I’m right here and He can find me if he wants to.
But I ain’t gotta go to a church building for Him to see me.
Okay, okay.
Are you gonna see Mr. Moore very frequently on your job?
Yeah. He wants to meet, you know, twice a week before my shift for mentoring.
Something like that.
Oh.
Okay.
Yeah.
Dinner will be ready in 10 minutes.
All right.
Oh, Lord. I see what you’re doing. I see what you’re doing.
I see you working. Ooh!
Oh, draw him to you, Lord. Just draw him to you.
JOSHUA: I want each employee to remember…
I’m responsible for this company.
And I want those under my leadership to help me do well.
The same way that they will want others under their leadership to help them do well in the future.
So, treat others the way you want to be treated.
Even if you don’t like them, give those in authority the same respect that you’d want them to give you.
Got it?
Yeah. I got it.
All right, this is where the magic happens.
Wanda has to make sure…
Hi.
…that each box is properly sealed for delivery.
Then, Diego and Carlos, they add a label and they stack each box for shipping.
But each of them knows how to work every station, so they can rotate if need be.
Hey, man.
ISAIAH: What’s up?
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
[IN ENGLISH] So, we’re gonna start you in this section for now.
I want you to watch these guys and try it out for experience.
Then once you get the hang of it, we’ll move you to the next section.
Come on, let’s get you started.
[GUNS FIRING ON TV]
Isaiah, you’ve been on that game all day.
It was my day off.
Don’t you have work tomorrow?
Uh, yeah. I… I got it.
Boy, it’s after midnight.
Ma, I got it.
[GUNS FIRING]
[SIGHS]
[CELL PHONE VIBRATING]
[GRUNTS]
[GASPS]
[INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
[GRUNTS] Come on, man.
Thank you.
Hey, sorry, man. I can… I can take over.
You got an emergency?
Nah, man. It’s my bad.
Where’s your work vest?
Oh.
Yeah. I gotta go get that.
Have you even clocked in yet?
Not yet.
Isaiah, you’re 45 minutes late and it’s your third day.
I can’t do my job when I’m covering for you!
No, and it doesn’t matter.
LeBron has a championship with every team he’s played for.
Okay, how is that impressive?
Okay, Jordan made it to the Finals six times.
How many times did he win?
Six times!
Six times!
MAN: Only with the Bulls, okay?
LeBron won with Miami, Cleveland…
Isaiah, Mr. Moore would like to see you in the conference room.
CURTIS: Okay, Michael Jeffrey Jordan elevated the whole basketball game.
This is way more aggressive than we expected.
I mean, it is a smaller account.
It’s 40,000 a year, so it won’t hurt us much.
But we need to shore up our larger accounts.
Yeah.
I had never even heard of Slayer Sports six months ago.
They’ve got backing and they’re hungry.
But we don’t need them taking more from us, so I’ll keep you updated.
I had breakfast for you this morning.
What happened?
I, um…
I overslept. I forgot to set my alarm.
Okay.
Well, you have a lukewarm breakfast burrito, orange juice and cold hash browns if you want.
Nah, nah. I’m good.
You know, actually, I’m starving, so…
Some thoughts for today.
When you miss your commitments, it’s hard not to see it as disrespectful.
When you’re 45 minutes late for work, it forces people to have to cover for you.
And if you have a good reason, they’ll be fine.
If not, they’ll feel disrespected.
You don’t need people wondering if you can do your job.
You need them believing that you can do your job, and respecting you for doing it well.
So, let me be blunt.
A big part of becoming a man is showing up.
Can you do that, Isaiah?
Yes, sir.
So, I suggest that you plan ahead.
Get the rest you need, set your alarm, and give yourself the time to get here.
That shows respect for others.
And whenever you’re supposed to be here, show up.
WOMAN: He just started working there?
CYNTHIA: Yes!
And he didn’t even wanna tell me what happened yesterday.
But you know what? I could tell by the look on his face that something was wrong.
See, when it’s your child, you can tell it on their face.
All I’m saying is Darren was way too flippant with his jobs and he kept losing ’em.
So, I’mma tell you what I’m not gonna do is sit by and watch Isaiah start doing the same thing.
KEISHA: Right.
It’s not happening.
He’s already dealing with so much anger in his heart towards his father, so, seriously, I just need some prayer support.
That’s why you called your sister.
Yeah. That’s exactly why.
She’s gonna be here any minute.
And I’m so glad ’cause I need to see her.
DANIELLE: Hey, Aunt Cynthia.
Danielle! Oh, my goodness.
I did not know that you were coming. What a surprise.
I thought you were at college. Girl, how are you doing?
DANIELLE: I’m good. I’m just on break.
Mom’s parking the car.
Okay. All right.
Hey, Danielle baby.
Hey.
CYNTHIA: Elizabeth! Oh!
ELIZABETH: Hey, sis.
Girl, it is so good to see you. It has been too long.
I love it when my sister comes to see me.
Okay, have a seat. I’mma get you a cup of coffee.
ELIZABETH: Thank you.
Hey, ladies.
How are y’all doing?
Hey there.
Honey, that bag.
ELIZABETH: Good to see y’all.
And them pants, my thighs can’t get in.
WOMAN: Stop it.
Now, Danielle, do you still like caramel?
You remembered.
Of course I did.
Now, Liz, is she coming?
Thank you. Yes, she’s here.
She’s just in the car finishing up a phone call.
So, who is this again?
Well, when my sister tells me that she needs prayer support, honey, I bring prayer support.
CLARA: Hey.
Am I in the right place?
Miss Clara. Yes, you are.
I’m so glad to see you.
Oh.
Hello, sweet Cynthia.
How you doing, darling?
I’m doing better now that you’re here.
Please, come sit with us.
Okay. All right, darling.
So, Isaiah is not running away from responsibility.
He just hasn’t learned how to embrace it.
That’s good. He gotta embrace it.
But what I’m saying is he hasn’t had a good man in the home to be a role model.
So, he just sees me taking care of everything, but no matter how much I do, it’s hard for a woman to call out the man in her son.
KEISHA: True.
You know, Tony’s been helpful, but he lives an hour away on the other side of Charlotte.
I just want to cover him in prayer.
But it’s not like it’s an emergency.
Like, he has time.
We don’t have to act like this is overly urgent, right?
Oh, yes, we do, dear heart.
We can’t treat prayer like it’s some spare tire that you only pull out in an emergency. No.
Prayer has to be more like the steering wheel that you hold tightly every day, no matter where you are going.
Mm-hmm. Now, that’s good. That’s good.
Well, look, all I meant was that…
Shh. Listen, shut your mouth now.
This woman is on a whole ‘nother level.
Okay.
Well, if I may…
I suggest that we start by praising the Lord for who He is.
