This week’s feature is October Sky (1999). It is rated PG and runs 1hr and 47 min. It can be rented or purchased HERE. October Sky is a moving drama based on a true story that centers on a very difficult, tense father-son relationship. Ultimately, the movie is about following your dreams, no matter how unachievable they might feel. Parental note that there's also some surprisingly strong language for a PG-rated movie (including "s--t") and a few mild sexual references as well as one scene where a feather beats another kid. Parental Discretion advised.
1. In the 1950s, Homer's dream was considered far-fetched. Space exploration was only a thing of comic books and a few movies. Do you know anyone who has a "far fetched" dream today? What is God’s dream for your future?
2. Why did Homer's father want him to work in the mine? What part of this desire was based on good parenting intentions? To what degree was the father right? How could he have implemented those good intentions better? Do you think Homer made the right choice in going to work in the mine -- and in leaving it?
3. What would have happened to Homer’s family if no one had been working in the mine even though his father was still recuperating from injuries he had received saving the lives of other miners?
4. Most of the town thought the “Rocket Boys” were wasting their time and they just went along with their own lives. But the boys knew there was something greater out there for them. How do Christians have to ignore what the world thinks? When they think we are “wasting our time”, how do we remain headstrong even when we aren’t 100% sure about the future?
5. Reflect on how this Bible verse relates to the movie: 1 Timothy 5: 8. Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
