Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2023 15:03:03 GMT -5
Through the camera's lens, we see the inside of a church that is filled to almost capacity. Nothing in the church stands out as unique really, except there is no pulpit up front. There's just a raised platform with scuffs marks in the worn gray carpet. Another item of note is the large sheet of plastic swaying back and forth, half concealing a scaffold in the right corner near the front of the room. Planks of wood can be seen through the semi-translucent covering, resting upright against the wall.
Those that are in pews or standing back against the walls in each sides of the aisle have their attentions fully captivated by the man UWL viewers have come to know as David Carroll. He is dressed modestly in beige khakis and black and grey checkered collared shirt. His sleeves are rolled up to just past his elbows, giving the intentional appearance of an everyday, hard-working man talking to his peers. His hair is combed a little too perfectly though to be that hard-working, and a close inspection of his hands would find clean and manicured fingernails. The camera zooms in on him enough to capture him from the knees up as he speaks to his congregation.
"We must all remember that there's no such thing as a perfect life. We can't expect to live free of troubles, free of tribulations, nor free of suffering. But, that doesn't have to be a bad thing."
David pauses, probably for effect. He looks around the room at his audience, a slight smile playing.
"No, you see, these troubles, these tribulations, the suffering even, we can take all of that pain and go down two paths."
He motions to his left side and gives a light shrug.
"We can give in. We can succumb to what's ultimately a meaningless and purposeless life, serving only ourselves with drugs, and obesity, and avarice towards our fellow man."
He then motions to his right, focusing his eyes to a more resolute glare.
"Or we can let those experiences mature us spiritually. You see, God's grace has given us all faith. And yes, maybe our faith is imperfect sometimes, but it is the belief in his faith in US!...in humanity, that can ultimately give us peace."
A few murmurs of approvals filter through the crowd as David now sits down on the platform. The camera makes an adjustment to capture him, casually moving the lens through the crowd past the soft gaze of a blonde, teenage girl. The camera swings back to David as he begins talking again.
"The very idea of suffering seems to be relegated to sin, and that is just not the case. That's not the case. We suffer…even though we may lose a loved one, a parent, a spouse, a child…we KNOW that they're going to be with the Father above, but we still suffer. We yearn for them, for their company, for their smile and we are not wrong in doing so. It's an expression of the love we held for those people, and what you hold in your heart is never wrong. So while it is perfectly acceptable to embrace suffering, we must be careful not to succumb to it. We must not let our lives be controlled by fear."
David looks down for a moment.
"Fear…fear from outside forces that would tell us that what we hold true, is false. We must be extremely sensitive to those external forces that try to infiltrate our lives."
Carroll looks back up with a flash of intensity in his eyes, but a smile nonetheless on his face.
"It's like a high wire balancing act, you see. You want to keep your minds and your hearts open for everyone out there to embrace the faith like you have, but simultaneously be on guard for those that would infiltrate. Those that would poison the gardens that you've cultivated, those that would tell you, 'you're wasting your time'. 'You've never seen God, how do you know that he really exists?' You all that get, don't you?"
A wave of ascent washes through the crowd, heads nodding in unison, which David responds in kind.
"Yeah, I know it. I know it. Believe me when I say that I get it as well. Every day from those that wish they were as content with life as I am; as we all are. They'll try to come at you with scientific evidence that they don't understand, to tell you how much you don't understand. The evidence is all around you, folks. The simple beauty that resides in all of us, each and every one of our souls. We were put here for many reasons, and we each have our own goals and dreams, and that's absolutely fine. But one of those goals must be to honor Him in everything we do."
The crowd responds again, and the camera sweeps over the crowd to see that almost everyone is invested in what David has to say. It stops on the spot where it saw the teenage girl previously, but the seat is now empty. Panning back to David, we find him looking directly at the camera.
"Everything."
The scene abruptly cuts to one where David is now standing at the open doors of the church. People are filing out of the pews to join the line, where each and every member gets addressed by David on their way out. He stops and speaks with each person for a few seconds, taking their hands in his and looking them square in the eyes. After a minute, he gets to a middle aged couple where the woman gives him a hug. The man follows suit giving him a half hug, half handshake while David gives him a firm pat on the back. They talk for a few moments until the blonde teenager from before tries to walk behind the couple. She nudges against the woman, who turns to catch her and practically shoves her between the couple, as if they're presenting her to David. He gives her a smile, his arms slightly apart as the woman encourages the girl to give David a hug. She does and David puts his arms around her, his hand lingering on her lower back as something he says makes the couple laugh.
