I Can Only Imagine (2018) Movie Script
Thank you.
I found a song
that saved me through a time.
You know how music does that?
I was dealing with loss,
with pain,
and I heard this song,
and it blew my soul wide open.
It became my anthem.
It rescued me.
And I just kept wondering,
who could write this?
What did they have to go through
to be able to give
this gift to me?
This is hope, pure hope.
It's an amazing song.
Just kind of happened.
Lyrics took about ten minutes,
I guess.
Music took about the same.
Bart... you didn't write
this song in ten minutes.
It took a lifetime.
How'd you do this?
Bart? Bart?!
Well, mercy me,
you been out here all day!
How'd I do?
Oh, you done good, Bart.
You done real good.
I'll see you tomorrow!
Bye!
You got me runnin',
goin' out of my mind
You got me thinkin'
that I'm wastin' my time
Don't bring me down
No, no, no, no, no
Ooh-ooh-hoo
I'll tell you once more
Before
I get off the floor
Don't bring me down
What happened to
the girl I used to know?
You let your mind out
somewhere down the road
Don't bring me down
No, no, no, no, no
Ooh-ooh-hoo
I'll tell you once more
Before
I get off the floor
Don't bring me down
You're always talkin'
'bout your crazy nights
One of these days
you're gonna get it right
Don't bring me down
No, no, no, no, no
Ooh-ooh-hoo
I'll tell you once more
Before
I get off the floor
Don't bring me down
Wait! Wait!
Don't bring me down...
'Cause, for me, you know,
without the song...
it's... it's all about the song.
Yeah.
Doesn't matter what band, you know.
You might be interested
in this band.
It was one of the greatest
concerts I've ever seen.
It was amazing.
Down, down, down
I'll tell you once more
Before
I get off the floor
Don't bring me down
Hey, hon.
What you got there?
It's a fighter helmet
that I made
during a big battle in space.
You sure worked hard on that,
didn't you?
Yeah.
What's this?
It's just... it's just junk.
You're a dreamer, Bart.
That's good.
Haven't you ever
imagined anything?
I'm gonna teach you
something, Bart.
Dreams don't pay the bills.
Nothing good comes from it.
All it does...
is keep you from all this.
From knowing what's real.
You understand that?
Huh?!
Yes, Daddy.
Well, you say that's
a piece of junk,
why don't you just go
throw it away?
Go, just go.
He'll take it.
It's okay, it's okay.
Stay out of it!
It's none of your business!
It's between him and me.
Someone's gotta make sure
that he is raised up right!
Shut your mouth!
Or I'll shut it for you!
You want some more?
You want some more?
Here, had enough yet?
Had enough yet?
Hey. Bart? Shh.
It's okay. Hey.
Mom?
Ready for an adventure?
Now?
Yes, right now.
It's called Camp Glorieta.
Church down the street
takes kids there.
It's a fun camp.
I called,
and they said you could go.
Come on,
you're gonna have a great time.
You're gonna make some friends.
You'll make some memories.
Can we just do this?
Do what?
Just drive.
Drive and listen.
Listen to this music.
Me and you.
Just listen to the words.
I stay awhile
I can go back
Into the heart
Of a child
I can smile
I can go there
Into the heart
Into the heart of a child
Okay. This is it.
You ain't never met
a stranger? Hmm?
All right, I can do this.
Yeah.
Geronimo.
Hey.
You know I love you, right?
Okay.
Go on. Get outta here.
Bye, Mom.
Oh, gosh. I can do this.
I can do this.
No Walkmans at camp.
They'll take it up.
Are you kidding?
Oh, um, hi.
Uh, I'm... I'm Bart.
My friends, like,
they call me Bart.
I know. I'm Shannon. Duh!
Ready for camp?
Mmm.
It's totally safe!
See? Safe.
Well, except for that one kid.
You coming?
Sorry, sorry.
Squeeze in here. Sorry.
Oh, sorry 'bout that!
Hey, Bart, this is Kent.
Nice to meet you, Bart.
Hey, bro. This is the cup game.
I'm not very good at it.
Campers.
Campers, up here!
So I'm Rusty.
For those of you
who don't know me,
I'm the Youth Pastor
at Greenville Baptist.
So if you didn't bring
your journals, come up here.
We got one for you.
You're gonna need it
for your session tonight.
Let's have a great week.
Bro, sit down. I got you.
So is that like a diary, or?
Kinda, but there's more to it.
Helps get my thoughts ordered.
Prayers, problems, dreams,
stuff I imagine sometimes.
Uh, can I see?
I'm sorry,
I... I didn't know.
B-9, you're with me for
kitchen duty, let's do it.
Well, that's me.
See you later, okay?
Hey, Bart, I got your journal.
Ooh! Kent!
Here you go.
I'm sorry.
That's mint.
I didn't know you could draw.
Why're you dressed like that?
Come with me
if you want to live!
We're sneaking out.
So what do you wanna be
when you grow up, an artist?
Eh, or a football player.
That's what my dad was.
He was really good, actually.
Kind of famous in college.
We're gonna get
in so much trouble for this.
I know, right?
Got some great stuff.
Like industrial grade.
Set it all up this afternoon.
So you guys are gonna go
over there
and face in the north direction,
got it?
And also,
did you know Bart can draw?
Hi.
So you can draw?
I guess so, a little bit.
Bart, I'm terrified you saw
what was written in my journal.
Did you?
No.
Wh-what're you talking about?
You're lying.
You saw every word, didn't you?
Maybe.
Well, then here goes.
You know what I think?
I think that someday
we're gonna fall in love,
get married,
and that's our destiny.
And now I'm mortified.
I'm gonna walk down this hill
and help Kent.
Wa-wa-wa-wait wait.
Shannon, please stay.
Why? Afraid of the dark?
Afraid of monsters?
I just don't like being alone.
All right, come on, kids.
Bart, Bart!
Here. It's my favorite.
Sweet.
And I wanna be a singer
just like her someday.
Thank you so much.
My parents are here pick me up.
Bye!
Last stop. This is you.
It was good to meet you, Bart.
Am I gonna see you on Sunday?
Yeah. Yeah.
Hey.
Momma? Momma...
Where's Momma?
She's gone.
Gone where?
She ran off.
She ain't coming back.
Just you and me now.
When will she be back?
I told you, she run off.
She don't want me no more,
and she don't want you neither.
What did you do?
Are you bowing up on me, boy?
You hurt her, didn't you?!
Hey!
You hurt her like you hurt me!
Hey!
Nothing! That's what I did!
Nothing!
She didn't leave 'cause of me.
I'm sorry, Mom!
What did I do?!
Take me, Mom, please!
Stop!
So did you ever see her again?
Uh, she'd call now and then.
I tried to live with her once,
one summer in junior high,
but she was in another bad
relationship.
Worse, actually.
Um, my dad drove up and threw
the guy off a staircase
onto the hood of his car
and threatened to kill him
if he ever hurt her again
and then grabbed me
and took me home.
It's kind of ironic.
Um, that was about it.
So what did you do?
I tried to get good at the only
thing my dad really cared about.
Hey, there.
Hey there, darlin'.
That's so corny.
You're making
everyone in the stadium
feel real uncomfortable.
Dude, seriously,
that beard makes you look 35.
Kent, shut up.
Shut up!
I like it.
Millard!
Get over here, now.
I love you.
I know.
Unbelievable.
Break!
Break!
Hey. Just give me a second.
It's sour.
Jeez.
It's a month past its date.
I'll make Pop-Tarts, then.
Just a few things I ask you
to do around here, Bart,
a few things.
I caught before I ran, Dad,
at practice today.
Almost scored.
How many of them did it take?
What?
To get you down on the ground.
How many'd it take?
Just one. It's just practice.
One?
Nobody could never
bring me down.
Took the whole football team.
It's the way I live my life.
Life hits me, I hit back harder.
I don't go down.
Not then, not now, not never.
You understand?
Break!
I don't go down.
You go down too easy.
That's your problem.
What'd they say?
They said you can't play.
For how long?
Ever.
Well, that's disappointing.
Yeah. Yeah, it is.
Whoa! Hey.
Sorry.
Where are you driving?
I should've drove.
This is stupid.
Graduating high school
is not stupid.
You just have to pick a new
elective to replace football.
Yeah.
Okay.
Oh, man, ever have aspirations
of being a seamstress?
Well, that's full, so.
They're, like, all full.
Yeah.
Except this one.
What?
Glee Club.
And even though
it all went wrong
I'll stand before
the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue
But Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelu-u-jah
That's really good.
Honey, I think
you've got the wrong room.
I wish. No offense.
None taken. You sing?
No.
Act?
Not at all.
Do you dance?
Ma'am, I'm in a wheelchair.
Please, just kick me
out of this class.
I don't turn anyone away.
Sugar, what is your name?
Uh, Bart Millard.
"Bart Millard."
Yeah.
Our new assistant
technical director.
All right!
I don't know what that is.
Now this I can do.
Saddle up your horses
And I heard somebody say
Let's go
Saddle up your horses
We got a trail to blaze
Whoa
Through the wild blue yonder
Grace
Let's follow our leader
Into the glorious unknown
This is the life like no other
Whoa, whoa
This is the great adventure
Hey, congrats, Bart.
What?
Way to go, Millard.
La
Congratulations!
What?
Nice job, Bart.
You haven't heard yet?
I gotta say,
I'm a little jealous.
What're you t...
what're you talking about?
Congratulations!
No, no, no, no. Okay.
How excited are you?
Miss Fincher!
Unh-unh. No.
What're you trying to do to me?
I can't do this.
I didn't even try out.
You can. And you will.
And there'll be no further
discussion about it.
No, no, no, no, no.
Look, I'm a Millard.
Okay, you don't understand.
Millards play football.
Millards do not sing.
You have a gift, Bart.
And in my class,
you will be required to use it.
Or fail. It's your choice.
Look, my leg is still in a cast.
I can't even walk.
There's two months
until the production.
You have plenty of time to heal.
Please stop making excuses.
Okay, I don't sing like that.
That Broadway stuff.
I'll teach you.
Look, Miss Fincher,
I like you, okay?
You seem like
a real good person.
I respect you,
but there is no way, ever,
at all, ever that you are
gonna get me on that stage.
Mm-hmm.
There's a bright golden haze
On the meadow
There's a bright golden haze
On the meadow
The corn is as high
As an elephant's eye
And it looks like it's climbing
Clear up to the sky
Oh, what a beautiful mornin'
Oh, what a beautiful day
I've got a beautiful feelin'...
Mercy me,
that can't be his real voice.
Yeah, it is, Mama.
...goin' my way
Well, punch a monkey's uncle.
All the sounds of the Earth
Are like music
All the sounds of the Earth
Are like music
The breeze is so busy
It don't miss a tree
An' that ol' weepin' willer
Is laughin' at me
Oh, what a beautiful mornin'
Oh, what a beautiful day
I've got a beautiful feelin'
Everything's goin' my way
Oh, what a beautiful
Da-a-y
Whoo!
Sir, you need to understand.
It's hospital policy.
Well, you can't keep me here.
