♪ Tell me a story ♪
♪ Read me a poem ♪
♪ Wrap it in melody ♪
♪ Sing me the song ♪
♪ Then let me hold it ♪
♪ Deep in my heart ♪
♪ Where it can speak to me ♪
♪ All the day long ♪
♪ The adventure of virtue ♪
♪ The adventure of truth ♪
♪ The thrill of knowing ♪
♪ That it's up to you ♪
♪ Building a new day
shining in the sun ♪
♪ This is my story ♪
♪ The adventure has ♪
♪ Begun. ♪
I can't believe ruth's gone.
One day, I'm helping
in her garden
Like I've done my whole life,
and the next day, she's... Dead.
I'm sorry, annie.
We all are.
Yeah, annie.
I'm sorry.
I wish I could help.
Thanks, ari.
I don't know what to do.
I feel so alone.
I'm going to miss her so much.
Annie:
the last thing we did
was plant blueberries together
Like we've done every spring.
We saw this beautiful sunset.
Ruth used to tell me no one
could make a sunset, or a tree
Or a flower--
only god could do that.
She had this deep faith.
What good did it do her?
It didn't keep her from falling
Or dying when her
head hit that rock.
Sometimes, things happen
that we can't explain
Like ruth's death.
But if we have faith
It helps us to get on
with life, to keep moving.
Speaking of moving...
Take cover!
Oh!
( Ari gibbering )
( Chuckling )
Good thing
we had your cave
For shelter, or we could
have been in trouble.
No kidding.
( Sputtering )
Hey!
Sorry, buddy.
Faith can help in
times of trouble, too
Like it helped daniel.
Daniel boone?
No, a different daniel.
This one was up against lions.
Oh, I remember.
I think we have a scroll.
One second. I've got it.
Oops!
( Clattering )
( Sneezing )
You really ought to dust
these once every century or so.
Daniel's story is from the bible
Which may have been written
on scrolls.
He was a jew who
lived long, long ago.
His homeland of judah
had been conquered.
He was living in exile in a land
that was then called babylon.
When king darius and
the persians conquered babylon
The king chose daniel,
a man of great faith
As one of three men to oversee
the kingdom, until one day...
The king will be pleased
And what he doesn't know
won't hurt him.
One sack of gold
for king darius
And one for mamoukan
And one for the king,
and two for mamoukan.
Harbonah,
you frightened me.
We both should
be frightened.
The king wants to see us,
and the rumor is...
You're promoting
daniel over us?
Yes. He'll be second
Only to me
in the entire realm.
He's an old man.
It will be too much.
Harbonah is right.
You need someone younger...
No. I need someone
I can trust.
Daniel, what do you say?
I will do my best.
I will pray for guidance.
Then it's settled.
We can't have daniel
looking over our shoulders.
He's too honest.
If he catches us, he'll
report us as traitors.
You know the punishment
for that.
Daniel's too good.
He must have done something
we can use against him.
I must warn
my friend daniel.
I fear for you, daniel.
These men will do
anything to destroy you.
Do not worry, nathaniel.
We'll wait till they leave,
then search the house.
We're bound to find
some evidence of wrongdoing.
( Door opens )
I tell you, daniel,
strike first.
Get rid of them
before they get rid of you.
No, nathaniel. I
must do what's right
And trust god to
take care of me.
Like he took care
of jerusalem?
The city of our fathers
lies in ruins
And we are in exile
Yet you still pray
three times a day.
We must have
faith, my friend.
I gave up on faith
long ago.
But you will never
stop praying, will you?
Very well, I leave you to it.
God of our fathers
Bless us this day.
Now I know how
to get rid of daniel.
We won't need
to search his house.
That prayer of his
will be his undoing.
Hail to king darius
Who is greater than
all men and gods.
Greater than all men and gods?
I like that.
Yes, o king.
All your top
officials agree
So they have
proposed a new law:
For the next 30 days,
no one must pray
To any man or god
but king darius
Or they will be
punished as traitors
And thrown
into the lion's den.
Mmm... You are right.
They should not place
any god above me.
I will sign the law at once.
Daniel! Look at this.
Have you seen
the king's new law?
It says you cannot pray
To anyone but darius
for 30 days.
I will pray to god
as I have always done.
Don't you see
Mamoukan and harbonah
are behind this.
They'll arrest you,
and then, it's the lion's den.
