Author: Terry Wil Robinson

Learn about me at jonahzsong.blog.

Chill Out!

The Daily Post Writing Prompt RELAX

A Lonely Full Moon on Lake Lanier, GA (c) 2016 Wil Robinson
A Lonely Full Moon Rises Early on Lake Lanier, GA (c) 2016 Wil Robinson

Last summer, beneath a lonely full moon that cried out to me, “Chill Out, Dude,” I relaxed a little. I enjoyed the solitude, the sound of waves slapping the hull, and the breeze filling the sails. When finally the sun dropped behind the pine trees to the west, I stirred only to discover the battery was dead. That meant no lights. Darkness  stole the evening and my peaceful sail. Then, naturally, the breeze dropped out and the sails lay ideal, and Cassandra, a heavy, full-keeled, twenty-five-foot sailboat, came to an abrupt halt. Continue reading “Chill Out!” →

Getting Old

 

The Daily Post Writing Prompt Moody 

dime-and-coffee“An English degree and a dime,” Dad said, “will get you a cup of coffee.” A dime won’t get me a cup of coffee these days. Do something “practical.” How ’bout a marine biologist. And later, inspired by my auto shop teacher, I wanted to get my degree in industrial arts and teach. When I finally started college, it was like more high school—same-O, same-O. The English I liked. I did take psychology. It was good too. But I didn’t HAVE to attend class. I found my niche; I majored in lounge. My days consisted of hanging out in the student lounge and fraternizing. Occasionally I attended a class or two. English and psychology.

“Your problem is that you’re codependent,” her words jabbed Continue reading “Getting Old” →

Gone Fishin’

“So you had your own boat,” the young man asked, “and fished commercially?”

“Yes. It was a long time ago,” the old preacher said.

“That’s really cool. Why did you quit?”

“It was ‘cool,’ as you say,” said the preacher. “I actually quit twice, then left for good. Life has other things that need to be done, things that aren’t always as pleasant. Not that staying up all night fishing to come home without even a fish to cook for breakfast is so wonderful.”

“That happened?”

“It surely did. More than once. There was one time,” then the preachers voice fell off and his eyes glazed over, misting.

“What?”

“I had gone back to fishing after about four years away, after my teacher and friend died,” the preacher continued. “I was with old friends, fishermen. We’d been out all night long, catching absolutely nothing—not even a nibble. Just after dawn we headed back in, knowing it was no use staying out longer. As we came to shore, not far from our town, we saw a man on cooking stirring a small campfire. ‘If he’s waiting for fish to fry,’ we all thought, ‘he’s gonna wait a long time.

” ‘Do you have any fish?’ the man on the beach beckoned to us. We all called out, ‘No!’ at the same time. He called back to us, ‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ ”

“Did you catch some then?” the young man prodded the old preacher.

“I can’t imagine why we even gave that man the time of day,” the preacher mused aloud. “I mean, some non-fisherman tells us, the experts, where to drop a line to catch fish. But we did.”

“And,” the young man impatiently prodded.

“And we were unable to haul it in because of the great number of fish,” the preacher said.

“WOW! So who was that man?”

“Well, it was our teacher, the one we’d originally left fishing to follow around the country.”

“Wait! You said he died, that was why you went back to fishing.”

“That’s true,” the old preacher said. “He died and came back from the dead and came to us on the beach. It was just like him, too. We pulled that load of fish up on the sand, and he was already cooking fish on his campfire. He looked at usand said, ‘Come. Have breakfast.’ ”

“WOW! Wasn’t that a shock?”

“Oh, we’d seen him before,” the preacher explained. “After he died, he resurrected and came to us so that we’d understand all that he’d taught us.”

“So he’s the one who taught you how to be a preacher?”

“Indeed! We mourned him even when he returned to speak to us. And one of my friends  said, ‘I am going fishing!’ and a few of us went, too,” the preacher explained.

“But you quit fishing then, right?”

“Yes. Our teacher left us with a mandate; he said:

Follow me!

“So we did. And here I am today.”