I'm free to go.
No, you're not.
We saw something
in your blood work
that concerned us,
so we ran a few tests.
And I'd like to discuss
the results with you.
You got my number.
You can call me.
We need to have
this conversation now.
Okay.
Why did I black out?
Because of extremely
low blood sugar.
So you're saying, what?
I'm diabetic?
No.
On your MRI,
we discovered a mass.
We believe it's cancer.
No.
No. No, I don't...
We'd like to run
a few more tests
and then decide on the best
treatment options for you.
I don't...
I don't need your treatment.
I'm gonna go home.
Mr. Millard,
if you refuse treatment,
it could drastically reduce
your chances.
Dad. What happened?
Oh, I'm fine.
I'm just fine.
Okay, well,
let me drive you home.
I-I can make it myself.
Mr. Millard, are you okay?
I'm Shannon, Bart's girlfriend?
Oh, hello, Shannon.
How'd Bart wind up
with someone as pretty as you?
Thank you.
I'm fine.
I'm gonna be all right.
But did they say what's wrong?
Uh, I just had a little incident.
I had low blood sugar.
I was over at the diner,
and... and I fell down.
And actually,
I was looking at your name
on an advertisement for a play.
Didn't think you'd wanna come.
Did he ever sing for you?
'Cause I-I had no idea.
I had no idea at all.
He was good.
He was real good.
I'm sorry, Dad.
I should've invited you.
Oh, don't... we'll talk
about it later, son.
Just let me drive you home.
Oh, no.
You take care
of your pretty girl there.
Where're you going?
Going to the cast party.
I'm not missing it for this.
Excuse me. I'm sorry.
What's wrong with him?
Are you family?
No.
Well, you need to ask him.
Thank you.
You're up early.
Made my son breakfast.
What's with the getup?
Going to a funeral?
No.
Just going to church, Dad.
Church.
Sit down and eat.
C'mon, sit down and eat.
Getting cold.
Hey'd you see this?
Did you see that?
Look at that.
Front page.
You look like
a Pinocchio cowboy.
It's a good joke.
So that's what I am to you,
a joke?
I didn't say that.
You just said it.
Don't put words in my mouth.
What if I wanna sing?
Why's that so funny?
I mean, maybe I'm good at it.
The pastor of the church
asked me to sing this morning.
It's gotta mean something.
He ask you to sing for a living?
That's what I'm saying.
You're gonna need to find
something you're good at
that you can actually earn
a living at
'cause you're gonna have
to support yourself
one of these days.
How do you even know?
You've never even heard me sing.
Well, that's not my fault.
All I hear out of you
is whining and moaning.
Okay. I'm singing
this morning at church.
10:00 on radio AM 1080.
Why don't you come watch me sing?
No, I can't do that.
Why not?
No. I just don't belong there.
Why?
I just don't. I don't!
Don't belong there.
Okay.
My boy Bart's, oh,
he's nothin'
but a big disappointment.
I wish he'd never been born.
Everything'd been just fine.
Hey...
All my problems are because of Bart.
Hey, hey,
you put words in my mouth.
I'm gonna put a fist
in your face.
Yeah, I'm a little big
for that, Dad.
You think?
I think those days are over.
Is that what you think?
Yeah! I do, yeah!
Listen, you have
to talk to me with respect.
I'm the one that puts
the food on the table.
I earn the living around here,
and I'm the one who stayed.
I don't see your Momma anywhere.
Yeah, well, nobody blames
her for leaving, Dad!
I would've left, too!
Just shut up.
Just shut up and eat.
I'm not hungry.
Eat your food.
I'm not hungry!
All right, then.
You kidding me?!
Stay away from me!
I'm serious!
Don't touch me!
I'm done with you! You're crazy!
Get away from me!
Bart, what happened
to your head?
It's bleeding.
Oh, it's nothing, it's fine.
Are you okay?
Are you sure?
I'm fine
I'm wondering
if you guys could all
maybe pray for a friend of mine?
This friend I think is lying
to me about their life.
I don't know what to do
because I wanna help,
and they just won't let me,
and I just feel like
the more I try,
it just kind of gets worse and worse.
And so now when I look at them,
all I see is a mask.
Pray for them.
No one can live a lie forever,
okay?
Okay, thanks.
Course they know
you're talking about me.
Do you know how embarrassing
that is?
I was just trying
to get you to listen!
What is going on with you?!
I'm fine.
You're not fine!
Is it your dad?
I could help.
Just let me come over.
I don't want you at my house.
Why?
'Cause I just don't.
Where is this coming from?
I don't know, maybe from deep
inside my mask.
That's not funny.
It's kinda funny.
Please, don't do this.
You got me all figured out.
You push everyone away!
Don't add me to that list.
I love you.
I've always loved you!
Yeah, well,
I've never really loved you.
I mean, we're...
we're graduating soon.
You're going off to college.
I'm chasing some stupid dream.
Right?
I never said your dream was stupid.
I mean, this has been fun.
No regrets for me, all right?
But people change,
you know what I mean?
We obviously can't
get along anymore.
I'm leaving, Shannon.
After graduation I'm... I'm gone.
Please don't.
What?
Go.
I can't stay here, Shannon.
You know, Mike, it's amazing how
people quit when they don't get paid.
I should try that sometime.
All right, look, we are opening
for the opening act
at a youth conference.
It's impossible,
that's the whole problem.
"Whether you think you can
or you think you can't,
you're right"...
that's Confucius.
I don't even know
what that means.
And it's offensive to me
as an artist.
An artist?
We're making 90 bucks!
Right.
Between the three of us.
We have no vocals.
We got no show.
It's impossible.
Yeah, well, the
only impossible things
are the things
that we call impossible.
What is that? Aristotle?
No, that one's a fortune cookie.
Nathan,
nobody understands you, man!
Hey, guys.
You're always so cranky, man.
Yeah, since Des Moines.
Oh, Des Moines.
Why bring up Des Moines again?
Hey, guys, if you guys
need a singer, I'll sing.
I'm, uh...
I also patch cables,
and, you know,
I can run the board,
and turn the lights on,
and I write songs, too.
Kind of. Sometimes.
Who are you?
I joined up with the band.
All we had was the clothes
on our backs.
Took every gig we could,
anywhere they'd let us play.
We were all technically
homeless, I guess.
When you can't find
what you're looking for
And your heart's been
screaming for more and more
When you search so long,
you can't even stand
And the way back home
is the Father's hand
Your heart says yes,
your head says more
And in between
is where you're torn
Trace your steps
to where you were
Befo-o-re
Ohh
Trace your steps, now
Oh, yeah
Yeah
Ooh, whoa, yeah
Yeah
Whoo!
Give it up for Mike
on the guitar!
Yeah!
Mr. Nathan on the bass!
Give it up for Nathan!
Jim on the keys!
Yeah!
Yeah, and I'm Bart.
And we are Mercy...
And Robbie on the drums!
He's new.
Thank you all
for being here tonight.
Y'all have a good time?
Yeah!
I sure hope so 'cause
that's all the songs we got.
Encore!
You know what?
Let me tell you a story
before we go.
Um... 'cause when I was, uh...
ten, 11 years old,
life was tough.
I mean, it...
it was really tough, actually.
I needed something,
and I remember, I've...
I've always loved music,
you know?
And I found some songs
that I just...
man, I... I held onto,
you know what I mean?
Like an anchor in a storm.
And they got me through.
And they told me about
a Father in heaven that...
that wanted me.
You know,
a Father that loves me so much
that He died for me.
A Father
that would never leave me.
And I listened to these songs
over and over
and over and over again and...
and they gave me hope.
'Cause I needed it.
And maybe tonight, so do you.
Sing this with me.
Oh, Lord
You're beautiful
Your face
Is all I seek
For when Your eyes
Are on this child
Your grace abounds to me
Oh, Lord,
please light the fire
That once
Burned bright and clear
Replace the lamp
Of my first love
That burns with holy fear
Oh, Lord, You're beautiful
Your face is all I seek
For when Your eyes
Are on this child
Your grace abounds to me
Thanks for coming, guys. Appreciate it.
Hey, Bart.
Hey, where you headed, man?
Someone I gotta see, man.
Who?
Scott Brickell.
He manages Audio Adrenaline
and a bunch of others.
Yeah, well, why was he here?
'Cause I wrote him a letter
every week
for the past two years.
Gotta go.
Uh...
Mr. Brickell!
It's just Brickell.
Uh, yeah, uh-huh, okay.
Um, I didn't know
you were coming. Thank you.
Yeah, well, I did.
Merry Christmas.
Uh, you know, we mostly
just play, uh, big shows,
you know, but sometimes
we like to get back to,
you know,
smaller venues like this one.
Yeah, look, Barth, uh...
Uh, it's Bart.
Sorry. And what's the name
of your band again?
It's Mercy Me, you know,
'cause when I told my memaw
that we were starting a band,
she was, like,
"Mercy me, get a real job."
And I was, like,
"Aw, Memaw!"
And then the guys were like,
"Did she really say that?"
I was, like, "Yeah, we
have to name the band Mercy..."
So that's what we called it.
Son, the sheer volume of words
that comes outta your mouth
is... exhausting.
You're not ready.
That's what I think.
You got talent.
You got potential.
You can sing, but I don't think
you've found your song,
Found your soul,
you know what I'm saying?
Look, that last thing you did,
that was... that was special.
Next gig, you should do that
the whole time, the entire show.
See how that works for you.
That's not the kind of music
that we sing, though.
Trust me, son, you have no idea
what kind of music you sing.
We write our own music.
We don't just do covers.
Well, then write
something like that,
and then give me a call.
No, no, no. Wait, wait, wait.
You gotta go with us.
We got two more shows in Texas.
We got plenty of room
on the bus, all right?
You know, you can't just
change up our whole act
and then abandon us, right?
You don't seem like that
kind of person, I can tell.
I flew coach in a middle seat
to rent a car
that I can't even fit in
to drive three hours
to the middle of nowhere
to have you tell me you want me
to travel on that...
with you?
Yeah.
That's funny.
I need to get another job.
Hello?
Yes, is this Shannon Street?
Yes. Who is this?
Uh, it's the police, ma'am.
Uh, we need to speak with you.
Can you come downstairs?
It's for your own safety.
Get the girl, Bart!
Woo-woo!
Shannon!
Bart!
Hey. Long time no see.
You look great.
It's midnight, Bart.
What are you doing here?
We just played a gig here.
I don't know
if you know this yet, but we...
we actually have a CD now
with actual songs on it.
Like a real CD.
Here, that's for you.
We have three more shows.
What if you came with us?
We could go on the road,
we could grab Kent.
Hit the road.
It'd be like before.
Three Musketeers.
I'm going to bed.
Aw, come on, Shannon.
Go on an adventure!
It'll be fun!
Adventure?
Really?
Yeah.
What're you thinking,
coming here like this?
I don't know.
I didn't really think about it.
I just thought
it'd be fun, you know?
Just an idea.
That's it? Only reason?
Yep.
I don't want to go on
any more adventures with you.
You know, I want you to know
that I pray for you
all the time.
