DISCUSSION GUIDE© TCFHE. All rights reserved.

Based on the best-selling book,Because of Winn Dixie is theheartwarming “tail” of a younggirl (Annasophia Robb) whoselife is changed by a scruffy, fun-loving pooch she names Winn-Dixie. The special bond betweenthem works magic on her reserveddad (Jeff Daniels) and theeccentric townspeople they meetduring one unforgettable summer.

This discussion guide touches ontopics that children often dealwith at a young age and how todeal with loneliness, judgment,and the importance of friendship.

Each topic is complete withthought-provoking questions,related scriptures, and helpfullessons. To supplement thelessons, clips from the moviehave been chosen and are offeredas a visual aid. These clips areavailable for download atwww.foxfaith.com or may beshown through a specially madeDVD that you can request at thesame website. These clips and theguide, used in Sunday schoolclasses, other small groups, or byparents, will provide you with theopportunity to discuss situationsthat a child may experience asthey journey towards adulthood.

For more information and additional Church resourcematerial, go to www.foxfaith.com.

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IAs a pastor or Bible study leader,

you’re very careful about the media

you recommend to your congre-

gation or discussion groups.

Fortunately, Because of Winn Dixie

is a film you can discuss without

reservation. Uplifting, family-friendly,

and heartwarming, Because of Winn

Dixie is a film for the entire family.

About The Film

Based on the perennial best seller,

Because of Winn-Dixie tells the story

of a lonely young girl who adopts

an orphaned dog that she names

Winn-Dixie (for the supermarket

where she found him). The bond

between the girl and her special

companion brings together the

people in a small Florida town and

heals her own troubled relationship

with her father – the local preacher.

Because of Winn Dixie has also attracted

good reviews. Christianity Today

said, “This is a sweet film, laced with

magic realism – and it tackles some

rather dark themes in a way that is

perfectly appropriate for young

children.” Plugged In called it “the

enduring story of mankind’s need

for unconditional love.”

The Discussion Guide

Because of Winn Dixie is a great film

for all ages. It provides many

opportunities to discuss problems

and concerns a family or individual

might face in their lifetime. The

film touches on several different

topics, making it ideal not only

as entertainment, but also as a

conversation starter. Loneliness,

friendship, judgment, and love –

these and other topics are addressed

Introduction • Outside, Opal grieves alone about

the loss of Winn-Dixie. Then, the

Dewberry boys come to find her.

At one time, they were very mean to

her. Why do you think the boys have

changed their attitudes? Do you think

it was easy for Opal to invite them

to the party? What might have

happened if she had excluded them?

Read Matthew 5:44. If someone is mean

to us, how should we treat them?

• Read I John 4:9-10. Why does God

want to have a relationship with us?

Find the scripture Philippians 4:6-8 in

the Bible. How does having Jesus as

our friend help us with our problems?

What happens when we pray?

Lesson to Learn:

Friendship is valuable. Studies show

it helps to keep us healthy and

happy. When Opal didn’t have any

friends, she was lonesome and

depressed. But, when she prayed for

a friend, God heard her prayer.

Although, He didn’t answer in a

typical way, He sent Winn-Dixie

who led her to find other friends.

Then, when trouble came, these

friendships were a resource and

comfort. Opal discovered that

because God answered her prayer

for friends, the empty place in her

heart “was full all the way up.”

Deep down, we all want someone

to know us, to want to spend time

with us and appreciate us for who

we are. God desires this from you.

He wants your friendship. He wants

you to seek him, to love him, and

to appreciate him. But this is not a

condition of his love. He loved us

first. 1 John 9-10 “This is how God

showed his love among us: He sent

his one and only Son into the world

that we might live through him. This

is love: not that we loved God, but

that He loved us and sent his Son

as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

There is nobody else that would do

this for us. Our heavenly father offers

friendship to us because He loves

us. Truly, God is man’s best friend.

He can forever fill that empty place

in our hearts “full all the way up.”

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These clips were specifically selected

to help you set the tone and furnish

context for your discussions or Bible

study. There are also suggested

scriptures for your group to study

in-depth, plus we’ve offered several

conversation-provoking questions

based on the different scenes.

This guide is an easy-to-use way to

jump-start interesting discussions

within your small group, and it works

without any of your members having

seen the film. However, it is

recommended that you announce

your intentions of using the film

clips ahead of time. For example,

the week before you intend to have

a clip-oriented discussion, you might

show the film trailer (included

with the clips) to your group or

congregation and let them know

that you will incorporate it into your

discussion the following week (or

the next time you meet). This will

allow your members the opportunity

to view the film themselves (rent or

purchase) if they so desire.