ELIZABETH: Hallelujah.
And then we pray that the Lord will open Isaiah’s eyes so that he could see himself the way that the Lord sees him.
And that he would realize his need for the Lord.
And that the Lord would capture his heart…
KEISHA: Yes.
…and build him up to be the man that the Lord wants him to be.
Mm-hmm! Now, that is good!
Miss Clara, I need you to come by here more often.
Keisha needs you.
CLARA: And anyone, Lord…
WOMAN: Thank you.
…that the enemy might try to use to pull him away.
WOMAN: Yes. Do it, Father.
Yes, Father, thank you.
CLARA: Lord, put your hand on his life…
WOMAN: Yes.
CLARA: …and help him, God.
Hey, can I help you?
Yeah, is this a hair salon or a prayer salon?
CLARA: Lord, stir him up.
CYNTHIA: Well, today it’s both.
What do you need?
CLARA: Stir him up to want to know you, Jesus.
I need both.
CLARA: Yes.
Girl, you wanna join us?
Yeah, my edges need to be…
Come.
…delivered and set free.
Come on.
I need both.
Whoa. Isaiah is in the building.
Hey.
You’re 15 minutes early.
Yeah, trying not to be late again.
No, we’re not gonna do that again.
No. No, sir.
All right, guess what?
You’ve got a hot breakfast this time.
Okay. Yeah, I could smell it from the parking lot.
From the parking lot?
Hey.
[BOTH LAUGHING]
So, eventually, I learned to listen.
It’s embarrassing to think about it now.
How at 24, I thought I could have figured out life by myself.
But when you fall on your face as many times as I did, you finally realize it’s better to learn from the mistakes of other people than to continually make your own.
[LAUGHS]
Yeah, I get that.
Oh, man, I used to get into arguments all the time.
I thought I looked like a big man, standing my ground.
Then my mother said something to me that I’ve never forgotten.
She said, “You need to be more of a fountain than a drain, and you need to start giving more than you’re taking.”
The more I thought about it…
I was using people to reach my own goals, without loving them at all.
And that’s the thought that I have for you today.
Adopt that mentality.
Be a fountain, not a drain.
I want to read you something.
It’s out of Galatians 5.
“For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command. Love your neighbor as yourself.”
What do you mean by “sinful nature”?
Hmm.
Well, the Bible tells us that we all have a sinful nature.
Selfishness, pride, greed, bitterness.
Yet God still loves us.
So, he sent his son, Jesus, to die on the cross to pay the debt that we owed for sin.
Then he raised Jesus from the dead, so that we could be in a right relationship with Him, if we put our faith in Jesus.
He is our way to freedom.
When we follow Jesus and devote ourselves to him, he bears fruit through us that gives God glory.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Hmm.
That’s what He wants us to do.
That’s the kind of man I want to be.
I’ll tell you what.
If you’re interested, join me this Saturday.
My church has an outreach downtown.
Every month, we get together and we give out food to people who are struggling.
We usually start at 9:00.
You do this?
Every month. We help sponsor it.
Come on, man.
Hey, if you’d like, I’ll pick you up.
Yeah. I’m down.
All right. [LAUGHS]
[CHRISTIAN HIP-HOP MUSIC PLAYING]
[INAUDIBLE]
Hey, you okay?
Yeah. I, uh…
I just never did anything like this before.
[JOSHUA LAUGHS]
Well, you did good.
A lot of people got helped today.
Isaiah, you want to join us for dinner?
It’s my turn to cook.
I’m not as good as Janelle, but it shouldn’t be too bad.
Don’t believe that. He’s very good.
Hey, yeah, I’m down.
Well, you guys wait here.
I’ll get the car and we’ll head to the house.
JANELLE: Sometimes being the president
means business calls on the weekend.
No, I understand.
Hey, who’s this?
That is our son Jalen.
Oh, what? I didn’t know you had a son.
I mean, where’s he at?
Jalen died at 17.
Oh, I’m…
I’m sorry. I… I didn’t realize.
It’s okay, Isaiah.
When Jalen was growing up,
Joshua was so driven in business to be a success.
And it tested our marriage.
One evening, Jalen went to ride with his friends to a party, and a drunk driver ran a red light and hit them on his side.
We never got to say goodbye.
For a while, Joshua blamed everybody, even me.
It almost ended our marriage.
One of the older men in our church, a mechanic, reached out to Joshua and started meeting with him.
And he helped Joshua reshape his entire view of life and faith according to the Bible.
And that’s when I saw my husband become a disciple of Jesus Christ.
It changed him.
So, we don’t just call ourselves Christians.
We are devoted to Jesus.
And we will do anything He calls us to do.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this… while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. If you declare with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
[EXHALES DEEPLY]
Help me, Jesus.
Isaiah?
Hey, I’m sorry I’m so late. I got a plate for you.
Nah, it’s cool.
I was with your aunt and a bunch of women at the salon and we were praying and I just completely lost track of time.
Are you okay?
Yeah. Um… I was, uh… I was praying, too.
What were you praying about?
Um… You know, um… I’ve been trying to figure things out… by myself… and now I realize that, uh… I need Jesus.
You know, to save me and…
Yeah, so I asked Him.
Isaiah.
Oh, Isaiah, I’ve been praying about this.
Praise the Lord.
Oh, thank you, Jesus.
Oh, my goodness.
Okay. Oh, my goodness.
I’ve been looking forward to this for so long.
I’m sorry. I just…
All right. It’s cool. Um…
[EXHALES]
I don’t know what took me so long. You know?
Do you know what we were praying for?
What?
We were praying for you.
Thanks, Ma. I love you.
I love you so much, baby.
I love you so much.
[INAUDIBLE]
[INAUDIBLE]
ISAIAH: Hey.
[GRUNTS ENTHUSIASTICALLY]
Yeah.
[LAUGHS]
Isaiah.
You are my brother in Christ.
All right, all right, but there’s more, right?
Well, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yes.
Well, you should be baptized.
And we need to talk about discipleship.
Yeah, I want to talk about that.
So, I read, like, half the New Testament yesterday, and, you know, all of the faith, miracle stuff was done by disciples or people close to Jesus.
So, if I’m doing this, I want all of it.
Not many people think the way that you’re thinking.
People want salvation, believing in Jesus.
But very few people want to follow him into discipleship.
Why?
There’s a cost to discipleship.
Jesus says in Luke Chapter 9…
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me.”
“Take up your cross daily,” what does that mean?
That means something’s gonna die.
It could be habits, agenda, goals… whatever stands in the way of your relationship with him, your obedience to him.
Your main priority as a disciple is not living to please yourself, it’s living for Him.
Being devoted to Him, knowing Him.
When I put my faith in Jesus, I became a Christian.