I do. I really do.
And I hope that you find
whatever it is that
you're looking for out there.
Thank you for the CD.
Forrest Gump's taking
his time back there.
She will not be joining us.
Shocker.
Well, ain't she the smart one?
It's good.
Nathan, it's real good.
Let's do it.
Let's blow him away.
From the top of the world
I will sing
Of the joy that flows
From my glorious king
And in my heart, Lord
I can see
Your loving arms
Coming down to me
By your blood
That washed over me
By Your grace
That came down and kissed me
Jesus, You have cleaned my heart
And my soul
For Your glory, it made me
Made me beautiful
Hey! Where you going?
Back to Nashville.
I've seen all I need to see.
Plus, I need to make some plans
on account
of booking you guys
a venue for GMA week.
What is GMA week? What is that?
It's only the biggest
convention in music...
Just go on the bus!
All right.
I couldn't get the main stage,
but I'll get
some record labels there.
What I need you to do is invite
every youth group you can.
Stack the room.
And then just do
what you did tonight.
Wait.
So you liked tonight?
Don't get cocky, kid.
Hey, this is Shannon.
Leave a message.
Hey, Shannon.
Uh, it's Bart.
Just uh...
look, you said you, uh,
prayed for me
all the time, and I, uh...
we're playing this, uh,
big showcase tomorrow,
and, uh, it's a big deal for us,
and we just, uh... we're ready.
But we're, uh, terrified too, um...
I guess that's it.
Just wanted to tell you that.
Uh...
Little off-Broadway,
I know, but it's the best
I could do on short notice.
Are you kidding me?
This is perfect.
Oh, and, guys,
this is your sound man, Dingo.
Anything you need,
you just let him know.
You got us a sound guy?
Did you get a label to come?
No.
I got five.
Working on a few more.
I just need you to make sure
this place is full.
And bring the rain, gentlemen.
Yeah, you got it.
Absolutely.
Buddy, you ready for this?
Good crowd, huh?
Bart,
we've got a little situation
I need to talk to you about.
Come on.
So, Bart, there's somebody
I want you to meet.
This is a friend of mine.
He came down here tonight
to see us.
Whoa, Smitty?!
This is Michael W. Smith.
Smitty, right?
That's what your friends call you, right?
Yeah, yeah, uh,
nice to meet you.
I am, like, a huge fan
from, like, all the...
sorry, like, That's okay, man.
All the way back.
Way back.
Your tour with Amy Grant
was just so inspiring for me.
I remember you wore
that vest, that red vest!
Dude, that was bold.
I don't think I wore a red vest.
I would buy that vest.
No, you did.
You wore this red vest.
You remember?
Di... did I wear a red vest
on our tour?
He did.
Yes, you did.
It was velvet.
Oh, man.
What?
Miss Bart, I'm...
oh, we're... okay.
Uh...
You okay?
I just threw up a little bit.
Yeah. No, I'm good.
I just... you are like...
The first Christian tape
I ever got was "Never Alone."
And it was like...
like an anchor for me.
Thank you so much.
That means so much to me.
Yeah, it was just...
It was... it was great.
There you are.
We're just so excited
to cheer you on.
Here's Wonder Woman!
Go get him, please.
Here's Amy Grant!
You are like a super hero...
We gotta roll. Sorry.
What? We're hanging out.
Hi, guys.
This is Mike.
Hey. Good luck, Bart.
Yeah, good... have a good one.
Did you see who that was?
I did.
That was Amy Grant.
She talked to me.
Come on, Nashvi-i-lle!
Whoo! What's up, GMA?
Are you guys ready
to rock tonight?
Man, we are so glad
to be here with you!
Ever feel like everything
in your life
is just building and building
and building to one big moment?
That's how we feel tonight!
Let's do this!
Whoo!
Bart.
You're stressing me out, man.
Sorry.
It's nerves, you know.
I wish they'd hurry up.
I thought it was good, right?
It felt good.
It was good.
It was good, man.
Best show we ever played.
Crowd was into it, man.
I'm gonna go talk to them.
No! Hey! Hey!
Don't do that, Bart!
Brickell's got it.
Let him do his job.
What if he can't?
Hey!
Wait! Wait!
Dude, no!
That's a mistake.
But if you could see
how far they've come from
the first time I saw 'em...
Hey! Hey, guys!
Gentlemen.
Oh, and also lady.
So you guys know Bart?
Nice to meet y'all.
Thanks for coming out tonight.
And I've been getting
some good feedback
from these guys,
and I'm almost finished...
Was that awesome or what?
I mean, don't y'all agree?
I think we're pretty much
finished up here anyway.
Ah, come on,
I wanna know what you think!
Let me, let me finish up here...
I want to know what they think.
You really wanna know?
Yeah, I do!
Come on, lay it on me.
Give me all you got,
Mr. Music Man.
I have the skin of a rhino.
All I got, okay.
I'm sorry to have to be
the one tell you this, kid,
but, um...
you're just not good enough.
Not yet, anyway.
What? You're wrong.
Seventh graders at youth camp,
that's one thing, Bart.
But this,
this is about record sales.
And I just can't sell
what you're doing up there.
Seventh gr...
we packed the house, man.
We've been selling our
own albums for years now.
I mean, what... what world
are you guys living in?
Reality.
Look, you need to embrace
reality, Bart.
Your stuff...
You're not good enough, Bart.
Dreams don't pay the bills.
All it does...
is keep you from all this...
from knowing what's real.
What about the stuff
we played at the end?
The worship music?
Oh, it was beautiful,
magical, truly.
I've got a brother-in-law
in Denver.
He's looking
for a worship pastor.
I could put you two together.
Is she serious?
It's the truth you're mad at,
not me.
My high school football team,
there were a couple of guys
that were good enough to make
a big noise in a small town.
But that was it.
You know what?
They're still there.
They're stuck.
And that's what'll happen
to you.
You gotta be good
at something we can sell.
Just stop!
Do you guys not get it?
Okay? We've given everything
for this moment.
There is no plan B for us. Okay?
We will do whatever it takes.
We will work harder
than anybody else.
Tell me what you need me to do.
Look, I work with a lot of bands,
and I can recognize who's
gonna make it and who isn't.
And I gotta tell you the truth, Bart.
You won't.
How dare you say that?
You don't even know me.
Go home.
That's what you should do.
Dad, I can do this.
No, you can't.
I can do this!
No, you can't!
And you're gonna blink
your eyes,
and you're gonna realize
that you're nothing,
and that life
has got you nowhere
because you chased
some stupid dream!
Wake up!
Let me finish up here.
No!
No, I'm not leaving!
I'm not leaving!
Yes, you are.
Let me finish up.
What happened?
What'd they say?
Bart? You okay?
You're not good enough, Bart.
You're not.
Well, that didn't take
very long.
So what now?
What do we do now?
I don't know.
Give me a second.
There's gotta be something
we can do. I mean...
Just let me think for a second.
You're just gonna take that
from them out there? Huh?
You're the manager.
Do you not have an idea?
Hold on.
What is the next step?
Sometimes there is no
next step, Bart! Okay?
You just ticked off
half of Nashville in there.
What's he talking about?
You know what?
If this is all there is...
then I'm done.
What?
Then I quit.
What?
Wow, really?
Classy.
What about us?
What about the band?
What band, Mike?
What about it?
They hated it.
They hated all of it.
They hated us.
I'm done.
Sorry to disappoint.
Can I come in, or you wanna sulk
a little longer?
So...
You just gonna quit?
Is that it?
You got a better idea?
I'm tired, man. I'm...
I got nothing left.
I'm gonna be honest with you,
like I told you I would be.
Sometimes when you're up there,
it's like you're singing
somebody else's music.
It's like a fake imitation.
I don't believe it.
I don't believe you.
Well, this has gone
from bad to worse, thank you.
But then there're times...
when I see something real.
I see something authentic.
But as soon as it shows up,
it's like you're afraid, and...
and then it vanishes
just as quick as it came.
And that's what makes you
a puzzle to me.
Let me ask you something, Bart.
What're you running from?
My dad.
He, uh...
he...
He beat you, didn't he?
You ain't got
no poker face, kid.
And I carry that.
I have to live with that.
You know?
I always will.
Then write about it.
Stop running from it.
Let that pain
become your inspiration.
And then you'll have something
that people can believe in.
But to do that, you got to face
your fears, son.
You know, Bart...
I may not always believe
in your music,
but I do believe in you.
You sold me, kid.
Don't quit.
Hey, guys, uh...
I'm sorry.
Um... there's some things
I need to take care of.
Some stuff I need to sort out.
I gotta go home.
But I'd really, really like it
if you guys would wait for me.
So we're still a band?
No, uh, we're a family.
Okay.
The band continued east,
and I headed back west
hoping they would wait on me.
I knew I needed to deal
with things at home.
I needed to face the pain,
but the closer I got,
the only thing I felt
was... dread.
I can't do this.
Hey, Bart.
Are you hungry?
I, uh... I heard you
come in last night,
so, I made some bacon
and, uh, cinnamon rolls
and... a-a frittata, which I
just learned how to make.
When did you learn how to cook?
Oh, I been learning
a lot lately.
Why don't you go on in there?
I-I set the table.
Go on.
Here.
The key to the frittata
is how hot you make the pan.
That's the secret.
Go on and sit down.
Take that one.
Yeah, go ahead.
Want some bacon?
Well, uh... wanna say grace?
What?
I'll do it.
God, it's me here, Arthur.
I wanna thank you
for, uh, answering my prayer.
And, uh...
rub-a-dub-dub,
and thanks for the grub.
Amen.
So you f...
found God or something?
Well, I-I been listening
to some preachers on the radio
and, uh, re... uh,
reading the Bible and whatnot.
What part?
All of it.
And, uh, couple of times,
actually.
And, uh, it's pretty confusing.
It's... like Leviticus.
What is that?
I-I-I don't get it.
What prayer?
You said God answered a prayer.
What prayer?
Just seeing you again.
Well, Dad, I been busy.
Yeah.
I guess you noticed
I've got a few projects
going on around here.
And I got one out in the garage
I was hoping
that you'd help me with.
Uh... I been, uh,
rebuilding that Jeep of mine.
And, man, when I was your age,
I made some memories
in that Jeep.
And I was hoping
that maybe we could, uh,
get it running again and...
I don't know...
Go somewhere, do some...
What're you doing?
What is this?
Well, I-I-I wrote you
some letters.
Did you get 'em?
Yeah. Threw 'em away.
Did you read 'em?
Nope.
Oh.
I thought that's why
you came back last night.
I'm... well...
I was just trying to make
a memory, that's all.
That's kind of hard
for me to do, Dad.
'Cause all the memories
that we have together are bad.
Uh, do you want some...
I'll get some ketchup.
Son, I-I know that
I-I did some things that...
You did some things?
I got a memory for you, Dad.
That night you beat me so badly
that I had to sleep on my
stomach 'cause I was so bruised?
I couldn't move.
What was I, ten? 11?
Yeah, I remember that.
That, uh...
that tore me up.
I-I cried that... all night
about what I did to you then.