Discussions:

In an effort to help you reinforce

the themes and messages of Because

of Winn Dixie, we have chosen

in the movie, which is why we’ve

created this Leader’s Guide. With

this booklet, you or any other leader

can utilize the messages in Because

of Winn Dixie as a group discussion

tool. Grade school to high school,

singles’ groups, and other small

groups; there are a variety of people

in the church congregation that can

benefit from the lessons in Because

of Winn Dixie. 

The lessons are supplemented by

clips from the movie you’ve either

received or downloaded online. 

BBecause of . . . Friendship

PrayerOpal has just moved to a very small

town where her father, a single

parent and full-time preacher, is

trying to start a new church. Even

though Opal’s dad loves her, he is

too busy with his work to spend

much time with her. On this Sunday

morning as she sits alone in the new

church, she feels terribly sad because

she wants a friend. Opal’s grief

brings her to say a prayer where she

asks for friendship, even if it has to

be from the shaven Dewberry boys.

Questions:

• Several people – people she knows

well enough to describe, surround

opal. What is missing in these

relationships that cause Opal to be

sad, and feel like she needs a friend?

What kind of friendship is she

praying for? What characterizes a

friend? Think of some words that

describe a real friend.

• Not too long after she prays for a

friend, God answers her prayer in a

different way than she expected.

What was the answer? Have you

ever had a prayer answered

differently than you expected?

What was it? Why did she call

Winn-Dixie a friend and not the

other kids she had met in the town?

What did he do that the other kids

didn’t?

FriendsOpal and her dad return from the

search for Winn-Dixie who has run

off during the thunderstorm. When

they join the group, there are assur-

ances about Winn-Dixie; each person

in their own way offers comfort.

Later, when Opal grieves alone in

the yard, the Dewberry boys join

her. One offers his hand as they

return to the house. Then, as they

begin to sing, “Lay my burdens

down . . .” Winn-Dixie comes home.

The atmosphere changes as they

rejoice over his return.

Questions:

• When the friends greet Opal and

her dad as they return from the

search for Winn-Dixie, each one

offers comfort. What do they say to

make Opal feel better? What are

some of the ways they have demon-

strated their friendship? It has been

said that friendship doubles your

joys and halves your problems. What

happened to Opal when she was

surrounded by her friends?

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clips from the film that you can

show to your group. These clips

can be downloaded online at

www.foxfaith.com or shown

through a specially made DVD that

you can request at the same website.

The clips are followed up with

questions and scripture. These

questions should draw your group

members into a conversation about

what they have just seen. It is not

necessary to tackle these topics in

a row, or all in one night. If you

would prefer to just cover one or

two, feel free. It is all up to you.

First of all, you will introduce the

discussion by saying something like,

“Tonight we are going to talk about

the following topic (i.e. loneliness,

friendship, love, etc.) We have some

scenes from the movie, Because of

Winn Dixie that we are going to look

at and then analyze to see what we

can learn from them.” 

Next, give a brief overview of the

film. Then, have your group

members read the provided Bible

verses. After that, play the clip(s)

you decide to use. Once the clip

plays, open the floor up for

discussion using the questions we

have provided, or use some of your

own. To finish, you can close the

sessions by giving the brief “Lesson

to Learn” provided at the end of the

topic. 

NOTE:  Since some of your group

members have likely not seen the

film, it is a good idea to provide

them with the context of the clip

before watching it. This can be

found in the text that precedes

the scripture reference for the

particular clip.

Please keep in mind that you do not

have to get through all the clips in

order to have a successful discussion. 

Also, you do not need to sacrifice

a good conversation to finish the

scenes. Discussion times go best

when you allow freedom, but still

provide the framework that will

point to lessons in God’s word.

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If we can accept a new friend for

who they are today, then we

shouldn’t be persuaded to change

our minds, even if they have done

things in the past that are shameful.

Gloria has spent much of her

life being judged because of her

appearance and her past. Yet, Opal’s

view of Gloria was based only on

her love and friendship.

Remember, people can change. The

best part is that God forgives all of

us for our past mistakes when we

ask. So, who are we to be judgmental

of another individual? Instead of

criticizing someone else, we need

to look at our own behavior and

make sure that we are living the life

that God asks of us. A good start is

to love others like we love ourselves.

that moment. With continued

interaction, we learn more about

them to form the “picture” we see

of our new friend. But, if someone

tells us something negative about a

person before we have had an

opportunity to meet him or her,

we will base our perception on that

information first. In fact, we will

even look for “clues” that will

confirm the perception we now have

of that individual. This is why gossip

is so terrible. It puts ideas in our

minds that aren’t necessarily true.

Then, we continue to believe it

about a new acquaintance before

they even have a chance to show us

who they really are.