Then I wanted to grow as a disciple, but I had so many other things in my life.
It’s as if my plate was already full.
But he did something [CHUCKLES] that I just didn’t expect.
What?
He asked me to give up golf.
Golf? That… That ain’t a bad thing.
No, it’s not.
But I loved it.
It had too high of a priority in my life.
I played every chance I got, and one day, the Lord reminded me of my request, and I realized I wasn’t making any more room for Him in my life.
So, I gave up my devotion to golf and replaced it with more time with Him and His Word.
I went from playing two to three times a week to two to three times a year.
What? [CHUCKLES]
I’ll say this… there’s a cost to following Jesus, but it is a hundred percent worth it.
Hmm.
And He died for me, so how could He not be worth everything?
He’s worth everything.
You know what?
I want to introduce you to a small group of men that mean the world to me.
I think you’d enjoy meeting them.
Yeah.
Let’s do a quick greeting exercise.
Come on. Stand up here with me.
A greeting exercise?
Come on.
When I met you, I could barely get you to look at me in the eye and give me a handshake.
We’re gonna practice that right now.
[CLEARS THROAT]
Are you for real?
Walk up to me and introduce yourself.
Hey, I’m Isaiah.
[BOTH LAUGH]
Okay, okay. I guess that’s all right.
Something to remember.
When you meet someone, you’re communicating something about yourself and how you see them.
Everyone wants to be valued.
Men, especially, want to be respected.
So, when you greet someone, look at them in the eye as a confident young man.
Not arrogantly, but confidently.
Say your name, give them a strong handshake, and then respect them by learning their name.
Okay.
We’re gonna do that like it’s the first time.
Okay.
Hello, sir. I’m Isaiah Wright.
Nice to meet you, Isaiah. I’m Joshua Moore.
Good to meet you, Mr. Moore.
Yeah.
Yeah?
Much better. Much better. [LAUGHS]
[BEEPING]
Wow. You’re getting really good at this, Isaiah.
Well, not as good as you.
You’re the fastest one here, Wanda.
TODD: Okay, Isaiah.
You’re doing pretty good here.
Thanks, man.
Let’s move you to a new section, get you some more experience. Follow me.
WANDA: Whoo-hoo! [LAUGHS]
[SPEAKS SPANISH]
[IN ENGLISH] Hey, man.
WANDA: Aw!
JOSHUA: Honey, I’m leaving.
Do the guys know that he’s coming?
They do.
I’m excited for him.
Me, too. I’m picking him up.
JANELLE: Mm.
I love you, woman.
[CHUCKLES] I love you, too.
I’ll be praying for you.
[JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING]
Hey, you’re gonna enjoy tonight.
Good evening, Mr. Moore. How are you, sir?
I’m good, Amy. And you?
Fine, thank you.
Your guests are here. I can take you back if you like.
That’d be great.
Thank you, Amy.
Thanks.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
There he is.
JOSHUA: Hey, Tony.
TONY: That’s my guy.
[LAUGHS]
Good to see you, bro.
Good to see you too, man.
How you doing?
I’m just trying to keep up.
Come on now. Check you out.
Just trying to keep up.
What’s up, Zay?
Uncle Tony.
[BOTH LAUGH]
Man, it’s good to see you.
Your mother told us about the big decision that you made.
And now you’re here.
Yeah.
Couldn’t be more proud.
Thank you.
You know, my head’s been spinning like crazy, but I’ve been learning a lot, so…
Yeah, well, you’re about to learn a whole lot more.
I’m excited.
Yeah, man. Come on.
Well, gentlemen, this is a good day.
ALL: Yeah. It is.
MAN: Yes, sir.
I want to introduce you to Isaiah Wright, who just started working at Moore Fitness, just recently.
And as of a few days ago is your brother in Christ.
[EXCITED CHATTER]
Let’s go around our circle and introduce ourselves.
Well, I’m his uncle, so he already knows me.
But, Isaiah, this is Trey and Deon.
Good to see you.
DEON: Nice to meet you.
And the gentleman standing next to them is Benjamin.
But we just call him “Coach B.”
We coach these guys on the football field and we keep up with them at the youth group in church, so…
Isaiah, nice to meet you, man.
Welcome. Welcome.
ISAIAH: What’s up, Coach?
[ALL LAUGH]
Isaiah, I’m Jonathan.
I’m on staff at New Hope Community Church, and I got my little bro, Levi, here with me.
He’s one of our college students.
Nice to meet you, man.
What’s up, bro?
Isaiah, I’m Vaughn, financial advisor.
And here I have with me my son, Jerry.
Nice to meet you, bro.
Yo, that’s the money guy now.
So, if you need anything, that’s where you go.
You gotta know him.
VAUGHN: I got you.
My name’s Bobby and I’m a family counselor.
This is Ethan.
And about two weeks ago, he asked Jesus into his heart.
Yeah.
Yes, yes.
And I’m James, retired military and now I do a little bit of real estate, but this is my son, KJ.
And I want to tell you, man, thank you for helping with the food distribution last Saturday.
Brothers, this dude was working hard.
So, man, we appreciate you, man.
That’s right. Good stuff, good stuff. Very true.
Well, Isaiah, we are a growing group.
Each man here has strengths that he invests in other men.
We eat together, we pray together, encourage one another, and we keep each other accountable as we follow Jesus.
Isaiah, welcome to The Forge.
[INAUDIBLE]
TONY: I’m praying, right?
I prayed all night, and I’m thinking,
“Man, why would God bring me this far, only to come to a financial gap that was impossible to cross?”
MAN: That’s right.
TONY: So, I’m confused but I kept seeking Him.
[TAPS TABLE]
That’s when Hebrews 11:6 just jumped off the page and punched me in the face.
[ALL LAUGH]
This is where it says,
“Without faith, it’s impossible to please God…”
Yeah. Talk to Him.
“…because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”
So, I’m thinking about that, I’m like, man, I realized, sometimes God allows these gaps on purpose because if I could figure it out for myself, you know, I’m taking the credit.
[ALL LAUGHING]
But He will do it in a way where only He gets the glory.
Yeah.
ALL: Mm-hmm.
Fellas, if you’re earnestly seeking him, then don’t be afraid of the gaps.
JONATHAN: Yeah.
That’s good.
BOBBY: Right there.
That’ll preach right here.
That’s good stuff, good stuff, good stuff.
All right, Bobby, what has God shown you lately?
[CHUCKLES] You’re gonna make me follow that?
JOSHUA: Oh, you got to.
[ALL LAUGH]
How long y’all been meeting like this?
BOBBY: You know, I think God…
Say what?
How long y’all been meeting like this?
Oh, man,
Joshua discipled each of the older guys in this room.
Did it over the last 15 years, including me several years ago.
