God's Rule?

In the play “The Boys Next Door” by Tom Griffin, it presents the lives of four mentally disabled men who live in an apartment complex called the Stonehenge Villa. There, Jack Palmer supervises five group apartments of the mentally handicapped adding up to seventeen adult men all together. The four men presented in the play who Jack supervises are Arnold Wiggins, Lucien P. Smith, Norman Bulansky, and Barry Klemper. The story presents events in their lives which are funny, sad, serious and all at the same time heart touching. To me the story calls for more respect and understanding to the mentally disabled by showing that they are as everyday people who go through everyday situations and feelings just like those without disabilities. They get happy, excited, they hurt and cry, they love, they care and the thing is that they do it all with more passion than anyone without mental disabilities. Anyway, the second time Jack directly speaks to the audience he gives a statement I believe can be expanded on so much, but at the same time it seems so simple and to the point. The statement is given when he is explaining a conversation he had with his ex-wife “the other day.”

He says, “I ran into my ex-wife the other day. She’s full of ex-whatever venom. She asked me a few polite questions about my job, then she said, ‘What happens when they don’t need you anymore?’ ‘They’ll never not need me anymore,’ I told her. ‘Me or somebody else.’ ‘Who made that rule?’ she asked. ‘God,’ I said.”

When Jack mentions that it is God who made the rule that there will never not be a need for people in his work, I see it as him saying his job is an everlasting ministry that will never not be needed because there will always be those who are mentally disabled and need help. To him it is God who made that rule up simply because He is the one who created them like that and continues to create more like that. So long as there are those who need help, there will be a need for helpers.

Later in the play Jack, after telling the guys he will be leaving them says “But… really… it’ll be fine. Somebody else’ll come and take my place. Somebody’ll always be here for you guys…”

Jack understood that his job was not like others, for example some jobs may only have a certain time in which it is in a need of people and then later the demand for that business type stops because of new findings, economic crises, new technology, etc.. However in Jacks case, there will never be a short of the mentally disabled, therefore there will always be a demand for those who will help them. Even after he leaves, someone will come behind him because the guys will still need someone there for them.

The first time a reader comes across the first statement I noted, it may seem as if Jack is blaming God for making people with mental disabilities… but to me it comes out in a way that says the work he deals with involves Gods plan. His ex-wife to him was “full of ex-whatever venom,” so I feel that when she states “What happens when they don’t need you anymore?” it’s as if she is saying, “so what’s your plan after you lose this job?” in a way that she expects him to lose it. She also seems to ask, “Who made that rule?” with a smirk after he mentions they will always need him, as if she was saying “who says you can’t lose your job... What makes you special?” So when Jack says it is God who made that rule, to me he was basically saying, “Hey I‘m not special or anything, that’s just how God has things running.” Jack understood that his job was a job that would always be around open to anyone who would take it because it was a job that involved God’s plan. God designed life with a never ending line of those that would need help and Jack was just one of those who were helping.

What Jack said was rather simple but I want expand on that same idea with another source because what he said was very true: God did make this “rule,” but what does this mean? In the bible when Jesus is anointed at Bethany, a woman uses a very expensive perfume which she poured on his head (Matthew 26:6-13). The disciples were there and when they saw this the bible says they became indignant because the high priced perfume could have been sold for a lot of money and then given to the poor instead of being wasted. Jesus however said that what the woman had done to him was a beautiful thing. The interesting factor here however is what he said about the poor. He states that the poor would always be with them but they would not always have him. We understand that Jesus would not always be with them because he would be later crucified and then resurrected on the third day after. But when he spoke of the poor we see that as Jack acknowledges that the mentally disabled will always be around needing help, so Jesus also acknowledges the same thing just in different reference. The needy will always be around being in need and those who help the needy will always have the needy to help.

For us today, Jacks statement should not push us away from helping the mentally disabled or anyone else in need of help simply because there will always be those in need of help...basically saying we cant completely stop people from being menatlly handicap so why try to help some of them. Rather this statement should make us realize that because God has set up those who are in need, we also must be set up by God but to be that need. Giving and recieving is just one of the beautiful duels God has put in our world which we must all try to be a part of, if not we will only end of having a life full of taking.