“WOW!”

“Yes. WOW,” sighed the old preacher.

(Based on John 21)

The Daily Post Writing Prompt: Fishing

Zombie Apocalypse Revisited

zombie-package-photoThe latest zombie-laden season of Walking Dead is off to a violent and bloody start. One of my kids still watches it, and gave me the details of someone from the original cast, season one, that is now off the show—killed off. I don’t bother watching it anymore. I saved recorded episodes thinking I may want to catch up; there are thirty or so saved now and I still haven’t felt like going back to it.

If you’ve never watched “Walking Dead,” it’s definitely not an off-the-shelf Zombie show. It is a custom-tailored adventure show about a band of people simply trying to live another day, against all odds and a lot of zombies who would like to see them become zombies. There are some social lessons we can glean from “Walking Dead,” too. But at one time my real reason was to see all the “What-Not-To-Do” moments. Continue reading “Zombie Apocalypse Revisited” →

Martyrs

Every so often, a compilation of emails sent to Renewal Ministry Fellowship of Australia is sent out. The emails contain many reports of the work of G-d in India, the Middle East, and Africa. The emails also report of the destruction of Christians’ property, restrictions on Christian ministry, and persecution of our brothers and sisters in hostel lands. Occasionally reports are made on the deaths of Christians. Here is one such email:

From: Dr Mary Job in INDIA:
“Martyrs are those who rise above the most horrific circumstances and lay down their lives as willing sacrifices so that the `living Christ` is forever worshipped and honored. [Note: British Spelling] We bring you news of the latest martyrs from Syria, whose lives and deaths reveal that persecution against Christians is rising but so is the determination to stand up against the vilest of persecution…

“Eleven missionaries from Aleppo who were providing aid to war-affected survivors were brutalized and then crucified. The incident took place on August 28, but reports have only surfaced now. Apparently, ISIS militants entered the village and asked the group of ministry workers whether they follow Christianity. When the Christians said that they do, the rebels asked if they wanted to return to Islam. The Christians said they would never renounce Christ.

“The 41-year-old team leader, his young son and two ministry members in their 20s were questioned at one village site where ISIS militants had summoned a crowd. The team leader presided over nine house churches he had helped to establish. In front of the team leader, the Islamic extremists cut off the fingertips of his 12 year old son and severely beat him, telling his father they would stop the torture only if he returned to Islam. When the team leader refused, the militants beat him and two other ministry workers. The three men and the boy then met their deaths in crucifixion. They were left on their crosses for two days. 

“Eight other ministry team members, including two women, were taken to another site in the village and were asked the same questions before a crowd. The women, aged 29 and 33, were publicly raped and then, the two women and six men knelt were beheaded. Eye witnesses say that all the executed were praying as they met their end. Let us draw inspiration from their lives because it would be wrong to weep about their deaths. We pray that the souls of these martyrs will find their peace and joy with their Maker.”

You will repay them, O Lord,
according to the work of their hands.
You will give them dullness of heart;
your curse will be on them.
You will pursue them in anger and destroy them
from under your heavens, O Lord. Lam 3:64-66

Filthy

Filthy is such a, well, filthy word. Even when it’s not associated with dirt, like filthy rich, it still sounds so negative. I like the word feculent. It sounds so upper crust, don’t you know. One could say “Oh, I love your feculent hair,” and one whose vocabulary was normal, would consider it a compliment. Deceptive, isn’t it?

It’s easy to smile at someone and say something that sounds nice but it isn’t really what is meant. I’ve heard a lot of folks talk about people who seem to feel the need to ask questions such as, “How does this blouse look?” What’s a good response: 1) “Oh, very nice, dear.” or 2) “Well, it’masquerades a nice blouse, but it looks a bit tight on you today.” There are some people who would handle number two. And then there are some that would be offended and respond curtly, “What? Are you saying I’m fat? I know I’ve gained fifty pounds but I’m stressed and what right do you have to accuse me of being fat?”

