Jess and I went to Pisgah Alabama this past weekend for our team retreat.  We were blessed to stay in Camp To Know Him’s nicest cabin.  I now have a new life goal to have a home with an indoor swing.

There was a VCR in the room and Jess found an old VHS tape of October Sky.  Sunday was our anniversary and there was nothing scheduled for Sunday so we relaxed in the beautiful setting and took our time before leaving.

Here’s 5 things I learned from watching October Sky.

 1.  Deep down we know there is more to life than the expected norm.

The story took place in Coalwood, a coal mining town.  All of the boys were expected to graduate from high school and go work in the mine.  The rare way out was a college football scholarship.  People love a story about breaking free from normal expectations and pursuing what you are passionate about.

The main character (Hickam) had been inspired by Russia’s sputnik and believed that he too could make a rocket that would go to space.  There was a constant tension and battle between the expectations from the norm and what he felt he was called to do.

2.  We love reconciliation between fathers and children.

Hickam’s dad was the foreman of the coal mine.  He thought that his son was wasting his time with rockets and should start working in the mine.  The father never went to any of the rocket tests and was quite antagonistic towards it.  The final rocket test his dad showed up to show support.  It was a beautiful scene.

There’s something in the heart of man that connects with a father’s love.

3.  We all want to stand up against injustice.

Hickam and his buddies get arrested falsely for starting a forest fire.  One of his friends is getting beat by his step dad outside of the police station.  Hickam’s dad intervenes, gets the step dad to stop, calls the step dad a drunk and tells the friend to get in the car.  As they go to pull away the father tells the friend that his real dad was a great man.

 4.  There are inventions that we take for granted that aren’t that old.

I’ve grown up with us exploring space and being able to buy model rockets.  I forget and take for granted the advances we’ve made and the countless experiments it took.  I just assumed that we’ve always had rocket technology, but the technology has been developed in the past century.

5.  Persistent small beginnings and failures can lead to amazing huge successes.

Learning to launch a small rocket into the air, led us to be able to put man on the moon.
Which of these things do we need to focus on to be living a better story?  Do you need to take a leap of faith out of the norm to pursue what you feel called to?  As a father do you need to reconcile with your child?  Do you need to be bold and stand up for an injustice you see?  Do you need to be more aware and thankful for the things around you?  Or do you need to keep plugging away at a project you’re working on so that you can bless the rest of the world?  Let us know in the comments.