I cried too, Dad.
In pain all night.
Why were you?
And now you just wanna
come back in here?
Make breakfast?
Pretend like nothing
ever happened?
It doesn't work that way, Dad!
What am I gonna do, Bart?
I-I just...
I wanna make things right
with you and me.
And, um...
I don't know what to say.
I don't know how to do it.
I'm trying.
I'm reading a lot of books
I don't understand, and I'm...
I just got a lot of questions
about myself.
I don't have nobody to...
to answer 'em for me.
If God can forgive
everybody else...
why can't He forgive me?
God can forgive you.
I can't.
I can't believe
I came back here.
Can't you give me a chance?
No!
You've just gotta give up
on that dream, Dad.
'Cause it keeps you from this.
From knowing what's real.
Do it.
Go ahead.
Just do it.
Dad, are you dying?
Yeah.
I can show you, Dad.
With your questions,
I can show you how.
So if you didn't
bring your journals,
come up here.
You're gonna need them
for your session tonight.
Tonight we're gonna talk
about forgiveness.
So find a blank page in your journal,
and I want you to write these words...
"God, tonight I choose to forgive,"
and I want you to finish that sentence.
Now, you may say to me,
"You don't know how hard it is for me
to forgive this person.
You don't know what they've done to me."
And I'd say, "I know it's hard.
But if you have been forgiven by God,
then he gives you the power
to forgive others."
Better late than never.
I'll get the door.
We got a special treat
for you this morning.
Any of y'all heard the story
of John Newton?
He was a sea captain.
Slave trader.
He was tormented and racked
with guilt and shame.
Well, he found for forgiveness.
He found Christ.
He wrote a little song about that
called "Amazing Grace."
That song touched the world.
Hey.
What?
I figured out why you like junk.
What?
Why you like to fix things.
Why you...
you make something
out of nothing all the time.
They got a word for that.
What's that word?
It's "redemption."
Redemption.
Yeah. Hey.
What is... what is this note here?
Right there.
What is that note?
G.
Yeah.
What's that note?
C.
C, all right.
G to C.
You got some competition now, boy.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Bart Millard!
You gotta hold still, Dad.
Oh, sorry.
It's okay.
Oh, I wanted to be there.
That's all right, Dad.
Ahh.
Hey, there's Shannon.
Boy, you better hang onto that girl.
Don't you ever let her get away.
Dad, we're not... we're not dating anymore.
What? What?
What'd you do?
You two are meant for each other.
Whatever you did,
even if you don't know what you did,
you're wrong.
Did I ever tell you how I met your mom?
Tell me.
Hey, this is Shannon.
Leave a message.
Hey, Shannon.
I don't know if you're getting
these messages or not,
but I just wanted you to know
that I'm... I'm back home,
and I'm... I'm journaling again.
I'm writing a lot like we did
when we were kids.
It feels really good.
I love you, boy.
I was listening, Bart.
I was listening to you.
On the radio.
'Cause you'd sing...
and I'd listen to every word.
And then...
you'd finish.
And then I'd listen to what they were
talking about there at church.
That's what saved me.
I was real proud of you.
Was real proud.
I told you not to follow your dreams.
But that's only because mine,
they never came true.
But you're not me.
You're not like me.
Unh-unh.
And you, you have a gift.
A real gift.
I wanna take care of you, Bart.
I got something for you, Bart.
Here.
I want, uh...
I never made much money.
But I have my life insurance.
And I... I tried to save
everything I could.
And I want you to have that...
so you can pay attention to your singing.
And you'll get a check every month
so you can go chase your dream.
And I want you to catch it.
Hmm?
Don't you ever look back.
You promise?
I promise.
Will you sing a song, son?
I'm sleepy.
Sing.
Amazing grace
How sweet
The sound
That saved
A wretch
Like me
I once
Was lost
But now
I'm found
Was blind
But now
I see
When we've
Been there
Ten thousand years
Bright shining as
The sun
We've no
Less days
To sing
God's praise
Than when
We first
Begun
Imagine what he's seeing up there, Bart.
Just imagine.
Welcome back, man.
Thanks, man.
Yeah.
Where we going?
West. Couple gigs in New Mexico.
Okay, God.
Okay.
Thank you! Thank you.
It's good to be back.
Man, I, uh...
I haven't been on stage
since I lost my dad.
And, uh, I'm learning to deal with it.
And I deal with it
the only way I know how,
and that's to write a song.
And I'm gonna...
Well, I'm gonna sing it for you now.
This is called "I Can Only Imagine."
That kid wrote this?
Yeah, he did.
Wow.
I know.
I can't stop listening to it.
I'm gonna start pitching it around town.
I know who you need to send it to.
Phone!
Jim, get it. You're right there.
Phone!
Seriously?
Phone!! No, man, I got it.
It's cool. No, I got it.
You look really...
No, I got it! Let it go, let it...
Okay, thanks, man, appreciate it.
Hello?
Who is this?
Sure. Yeah, hold on.
Let me get him.
Bart, phone's for you.
Bart!
Hello?
Yeah, right.
Good one, guys, Real good joke.
Whose idea was that? Amy Grant.
Uh, that... that was her, man.
That... that was Amy Grant
you hung up on.
Are you serious? Give me the phone!
Yeah, that happened.
Any? Hello? Hello?
Actual Amy Grant?
Jim, how do I re-dial?
It's a rotary phone, Bart.
There's gotta be a way to redial.
Call her back.
How do I get in...
Hey, Amy.
Bart... you didn't write
this song in ten minutes.
It took a lifetime.
Scott gave me a Imagine when I was
dealing with a friend losing a battle,
you know?
And it got me through.
I couldn't stop listening.
I mean, it's a career-maker.
And I know some songs
can be real personal.
Is this what you really want?
You know,
I've never told anybody my story.
My dad was a monster.
I mean, that's the only word for it.
And I saw God transform him
from a man that I hated
into the man I wanted to become...
into my best friend.
And I didn't realize it soon enough.
I guess that I didn't think
that God could do that.
And so I wrote this song.
And I want as many people
as possible to hear it.
And you can do that.
I can't.
So...
yes.
This is what I want.
So, Brick, you know us.
We lay our cards on the table.
Amy needs a comeback song.
We believe this is it.
Amy is doing a homecoming date
here in Nashville
to kick off a fall tour.
We'd like to showcase it there.
Hey, this is Shannon.
Leave a message.
Hey, Shannon, um...
I just wanted to call you
and let you know,
uh, I wrote a new song.
It feels different than anything
I've written before.
Um... I think it might be...
might be something special.
Um...
Shannon, I'm sorry I hurt you.
I know I hurt you over and over
and over again,
and I... I'm sorry.
I just...
It had nothing to do with you.
It never did.
It had nothing to do with you.
I just...
I'm sorry I hurt you.
Hello?
Beautiful, isn't it?
I can't think of a better place
to unveil "Imagine."
I hope I can do it justice.
It's gonna be something.
Mm-hmm.
When do you record it?
Soon.
Just gotta find that sound.
I've listened to your tape 1,000 times.
Well, thank you.
Is there anything you want me to say
after I sing it?
Tell 'em I wrote it for my dad.
Be with me now
Breath of heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of heaven
Breath of heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me your holiness
Did you send one to DJC
in Birmingham?
Okay, bribe him with chocolate.
Actually, Snickers bars,
he loves 'em, okay?
Yeah. I got it.
And you put on there
"From the writers of
'I Can Only Imagine'."
Yeah, yeah, I've got 'em. 200 copies.
Okay, good.
Hey, uh, delivery truck just got here.
So I'll load 'em up.
All right, good. Okay.
Breath of heaven
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
This next song is really
something special.
See, I found a song
that saved me through a time.
You know how music does that?
See I was, um...
I was dealing with loss, with pain.
And I heard this song,
and it just blew my soul wide open.
It lifted me up. It rescued me.
And you're the first ones to ever hear it.
This is "I Can Only Imagine."
Bart, would you come up here, please?
Ladies and gentlemen,
the writer of the song is here tonight,
and I want y'all to meet him.
Bart, come on up.
I'm not joking, come on up!
It's not just the song that's special.
It's you.
And this story is not my story.
It's yours.
And this moment,
it doesn't belong to me.
It belongs to you.
Take it.
Bart Millard wrote this song,
this beautiful song,
and want him to be the one
to sing it for y'all tonight
for the first time ever.
Bart?
This is for my dad.
I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By Your side
I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When Your face
Is before me
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You, Jesus
Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence
Or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing Hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
When that day comes
And I find myself
Standing in the sun
I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine, yeah
I can only imagine
Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You, Jesus
Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence
Or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing Hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine
Yeah
I can only imagine
Yeah
Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You, Jesus
Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence
Or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing Hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine
Yeah
I can only imagine
Yeah, yeah
I can only imagine
Yeah, yeah
I can only imagine
Yeah
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine
Wasn't that great?
Bart and his band MercyMe will be
releasing that song as their first single,
and I want all y'all to keep
an eye out for it, okay?
Shannon!
It's always been you.
I've always loved you.
I know.
Excuse me, sir.
I hate to be rude.
This is an emergency.
I-I, I promise.
I promise, 'Kay?
Come on, Jim.
Hello?
Hey, stop the truck.
What?
You have to stop the truck.
Amy's giving the song back to us.
She's giving us Imagine.
Imagine is going out as our first single.
Stop the truck!
Why?
Amy's giving it back!
Stop staring at me!
Stop the truck!
Here's a new song
for you on Magic 104.5.
Uh, guys?
Guess who's on the radio.
Hey, can we give this a try?
Here's a brand-new song
from a brand-new band.
In this week of the countdown
in the number one slot...
Have you heard this song?
This song's gonna blow you away.
This song already means
so much to so many people.
This is MercyMe,
it's called "I Can Only Imagine."
It's the number one
Christian song in America,
now charting on country
and pop charts as well.
I love this song.
This is MercyMe on the Delilah Show.
So you know this
is not a religious station,
and we are not religious people,
not by a long shot.
But believe it or not,
this is the number one
most requested song on the station.
It's "I Can Only Imagine" by MercyMe.
To sing his great song,
"Can Only Imagine,"
please welcome Bart.
Bart!
If anybody I went to
high school with is listening,
I made it!
"I Can Only Imagine," the song,
was written after my father passed away
with cancer many years ago.
He was abusive most of my... my life.
If he had a bad day, he took it out on me.
And he was diagnosed with cancer
when I was in high school.
I saw Jesus change him completely.
He went from a monster to being a man,
that was desperately
and passionately in love with Jesus.
And it kind of set me on
this warpath for the Gospel.
'Cause if the Gospel
can change that dude,
the Gospel can change anybody,
you know?
I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By Your side
I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When Your face
Is before me
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You, Jesus
Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence
Or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing Hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
When that day comes
And I find myself
Standing in the sun
I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You, Jesus
Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence
Or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing Hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
Yeah, yeah
Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You, Jesus
Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence
Or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing Hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine
Hey, yeah
I can only imagine
Yeah, yeah
I can only imagine
Ooh, whoa
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
Whoa
Whoa
I can only imagine
Whoa
Whoa
I found a song
that saved me through a time.