Continue reading “Filthy” →

Mincemeat Tart

cawlGrowing up Welsh in America meant mincemeat tarts, Welsh cakes, beef kidney pie, shepherd’s pie, and, of course, cawl.

It also meant Dylan Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas in Wales,  Richard Llewellyn‘s How Green was My Valley, and learning to speak a little Welsh.

Growing up we celebrated St. David’s Day, prized leaks and leak soup, ate parsnips, ate lamb—lots of lamb served with mint sauce—and learned early on we’d gotten too dirty outside when Mom called us Mochyn Du (old black pig).

And you thought I was just fibbin'
And you thought I was just fibbin’

That’s just a start. What American boy begins his first year in school wearing short pants and a tie? But then what American boy could say he’d lived in Wales for a time and travelled through Europe, too? Those were the early 1950s that I only vaguely remember.

The food, though, I enjoyed well into the 1990s. If I disappointed Mom Continue reading “Mincemeat Tart” →

“You’re Banned. . .”

The Daily Post Prompt Banned

As the winter of 2013 approached Atlanta. . .

“You’re banned from shopping at CostCo,” she said.

“Hey, it’s really important to continue filling the pantry,” he said. “I’ve told you how the storms came through the mountains and for several weeks the store was out of all food. Most of us stored food. Just in case. Yet there were always some who didn’t. They learned the hard way that a full pantry is literally a life saver.”

“We aren’t in the mountains,” she said. “Nothing like that is ever going to happen here. NO MORE TRIPS TO COSTCO UNLESS I SAY SO AND YOU FOLLOW MY LIST.”

January 2014 as reported in local news:

BuzzFeed ‏@BuzzFeed 29 Jan 2014 Atlanta Is Literally An Episode Of “The Walking Dead” Right Now http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/atlanta-is-literally-an-episode-of-the-walking-dead-right-no?bftw …
BuzzFeed ‏@BuzzFeed 29 Jan 2014
Atlanta Is Literally An Episode Of “The Walking Dead” Right Now

“People left schools and businesses around the same time. This coupled with winter weather conditions caused serious traffic gridlock that worsened throughout Tuesday afternoon and into Wednesday.”

• Many children were stranded overnight in classrooms or gyms.
• Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said National Guard troops were sent to move stranded school buses from highways.
• Georgia state troopers were sent to retrieve students who were stranded at their schools.
“Snowmageddon” by the numbers
  1. • More than 2,000 cars were abandoned on Atlanta’s interstates.

    • More than 1,460 crashes happened between Tuesday morning and Wednesday evening.

    • There were 2 fatal crashes.
    • There were more than 175 injuries reported.
    • More than 400 flights in and out of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport were canceled by 6 a.m. Thursday.
    According to the Associated Press

    “Well, this is another fine mess you’ve got us in Ollie,” He could have said during snowmaggendon. But why start WWIII. It took nearly a week to clear the ice from roads north of Atlanta. And this was not the last time such a storm would come through. The next times, however, folks didn’t wait until the storm was upon them; they left work early and schools were emptied out well before trouble could occur.

    So then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. 1 Thessalonians 5:6.

    There is a need to be prepared for all circumstances. We must do in the physical realm the things we are meant to also do in the spiritual realm. We demonstrate our spiritual understanding by acting upon the Word of G-d while on Earth. When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, he was specifically referring to apathy of spiritual things. He’s saying that those who know G-d through Lord Y’shuaJesus are to be mindful and alert. He contrasts the worldly ways of people who, at night, dull their senses with wine. To apply this verse to our Earthly lives, we are to be wise and aware of our ways and our environment. In a sense, it’s like fasting. The act of fasting is physical, yet it has spiritual ramifications and significance.

    Being aware spiritually is also being ready for the return of the Messiah, Lord Y’shuaJesus. This is seen throughout the writings of the Apostles. Y’shuaJesus, too, spoke about being prepared to meet Him when He returns. The Lord used various parables to tell of the spiritual preparation that is needed to meet Him. In one parable, Matthew 25, the Lord said, “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

    Numbers-6-24-26 - 1