He spends about two years with each guy, you know, teaching them how to walk, walk with the Lord, you know?
But then he encourages us to invest in someone else to do the same thing.
So, all the guys you see in this room, we’re discipling someone, too, just like he did us.
You know, just helping them to mold and shape their faith and character.
So, that’s why we call it “The Forge,” man.
It’s just a bunch of guys who come together, we grow together, we eat together.
We share a meal like this every two weeks, man.
It’s one of the most important things
I’ve ever done in my life.
Hmm.
Glad you’re here, man.
[INAUDIBLE]
“How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your Word. I have tried hard to find you, don’t let me wander from your commands. I have hidden your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
Lord…
[SIGHS]
…how can I put you first?
Is there anything I need to get out of the way?
[SIGHING] Oh.
No.
Oh, come on. Not that.
I know I’m addicted to it, all right?
Either you’re a Lord or you’re not.
Either you’re a Lord or you’re not.
And I say… you’re a Lord.
[UPLIFTING MUSIC PLAYING]
[EXHALES] All right. What else?
Let’s see what we got here.
All right. Delete.
Deleted.
[SIGHS]
Yeah, you gotta go.
All right, you definitely gotta go.
How many I got?
Yo, Jamal.
JAMAL: Dude, we ain’t seen you in three weeks.
We ballin’ in 10. You coming?
Yeah. I’m off today. I’m coming.
Oh, it’s about time.
All right.
[LAUGHING]
My son!
He’s growing up. Oh, he’s growing up.
[MUSIC STOPS]
Hey, Isaiah.
Hey, what’s that?
This is a portable solar panel.
One of our mission products.
Mission products?
It’s the ones you ship out every now and then, every…
Along with the water filters, the lanterns, tents, first aid kits.
I didn’t know this was part of the business.
Well, that’s not for profit. These are given away.
For real?
Yeah.
[CHUCKLES]
So, Moore Fitness functions off of 90% of its income.
The other 10% is invested in products like these for missions and medical teams, ministry.
That’s why I respect Joshua so much, even though it sometimes makes the budget numbers a little tighter than I’m used to.
But that’s why we have to keep our top accounts healthy.
They fund all this.
And this is where you’ve sent them to?
EMMETT: Forty-six countries so far.
I mean, he’s helped teams to dig wells and plant gardens, do flood recovery, and share the gospel.
That is the mission account.
Hmm.
This is a lot of thank yous.
That’s just a sample. We’ve gotten thousands.
ISAIAH: Wow.
TODD: So, your job is to confirm that the order’s ready for pickup and let the driver sign off when his truck is loaded and just follow the form.
JOSHUA: Okay, he’s rolling up.
Remember, greet the driver, ’cause sometimes they need encouragement, too.
Be a fountain, not a drain.
You’ve got this.
Isaiah.
Get the driver.
TODD: Just, uh…
So, uh…
JOSHUA: Isaiah.
That’s… That’s my dad.
Let’s just go to my office.
Come on.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Look, I’m sorry, man. I…
I didn’t mean to mess up the shipment.
Todd’s got it. It’s fine.
Hey, come sit with me.
[SIGHS]
I told myself,
“If I ever saw him again… I’d be cool,” you know.
He made all these promises.
You know, stop drinking, get a job, fix the car, pick me up from practice.
All lies!
[CRYING]
I remember… coming home from school, and, you know, Mom’s crying and I didn’t know what happened.
But after a few days, I realized, you know, he left for good this time.
He took all the money, and I tried calling him, left messages, texted him, and, um… he never responded.
Then my mom finds out he cheated on her, and [EXHALES] that hurt her.
Man, I wanted to punch him in the face!
[SOBBING]
I’m sorry, man.
[EXHALES]
I know… what it’s like to be angry.
I wanted to get back at the man who killed my son.
I hated him.
I wanted him to rot in his cell.
But God sees everything.
[SCOFFS]
He sees everything.
And He is the perfect judge.
And he said, “Vengeance is mine, “I will repay.”
But I wouldn’t let it go.
So,
I asked God to help me… and then I made the hardest decision that I’ve ever made.
I gave it to God.
And I forgave.
Not because I felt like it.
God has forgiven me of so much.
Who was I to refuse to forgive?
Who am I to ignore what Jesus did for me on the cross?
So, I’m just supposed to forgive? Huh?
If you hang on to it… it’s gonna poison you.
[EXHALES]
When I chose to forgive and give it to God to handle… it was like a parking brake was taken off my life.
And he started to replace all my pain with healing.
Look, I have no father.
Yes, you do.
When you gave your life to Christ, you became right with God.
And God is not like your daddy.
God is the perfect father.
And God loves you, Isaiah.
He loves you more than you know.
You can trust him. He loves you deeply.
So, what am I supposed to do?
Trust your perfect heavenly father… with your earthly dad.
Choose to forgive.
Not by feelings, by choice.
[ISAIAH EXHALES]
This is my first journal… when I decided that I was going to be a disciple of Christ… that I used to help me want to forgive.
But this is your journal.
Yes, and it’s full of scriptures.
And everything that God was showing me.
Read it.
JOSHUA: “Repay no one evil for evil…
“but give thought
“to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
“Do not say, ‘I will repay evil.’
“Wait for the Lord, and He will deliver you.
“But if you refuse to forgive others,
“your father will not forgive your sins.
“The anger of man does not produce
“the righteousness of God.
“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God,
“and at the right time, He will lift you up in honor.
“Give all your worries and cares to God,
“for He cares about you.
“Stay alert. Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.
“He prowls around like a roaring lion,
“looking for someone to devour.
“In his kindness, God called you to share in His eternal glory
“by means of Christ Jesus.
“So after you have suffered a little while,
“He will restore, support, and strengthen you,
“and He will place you on a firm foundation.
“All power to Him forever. Amen.”
[SIGHS]
Okay, Lord. Okay, Jesus.
You’ve seen everything.
You saw what he did. You saw what he took.
And you heard what he said!
[CRYING] But I don’t want to carry this anymore.
I don’t want to be bitter.
[SOBBING]
So, Jesus…
I give it to you.
I choose…
[SIGHS]
[GRUNTING]
…I choose to forgive!
I forgive my dad.
I forgive him, but I ask that you show him where he stands with you.
You meet him where he’s at!
But please, please… clean me out.
Clean out my heart.
And Lord, please… bless my mother.
Heal her. Comfort her. Strengthen her. Protect her.
Walk with her!
Because, Jesus, you know I love her.
[SOBBING]
[SIGHS]
Lord… you’ve seen what she’s done for me.
You’ve heard the prayers that she’s prayed for me.
And you’ve seen what she’s been through, Lord.
So I ask that you bless her.
And do what you want to do.