Those that are in pews or standing back against the walls in each sides of the aisle have their attentions fully captivated by the man UWL viewers have come to know as David Carroll. He is dressed modestly in beige khakis and black and grey checkered collared shirt. His sleeves are rolled up to just past his elbows, giving the intentional appearance of an everyday, hard-working man talking to his peers. His hair is combed a little too perfectly though to be that hard-working, and a close inspection of his hands would find clean and manicured fingernails. The camera zooms in on him enough to capture him from the knees up as he speaks to his congregation.
"We must all remember that there's no such thing as a perfect life. We can't expect to live free of troubles, free of tribulations, nor free of suffering. But, that doesn't have to be a bad thing."
David pauses, probably for effect. He looks around the room at his audience, a slight smile playing.
"No, you see, these troubles, these tribulations, the suffering even, we can take all of that pain and go down two paths."
He motions to his left side and gives a light shrug.
"We can give in. We can succumb to what's ultimately a meaningless and purposeless life, serving only ourselves with drugs, and obesity, and avarice towards our fellow man."
He then motions to his right, focusing his eyes to a more resolute glare.
"Or we can let those experiences mature us spiritually. You see, God's grace has given us all faith. And yes, maybe our faith is imperfect sometimes, but it is the belief in his faith in US!...in humanity, that can ultimately give us peace."
A few murmurs of approvals filter through the crowd as David now sits down on the platform. The camera makes an adjustment to capture him, casually moving the lens through the crowd past the soft gaze of a blonde, teenage girl. The camera swings back to David as he begins talking again.
"The very idea of suffering seems to be relegated to sin, and that is just not the case. That's not the case. We suffer…even though we may lose a loved one, a parent, a spouse, a child…we KNOW that they're going to be with the Father above, but we still suffer. We yearn for them, for their company, for their smile and we are not wrong in doing so. It's an expression of the love we held for those people, and what you hold in your heart is never wrong. So while it is perfectly acceptable to embrace suffering, we must be careful not to succumb to it. We must not let our lives be controlled by fear."
David looks down for a moment.
"Fear…fear from outside forces that would tell us that what we hold true, is false. We must be extremely sensitive to those external forces that try to infiltrate our lives."
Carroll looks back up with a flash of intensity in his eyes, but a smile nonetheless on his face.
"It's like a high wire balancing act, you see. You want to keep your minds and your hearts open for everyone out there to embrace the faith like you have, but simultaneously be on guard for those that would infiltrate. Those that would poison the gardens that you've cultivated, those that would tell you, 'you're wasting your time'. 'You've never seen God, how do you know that he really exists?' You all that get, don't you?"
A wave of ascent washes through the crowd, heads nodding in unison, which David responds in kind.
"Yeah, I know it. I know it. Believe me when I say that I get it as well. Every day from those that wish they were as content with life as I am; as we all are. They'll try to come at you with scientific evidence that they don't understand, to tell you how much you don't understand. The evidence is all around you, folks. The simple beauty that resides in all of us, each and every one of our souls. We were put here for many reasons, and we each have our own goals and dreams, and that's absolutely fine. But one of those goals must be to honor Him in everything we do."
The crowd responds again, and the camera sweeps over the crowd to see that almost everyone is invested in what David has to say. It stops on the spot where it saw the teenage girl previously, but the seat is now empty. Panning back to David, we find him looking directly at the camera.
"Everything."
The scene abruptly cuts to one where David is now standing at the open doors of the church. People are filing out of the pews to join the line, where each and every member gets addressed by David on their way out. He stops and speaks with each person for a few seconds, taking their hands in his and looking them square in the eyes. After a minute, he gets to a middle aged couple where the woman gives him a hug. The man follows suit giving him a half hug, half handshake while David gives him a firm pat on the back. They talk for a few moments until the blonde teenager from before tries to walk behind the couple. She nudges against the woman, who turns to catch her and practically shoves her between the couple, as if they're presenting her to David. He gives her a smile, his arms slightly apart as the woman encourages the girl to give David a hug. She does and David puts his arms around her, his hand lingering on her lower back as something he says makes the couple laugh.