Once the king makes a law,
he cannot change it.
It's your faith
or your life.
My faith is my life
My life is in the hands
of one far greater
Than king darius.
O lord, our god...
Guards, take him.
( Gasps )
Daniel.
This exile
is a traitor.
We caught him
ignoring your law
And praying
To his god.
Is this true?
Yes, but I'm no traitor.
Did I not tell you
I would ask god's help
in serving you?
See? Surely.
Surely, daniel
broke the law, sire.
It cannot be changed.
He must be thrown
to the lions.
( Animals snarling )
I am sorry.
I can do nothing.
The law must stand
But maybe your god
will save you.
My faith will see me through.
I'll put my faith
in the lions' appetite.
The king has sealed
daniel's fate.
No one may disturb
the stone till daybreak.
I hope the lions
enjoy their dinner.
What? Is the king
not hungry?
You must eat
something, sire.
When I think of daniel
with those lions
Food makes me choke.
I wish you'd never
suggested that law.
Go!
( Snoring )
( Animals growling )
Darius:
no! No!
No!
No!
To think I trusted
mamoukan and harbonah
And they tricked me
with their flattery.
Now, daniel's lost...
Unless...
What are you doing here?
You think daniel
might have survived?
Of course not.
His faith is nonsense.
I'm just out for a walk,
but why are you here?
The morning air
clears my head
And I must plan
For when I take
over daniel's job.
I'm the one who should
get daniel's job.
I masterminded
his death.
( Footsteps approaching )
Daniel
Are you alive?
Yes, o king.
I am alive.
I kept faith with my god
And an angel protected me.
Daniel lives?
Impossible.
Hush, you fool.
Let's get out of here.
Seize them.
Traitors-- you wanted
daniel out of the way.
He's the traitor,
sire. It was his idea.
It was his idea,
I tell you.
Take them away.
They shall pay
for their treachery.
I shall proclaim
the greatness of your god
Throughout my kingdom.
I have much to
be thankful for.
My faith saved me
from the lions
And because of what happened,
king darius has found faith.
So have i, daniel.
So have i.
I don't think I could
have faced those lions.
Daniel had
a "lion's share" of faith.
It sure stood the test.
Yeah, but ruth had
a strong faith, too.
How come an angel
saved daniel
But ruth d*ed
all by herself?
Eventually, daniel did
Have to face death.
We all do, but
when we have faith
We don't feel alone,
even then.
King david once wrote
"Though I walk
through the valley
"Of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil
For thou art with me."
The 23rd psalm, one of the most
memorable poems ever written.
Ruth loved that poem.
She said it comforted her.
You know,
she had a lot of problems.
She lost a child,
her husband d*ed.
She never had much money.
She raised her other kids alone
But she said that, because of
her faith, she never felt alone.
She always believed
God was with her.
Daniel believed that, too,
and so did harriet tubman.
Didn't she have something
to do with the railroad?
She was a sl*ve in the south
before the civil w*r.
She fled to freedom and
helped other slaves escape
Along a network known as
the "underground railroad."
She guided them to canada
Out of reach of the
fugitive sl*ve law
And became known as
the moses of her people.
Moses!
You're not
a minute too soon.
They were fixing
To ship me far south
to a plantation.
Didn't know if I'd
ever see my bessie
Or my babies again.
We're all shipping out
to canada and freedom.
The master will
post a reward.
Do you think
we can make it?
The children of israel made it
To their promised land,
and these children will, too.
( Panting )
I can't make it another step.
I'm tired, I'm cold,
I'm hungry.
How do you keep going?
See the north star up yonder?
Years ago, I set out for freedom
by the light of that star.
I had no human guide
or companion
But I had my faith
And I followed my star
And my faith
kept me going
And it's kept me
going ever since.
Now, come on.
The next station
of the underground railroad
Is just up ahead.
We got to get undercover
by daybreak.
They'll be on our trail.
I'd make a pretty piece
of change
If I capture those slaves.
If they're in these parts,
I know where they'll go.
( Thunder crashing )
( Babies crying )
Willie will have us dry
and fed in no time.
Just wait here while
I give him the signal.
That's funny.
Something's wrong.
Now, bessie, maybe he's
just sleeping hard.
Don't you know it's 5:00
in the morning?!
What do you want?
Uh... I was looking for willie.