You know how music does that?
I was dealing with loss,
with pain,
and I heard this song,
and it blew my soul wide open.
It became my anthem.
It rescued me.
And I just kept wondering,
who could write this?
What did they have to go through
to be able to give
this gift to me?
This is hope, pure hope.
It's an amazing song.
Just kind of happened.
Lyrics took about ten minutes,
I guess.
Music took about the same.
Bart... you didn't write
this song in ten minutes.
It took a lifetime.
How'd you do this?
Bart? Bart?!
Well, mercy me,
you been out here all day!
How'd I do?
Oh, you done good, Bart.
You done real good.
I'll see you tomorrow!
Bye!
You got me runnin',
goin' out of my mind
You got me thinkin'
that I'm wastin' my time
Don't bring me down
No, no, no, no, no
Ooh-ooh-hoo
I'll tell you once more
Before
I get off the floor
Don't bring me down
What happened to
the girl I used to know?
You let your mind out
somewhere down the road
Don't bring me down
No, no, no, no, no
Ooh-ooh-hoo
I'll tell you once more
Before
I get off the floor
Don't bring me down
You're always talkin'
'bout your crazy nights
One of these days
you're gonna get it right
Don't bring me down
No, no, no, no, no
Ooh-ooh-hoo
I'll tell you once more
Before
I get off the floor
Don't bring me down
Wait! Wait!
Don't bring me down...
'Cause, for me, you know,
without the song...
it's... it's all about the song.
Yeah.
Doesn't matter what band, you know.
You might be interested
in this band.
It was one of the greatest
concerts I've ever seen.
It was amazing.
Down, down, down
I'll tell you once more
Before
I get off the floor
Don't bring me down
Hey, hon.
What you got there?
It's a fighter helmet
that I made
during a big battle in space.
You sure worked hard on that,
didn't you?
Yeah.
What's this?
It's just... it's just junk.
You're a dreamer, Bart.
That's good.
Haven't you ever
imagined anything?
I'm gonna teach you
something, Bart.
Dreams don't pay the bills.
Nothing good comes from it.
All it does...
is keep you from all this.
From knowing what's real.
You understand that?
Huh?!
Yes, Daddy.
Well, you say that's
a piece of junk,
why don't you just go
throw it away?
Go, just go.
He'll take it.
It's okay, it's okay.
Stay out of it!
It's none of your business!
It's between him and me.
Someone's gotta make sure
that he is raised up right!
Shut your mouth!
Or I'll shut it for you!
You want some more?
You want some more?
Here, had enough yet?
Had enough yet?
Hey. Bart? Shh.
It's okay. Hey.
Mom?
Ready for an adventure?
Now?
Yes, right now.
It's called Camp Glorieta.
Church down the street
takes kids there.
It's a fun camp.
I called,
and they said you could go.
Come on,
you're gonna have a great time.
You're gonna make some friends.
You'll make some memories.
Can we just do this?
Do what?
Just drive.
Drive and listen.
Listen to this music.
Me and you.
Just listen to the words.
I stay awhile
I can go back
Into the heart
Of a child
I can smile
I can go there
Into the heart
Into the heart of a child
Okay. This is it.
You ain't never met
a stranger? Hmm?
All right, I can do this.
Yeah.
Geronimo.
Hey.
You know I love you, right?
Okay.
Go on. Get outta here.
Bye, Mom.
Oh, gosh. I can do this.
I can do this.
No Walkmans at camp.
They'll take it up.
Are you kidding?
Oh, um, hi.
Uh, I'm... I'm Bart.
My friends, like,
they call me Bart.
I know. I'm Shannon. Duh!
Ready for camp?
Mmm.
It's totally safe!
See? Safe.
Well, except for that one kid.
You coming?
Sorry, sorry.
Squeeze in here. Sorry.
Oh, sorry 'bout that!
Hey, Bart, this is Kent.
Nice to meet you, Bart.
Hey, bro. This is the cup game.
I'm not very good at it.
Campers.
Campers, up here!
So I'm Rusty.
For those of you
who don't know me,
I'm the Youth Pastor
at Greenville Baptist.
So if you didn't bring
your journals, come up here.
We got one for you.
You're gonna need it
for your session tonight.
Let's have a great week.
Bro, sit down. I got you.
So is that like a diary, or?
Kinda, but there's more to it.
Helps get my thoughts ordered.
Prayers, problems, dreams,
stuff I imagine sometimes.
Uh, can I see?
I'm sorry,
I... I didn't know.
B-9, you're with me for
kitchen duty, let's do it.
Well, that's me.
See you later, okay?
Hey, Bart, I got your journal.
Ooh! Kent!
Here you go.
I'm sorry.
That's mint.
I didn't know you could draw.
Why're you dressed like that?
Come with me
if you want to live!
We're sneaking out.
So what do you wanna be
when you grow up, an artist?
Eh, or a football player.
That's what my dad was.
He was really good, actually.
Kind of famous in college.
We're gonna get
in so much trouble for this.
I know, right?
Got some great stuff.
Like industrial grade.
Set it all up this afternoon.
So you guys are gonna go
over there
and face in the north direction,
got it?
And also,
did you know Bart can draw?
Hi.
So you can draw?
I guess so, a little bit.
Bart, I'm terrified you saw
what was written in my journal.
Did you?
No.
Wh-what're you talking about?
You're lying.
You saw every word, didn't you?
Maybe.
Well, then here goes.
You know what I think?
I think that someday
we're gonna fall in love,
get married,
and that's our destiny.
And now I'm mortified.
I'm gonna walk down this hill
and help Kent.
Wa-wa-wa-wait wait.
Shannon, please stay.
Why? Afraid of the dark?
Afraid of monsters?
I just don't like being alone.
All right, come on, kids.
Bart, Bart!
Here. It's my favorite.
Sweet.
And I wanna be a singer
just like her someday.
Thank you so much.
My parents are here pick me up.
Bye!
Last stop. This is you.
It was good to meet you, Bart.
Am I gonna see you on Sunday?
Yeah. Yeah.
Hey.
Momma? Momma...
Where's Momma?
She's gone.
Gone where?
She ran off.
She ain't coming back.
Just you and me now.
When will she be back?
I told you, she run off.
She don't want me no more,
and she don't want you neither.
What did you do?
Are you bowing up on me, boy?
You hurt her, didn't you?!
Hey!
You hurt her like you hurt me!
Hey!
Nothing! That's what I did!
Nothing!
She didn't leave 'cause of me.
I'm sorry, Mom!
What did I do?!
Take me, Mom, please!
Stop!
So did you ever see her again?
Uh, she'd call now and then.
I tried to live with her once,
one summer in junior high,
but she was in another bad
relationship.
Worse, actually.
Um, my dad drove up and threw
the guy off a staircase
onto the hood of his car
and threatened to kill him
if he ever hurt her again
and then grabbed me
and took me home.
It's kind of ironic.
Um, that was about it.
So what did you do?
I tried to get good at the only
thing my dad really cared about.
Hey, there.
Hey there, darlin'.
That's so corny.
You're making
everyone in the stadium
feel real uncomfortable.
Dude, seriously,
that beard makes you look 35.
Kent, shut up.
Shut up!
I like it.
Millard!
Get over here, now.
I love you.
I know.
Unbelievable.
Break!
Break!
Hey. Just give me a second.
It's sour.
Jeez.
It's a month past its date.
I'll make Pop-Tarts, then.
Just a few things I ask you
to do around here, Bart,
a few things.
I caught before I ran, Dad,
at practice today.
Almost scored.
How many of them did it take?
What?
To get you down on the ground.
How many'd it take?
Just one. It's just practice.
One?
Nobody could never
bring me down.
Took the whole football team.
It's the way I live my life.
Life hits me, I hit back harder.
I don't go down.
Not then, not now, not never.
You understand?
Break!
I don't go down.
You go down too easy.
That's your problem.
What'd they say?
They said you can't play.
For how long?
Ever.
Well, that's disappointing.
Yeah. Yeah, it is.
Whoa! Hey.
Sorry.
Where are you driving?
I should've drove.
This is stupid.
Graduating high school
is not stupid.
You just have to pick a new
elective to replace football.
Yeah.
Okay.
Oh, man, ever have aspirations
of being a seamstress?
Well, that's full, so.
They're, like, all full.
Yeah.
Except this one.
What?
Glee Club.
And even though
it all went wrong
I'll stand before
the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue
But Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelu-u-jah
That's really good.
Honey, I think
you've got the wrong room.
I wish. No offense.
None taken. You sing?
No.
Act?
Not at all.
Do you dance?
Ma'am, I'm in a wheelchair.
Please, just kick me
out of this class.
I don't turn anyone away.
Sugar, what is your name?
Uh, Bart Millard.
"Bart Millard."
Yeah.
Our new assistant
technical director.
All right!
I don't know what that is.
Now this I can do.
Saddle up your horses
And I heard somebody say
Let's go
Saddle up your horses
We got a trail to blaze
Whoa
Through the wild blue yonder
Grace
Let's follow our leader
Into the glorious unknown
This is the life like no other
Whoa, whoa
This is the great adventure
Hey, congrats, Bart.
What?
Way to go, Millard.
La
Congratulations!
What?
Nice job, Bart.
You haven't heard yet?
I gotta say,
I'm a little jealous.
What're you t...
what're you talking about?
Congratulations!
No, no, no, no. Okay.
How excited are you?
Miss Fincher!
Unh-unh. No.
What're you trying to do to me?
I can't do this.
I didn't even try out.
You can. And you will.
And there'll be no further
discussion about it.
No, no, no, no, no.
Look, I'm a Millard.
Okay, you don't understand.
Millards play football.
Millards do not sing.
You have a gift, Bart.
And in my class,
you will be required to use it.
Or fail. It's your choice.
Look, my leg is still in a cast.
I can't even walk.
There's two months
until the production.
You have plenty of time to heal.
Please stop making excuses.
Okay, I don't sing like that.
That Broadway stuff.
I'll teach you.
Look, Miss Fincher,
I like you, okay?
You seem like
a real good person.
I respect you,
but there is no way, ever,
at all, ever that you are
gonna get me on that stage.
Mm-hmm.
There's a bright golden haze
On the meadow
There's a bright golden haze
On the meadow
The corn is as high
As an elephant's eye
And it looks like it's climbing
Clear up to the sky
Oh, what a beautiful mornin'
Oh, what a beautiful day
I've got a beautiful feelin'...
Mercy me,
that can't be his real voice.
Yeah, it is, Mama.
...goin' my way
Well, punch a monkey's uncle.
All the sounds of the Earth
Are like music
All the sounds of the Earth
Are like music
The breeze is so busy
It don't miss a tree
An' that ol' weepin' willer
Is laughin' at me
Oh, what a beautiful mornin'
Oh, what a beautiful day
I've got a beautiful feelin'
Everything's goin' my way
Oh, what a beautiful
Da-a-y
Whoo!
Sir, you need to understand.
It's hospital policy.
Well, you can't keep me here.
I'm free to go.
No, you're not.
