Home Run: A Novel

by Travis Thrasher

  Suddenly he could see all the broken strands of the story intersecting.

  The man in the front pew still resembled that pesky and annoying little kid who always seemed at his side wherever he was. He would forever be the little brother who loved him unconditionally. No matter what.

  Next to that man sat a pretty girl who had grown into a lovely woman, still lit up with all the potential she somehow saw in Cory even when nobody else could have ever imagined it.

  He pictured the boy belonging to this woman, a boy who looked a lot like the one threatened and abused on a farm around here years ago. If that boy could be here at this moment, he would be a portrait of happiness and hope and pride.

  Karen sat in the pew with Emma and Clay. While children weren’t allowed in CR meetings, Cory knew that Tyler and Carlos were close by. He would see them soon. J. T. sat a couple of rows back.

  He had pictured their faces all day, but now he saw them in light of this story, of his story that he was going to be reading. He had failed all of them at one point or many points along the journey. Yet ultimately there was only one person he had failed time and time again.

  But God graciously continued to love Cory Brand despite all he did.

  “I’m a believer who’s in recovery and struggles with alcoholism and anger,” Cory started out, a statement now as familiar in his mind as the act of stepping up to the plate.

  The room gave him a rousing greeting that brought chills over his skin.

  “Some of you know that I occasionally play baseball,” he said, a line that brought the sound of laughter.

  He needed to hear that because he was so nervous about these words he was saying. As usual, he made the joke to feel a little better. Yet in this case, he wasn’t hiding from anything.

  Not a thing.

  Cory shared pieces of that broken puzzle. His relationship with an abusive father, his desire to take care of his brother. He shared his love of baseball and how it opened doors and how it also shut doors.

  “I was given a gift many years ago, but I was too stupid to realize it,” Cory said, looking at Emma and thinking of Tyler. “I thought that gift was the ability to hit a ball into the stands. I didn’t realize that gift came in the form of a new life, a precious baby boy that I didn’t want to think about, that I ran away from. Even then, all I could think of was myself and my career.”

  Cory paused and composed himself, smiling a sad smile at Emma.

  He continued to detail the journey into having his dreams come true and how that took everything good and whole from him. Alcoholism and women only dulled the pain of the past he’d run away from.

  “I have spent my life replacing the love and attention I never had from my father and covering up the pain from that neglect with alcohol. But every drop of alcohol, every drunken tirade, every one-night stand—none of it would ever erase the ache inside of me. An ache only God could fill.”

  Cory looked down and remembered the expression on Tyler’s face as he’d yelled at the boy in the bar. The moment when it had all come full circle and he knew he couldn’t do anything about all the broken pieces surrounding him.

  “I tried to change,” Cory said. “But I failed every time.”

  A sense of strength and hope soared through him, and it wasn’t from a crowd chanting his name. It had nothing to do with him. Cory believed that with every fiber in him.

  “I know now that I am powerless without God, but with His help I have found a freedom from my pain and my habits I never believed possible.”

  The faces staring at him smiled and nodded and gave him affirmation. For a second he pictured the face of Michael Brand, the man he had spent so many years trying to escape from. But Cory knew he didn’t have to run away from that beat-up man anymore.

  “My family has suffered for generations. I suffered because of my father’s pain. He suffered because of his father’s pain. But this is where it stops. This is how it changes.”

  The pieces of his life and his story blurred by like a blinding pitch.

  A blinding pitch that he finally connected with.

  “Today, I begin a new story,” Cory said with joy and pride. “I am a child of God, and I have a Father who loves me—on and off the baseball field.”

  In his mind, Cory pictured Emma and Tyler. His joy and his pride.

  “Thank you for letting me share.”

  The crowd erupted with an applause he’d never quite felt as strongly as he felt it now. As they stood and cheered, J. T. walked up to the podium and gave him a hug.

  It was a year to the day that Cory got sober. He wasn’t at this church because of some publicity event or some public outing he got paid for.

  This truly was a celebration of one year of his life. A very good year, in fact.

  Cory Brand hoped and prayed there would be many more years like this to celebrate and thank God for.

  He approaches the bronze plaques in the ground. The ground around the plaques has been groomed a bit. Now the plaques are easier to see.

  Nobody else knows he’s here. Nobody but God above and maybe his parents if they can see him. Cory kneels and places a gift by each name.

  The dozen fresh red roses go by Alicia Brand’s name. They’re nothing in comparison to the gift she gave him so many years, but they’re something.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t grant your request,” he says out loud, hoping she can somehow hear him. “But I finally did come home. And it was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

  He slips a ball out of his pocket and puts it down by Michael Brand’s name.

  Seeing that ball next to that name brings tears to his eyes. He didn’t think it would, not after all this time, but then again, every new day something surprises him.