And I thank you in advance.
I praise you. And I worship you, Lord.
[BREATH SHAKING]
‘Cause you are my hope.
You are my strength.
And you…
You are my father.
Thank you. Thank you, Jesus.
Give it to me. Give it to me. Give it to me.
Give it to me, Lord. Give it to me, Lord.
[SOBBING]
Give it to me.
[SOBBING]
Thank you, Bobby.
Yeah.
The gentleman who took me through two years of discipleship showed me an example of my need for more brothers in Christ.
I’d like to share that example with you.
Isaiah, step out, please.
Now, this was shaped with intense heat and pressure in a forge.
It weighs about 10 pounds.
Take this sword and hold it out straight.
The more time we spend with the Word of God in prayer, following the Lord… the stronger we get.
Ephesians 6 tells us that the Word of God is our sword of the Spirit.
It is our primary weapon.
Now, at first… you’ll feel strong and ready, able to stand your ground and face any kind of challenge that stands in front of you.
But God wants us to love each other, encourage one other, keep each other accountable.
Because the longer that we try to walk it alone, the harder it gets.
Isaiah, how’s that sword doing?
It’s getting heavy.
BOBBY: I’m sure it is.
Yeah, it has a tendency to do that.
Such is life.
And yet, men will try to go as far as they can by themselves.
But we need each other, and God gives us strength when we stand together.
[SIGHS]
Now there are times when you’ll have to stand alone.
But don’t do it out of pride or stubbornness.
If you need help, ask.
If you see a brother in need, help.
Stand with him.
Treat him the way you want to be treated.
So how’s that feel right now?
Way better.
[ALL LAUGH]
Thank you, gentlemen.
Now, Isaiah, this sword is yours.
It’s a gift from all of us.
We encourage you to hang it up on your wall as a reminder that even though you can take a stand on your own… we need each other.
Thank you.
Isaiah, hey.
You can use that to hang it on the wall, bud.
Well, thanks, Bobby.
Yeah.
Uh… You, uh… You got a place picked out?
Oh, yeah. It’s going on the wall in my room.
I did the same.
Yeah.
How long have you known Joshua?
Um, we’ve been friends for over 15 years.
Yeah. He is…
He’s one of my closest friends. Yeah.
Nice. How’d you guys meet?
They tell you about his son, Jalen?
Oh. Ms. Janelle told me.
That he was killed by a drunk driver.
Hmm.
Yeah.
Um…
I was… I was that driver.
Yeah. That’s how we met.
About a year after the trial… he came to visit me with a man who was discipling him.
And then… that guy just…
He just kept on coming.
You know how he is.
Yeah.
Eventually, he led me to Jesus.
Changed my life.
I was the first one he discipled.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[DOOR OPENS]
ISAIAH: Hey. You need help?
No, this is it. Just testing out some new products for the salon.
Did you mow the lawn?
Oh, yeah.
I had some time before the meeting tonight.
Well, thank you. It looks great.
Yeah. Did you get what I sent you?
Mm-mm.
I wanted to send you my first rent payment.
Isaiah, this is more than it needs to be.
No, it’s what I wanted to do.
And I also wanted to ask you if I can take you to dinner.
Okay, wait a minute. Hold on.
My son is helping me around the house, he’s paying me rent, and you want to take me on a mama date?
Yes, ma’am. But I do need to use your car if that’s cool.
But I’m saving up for my own.
You know what?
I would claim you as my son to anybody, anytime, anyplace.
All right. Well, I’ll remember that.
What in the… What is happening?
[POP MUSIC PLAYING]
[INAUDIBLE]
[MUSIC ENDS]
So, I can take three classes a semester and I can still keep my hours here.
Bachelor’s degree in business?
Yeah. What do you think?
I like it. [CHUCKLES]
And the cost?
I’m eligible for one grant, but I can get a partial scholarship if I keep my grades up.
I mean, I can cover the rest, but I’m ready to get a car.
Yeah. I’m actually getting excited about it, but I know it’s gonna be hard.
Don’t be afraid of doing hard things as long as they’re worth doing.
Honor the Lord.
See what He does.
Yeah.
Well, speaking of hard things… I… I’ve been praying for my dad and I decided to write him a letter.
And I mailed it off to the company he was driving for, so…
I hope he gets it.
But I said everything I needed to say.
And if he doesn’t respond?
I mean, I’ve already given it to the Lord.
And I’m becoming more settled with the fact that, you know, God is the father I need the most.
But thought I’d give it a try, you know?
You’ve done well, Isaiah.
No matter what happens,
I know the Lord’s going to bless you.
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
Sorry to interrupt, sir, but they now have both.
Slayer Sports got both accounts?
Yes, sir. Again, it’s two of our smaller accounts, but they are moving fast.
We can keep the mission products going for now.
But we can’t lose another account.
I think they’re gonna go after GymFit or HighStride.
See if you can get a meeting with our top three accounts.
I’ll fly out and talk to them.
I’ll do it.
JOSHUA: I want to do something tonight that the older men and I have been talking about for a few weeks now.
You younger men have been walking through your discipleship so well.
And we want to affirm each and every one of you at times in your journey.
Tonight, I want to start… with Isaiah.
MAN 1: All right.
Would you step forward?
MAN 2: All right.
I have some things I want to say to you.
I have known you now for a year… and I have watched you grow and mature in so many ways.
You have grown in character, in responsibility, in your faith, even in the way you carry yourself.
JAMES: Yeah. Yeah.
[JOSHUA LAUGHS]
In fact, gentlemen, if I may be blunt… a man stands in front of me.
[ALL APPLAUDING]
Isaiah has embraced Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
He has worked hard to learn and to apply biblical principles to his life.
He has fought to forgive past hurts and surrender them to the Lord.
I have watched him walk as a man.
A godly man.
So, Isaiah, I want to bless you… in the name of the Lord.
I bless you… with respect, love and friendship as a brother in Christ.
And I call you a strong, faith-filled man of wisdom with a bold future.
From today forward, may God’s hand of goodness rest upon your life.
May you experience His love… His forgiveness, His power, and His provision.
May His blessings cover you… because you put your faith in Him.
And may you now walk in victory… and never in defeat.
[SNIFFLES]
I love you.
And I am proud of you.
In the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
Men of The Forge, join me and let’s pray over him.
Father God.
JAMES: Yes. Yes.
May you bless Isaiah, our brother in Christ.
JAMES: Yes.
I ask you to lead him…
Yes.
…to guard him, fill him with wisdom, discernment as he follows you.
JAMES: Yes. Yes.
Place your hand upon his life and his heart.
Yes, Lord.
Bless him when he comes in and bless him when he goes out.
MEN: Yes.
Father, bless everything that he puts his hand to.