We saw something
in your blood work
that concerned us,
so we ran a few tests.
And I'd like to discuss
the results with you.
You got my number.
You can call me.
We need to have
this conversation now.
Okay.
Why did I black out?
Because of extremely
low blood sugar.
So you're saying, what?
I'm diabetic?
No.
On your MRI,
we discovered a mass.
We believe it's cancer.
No.
No. No, I don't...
We'd like to run
a few more tests
and then decide on the best
treatment options for you.
I don't...
I don't need your treatment.
I'm gonna go home.
Mr. Millard,
if you refuse treatment,
it could drastically reduce
your chances.
Dad. What happened?
Oh, I'm fine.
I'm just fine.
Okay, well,
let me drive you home.
I-I can make it myself.
Mr. Millard, are you okay?
I'm Shannon, Bart's girlfriend?
Oh, hello, Shannon.
How'd Bart wind up
with someone as pretty as you?
Thank you.
I'm fine.
I'm gonna be all right.
But did they say what's wrong?
Uh, I just had a little incident.
I had low blood sugar.
I was over at the diner,
and... and I fell down.
And actually,
I was looking at your name
on an advertisement for a play.
Didn't think you'd wanna come.
Did he ever sing for you?
'Cause I-I had no idea.
I had no idea at all.
He was good.
He was real good.
I'm sorry, Dad.
I should've invited you.
Oh, don't... we'll talk
about it later, son.
Just let me drive you home.
Oh, no.
You take care
of your pretty girl there.
Where're you going?
Going to the cast party.
I'm not missing it for this.
Excuse me. I'm sorry.
What's wrong with him?
Are you family?
No.
Well, you need to ask him.
Thank you.
You're up early.
Made my son breakfast.
What's with the getup?
Going to a funeral?
No.
Just going to church, Dad.
Church.
Sit down and eat.
C'mon, sit down and eat.
Getting cold.
Hey'd you see this?
Did you see that?
Look at that.
Front page.
You look like
a Pinocchio cowboy.
It's a good joke.
So that's what I am to you,
a joke?
I didn't say that.
You just said it.
Don't put words in my mouth.
What if I wanna sing?
Why's that so funny?
I mean, maybe I'm good at it.
The pastor of the church
asked me to sing this morning.
It's gotta mean something.
He ask you to sing for a living?
That's what I'm saying.
You're gonna need to find
something you're good at
that you can actually earn
a living at
'cause you're gonna have
to support yourself
one of these days.
How do you even know?
You've never even heard me sing.
Well, that's not my fault.
All I hear out of you
is whining and moaning.
Okay. I'm singing
this morning at church.
10:00 on radio AM 1080.
Why don't you come watch me sing?
No, I can't do that.
Why not?
No. I just don't belong there.
Why?
I just don't. I don't!
Don't belong there.
Okay.
My boy Bart's, oh,
he's nothin'
but a big disappointment.
I wish he'd never been born.
Everything'd been just fine.
Hey...
All my problems are because of Bart.
Hey, hey,
you put words in my mouth.
I'm gonna put a fist
in your face.
Yeah, I'm a little big
for that, Dad.
You think?
I think those days are over.
Is that what you think?
Yeah! I do, yeah!
Listen, you have
to talk to me with respect.
I'm the one that puts
the food on the table.
I earn the living around here,
and I'm the one who stayed.
I don't see your Momma anywhere.
Yeah, well, nobody blames
her for leaving, Dad!
I would've left, too!
Just shut up.
Just shut up and eat.
I'm not hungry.
Eat your food.
I'm not hungry!
All right, then.
You kidding me?!
Stay away from me!
I'm serious!
Don't touch me!
I'm done with you! You're crazy!
Get away from me!
Bart, what happened
to your head?
It's bleeding.
Oh, it's nothing, it's fine.
Are you okay?
Are you sure?
I'm fine
I'm wondering
if you guys could all
maybe pray for a friend of mine?
This friend I think is lying
to me about their life.
I don't know what to do
because I wanna help,
and they just won't let me,
and I just feel like
the more I try,
it just kind of gets worse and worse.
And so now when I look at them,
all I see is a mask.
Pray for them.
No one can live a lie forever,
okay?
Okay, thanks.
Course they know
you're talking about me.
Do you know how embarrassing
that is?
I was just trying
to get you to listen!
What is going on with you?!
I'm fine.
You're not fine!
Is it your dad?
I could help.
Just let me come over.
I don't want you at my house.
Why?
'Cause I just don't.
Where is this coming from?
I don't know, maybe from deep
inside my mask.
That's not funny.
It's kinda funny.
Please, don't do this.
You got me all figured out.
You push everyone away!
Don't add me to that list.
I love you.
I've always loved you!
Yeah, well,
I've never really loved you.
I mean, we're...
we're graduating soon.
You're going off to college.
I'm chasing some stupid dream.
Right?
I never said your dream was stupid.
I mean, this has been fun.
No regrets for me, all right?
But people change,
you know what I mean?
We obviously can't
get along anymore.
I'm leaving, Shannon.
After graduation I'm... I'm gone.
Please don't.
What?
Go.
I can't stay here, Shannon.
You know, Mike, it's amazing how
people quit when they don't get paid.
I should try that sometime.
All right, look, we are opening
for the opening act
at a youth conference.
It's impossible,
that's the whole problem.
"Whether you think you can
or you think you can't,
you're right"...
that's Confucius.
I don't even know
what that means.
And it's offensive to me
as an artist.
An artist?
We're making 90 bucks!
Right.
Between the three of us.
We have no vocals.
We got no show.
It's impossible.
Yeah, well, the
only impossible things
are the things
that we call impossible.
What is that? Aristotle?
No, that one's a fortune cookie.
Nathan,
nobody understands you, man!
Hey, guys.
You're always so cranky, man.
Yeah, since Des Moines.
Oh, Des Moines.
Why bring up Des Moines again?
Hey, guys, if you guys
need a singer, I'll sing.
I'm, uh...
I also patch cables,
and, you know,
I can run the board,
and turn the lights on,
and I write songs, too.
Kind of. Sometimes.
Who are you?
I joined up with the band.
All we had was the clothes
on our backs.
Took every gig we could,
anywhere they'd let us play.
We were all technically
homeless, I guess.
When you can't find
what you're looking for
And your heart's been
screaming for more and more
When you search so long,
you can't even stand
And the way back home
is the Father's hand
Your heart says yes,
your head says more
And in between
is where you're torn
Trace your steps
to where you were
Befo-o-re
Ohh
Trace your steps, now
Oh, yeah
Yeah
Ooh, whoa, yeah
Yeah
Whoo!
Give it up for Mike
on the guitar!
Yeah!
Mr. Nathan on the bass!
Give it up for Nathan!
Jim on the keys!
Yeah!
Yeah, and I'm Bart.
And we are Mercy...
And Robbie on the drums!
He's new.
Thank you all
for being here tonight.
Y'all have a good time?
Yeah!
I sure hope so 'cause
that's all the songs we got.
Encore!
You know what?
Let me tell you a story
before we go.
Um... 'cause when I was, uh...
ten, 11 years old,
life was tough.
I mean, it...
it was really tough, actually.
I needed something,
and I remember, I've...
I've always loved music,
you know?
And I found some songs
that I just...
man, I... I held onto,
you know what I mean?
Like an anchor in a storm.
And they got me through.
And they told me about
a Father in heaven that...
that wanted me.
You know,
a Father that loves me so much
that He died for me.
A Father
that would never leave me.
And I listened to these songs
over and over
and over and over again and...
and they gave me hope.
'Cause I needed it.
And maybe tonight, so do you.
Sing this with me.
Oh, Lord
You're beautiful
Your face
Is all I seek
For when Your eyes
Are on this child
Your grace abounds to me
Oh, Lord,
please light the fire
That once
Burned bright and clear
Replace the lamp
Of my first love
That burns with holy fear
Oh, Lord, You're beautiful
Your face is all I seek
For when Your eyes
Are on this child
Your grace abounds to me
Thanks for coming, guys. Appreciate it.
Hey, Bart.
Hey, where you headed, man?
Someone I gotta see, man.
Who?
Scott Brickell.
He manages Audio Adrenaline
and a bunch of others.
Yeah, well, why was he here?
'Cause I wrote him a letter
every week
for the past two years.
Gotta go.
Uh...
Mr. Brickell!
It's just Brickell.
Uh, yeah, uh-huh, okay.
Um, I didn't know
you were coming. Thank you.
Yeah, well, I did.
Merry Christmas.
Uh, you know, we mostly
just play, uh, big shows,
you know, but sometimes
we like to get back to,
you know,
smaller venues like this one.
Yeah, look, Barth, uh...
Uh, it's Bart.
Sorry. And what's the name
of your band again?
It's Mercy Me, you know,
'cause when I told my memaw
that we were starting a band,
she was, like,
"Mercy me, get a real job."
And I was, like,
"Aw, Memaw!"
And then the guys were like,
"Did she really say that?"
I was, like, "Yeah, we
have to name the band Mercy..."
So that's what we called it.
Son, the sheer volume of words
that comes outta your mouth
is... exhausting.
You're not ready.
That's what I think.
You got talent.
You got potential.
You can sing, but I don't think
you've found your song,
Found your soul,
you know what I'm saying?
Look, that last thing you did,
that was... that was special.
Next gig, you should do that
the whole time, the entire show.
See how that works for you.
That's not the kind of music
that we sing, though.
Trust me, son, you have no idea
what kind of music you sing.
We write our own music.
We don't just do covers.
Well, then write
something like that,
and then give me a call.
No, no, no. Wait, wait, wait.
You gotta go with us.
We got two more shows in Texas.
We got plenty of room
on the bus, all right?
You know, you can't just
change up our whole act
and then abandon us, right?
You don't seem like that
kind of person, I can tell.
I flew coach in a middle seat
to rent a car
that I can't even fit in
to drive three hours
to the middle of nowhere
to have you tell me you want me
to travel on that...
with you?
Yeah.
That's funny.
I need to get another job.
Hello?
Yes, is this Shannon Street?
Yes. Who is this?
Uh, it's the police, ma'am.
Uh, we need to speak with you.
Can you come downstairs?
It's for your own safety.
Get the girl, Bart!
Woo-woo!
Shannon!
Bart!
Hey. Long time no see.
You look great.
It's midnight, Bart.
What are you doing here?
We just played a gig here.
I don't know
if you know this yet, but we...
we actually have a CD now
with actual songs on it.
Like a real CD.
Here, that's for you.
We have three more shows.
What if you came with us?
We could go on the road,
we could grab Kent.
Hit the road.
It'd be like before.
Three Musketeers.
I'm going to bed.
Aw, come on, Shannon.
Go on an adventure!
It'll be fun!
Adventure?
Really?
Yeah.
What're you thinking,
coming here like this?
I don't know.
I didn't really think about it.
I just thought
it'd be fun, you know?
Just an idea.
That's it? Only reason?
Yep.
I don't want to go on
any more adventures with you.
You know, I want you to know
that I pray for you
all the time.
I do. I really do.