  Cory Brand knows something now.

  There are two ways a heart can grow. It can either harden or grow softer.

  “I forgive you, Dad.”

  He looks long and hard at the name and the ball next to it—the ball from the first home run he ever hit in the major leagues.

  There’s only one person who ever deserved to have that ball.

  Maybe deserve isn’t the right word, Cory thinks.

  But then again, none of us deserves the grace we’re given.

  That’s the beauty of it.

  Chapter Forty-six

  Perfect Game

  Cory sat in the crowded wooden bleachers next to Karen and J. T. The Bulldogs were up by five and playing great. Tyler had connected with a couple of monster hits that reminded Cory of someone else he once knew. The second hit had gotten a basking mother’s brilliant beam coming his way. Cory knew Emma was thinking all the things he was thinking.

  Well, most of them.

  The early evening still had a little sun left in it for the July day. He’d been able to stay a couple of days after his testimony at the CR meeting before heading back to Tulsa to hit the road with the Mustangs. He wasn’t thinking beyond this moment, sitting here and watching Tyler and Carlos and the rest of the ragamuffins playing out there while coaches Emma and Clay worked their magic.

  For a second he looked into the endless Oklahoma sky and felt at home.

  If Cory could write the script that would become the film of his life, he knew how he would end it.

  He wouldn’t write a scene that echoed The Natural, as Robert Redford’s character stepped up to the plate and blasted the home run that sent down a steady glowing stream of sparkles and explosions while the music played in the background. That was a spectacular ending for Roy Hobbs.

  Nor would Cory choose the touching conclusion of Field of Dreams, a guy throwing a baseball with his father. That was a beautiful moment in a wonderful film too, but that wasn’t in the plans when it came to Michael Brand and his son.

  No.

>   Cory would end things just like this. Sitting here watching his son play ball. Watching the only true love of his life be willing to invite him back into hers after he’d been gone so long. Holding a one-year CR chip in his hand. Knowing not to get ahead of himself, not to worry about tomorrow or the next day.

  He knew God made his life complete when He placed all the pieces before him. Cory also knew he was promised that once he got his act together, God would give him a fresh start.

  All the pieces were in place.

  The fresh start would come every morning. For the rest of his life.

  … a little more …

  When a delightful concert comes to an end,

  the orchestra might offer an encore.

  When a fine meal comes to an end,

  it’s always nice to savor a bit of dessert.

  When a great story comes to an end,

  we think you may want to linger.

  And so, we offer ...

  AfterWords—just a little something more after you

  have finished a David C Cook novel.

  We invite you to stay awhile in the story.

  Thanks for reading!

  Turn the page for ...

  • The Beginning of Home Run

  • Why Home Run Matters

  The Beginning of Home Run

  Inception. It was January 2010, and film producer Tom Newman had not worked on a feature film in several years. After pitching a three-picture deal to prospective partners for most of 2009, Newman still found himself waiting. Fed up and determined, Tom challenged his longtime colleague and video/TV producer Carol Spann Mathews: “Let’s do a movie—this year—for just a million dollars.” Mathews agreed instantly.

  Miracle. Normally Mathews would barrel down a road and then ask God to please bless it and guide the endeavor. But this time was different and would set the pace for a thousand prayers on the filmmaking journey. So Mathews, alone in her office after others had gone home, simply asked God, “What do You want to say in our movie?” There was no fasting. There was no repeated ritual of praying and waiting. The answer came swiftly and clearly: I want people to know that I can heal them of their addictions—that I can free them; that change is possible.

  The Original Home Run. There was an unscripted story idea entitled “Home Run,” conceived by Tom Newman’s son, Eric: a major leaguer, horribly heart-wounded by his father, finds himself coaching a Little League team in the rural hometown he had avoided for years. Mathews called Eric Newman and asked him if he felt he could give the ballplayer an alcohol problem, eliminate the mentor-preacher character, and incorporate a faith-based twelve-step program as the device to share God’s truths in the script. Eric Newman and colleague Candace Lee began working tirelessly to bring a new set of characters and a new angle to Eric’s original story.

  Celebrate Recovery. Every time Mathews saw a Celebrate Recovery testimony at her church, she saw the undeniable hand of God at work. In each story, a brave soul revealed his or her darkest struggle to shine the brightest light of hope on those who listened. Mathews believed the Celebrate Recovery program could be the very backdrop for a troubled protagonist-addict on a journey toward wholeness. The film would have no preachy mentor-type characters. But the true stories of broken people whose lives were completely changed by Jesus would shine a hope-filled light for our character (and the film’s audience). Mathews believed these stories would preach without being “preachy.”