I ask you to protect him from anything that would pull him away from you.
Put him on the path that you have chosen for him.
MEN: Yes, Lord.
And may he be a blessing to others all the days of his life.
JAMES: Yes.
And I ask this and receive it… in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
JAMES: Yes.
Amen.
ALL: Amen.
JOSHUA: Oh.
COACH B: Yeah.
There you go.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Thank you, brother.
Congratulations.
I’ve… I’ve never felt like this.
So it was a good day, huh?
Yeah. [CHUCKLES]
Yeah. It was.
Well, baby, the day ain’t over.
What do you mean?
Okay. What is this?
I just got something to show ya.
Can you lift up the garage door, please?
This…
This is not my car.
This is your car.
How’d you do this?
Um, Joshua, he knows a man who does this.
And… And… there’s another young man I know who’s been paying me rent for a little while now.
So, you know, I’ve had some extra income and I’ve been saving it.
[SNIFFLES]
[BOTH SOBBING]
Thank you, Lord.
[EXHALES]
Thank you, Lord, for my son.
I thank you, Father, ’cause I… I see what you’re doing in his life.
Thank you, Lord.
Thank you, Father.
ISAIAH: Yo.
Zay, is this your car?
Let’s go, Zay!
Let’s go, Zay! Let’s go.
Dang, she’s beautiful!
What?
Thank you.
Thank you! See you then!
Hey, baby. You ready?
Ah. Just about to come get you.
Our flight leaves in 90 minutes for Dallas.
Okay.
Joshua, Janelle.
I know you’re on your way to meet with High-Stride.
I just need a minute.
I just learned that Greyson Lance, the new president of Gym-Fit, is having a meeting with Slayer Sports this morning.
And they’re trying to lure him over.
Is he not responding to us?
Well, we’ve reached out several times, just without a relationship.
He’s just seeing what’s out there.
Okay, look, we’ll fly to Gym-Fit after we meet with HighS-tride.
Okay.
I don’t want to seem desperate.
We need to talk face-to-face.
I was hoping you’d say that.
I will let him know you’re coming.
Thanks again, Emmett.
EMMETT: Yeah.
We better pray all the way there.
JOSHUA: Yeah.
Thanks. Appreciate it.
Have a safe one.
[CAR DOOR CLOSES]
Oh. Hello. How can I help you?
Hey, how are you?
I’m fine. Thank you.
Is there something I can help you with?
Uh…
By chance, is your father here?
He is. Um…
Do you need to speak with him?
Yes, please, if it’s not an inconvenience, of course.
Okay. Sure. Just give me a second.
Thank you.
MAN: Hello, sir.
Hi, I’m Isaiah Wright.
Tim Watson. Pleasure to meet you.
What can I do for you?
Well, uh, I wanted to speak with you for a moment because
I believe I owe you an apology, sir.
An apology?
Yes, sir.
I was, you know, very disrespectful to you and your daughter and… I’m very, very sorry.
[CHUCKLES]
Uh, I’m sorry, son. I don’t believe we’ve ever met.
So…
ISAIAH: Yeah, we have.
You know, about a year ago, I came here, but not to buy coffee and… you asked me to leave.
You know, I said some things that, you know, I shouldn’t have. And… I apologize. I mean, to you both. And… I just hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.
Hmm.
You are not the same young man.
[LAUGHS]
No, sir, I’m definitely not.
I can respect the fact that you’ve come here to do this, Isaiah.
And, yes. I can forgive you.
Well, thank you, sir. That, um…
That means a lot.
I appreciate you for taking the time to talk with me.
You are certainly welcome.
Yeah.
Take care.
Well, that’s not somethin’ you see every day.
No, it certainly is not.
JOSHUA: Are you sure?
EMMETT: And he’s opening the door to get the account based on who can fill the order.
Apparently, Slayer Sports is saying they can have it ready by noon tomorrow.
Are their products even the same quality?
Well, Greyson Lance says they consider them equal.
Slayer has matched our prices and is saying they can deliver them faster.
So Mr. Lance has asked for these 3,000 units as a demonstration of who can provide them first.
Send me his number. I gotta talk to this guy.
Please.
Losing Gym-Fit means closing the mission account or cutting a third of our crew.
You don’t want to have to pick your poison.
I’m sending his number.
Thanks, Emmett.
Could we even fill an order that fast?
Our crew just worked an eight-hour shift.
They’d have to work another 16 hours or more.
Oh, God, show me what to do.
CARLOS: Crushed it today, man.
$20 for it.
TODD: Are you kidding?
Yeah.
TODD: Why do they have to have it tomorrow?
EMMETT: It’s not that they have to have it tomorrow.
They’re opening the door to whoever can demonstrate that they can get the job done on short notice.
So what are we supposed to do?
I mean, they’re notifying us as we’re shutting down for the weekend.
EMMETT: I’m just saying that that is a strategic move.
That is a $4.5 million account.
What’s up?
We…
Our top account, Gym-Fit, they have a new president and our five-year agreement with them is up this month.
Now another company is saying that they can deliver comparable fitness products and faster.
So, Gym-Fit’s president is requesting a 3,000-unit order to whoever can meet it, as a test.
DIEGO: Who’s the other company?
EMMETT: Slayer Sports.
They want our account and they told Gym-Fit that they could have the order ready by noon tomorrow.
And when I think about it, we’re further away, so if we wanted to beat them, we would have to have the order ready over two hours earlier, man.
It was… It was a slick move.
Yeah, that’s real slick. And there’s no way, man.
No, wait. Do we have the products they want?
Yes, but that’s not the problem.
It would take 24 people two days to fill that order.
If they worked normal shifts.
EMMETT: Mm.
Bro, we just got off an eight-hour shift.
But if we lose that much income, it’s gonna impact all of us.
And it can shut down the mission account, right?
Yes.
So listen. If Slayer wants to make that move, we outplay ’em. We go all night if we have to and have the orders ready by morning.
Whoa, whoa. Isaiah, all night? We only got six of us.
Seven, including Emmett.
Wait. You’re not asking me to work another 16 hours, are you?
I’m saying I’m willing to go the second mile.
We can’t just walk out and do nothing.
But there’s no guarantee that we could fill that order by morning.
And if Slayer beats us, we will have stayed up all night long, nearly killed ourselves for nothing.
Look, then let me lead. I’ll take the blame.
And you can tell Mr. Moore it was all my idea.
I’m in.
Dude, are you serious?
Joshua Moore is the best boss I’ve ever had.
He’s helped too many people for me to walk away.
DIEGO: I agree.
I’ll do it, too.
Okay.
Okay.
Well, if we’re all in, I won’t be the one to walk out.
But if we’re going for that knockout punch, we better connect.
Wanda?
You’re really doing this?