And I hope that you find
whatever it is that
you're looking for out there.
Thank you for the CD.
Forrest Gump's taking
his time back there.
She will not be joining us.
Shocker.
Well, ain't she the smart one?
It's good.
Nathan, it's real good.
Let's do it.
Let's blow him away.
From the top of the world
I will sing
Of the joy that flows
From my glorious king
And in my heart, Lord
I can see
Your loving arms
Coming down to me
By your blood
That washed over me
By Your grace
That came down and kissed me
Jesus, You have cleaned my heart
And my soul
For Your glory, it made me
Made me beautiful
Hey! Where you going?
Back to Nashville.
I've seen all I need to see.
Plus, I need to make some plans
on account
of booking you guys
a venue for GMA week.
What is GMA week? What is that?
It's only the biggest
convention in music...
Just go on the bus!
All right.
I couldn't get the main stage,
but I'll get
some record labels there.
What I need you to do is invite
every youth group you can.
Stack the room.
And then just do
what you did tonight.
Wait.
So you liked tonight?
Don't get cocky, kid.
Hey, this is Shannon.
Leave a message.
Hey, Shannon.
Uh, it's Bart.
Just uh...
look, you said you, uh,
prayed for me
all the time, and I, uh...
we're playing this, uh,
big showcase tomorrow,
and, uh, it's a big deal for us,
and we just, uh... we're ready.
But we're, uh, terrified too, um...
I guess that's it.
Just wanted to tell you that.
Uh...
Little off-Broadway,
I know, but it's the best
I could do on short notice.
Are you kidding me?
This is perfect.
Oh, and, guys,
this is your sound man, Dingo.
Anything you need,
you just let him know.
You got us a sound guy?
Did you get a label to come?
No.
I got five.
Working on a few more.
I just need you to make sure
this place is full.
And bring the rain, gentlemen.
Yeah, you got it.
Absolutely.
Buddy, you ready for this?
Good crowd, huh?
Bart,
we've got a little situation
I need to talk to you about.
Come on.
So, Bart, there's somebody
I want you to meet.
This is a friend of mine.
He came down here tonight
to see us.
Whoa, Smitty?!
This is Michael W. Smith.
Smitty, right?
That's what your friends call you, right?
Yeah, yeah, uh,
nice to meet you.
I am, like, a huge fan
from, like, all the...
sorry, like, That's okay, man.
All the way back.
Way back.
Your tour with Amy Grant
was just so inspiring for me.
I remember you wore
that vest, that red vest!
Dude, that was bold.
I don't think I wore a red vest.
I would buy that vest.
No, you did.
You wore this red vest.
You remember?
Di... did I wear a red vest
on our tour?
He did.
Yes, you did.
It was velvet.
Oh, man.
What?
Miss Bart, I'm...
oh, we're... okay.
Uh...
You okay?
I just threw up a little bit.
Yeah. No, I'm good.
I just... you are like...
The first Christian tape
I ever got was "Never Alone."
And it was like...
like an anchor for me.
Thank you so much.
That means so much to me.
Yeah, it was just...
It was... it was great.
There you are.
We're just so excited
to cheer you on.
Here's Wonder Woman!
Go get him, please.
Here's Amy Grant!
You are like a super hero...
We gotta roll. Sorry.
What? We're hanging out.
Hi, guys.
This is Mike.
Hey. Good luck, Bart.
Yeah, good... have a good one.
Did you see who that was?
I did.
That was Amy Grant.
She talked to me.
Come on, Nashvi-i-lle!
Whoo! What's up, GMA?
Are you guys ready
to rock tonight?
Man, we are so glad
to be here with you!
Ever feel like everything
in your life
is just building and building
and building to one big moment?
That's how we feel tonight!
Let's do this!
Whoo!
Bart.
You're stressing me out, man.
Sorry.
It's nerves, you know.
I wish they'd hurry up.
I thought it was good, right?
It felt good.
It was good.
It was good, man.
Best show we ever played.
Crowd was into it, man.
I'm gonna go talk to them.
No! Hey! Hey!
Don't do that, Bart!
Brickell's got it.
Let him do his job.
What if he can't?
Hey!
Wait! Wait!
Dude, no!
That's a mistake.
But if you could see
how far they've come from
the first time I saw 'em...
Hey! Hey, guys!
Gentlemen.
Oh, and also lady.
So you guys know Bart?
Nice to meet y'all.
Thanks for coming out tonight.
And I've been getting
some good feedback
from these guys,
and I'm almost finished...
Was that awesome or what?
I mean, don't y'all agree?
I think we're pretty much
finished up here anyway.
Ah, come on,
I wanna know what you think!
Let me, let me finish up here...
I want to know what they think.
You really wanna know?
Yeah, I do!
Come on, lay it on me.
Give me all you got,
Mr. Music Man.
I have the skin of a rhino.
All I got, okay.
I'm sorry to have to be
the one tell you this, kid,
but, um...
you're just not good enough.
Not yet, anyway.
What? You're wrong.
Seventh graders at youth camp,
that's one thing, Bart.
But this,
this is about record sales.
And I just can't sell
what you're doing up there.
Seventh gr...
we packed the house, man.
We've been selling our
own albums for years now.
I mean, what... what world
are you guys living in?
Reality.
Look, you need to embrace
reality, Bart.
Your stuff...
You're not good enough, Bart.
Dreams don't pay the bills.
All it does...
is keep you from all this...
from knowing what's real.
What about the stuff
we played at the end?
The worship music?
Oh, it was beautiful,
magical, truly.
I've got a brother-in-law
in Denver.
He's looking
for a worship pastor.
I could put you two together.
Is she serious?
It's the truth you're mad at,
not me.
My high school football team,
there were a couple of guys
that were good enough to make
a big noise in a small town.
But that was it.
You know what?
They're still there.
They're stuck.
And that's what'll happen
to you.
You gotta be good
at something we can sell.
Just stop!
Do you guys not get it?
Okay? We've given everything
for this moment.
There is no plan B for us. Okay?
We will do whatever it takes.
We will work harder
than anybody else.
Tell me what you need me to do.
Look, I work with a lot of bands,
and I can recognize who's
gonna make it and who isn't.
And I gotta tell you the truth, Bart.
You won't.
How dare you say that?
You don't even know me.
Go home.
That's what you should do.
Dad, I can do this.
No, you can't.
I can do this!
No, you can't!
And you're gonna blink
your eyes,
and you're gonna realize
that you're nothing,
and that life
has got you nowhere
because you chased
some stupid dream!
Wake up!
Let me finish up here.
No!
No, I'm not leaving!
I'm not leaving!
Yes, you are.
Let me finish up.
What happened?
What'd they say?
Bart? You okay?
You're not good enough, Bart.
You're not.
Well, that didn't take
very long.
So what now?
What do we do now?
I don't know.
Give me a second.
There's gotta be something
we can do. I mean...
Just let me think for a second.
You're just gonna take that
from them out there? Huh?
You're the manager.
Do you not have an idea?
Hold on.
What is the next step?
Sometimes there is no
next step, Bart! Okay?
You just ticked off
half of Nashville in there.
What's he talking about?
You know what?
If this is all there is...
then I'm done.
What?
Then I quit.
What?
Wow, really?
Classy.
What about us?
What about the band?
What band, Mike?
What about it?
They hated it.
They hated all of it.
They hated us.
I'm done.
Sorry to disappoint.
Can I come in, or you wanna sulk
a little longer?
So...
You just gonna quit?
Is that it?
You got a better idea?
I'm tired, man. I'm...
I got nothing left.
I'm gonna be honest with you,
like I told you I would be.
Sometimes when you're up there,
it's like you're singing
somebody else's music.
It's like a fake imitation.
I don't believe it.
I don't believe you.
Well, this has gone
from bad to worse, thank you.
But then there're times...
when I see something real.
I see something authentic.
But as soon as it shows up,
it's like you're afraid, and...
and then it vanishes
just as quick as it came.
And that's what makes you
a puzzle to me.
Let me ask you something, Bart.
What're you running from?
My dad.
He, uh...
he...
He beat you, didn't he?
You ain't got
no poker face, kid.
And I carry that.
I have to live with that.
You know?
I always will.
Then write about it.
Stop running from it.
Let that pain
become your inspiration.
And then you'll have something
that people can believe in.
But to do that, you got to face
your fears, son.
You know, Bart...
I may not always believe
in your music,
but I do believe in you.
You sold me, kid.
Don't quit.
Hey, guys, uh...
I'm sorry.
Um... there's some things
I need to take care of.
Some stuff I need to sort out.
I gotta go home.
But I'd really, really like it
if you guys would wait for me.
So we're still a band?
No, uh, we're a family.
Okay.
The band continued east,
and I headed back west
hoping they would wait on me.
I knew I needed to deal
with things at home.
I needed to face the pain,
but the closer I got,
the only thing I felt
was... dread.
I can't do this.
Hey, Bart.
Are you hungry?
I, uh... I heard you
come in last night,
so, I made some bacon
and, uh, cinnamon rolls
and... a-a frittata, which I
just learned how to make.
When did you learn how to cook?
Oh, I been learning
a lot lately.
Why don't you go on in there?
I-I set the table.
Go on.
Here.
The key to the frittata
is how hot you make the pan.
That's the secret.
Go on and sit down.
Take that one.
Yeah, go ahead.
Want some bacon?
Well, uh... wanna say grace?
What?
I'll do it.
God, it's me here, Arthur.
I wanna thank you
for, uh, answering my prayer.
And, uh...
rub-a-dub-dub,
and thanks for the grub.
Amen.
So you f...
found God or something?
Well, I-I been listening
to some preachers on the radio
and, uh, re... uh,
reading the Bible and whatnot.
What part?
All of it.
And, uh, couple of times,
actually.
And, uh, it's pretty confusing.
It's... like Leviticus.
What is that?
I-I-I don't get it.
What prayer?
You said God answered a prayer.
What prayer?
Just seeing you again.
Well, Dad, I been busy.
Yeah.
I guess you noticed
I've got a few projects
going on around here.
And I got one out in the garage
I was hoping
that you'd help me with.
Uh... I been, uh,
rebuilding that Jeep of mine.
And, man, when I was your age,
I made some memories
in that Jeep.
And I was hoping
that maybe we could, uh,
get it running again and...
I don't know...
Go somewhere, do some...
What're you doing?
What is this?
Well, I-I-I wrote you
some letters.
Did you get 'em?
Yeah. Threw 'em away.
Did you read 'em?
Nope.
Oh.
I thought that's why
you came back last night.
I'm... well...
I was just trying to make
a memory, that's all.
That's kind of hard
for me to do, Dad.
'Cause all the memories
that we have together are bad.
Uh, do you want some...
I'll get some ketchup.
Son, I-I know that
I-I did some things that...
You did some things?
I got a memory for you, Dad.
That night you beat me so badly
that I had to sleep on my
stomach 'cause I was so bruised?
I couldn't move.
What was I, ten? 11?
Yeah, I remember that.
That, uh...
that tore me up.
I-I cried that... all night
about what I did to you then.
I cried too, Dad.
In pain all night.