Teresa Estrada

I have a cousin with disabilities about a little older than I am so when we went to Alliance for Independence it gave me a lot of answers to questions that I would ask concerning my cousin. My cousin went to the same high school I went to so when her class passed by me she would say hi to me and I would say hi to her always wondering what her next step in life would be. I call her “Thei-ta” as does most of the family, but my dad calls her “Peta Pie.” Her dad and mom did really bad drugs in the time of her birth which is the reason why she was born with disabilities, her dad now is in jail and her mom I have no idea. Anyways my aunt and uncle who are pastors in Wauchula Fl adopted her and I basically see her more than most of my family because she is at church events. When I see her I always give her a hug and a kiss and ask how she’s doing. Last time I talked to her she was worried about me finding out about her boyfriend, LOL! It was funny because her brother had already told me about a boy with disabilities that liked her and would spend time with her at my aunts house, yet she was trying to stop one of my cousin’s from telling me about him in front of her. The thought of her getting a job and being married one day and living on her own makes me really happy, but only God knows if she will be able to or not; I would love her to, but she still has a lot to learn…
At my school she would have to spend another three years more than I would so that she would be able to know how to get a job, which I believe she should be graduating from next year. At my uncle’s church she plays the electric pad and the drums, which I never pictured her doing before. Knowing there are places like Alliance for Independence she can go to after she graduates from high school to continue learning about the things of life makes me want to praise God but yet at the same time cry. This is because I know we did nothing to deserve the qualities in life which we possess, we did nothing more then they did, and they did nothing less so when I see a person with disabilities I feel as though its not fair.......... but at the same time I thank God there are programs like this that exist.

Polk Museum of Art

"I went to the Polk Museum of Art for this assignment, and I stayed there for at least 40 minutes."
The visit to the Museum was ok I guess. I saw some cool stuff that I thought was interesting but for some reason I thought it was going to be better then what I experienced… but hey its Polk County… we try. My favorite of all the “arts” there was a purple vase with different shades. It was really big but I don’t remember what the name of it was. When I saw it I wondered if I would be able to find another one like it somewhere so I could buy it… but who knows how much it would be? It would make a great gift or maybe I could just save it for my house, but anyways that vase was really “pretty,” if I’m allowed to say that, and was my favorite there.
However, the “art” that I looked at the most had to be in the section where the school arts were. It was a green painting with a lot of different shades on it. I think they were flowers but that’s what they looked like to me. I don’t remember the name of it either. It was very nice to me but I think it caught my attention because my favorite color is green. At the very tip of these green figures there were different colored “blobs.” That’s why I think they were flowers but I don’t know. It was a nice painting I would put in my room…I have a green room by the way.
The most interesting section to me had to be upstairs where the pictures of different families from different countries were. I really liked looking at them all and realizing just how blessed we are to be living in America. It also showed me that just like we live here and think nothing of it, those people who live where they live probably live their life really thinking nothng much of it either. When we see them and when they see us we notice a major difference, but everything in our own life has always been the way it is so its not a big deal to us just like to them the way they live is not a big deal.

Lake Bonny Park

"I went to Lake Bonny Park for this assignment, and I stayed there for at least 40 minutes."

I couldn’t help but notice as I sat in the bleachers looking over the nice peaceful pond that the predominant noise was coming from cars and a nearby train. I could still hear the different kinds of birds singing and the wind whispering, but sudden “screeches” from someone slamming on the breaks in their car also played their part. Over the pond was a peaceful current going to the right of which I also felt on my body. It then occurred to me that what I was feeling, the pond as well as the trees and plants were feeling the same thing. I wondered what if everything was like that, if we felt everything the earth felt, would we take care of it more? As I looked closer at the trees I noticed that the skinny long trees didn’t move as much, but the other “fluffier” trees seemed to give a gentle wave to me as the wind moved them. All together though when they all did seem to be moved by the wind at the same time it looked like a dance was going on to the music of joy. I say joy because when they did dance they seemed happy and joyful, not like when in a hurricane they seem to be barely holding on. When I looked at nature I saw nothing but peace. The sky was a perfect baby blue with no clouds in sight. It was a really beautiful sight. The trees under the big blueness seemed to be like its children. It hovered over them as to keep watch over them and they just seemed to be minding their own peaceful business: waving at each other in constant harmony, wishing harm to no one. It was kind of weird because as I was thinking about everything, it came to my heart that, “hey man nature doesn’t do anything to us, so why do we do so much to it.” Though there are times when nature will prove its power to man, from my experience at the park I felt that nature wishes only to dance and sing in peace of its own beauty.


