Can a story about baseball, families and angels teach us about love and hope? We think so.

The Story: A boy prays for the California Angels baseball team to win the pennant so he can have a family. When angels actually show up on the field to help the team, what does this mean for the boy as well as the team members? Starring: Danny Glover, Brenda Fricker, Tony Danza, Christopher Lloyd, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Milton Davis Jr., Matthew McConaughey, Adrien Brody, and Dermot Mulroney

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Menu Plan:

Make a family picnic that offers fun food to eat with your hands (like in the ball park), without compromising nutrition and flavor!

Baked fried chicken drumsticks
Baked white and sweet potato (2tbls olive oil in a plastic bag, cut potato strips, shake to coat and place on cookie sheet, salt or pepper to taste, in oven with zucchini strips) zucchini strips
Apple wedges (favorite variety washed and cut into wedges on the plate)
Fruity milkshakes
Angel food cake or Angel Bars

If you are planning a family evening and are short of time on movie night, consider making the angel food cake or bars the day before. Or you can purchase the cake from your local grocery or bakery.

You could also make the oven baked 'fried' chicken ahead of schedule. The evening of the movie with the help of the whole family, scrub and cut the potato and zucchini, season and oil them per directions, bake hot and fresh for the plate.

While the vegetables are in the oven, blend ingredients for Fruity milkshakes and pour into cups. Also, wash and slice the apples for a couple of slices on each plate.

Vegetarians can omit chicken legs and add more vegetables to roast: cauliflower, brussel sprouts, green beans. Consider adding a bean dip, thinned, over the roasted vegetables for protein.

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Discussion Questions:

1. This movie is simple enough that even younger children will be able to follow the story, but you must decide if the theme of parents who cannot take care of their children is something you want to introduce. Consider talking about how wonderful it is that people create loving homes (foster homes) for children who need places to live, giving them good care and a place to belong.

2. Think about giving and who is a giver in this film. What do they give? It is important to understand that giving is not only about material things like toys. The foster mother gives her time, her home and her concern for children she did not give birth to. Her gift of giving is received by the boys. It brings life to them. It is the giving vehicle through which other life giving events happened. How do you give to each other in your family, and, how does it bring you to life?

3. The reality of foster care is not always as pretty as this film depicts, it is a painful reality (for many reasons) for too many children. You have children in the home you love and care for so you may wish to speak to how you will do all you can to be their parent and keep your family together. It is a blessing God gave to you, and you honor it by giving all you are to the family. Family life is more fragile than many understand, pray for yours.

4. George Knox, coach of the baseball team is one grumpy character. What has he been unable to see because fame blinded him? How can a person become redeemed, learn to believe in something greater than himself and change how he views the world, like the George of our story did? If forgiveness is involved, how does George live into it?

5. How did the team's record change when the team members started to actually give their focus, their attention and their gifts to the team? Was it only about the help of angels?

6. What is the gift George gave the boys? What might be the most important things you give to the people you love in this life?

7. Going to a professional baseball game can be very exciting for children and adults. Today's world of pro ball has been tainted with steroid use accusations that have been all over the press. If your children are aware of 'baseball heroes' who have been accused of illegal drug use, you may want to discuss what is important about the game, what we give to it as athletes and people of integrity and how the steroid use is very dangerous. You may want to follow the news together (for real baseball fans) to see what happens with confessions, forgiveness, lawsuits, fines etc..in baseball in real the real life of your world. Consider praying for the people involved in the complicated mess of professional baseball in the U.S today.

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Scripture Resources:

Scriptures about giving are found in all our Holy texts. To understand how giving has made itself known through faith, can you think about your understanding of what God gave in the beginning? If you thought, "everything," you are starting well.

Think about our film. The children were deprived of loving adults in their birth families, but the gifts of others brought great love to all. It was never about the presents or the material things; it was all about authentic love that gives first.

Giving

Judaism

In the book of Psalms, we find God’s ‘precepts’, instructions for how God’s people are to live in faith.

Psalm 19:8
The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

Christianity

In the Christian New Testament from the Holy Bible, the apostle Paul has written once again to the people of the faith at Corinth. He is explaining to the Corinthians how the faithful have behaved in another community, and he urges them to do the same by their heartfelt giving first to God, then to one another.

2 Corinthians 8: 5-7
And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

Islam

In this passage from the Holy Quran, we hear that Allah has given the people revelation through various prophets through the ages. This revelation is intended for everyone to their blessing, which honors Allah in return. The great gift of life and the ability to worship is a part of this blessed giving. Could it be that this generous giving was also intended to help us find the ways we are alike in our diversity?

Al-Baqarah 2 verse 136
Say ye: "We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Ibrahim, Isma'il, Ishaq, Ya'qub, and the Tribes, and that given to Musa and 'Isa, and that given to (all) Prophets from their Lord: we make no difference between one and another of them: and we bow to Allah (in Islam)."

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