Can it even be done?
Hey, Wanda. We need you.
This, it can’t happen without you.
I’m in.
All right.
[SPLUTTERS] Isaiah.
If this doesn’t work out, then what are you…
It’s on me.
Listen. It’s all on me.
All right, man. It’s all you.
What do you need?
I need the detailed product order.
Then we’re gonna need some food and a lot of caffeine.
[TODD LAUGHS]
Hey, Todd, we also need storage robots on the second floor!
I can’t control those.
I can only program the floor carts.
We’ll need the engineer for those.
Okay, Isaiah, think. Okay, think.
TODD: What…
Wait, wait, wait. When do you have to have this done?
ISAIAH: By morning. We gotta beat another company to save our top account and the mission account.
But we gotta figure out a way to get the storage robots working, so just pray for us.
I gotta go. I love you.
[LINE BEEPING]
[LINE RINGING]
Well, I can’t say that
I’ve ever prayed for robots before.
Although last week, I did pray about my dishwasher.
Uh-huh.
Oh, it’s working.
[GASPS] Oh. Oh.
I… I see.
Tomorrow morning is an unusual request!
Yes.
I understand. I’ll call you soon.
He’s just trying to establish himself as a leader willing to make risky changes.
I can’t shut down the mission account.
I can’t do it.
I don’t want to lay off anybody either.
That’s just too many hours to ask our crew to work.
I need to call Emmett.
Joshua, I just pulled up the security cameras to take a look at the storage area.
You need to come see this.
JOSHUA: Isaiah?
JANELLE: You do have a crew.
And it looks like they’re trying to fill this order.
To do 3,000, they’re gonna need the storage bots.
Uh, see if you can reach out to Cody.
We may have to do this remotely.
I’m on it, babe.
AI: Lock on target.
[GUNS FIRING]
Are you still shootin’ robots?
Uh, it’s just a game, Mom.
Yeah. That looks too real.
So, do you want my help in the kitchen before I turn in?
Huh? Oh, yeah, I’ll come in there in just a second when I’m finished with this one.
Okay.
[RINGING]
Hello?
Cody, this is Janelle Moore.
I’m sorry to call you so late, but we have a bit of a situation.
Can you control the storage robots from where you are?
Uh… The storage? Yes. Yes, I can!
Wonderful. Would it be possible to get your help?
One of our competitors is trying to take away our largest account, and we have a team at the factory trying to stop them.
But we need those robots.
Well, they’re undergoing a firmware update currently, and I don’t have the order information, so I don’t know how I would do that.
I can tell you the number of products and where they’re stored.
But we need to move quickly.
Okay. I can pull the program up now, but I’m gonna have to access the robots one at a time.
We’ll take it. And we need to run ’em at full speed.
Um… Sorry, we’ve never done that before.
Well, we’re doing that tonight.
[SIGHS]
Okay. [CLEARS THROAT] Okay.
Isaiah, without those robots, we’re only gonna be able to do 1,400 units at best!
God, I need those.
Todd!
Who turned those on?
JOSHUA: You got the first portion,
I’m pulling up the second.
Okay, Cody, we gotta move fast. You ready?
CODY: Yes, ma’am.
Bot 21 to port 15 for 20 units.
Bots 23 and 24 to port 35 for 30 units each.
Yes.
This is it! This is what we need.
Curtis, Wanda, we need boxes!
Diego, Carlos, run the conveyer at full speeds.
Todd, we’re gonna start packing!
How is this happening?
Bot 45 to port 19 for eight units.
Joshua, how’s it looking?
At this pace, we’ll be short of 3,000.
Cody, can we go faster?
Uh, yes. I… I’m willing to try.
JANELLE: You let me know when you need a break, but we gotta keep movin’.
Yeah. It’s just those six and me.
I’m getting food and drinks for them right now.
I think it’s gonna be a long night.
JOSHUA: Thank you, Emmett. Give ’em whatever they need.
We’ll help Cody keep those robots working.
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
EMMETT: Here we go, fellas, I got drinks on deck!
Todd? Coffee, here we go.
Curtis. Wanda. Yeah, water?
Curtis?
CURTIS: Water.
Water. All right, Isaiah.
Good.
Yeah, that’s you. All right. Coming to you!
CODY’S MOTHER: Are you still playing that robot game?
These are real robots now, Mom.
Everything is real. It’s all real!
[SPLUTTERS] What?
Bots 58 and 59 to port five for 12 units each.
At this pace, we’ll land on 2,780.
I’m making the call.
Um, Cody, let’s take a three-minute break and come right back.
Will do.
[EXHALES]
Are you sure?
[LINE RINGING]
LANCE: Mr. Moore?
Mr. Lance, you said whoever can have this order ready first will get this account.
I understand that you already have an offer of noon on the table.
We do, and they’re closer.
They’re working on it right now.
So, to beat that, you’d have to make it around 9:30 a.m. your time.
I believe I can have that order ready at 9:00.
And we’re interested in keeping this account for years to come.
Are you telling me that you’ll have all 3,000 units ready for pick up?
Mr. Lance, send your trucks.
Hey, that’s 1,000!
The record will be 3,000 when we’re done.
Yeah, I mean, 3,000 is a long shot.
You guys know that, right?
That’s what’s so motivating. We do the impossible!
[PRAYING INDISTINCTLY]
[INAUDIBLE]
Bot 75 to port seven for 15 units.
Cody, that’s 2,000.
JANELLE: Cody, you still good?
Yeah. I’m here.
My fingers are running a marathon,
but I want to cross the finish line.
Hey! That’s 2,000.
Feels like 10,000!
ISAIAH: Hey.
We’re doing it.
We’ve worked faster than anyone and we’re almost at the finish line, so let’s stay in it.
And remember, it’s not just business we’re keeping.
It’s every missionary and ministry team that uses water filters, solar panels, and lanterns that this company provides.
That’s right.
And we have to keep that available, all right?
And if Mr. Moore could see us… he’d be so proud.
He can see you.
He’s been watching you for the past 10 hours from Dallas over the security cameras.
And they’ve been working with Cody this whole time to keep the storage robots running.
So that’s how they been doing that?
He texted me earlier.
He said, “I’ve never been so proud of this crew.
“They’ve gone above and beyond anything I could have asked, and I will never forget it.”
Look, we gotta push this thing in the end zone, all right?
We’re not stopping.
DIEGO: Hey, Mr. Isaiah.
My body is cansado, but my heart is ready.
Give me caffeine and I’m with you.
Hey, Wanda, what do you need?
I got enough caffeine in me to go until next Tuesday, so…
And Todd?
Oh, this is beyond crazy.
How are we gonna stop now, huh?
Curtis?
Oh, I’m gonna sleep for about two days after this.