Don’t dance, Don’t sing,
Just sit, Just listen,
Let nature show you how it’s done.
For like it, we dream to be within.

Nature

In class lately we have been talking a lot about nature. To me nature is one of the most beautiful things God has given His children. Whether people are saved or not, or whether they even believe in a God, they will always stand in aw of a beautiful sunset. Nature is so beautiful that sometimes I feel like I’m so blessed by God just to be able to have something so beautiful in my sight. We have lived in and seen this world all our life so when we walk around, sometimes we look past this beauty that we walk on and under. However, when I look to the sky and see the beauty it possesses, I can only imagine the beauty beyond the skies that await us in heaven. If some of the pictures that nature photographers take blow our mind, what’s going to happen when we see the maker of those images.

Physically we don’t see God here on earth, but who He is as a God is so beautiful and I think that beauty has been placed all around us. For some reason when I do notice something beautiful, the first thing I say is, “wooowwww God that is beautiful.” I don’t remember anytime before I was saved saying that when I saw something beautiful, but now it’s just a natural reaction. As Christians I believe if anyone, we should be the ones who can slow down, take time to look around and admire the beauty that God has surrounded us with. We should also be the last ones to not worry about its protection because that is exactly why God put everything under our feet: to watch over everything He has made here on earth (Ps 8:6). As rulers over Gods creations, we are responsible to take care of them as well as ourselves.

Core Self

As so many people in our world care more about what others think about them rather then what they really are, it is harder for one to see God because God can only be seen when we come to see what we really are and that is our core self. In all reality we are all sinners deserving God’s wrath, unable to live a holy life, and in desperate need of a savior. When we are constantly caring about how others see us, we fool ourselves into thinking we are actually what we look like. However, when we care more about what we really are rather then what others think we are, we can see the work which needs to be done in order to fit the outer self that we put out for sale. With this realization God is then able to work with us in our growth with Him in order that we may become mature Christians. Also, when we do not care about our outer self, which is what we seem like to others, gossip and any other judgments made about us tend to just be laughed at. For example if I’m criticized because of the way I have my hair done, it’s funny to me because I know where I stand with God, on the other hand if I’m being criticized for something I know I did wrong, which would be in my core then it would hurt me.

It can be very sad when people focus so much on their outer self. They are always trying to fit in, always trying to impress, have the best clothes, electronics, but even with an outer self so charming and beautiful (Pr 31:30), the core of a person will always be louder then the outer self. For the outer self is only in play when others are around, but when a person is by themselves, their core self still burns on whispering, “this is who you really are.”

Character Creating

Coming up with a character on the top of my head was easier then I thought. Their name, personality and actions seem to just come easier for some reason then their appearance. When I had to come up with what they were wearing, it seemed as if I was being too simple, but then I realized what we usually wear everyday can be simple it didn’t bother me much. It is kind of fun writing stories with characters, because you can make any kind of person up. It could be someone you know, whether with the same personality or their looks, or it could even copied of someone famous you know about like Abraham Lincoln. Making a character up is almost as if you were “God” creating a person. I’m not as creative as I would like to be, but even with the skills I do have creating a character can be pretty fun. When creating a character, you determine whether he or she is a bad person, good person, whether they prosper in life or whether they don’t; it’s a lot more then just creating a character it’s like creating a whole life. However, we usually start from the middle of their life and work to their past then the story takes place with their future, but real life is way more complicated. You can’t start with a nice midlife having a high paying job with wife and kids, you have to start with the day you were born. There’s no way around that one, but in creating characters, we can jump straight to the point in their life that we want to jump to and start from their. Whether we make their past a living hell or paradise on earth, we are able to skip all that time experience in just a few words and get where we want to start the story…if it were only that easy. However the past of the character does play a big role in who they are so more words might be spent on it then just a run through…especially if the whole story is a flashback.