Willie's gone.
Got run out of town
for hiding escaped slaves.
Who are you?
Just an old friend, sir.
Sorry to bother you, sir.
( Babies crying )
Now what are we
going to do?
It'll be light soon.
We ain't got
no place to hide.
The lord will direct us.
Are you sure
you didn't
Get your directions
mixed up?
This swamp is the last
place they'll look for us.
Now lie down!
You got to be kidding.
It was them, all right.
Their leader must have
been harriet tubman.
There's $40,000 in reward
for her capture alone.
To think I had her
right in my hand...
Let's team up.
I know every hiding place
In these here parts.
I can't lie
in this muck much longer.
Bounty hunter:
what's about that swamp?
No human would set foot
in that slime pit--
Not even a fugitive sl*ve.
Better check it out,
anyway.
( Neighing )
The horses got more sense
than to go in there.
Forget it.
You forget it.
I'm going in.
And if I find them,
the reward's all mine.
( Neighing )
All right, all right.
Yah!
( Coughing )
You was right.
Let's get out of here.
You didn't get your signals
crossed. We're safe.
So what? We can't
stay here forever.
If we don't die from the cold,
we'll starve. It's hopeless.
Nothing's hopeless.
Half-starved, on foot
With babies
and them watching for us?
We need help.
No one even
knows we're here.
The lord knows.
What's he going to do?
Send a chariot?
( Footsteps approaching )
My wagon's at the next farm
in the barnyard
With a horse and harness.
We're canada bound.
Or we're headed
for a trap.
Bessie:
they must have suspected
We were in that swamp
And they're trying
to smoke us out.
The second we get
near that wagon
They'll jump out
and grab us!
A chariot...
And a banquet table.
Well, well...
( Horse neighs )
Don't sh**t.
We give up.
Long as we feed him
I think that horse
Is on our side.
Come on.
They could be halfway
to canada by now.
Or they could be
hiding in some farmhouse.
Like that one right there.
Jackpot!
Yah!
Yah!
Come on,
get on there!
( Hens clucking )
( Neighing )
( Grunting )
Yah!
Come on!
Let's get 'em!
( Laughing )
( Train whistle blowing )
Now, there's a sight--
Niagara falls.
We passed the middle
of the bridge.
You have shook the lion's paw.
"Shook the lion's paw"?
You're in the british dominions.
We've crossed into canada.
My babies are free!
We're all free!
Thanks to
your faith.
Aurora:
harriet's faith inspired her
to make some 19 trips south
And guide over 300 slaves
to new hope and freedom.
She ran by night
Hid by day
Overcoming obstacles
in her way
Always encouraging others
and never losing her faith
Even when danger lurked
at every step.
In between trips,
she worked hard
To earn money for her efforts
And when the civil w*r
broke out
She was there to help.
She served the union army
without pay
Working as a cook,
nurse, scout and spy.
And she kept on working
To improve the lives
of freed slaves
Until her death.
Harriet's faith sure got her
through a lot of rough times.
So did daniel's...
And your friend ruth's.
Maybe faith could help me
get through ruth's death.
I don't have much
But ruth used to say,
faith starts small and grows
Like a flower...
Or a blueberry plant.
So maybe mine could grow
And I wouldn't feel so alone.
I bet ruth
would like that.
( All murmuring agreement )
Ruth's faith could
live on in you.
And just as the 23rd psalm
Comforted ruth
during difficult times.
Perhaps its words can offer
some comfort to you.
"The lord
is my shepherd
"I shall not want.
"He maketh me to lie down
in green pastures
"He leadeth me
beside the still waters.
"He restoreth my soul
"He leadeth me in the paths
of righteousness
"For his namesake.
"Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death
"I will fear no evil
"For thou art with me
"Thy rod and thy staff,
they comfort me.
"Surely, goodness and mercy
shall follow me
"All the days of my life
And I will dwell in the house
of the lord... Forever."
♪ Keep the faith ♪
♪ Beyond fear ♪
♪ Keep the faith ♪
♪ Beyond reason ♪
♪ Keep the faith ♪
♪ For all times ♪
♪ Keep the faith ♪
♪ For all seasons ♪
♪ Yes, we all were born naked ♪
♪ Crying out in the cold ♪
♪ Mama held us and whispered ♪
♪ We are never alone ♪
♪ We are never alone ♪