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Because of . . . Loneliness

Do you want to be friends?Opal and Winn-Dixie are visiting

the library for the first time. There,

they have met Miss Frannie who is

the local librarian and a person who

likes to tell stories, if someone will

listen. As the two visitors finish

hearing her intriguing story, Miss

Frannie mentions that she doesn’t

have any family. Upon hearing this,

Opal comments that Miss Frannie

doesn’t have anyone in the whole

world. But, the librarian quickly

assures her that her library books

are the only company she needs.

Since Opal knows how it feels to be

alone, she asks Miss Frannie if she

would like to be friends with her

and Winn Dixie. Miss Frannie is

touched by the kind offer and

eagerly accepts.

Questions:

• When Opal first meets Miss

Frannie, the librarian seems content

to be alone. After all, she has her

books to keep her company. Yet,

Opal offers her friendship anyway.

Why do you think Opal does this,

even though Miss Frannie has just

told her that she’s very happy? Have

you ever felt lonely? How has that

helped you understand how others

may feel?

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Because of . . . Perception

BottlesFrustrated by the taunts of the

Dewberry boys, Opal tells Gloria

that she’s been teased about her new

friend Otis – a “criminal” who once

served time in jail. Opal has never

had this information about Otis

before now, and she is troubled with

the news. Gloria, who has been

called a “witch” by the Dewberry

brothers, takes this opportunity to

show Opal that she, too, has had a

troubled past.

Questions:

• When Opal and Gloria visit the

huge tree in the backyard, Opal

learns that the bottles represent the

hard life Gloria has had in the past;

one that has been full of temptations

and difficulties. What was Opal’s

perception of Gloria before she

learned this new information? Did

it change how she felt about Gloria?

Why not?

• Gloria tells Opal that she should

judge Otis by the beautiful music

he makes and the way he treats the

animals with kindness, rather than

by the news she has just heard. Why

do you think Opal would agree with

that thought when she hears it from

Gloria? Why does Gloria feel so

strongly about the idea of looking

at a person, like Otis, for who they

are today rather than judging them

on their past? Read Romans 14:10.

What does the verse say about

judging others?

• The Dewberry boys seem to enjoy

passing on information that is

negative about other people. Earlier,

they warned Opal that Gloria was

a witch before Opal had even met

her. Then, they told Opal that her

friend Otis was a criminal. How

does gossip affect how we view other

people? Read Proverbs 16:28. What

does the Bible say about gossip?

Lesson to Learn:

When we meet someone for the first

time, we base our idea of who they

are on the information we gather at

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• Read 1 John 4:19. Because God

loves us, what do you think he wants

us to do when we meet someone

new? Read I John 13:34-35. Jesus

placed great value on relationships.

He often talked about befriending

people and how to relate to friends.

What are some of the things we can

do to show someone that we want

to be their friend?

Lesson to Learn:

Loneliness is a difficult thing to

experience. It can happen to children

as well as adults. With Opal, she is

lonely for a variety of reasons: a

move to a new town, a grieving

father who has withdrawn emo-

tionally from her, and the loss of

her mother at an early age. Miss

Frannie, on the other hand, has

isolated herself from personal rela-

tionships by choice – not marrying

and retreating into a world of books,

rather than people. But, what each

of these two people have in common

is a deep need for human contact.

As individuals, it is important for us

to recognize loneliness in the people

we encounter in our lives. It is also

our responsibility to help eliminate

loneliness by initiating friendships

and maintaining those relationships

through loving actions. It isn’t always

convenient or easy to reach out to

others – to listen, to spend time –

but it is a way of demonstrating

God’s love.

• Miss Frannie seems eager to accept

Opal’s offer of friendship. Why do

you think Miss Frannie was so

excited to have a friend, when just

a few minutes earlier she talked

about never needing a husband or

a family? If Miss Frannie actually

wanted to have a friend,

why didn’t she mention

the idea to Opal herself?

Why do you think

people don’t always say

what they are truly

feeling inside?

• Opal wants Miss Frannie to be her

friend and she tells her so. Because

Opal is so direct, Miss Frannie

doesn’t have to wonder if Opal is

her friend. They both know they

are friends from the beginning.

Because they know this, what kind

of effect do you think it has on their

relationship? Think of some words

that describe the feelings you have

in a true friendship.

The Bible shows many examples

of the importance of love and

friendships. For instance, in John

13:34-35 we are given a command-

ment to love others as Jesus Christ

has loved us. In John 3:16, we see

how God reached out to us through

his son, Jesus – the greatest act of

love. As Christians, it is critical that

we allow God’s love to flow through

us to a hurting world. It can happen

one-on-one with someone who

needs a friend.

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