Why were you?
And now you just wanna
come back in here?
Make breakfast?
Pretend like nothing
ever happened?
It doesn't work that way, Dad!
What am I gonna do, Bart?
I-I just...
I wanna make things right
with you and me.
And, um...
I don't know what to say.
I don't know how to do it.
I'm trying.
I'm reading a lot of books
I don't understand, and I'm...
I just got a lot of questions
about myself.
I don't have nobody to...
to answer 'em for me.
If God can forgive
everybody else...
why can't He forgive me?
God can forgive you.
I can't.
I can't believe
I came back here.
Can't you give me a chance?
No!
You've just gotta give up
on that dream, Dad.
'Cause it keeps you from this.
From knowing what's real.
Do it.
Go ahead.
Just do it.
Dad, are you dying?
Yeah.
I can show you, Dad.
With your questions,
I can show you how.
So if you didn't
bring your journals,
come up here.
You're gonna need them
for your session tonight.
Tonight we're gonna talk
about forgiveness.
So find a blank page in your journal,
and I want you to write these words...
"God, tonight I choose to forgive,"
and I want you to finish that sentence.
Now, you may say to me,
"You don't know how hard it is for me
to forgive this person.
You don't know what they've done to me."
And I'd say, "I know it's hard.
But if you have been forgiven by God,
then he gives you the power
to forgive others."
Better late than never.
I'll get the door.
We got a special treat
for you this morning.
Any of y'all heard the story
of John Newton?
He was a sea captain.
Slave trader.
He was tormented and racked
with guilt and shame.
Well, he found for forgiveness.
He found Christ.
He wrote a little song about that
called "Amazing Grace."
That song touched the world.
Hey.
What?
I figured out why you like junk.
What?
Why you like to fix things.
Why you...
you make something
out of nothing all the time.
They got a word for that.
What's that word?
It's "redemption."
Redemption.
Yeah. Hey.
What is... what is this note here?
Right there.
What is that note?
G.
Yeah.
What's that note?
C.
C, all right.
G to C.
You got some competition now, boy.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Bart Millard!
You gotta hold still, Dad.
Oh, sorry.
It's okay.
Oh, I wanted to be there.
That's all right, Dad.
Ahh.
Hey, there's Shannon.
Boy, you better hang onto that girl.
Don't you ever let her get away.
Dad, we're not... we're not dating anymore.
What? What?
What'd you do?
You two are meant for each other.
Whatever you did,
even if you don't know what you did,
you're wrong.
Did I ever tell you how I met your mom?
Tell me.
Hey, this is Shannon.
Leave a message.
Hey, Shannon.
I don't know if you're getting
these messages or not,
but I just wanted you to know
that I'm... I'm back home,
and I'm... I'm journaling again.
I'm writing a lot like we did
when we were kids.
It feels really good.
I love you, boy.
I was listening, Bart.
I was listening to you.
On the radio.
'Cause you'd sing...
and I'd listen to every word.
And then...
you'd finish.
And then I'd listen to what they were
talking about there at church.
That's what saved me.
I was real proud of you.
Was real proud.
I told you not to follow your dreams.
But that's only because mine,
they never came true.
But you're not me.
You're not like me.
Unh-unh.
And you, you have a gift.
A real gift.
I wanna take care of you, Bart.
I got something for you, Bart.
Here.
I want, uh...
I never made much money.
But I have my life insurance.
And I... I tried to save
everything I could.
And I want you to have that...
so you can pay attention to your singing.
And you'll get a check every month
so you can go chase your dream.
And I want you to catch it.
Hmm?
Don't you ever look back.
You promise?
I promise.
Will you sing a song, son?
I'm sleepy.
Sing.
Amazing grace
How sweet
The sound
That saved
A wretch
Like me
I once
Was lost
But now
I'm found
Was blind
But now
I see
When we've
Been there
Ten thousand years
Bright shining as
The sun
We've no
Less days
To sing
God's praise
Than when
We first
Begun
Imagine what he's seeing up there, Bart.
Just imagine.
Welcome back, man.
Thanks, man.
Yeah.
Where we going?
West. Couple gigs in New Mexico.
Okay, God.
Okay.
Thank you! Thank you.
It's good to be back.
Man, I, uh...
I haven't been on stage
since I lost my dad.
And, uh, I'm learning to deal with it.
And I deal with it
the only way I know how,
and that's to write a song.
And I'm gonna...
Well, I'm gonna sing it for you now.
This is called "I Can Only Imagine."
That kid wrote this?
Yeah, he did.
Wow.
I know.
I can't stop listening to it.
I'm gonna start pitching it around town.
I know who you need to send it to.
Phone!
Jim, get it. You're right there.
Phone!
Seriously?
Phone!! No, man, I got it.
It's cool. No, I got it.
You look really...
No, I got it! Let it go, let it...
Okay, thanks, man, appreciate it.
Hello?
Who is this?
Sure. Yeah, hold on.
Let me get him.
Bart, phone's for you.
Bart!
Hello?
Yeah, right.
Good one, guys, Real good joke.
Whose idea was that? Amy Grant.
Uh, that... that was her, man.
That... that was Amy Grant
you hung up on.
Are you serious? Give me the phone!
Yeah, that happened.
Any? Hello? Hello?
Actual Amy Grant?
Jim, how do I re-dial?
It's a rotary phone, Bart.
There's gotta be a way to redial.
Call her back.
How do I get in...
Hey, Amy.
Bart... you didn't write
this song in ten minutes.
It took a lifetime.
Scott gave me a Imagine when I was
dealing with a friend losing a battle,
you know?
And it got me through.
I couldn't stop listening.
I mean, it's a career-maker.
And I know some songs
can be real personal.
Is this what you really want?
You know,
I've never told anybody my story.
My dad was a monster.
I mean, that's the only word for it.
And I saw God transform him
from a man that I hated
into the man I wanted to become...
into my best friend.
And I didn't realize it soon enough.
I guess that I didn't think
that God could do that.
And so I wrote this song.
And I want as many people
as possible to hear it.
And you can do that.
I can't.
So...
yes.
This is what I want.
So, Brick, you know us.
We lay our cards on the table.
Amy needs a comeback song.
We believe this is it.
Amy is doing a homecoming date
here in Nashville
to kick off a fall tour.
We'd like to showcase it there.
Hey, this is Shannon.
Leave a message.
Hey, Shannon, um...
I just wanted to call you
and let you know,
uh, I wrote a new song.
It feels different than anything
I've written before.
Um... I think it might be...
might be something special.
Um...
Shannon, I'm sorry I hurt you.
I know I hurt you over and over
and over again,
and I... I'm sorry.
I just...
It had nothing to do with you.
It never did.
It had nothing to do with you.
I just...
I'm sorry I hurt you.
Hello?
Beautiful, isn't it?
I can't think of a better place
to unveil "Imagine."
I hope I can do it justice.
It's gonna be something.
Mm-hmm.
When do you record it?
Soon.
Just gotta find that sound.
I've listened to your tape 1,000 times.
Well, thank you.
Is there anything you want me to say
after I sing it?
Tell 'em I wrote it for my dad.
Be with me now
Breath of heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of heaven
Breath of heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me your holiness
Did you send one to DJC
in Birmingham?
Okay, bribe him with chocolate.
Actually, Snickers bars,
he loves 'em, okay?
Yeah. I got it.
And you put on there
"From the writers of
'I Can Only Imagine'."
Yeah, yeah, I've got 'em. 200 copies.
Okay, good.
Hey, uh, delivery truck just got here.
So I'll load 'em up.
All right, good. Okay.
Breath of heaven
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
This next song is really
something special.
See, I found a song
that saved me through a time.
You know how music does that?
See I was, um...
I was dealing with loss, with pain.
And I heard this song,
and it just blew my soul wide open.
It lifted me up. It rescued me.
And you're the first ones to ever hear it.
This is "I Can Only Imagine."
Bart, would you come up here, please?
Ladies and gentlemen,
the writer of the song is here tonight,
and I want y'all to meet him.
Bart, come on up.
I'm not joking, come on up!
It's not just the song that's special.
It's you.
And this story is not my story.
It's yours.
And this moment,
it doesn't belong to me.
It belongs to you.
Take it.
Bart Millard wrote this song,
this beautiful song,
and want him to be the one
to sing it for y'all tonight
for the first time ever.
Bart?
This is for my dad.
I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By Your side
I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When Your face
Is before me
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You, Jesus
Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence
Or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing Hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
When that day comes
And I find myself
Standing in the sun
I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine, yeah
I can only imagine
Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You, Jesus
Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence
Or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing Hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine
Yeah
I can only imagine
Yeah
Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You, Jesus
Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence
Or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing Hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine
Yeah
I can only imagine
Yeah, yeah
I can only imagine
Yeah, yeah
I can only imagine
Yeah
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine
Wasn't that great?
Bart and his band MercyMe will be
releasing that song as their first single,
and I want all y'all to keep
an eye out for it, okay?
Shannon!
It's always been you.
I've always loved you.
I know.
Excuse me, sir.
I hate to be rude.
This is an emergency.
I-I, I promise.
I promise, 'Kay?
Come on, Jim.
Hello?
Hey, stop the truck.
What?
You have to stop the truck.
Amy's giving the song back to us.
She's giving us Imagine.
Imagine is going out as our first single.
Stop the truck!
Why?
Amy's giving it back!
Stop staring at me!
Stop the truck!
Here's a new song
for you on Magic 104.5.
Uh, guys?
Guess who's on the radio.
Hey, can we give this a try?
Here's a brand-new song
from a brand-new band.
In this week of the countdown
in the number one slot...
Have you heard this song?
This song's gonna blow you away.
This song already means
so much to so many people.
This is MercyMe,
it's called "I Can Only Imagine."
It's the number one
Christian song in America,
now charting on country
and pop charts as well.
I love this song.
This is MercyMe on the Delilah Show.
So you know this
is not a religious station,
and we are not religious people,
not by a long shot.
But believe it or not,
this is the number one
most requested song on the station.
It's "I Can Only Imagine" by MercyMe.
To sing his great song,
"Can Only Imagine,"
please welcome Bart.
Bart!
If anybody I went to
high school with is listening,
I made it!
"I Can Only Imagine," the song,
was written after my father passed away
with cancer many years ago.
He was abusive most of my... my life.
If he had a bad day, he took it out on me.
And he was diagnosed with cancer
when I was in high school.
I saw Jesus change him completely.
He went from a monster to being a man,
that was desperately
and passionately in love with Jesus.
And it kind of set me on
this warpath for the Gospel.
'Cause if the Gospel
can change that dude,
the Gospel can change anybody,
you know?
I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By Your side
I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When Your face
Is before me
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You, Jesus
Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence
Or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing Hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
When that day comes
And I find myself
Standing in the sun
I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You, Jesus
Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence
Or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing Hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
Yeah, yeah
Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You, Jesus
Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence
Or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing Hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine
Hey, yeah
I can only imagine
Yeah, yeah
I can only imagine
Ooh, whoa
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
Whoa
Whoa
I can only imagine
Whoa
Whoa