  John Baker. The producers had to garner permission to use the Celebrate Recovery name in the film. The only problem was that CR’s founder, John Baker, was based out of Saddleback, one of the largest churches in America. He was also one of its elders alongside “America’s Pastor” Rick Warren. This wasn’t going to be as easy as a simple phone call. Fortunately, the producers received the wise counsel of a local CR state rep, Norma Murphy, who suggested a few steps to take prior to reaching out to Mr. Baker. One, the producers and screenwriters should attend a Celebrate Recovery meeting. Two, the producers should attend a CR “One-Day” where the ministry is unpacked and explained to those interested in implementing CR at their church. These were the prerequisites before she would introduce the producers to her dear friends, John and Cheryl Baker.

  Testimony Night. The producers’ second CR meeting was “testimony night.” The man telling his story was a recovering drug addict. It was the most courageous and honest thing Mathews had ever witnessed. In the buckle of the Bible Belt, at a large Southern Baptist church, there was a man telling his story of drugs, sex, alcohol—and stealing from their offering plates. He told of the transformation in his heart, the love he found from those in the room, and the hope he had that God would now work on his alcohol addiction. He was on his journey. He hadn’t arrived, but he was experiencing true healing. The raw honesty of this man, and the honesty of the others in the room, was a part of the Christian church they wanted to portray in their film. One that perhaps others wouldn’t believe even exists. And the more they attended CR (which included going on their own journey through the twelve steps), the more the CR experience would shape the storytelling of their movie.

  Another Miracle. With prerequisites fulfilled, Mathews and Newman were now ready to meet with CR founders John and Cheryl Baker. Forever grateful to Norma Murphy’s sound advice, the producers were clearer than ever about the message of the film, the importance of this message, and the beauty of incorporating Celebrate Recovery into it. They were told to keep their expectations at bay, however, as Baker would not give permission quickly, and, an avid protector of his brand, he would not be afraid to say no. But after meeting for an entire afternoon and attending CR at Saddleback that night—they prayed together, and he gave his unreserved blessing to a first-time film producer from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who had no money and no script. This blessing would prove to be the rocket fuel in the project’s engine that propelled this movie forward in many, many ways. What felt like a good idea for a script would prove to be a God idea on many levels.

  The Script. Eric Newman and Candace Lee, also now regularly attending CR, began working on the script. Mathews then brought in Dreamworks story analyst and screenwriter Brian Brightly, who worked with them for three months. Under Brightly’s leadership, the team stood the script up and tall with strong structure, good pacing, and solid characters. Still, Mathews thought something was missing. A certain pathos. This is where screenwriter Melanie Wistar came in. According to Mathews, Wistar put the “soul” in the characters with her honest dialogue, great sense of humor, and clear understanding of the film’s message. After seventeen months, the script was complete.

  Why Home Run Matters

  The audience for the film—and this book—are Christians who are tired of faking it. The shame from the choices they made or the habits they can’t break or the abuse they endured creates a condemning weight on the shoulders of good-willed believers who sit in a church pew and simply feel trapped. For them, the praying and the worship and the Bible study just doesn’t work for this one dark area of their lives. They love Jesus. But they have found that the promised peace and real-life change elude them. The worst of it is, they feel alone. They are certain that those seated next to them in their small group have it all under control and wouldn’t possibly understand, much less accept, this struggle. This movie is for those people. Those who feel alone. Those who feel condemned. It’s for those who think things will never change.

  The unflinching honesty of Home Run resonates with a growing part of the church that rejects the assumption that once you’re saved, everything is okay. And to the world outside the church that never bought that claim in the first place, Home Run is an honest and hopeful message for them.

  In the film the characters are not neatly divided into the “have Jesus” group and the “messed up” folks. Everyone is portrayed as having a struggle of some kind … because that’s
true in real life. We all struggle, but healing is possible! But not by being better or just acting right or signing the oath or making the resolution or privately trying to fix the problem all by ourselves. Change and freedom are ours by surrendering to Jesus.

  This is what makes Celebrate Recovery an amazing backdrop for this story. This ministry, currently in over nineteen thousand churches across the country, is creating a culture of telling the truth about the Christian walk. It teaches the biblical truths underlying the twelve steps of recovery. The people participating in Celebrate Recovery are telling their stories from pulpits and lecterns around the country: God loves us, and He can heal us.

  It’s time to start this conversation in our churches. What’s holding Christians back from living the life they were created to live? What happens after the altar call? What do we do with the broken pieces, the shameful places of our hearts and lives? Why do we try to fix our struggles on our own? Why do we resist the pain and process of healing? Why are we afraid to give it to God and trust Him?

  Home Run would like to help ignite this important conversation.

  HOME RUN

  Published by David C Cook

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