But until then…
let’s roll.
[INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC PLAYING]
Hey, you guys are crushing it!
[CELL PHONE PINGS]
Hey, Isaiah! The trucks will be here in 30 minutes!
Yo, we got 30 minutes. Finish strong. Finish strong!
Bot 8 to port 12 for seven units.
And that’s it.
The last 60 orders are on the conveyer belt.
They have to seal, label, and stack them.
Cody, it’s up to them now.
I can’t… I can’t go to bed until I know we’ve made it.
[BEEPING]
All right.
How’d you do that so fast?
Too many video games.
Isaiah, the trucks are almost here.
Joshua wants you to greet the drivers.
I have a jacket in my office whenever you’re ready.
Isaiah, go. We got this.
Yo. Is that it?
That’s it! We’re done!
Hey, it’s 8:58! We got two minutes to spare!
Let’s go!
TODD: We did it!
Look at them, Janelle. Look at our team.
Oh, God! Thank you, Jesus!
Oh, God. Cody, we made it!
It’s done!
Yes! Come on! Boom! Yes!
Joshua, the order is ready and the trucks are here.
Hey.
You impressed me, brother.
I didn’t think this was possible.
Hey. You helped me. We got it done.
[ALL LAUGHING]
Isaiah. Isaiah!
Greyson Lance is here.
What?
EMMETT: Joshua, you want to talk to him?
No.
Isaiah’s got this.
God, please give me favor.
Mr. Lance.
Good morning. Isaiah Wright. Welcome to Moore Fitness.
Good morning to you.
You had an early start.
5:00 a.m.
When Mr. Moore said you’d be ready at 9:00…
I wanted to come see it for myself.
ISAIAH: I’m glad you did.
We’d love to show you the company.
Mind if my drivers check the order?
Absolutely. Be our guest. We, uh…
We have 3,001 units ready to load.
So, how in the world could you have this order ready?
Mr. Lance, your account means a great deal to us and we value our partnership with Gym-Fit, and we’re willing to go the extra mile to keep that.
We had a small group that stayed up all night until the order was done, and you won’t find a better team anywhere.
And you won’t find a better partner in business than Joshua Moore.
And as you can see, it is our privilege to help you win and keep this partnership going.
That’s pretty bold. I like that.
JOSHUA: Give us another five years.
Listen, I’m a competitive person, but I also want to trust my partners.
Slayer Sports tried to slow you down, yet they’re still working on their order.
So I’m willing to go another five years with you guys.
ISAIAH: Mr. Lance, you’ve seen what we’re capable of with a partial crew, so, why not be bold and keep a good thing going?
Let’s do seven years.
LANCE: Done.
[JANELLE SIGHS]
Again, we value your business.
All right, let’s load it up!
[TRIUMPHANT MUSIC PLAYING]
[INAUDIBLE]
[INAUDIBLE]
CLARA: So, I understand that you stayed up all night long with an army of robots to save the world.
Well, not the world, but you know, it…
It turned out to be a good thing.
And I understand you stayed up several hours praying for us.
So, I just wanted to say thank you.
Your mother’s been telling me about how you’ve been chasing after the Lord, becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Yes, ma’am. I’m learnin’. [CHUCKLES]
Well, don’t you stop.
Hmm. Never stop.
And you keep your eyes on the Lord more than on yourself, and your heart on heaven more than this world.
And don’t you keep taking one step forward and then one step backwards with your faith, ’cause, baby, that ain’t nothing but the cha-cha.
[ALL LAUGHING]
CLARA: No.
You devote your heart to following the Lord, no matter what the cost, ’cause He’s worth it.
Yeah. He is worth it.
JOSHUA: Before we close out our time,
I want to give Isaiah a moment to share with us.
[CLEARS THROAT]
I, um… I’ve been a part of this group for a little over a year now, and I just wanted to say thank you.
You know, it’s hard to put into words what this group means to me.
And I’ve lost count of the times that, um…
It’s been… I’ve been blessed just to be here and walk this thing out with you. And, um…
I needed this.
I needed godly men to challenge me, to keep me accountable, to study the Word, and to pray for me and with me, and now I want to do this for someone else.
JAMES: Yes.
Again, thank you.
Gentlemen, The Forge needs to expand.
Not by addition.
It must be by multiplication.
Groups like this must spring up everywhere.
ALL: Yes.
Most churches are trying to win converts, but not enough are effectively discipling them.
Yes.
ALL: Yes.
We must go serve them.
ALL: Yes.
The world doesn’t need more lukewarm church goers.
Jesus said in the great commission, “Go out into all the world and make disciples.”
ALL: Yes.
JOSHUA: We need more believers who are whole-heartedly following Jesus.
That’s what the world needs to see.
ALL: Yes.
JOSHUA: We have to go after them…
ALL: Yes.
…because whoever wants the next generation the most will get them.
This culture is aggressively chasing after their hearts and their minds with a view of morality, purpose, truth that’s continually redefined.
But God has given us the truth, His Word.
The anchor that we hold on to.
ALL: Yes.
JOSHUA: So even as I pray for Isaiah, I pray for you, that you not be one in a million but one of a million.
ALL: Yes.
JOSHUA: So I say, let’s go where they are!
In the schools, in the ballfields, in the marketplaces.
Wherever they hang out, we must be there, and we must find them.
Let’s do what Jesus did.
Let’s go love ’em with the truth.
Let’s take them Jesus.
ALL: Yes.
Who’s with me?
WOMAN: Yeah, let’s plan to meet Friday.
So I’ll see you guys Friday night? Okay.
Oh, my gosh. I’m so sorry.
Excuse me.
Uh… Hey, it’s… Abigail, right?
And you’re Isaiah.
Yeah. [CHUCKLES] Good memory.
You go to school here?
Yeah. I just started.
But you know, I’m still learning my way around campus. So…
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
Yeah. You… You a junior?
Sophomore. Interior design.
Oh, nice.
You?
Business. I hope.
[LAUGHS] Right.
Well, um, hey, just so you know, you really made an impact on my dad.
Oh, yeah?
Oh, yeah.
He’s brought you up a few times now.
Well… Well, you know, I, um…
I really appreciate him for taking the time to talk with me, so, you know, I might have to drop by, say hello sometime.
But not to get coffee.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
I mean, I just, I don’t know.
Just never got into it, you know.
I mainly drink energy drinks.
It’s cool. I get it.
But coffee is better for you.
And there’s actually a really good shop here on campus.
Well, you know, I might have to try that out.
But I may need some suggestions. Just saying.
Okay. Well, where are you headed now?
Glad you asked. Uh…
I’m looking for… Here it is. Mitchell building?
I could show you.
That’d be great.
Hey, coffee on me.
Sounds good.
So, why business?
[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]
