Rioting during Thanksgiving Break = You Stink

The United States has gone insane.

It’s easier to ignore when it’s a different city which attracts national media coverage, but when it’s your own, it’s just hard to ignore the fact that your national, state, and local governments, your national, state, and local media, and your national, state, and local countrymen are insane.

Let me tell you what I mean: Two afternoons and three conversations is all it took to figure out that all the demonstrations surrounding Michael Brown and the policemen who shot him, have absolutely nothing to do with either of them. It wasn’t about racial tension, or about race at all. Michael Brown’s shooting and what people thought were the facts simply broke a dam which was cracked long ago. According to my sources, the actual people who live there felt alienated from their law enforcement, basically felt like policemen treated them like the enemy rather than like the citizens the policemen were sworn to protect from the criminal element in Ferguson. Whether that experience of alienation is based in fact, is irrelevant: What that meant is when this all began, Ferguson needed comforting words and actions from their law enforcement, and a reconnection.

What should have happened is that both sides put forth representatives which both sides trusted to discuss and work out these issues—making concessions, opening up communication in a way both sides knew was on the up-and-up, in a very public way open to the participation of both communities.

According to a very nice clerk at a restaurant, the city held what was supposed to be open forums for the people and the law enforcement, where the people were supposed to have the opportunity to ask questions and receive answers to their questions from the law enforcement. But, according to the same clerk, they attended the meeting, and the law enforcement said the people could ask questions, but they would not answer the questions.

Was I there? No. Do I know that’s what happened? No, and I am betting probably neither do you. Which is part of the problem. Why do we feel the right to butt in when we don't even know?

But this is what I do know. A large and diverse group of evil groups decided, once they saw tension in my beautiful city, to hijack it for their own ends.

A good friend of mine died the weekend right before finals my second semester in college. Suddenly every preacher emerged, those who knew him and those who never met him, using my friend’s name as a call to recruitment to Christianity—not necessarily a bad thing, but illustrative. During the Reformation when everyone was changing their minds, leaders with all kinds of doctrines emerged to take advantage of the people’s high spirits, becoming leaders of men. And now St. Louis has demonstrations, and the United States sees a large city with a large number of emotionally-engaged people, and they too step in to take advantage.

According to that same clerk and other sources as well, people who do not live in Ferguson moved in and pillaged, burnt down, and otherwise disrupted this town, and disrupted other parts of St. Louis as well. What are they here for? Are they here for the same reasons those original demonstrations began? Or do they even know? Don’t be a pawn in somebody else’s game of chess. Make sure you know what you’re marching for—make it simple and good.

I live in St. Louis, and seeing how people talk about Ferguson has in no way increased my faith in true reporting or just government. Neither the bulk of the media nor my government has persevered to make the real story known here. In ancient Israel, if that happened, a prophet would visit Israel, and say something like this:

Thus saith the Lord, I am against the media, which twists the truth for money, and destroys my people for fame. I am against the media, whose words breed violence and cause the children of St. Louis to lose their livelihood and sometimes their lives. People are injured and even dying because of the misperceptions you are spreading. Further, people in government use the lies you spread to further corrupt causes.

Thus saith the Lord, I am against the representatives and governors, who are more concerned about politics than the people, who kill the sheep to wear their wool. Remember that it is God who placed you in power.

Thus saith the Lord, I am against the rioters and pillagers, who use violence against their own countrymen and neighbors during peacetime, who steal what does not belong to them under the guise of racial anger, who make the cause of racial equality stink through their entitlement. Would that all men, including you had the prosperity of the businesses you burned down, but you are more satisfied to watch the American dream some have managed to build for themselves burn to the ground instead.

If God has any justice at all, He has you all marked for trial and conviction for the things you have done. Turn from violence and lies before it is too late—in humility, tell the truth; share your heart, not your bullets. GO HOME for Christmas, and love your family and the people around you.

My God is a God of justice, who delights in a just weight and a true word, and my city, like all the world, is His. If you destroy the innocent and helpless, His fire is reserved for you. Take my warning while you still can.

I was going to take my Chinese friends to the Arch tomorrow, but I heard someone tried to bomb it, so I can't. Thank you for that, and happy Thanksgiving. Go ahead and protest for Christmas if it seems necessary, but could you hold off on the rioting? And while you're at it, I want to work in Ferguson when I graduate college (make it a BETTER place, you know), so could you try and leave a few stores standing?

Merry Christmas!

Luke 2:8-14
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.


Hello, my dear Parsiphony!

I find myself meditating on Christ this year as I think about everything which happened this last year, and hoping that He is looking down, praying for the healing in His wings, for freedom from sin, and hope for the sinner. I want Him, and it hurts to wait. There are times I wonder if He is coming at all. Where else is there to go?

I find myself waiting on Christ. Have you ever felt that way?

Love,
~Dinah Greyhorn

"Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted."
~Isaiah 49:13

Life Goes On

Dear Parsiphony,

I want to emphasize something to brokenhearted and sinful people today. After tragedy, after sin, after shame, life goes on. It has been nine months since a young man I cared for stopped talking to me (because of things I did), and life really does go on.

I am trying to learn to use this knowledge wisely. I really think that in our physiology God built in an ability to recover and adapt over time to new knowledge and understanding. Case in point, a person who has high blood pressure for a prolonged period develops a "new normal" at that higher blood pressure. I think this applies to mental anguish as well. Our permanent solace lies in patience, and waiting on Him.

I used to think so many things were important, but now more than ever value a simple life. It is possible to accomplish a great deal of mischief pretending to understand more than we do.

I don't have an answer for everything in the world, but I do know this; loving everyone with our actions and words is the best we can do as human beings. Discerning between good and evil should not hinder us from forgiving people like our Savior forgave us. I want justice to reign on this earth, but in the areas where we have no authority, we have no authority. At the end of the world Christ will set the record straight, and in the meantime our responsibility is to walk as Jesus walked.

He walked with peace on earth and good will towards men, with a sword of ideas and arrows of truth. I fear for our nation, which more and more disregards God. Don't look to be right with God if you use your freedom for death. Whether he chastens one as a child or with fire until one is consumed in His wrath, he will still chasten. Fear an angry God.

This has gotten very hypothetical. God bless you, my dear Parsiphony. Sincerely,
~Dinah Greyhorn

Stick to Your Purpose, Continued

Dear Parsiphony,

Thank you for rebuking me in your letter the other day. I am given to excessive depression at times. You are right; God will redeem my situation. I musn't forget God's love in being too extreme in my position. Even in the case of Job, He brought him again to abundance, giving Job twice what he had before. He shall determine the extent of my "damage," and how long I am cast down. But even now I know things which I could have never hoped to understand before, so the fruit of my situation has already began to be good after I repented. I hope the young man is doing better as well, though he is responsible for the extent of his recovery and I cannot contribute.

I cannot claim to be as righteous as Job, but God knows I repented. He used this situation to show me many sins in my life, which by His grace I hope to overcome.

God shall redeem my situation one way or another. If I have His salvation, that is good enough for me.

God bless you, my dear and faithful friend,
~Dinah Greyhorn

Stick to Your Purpose

Dear Parsiphony,

I have been thinking about what to share concerning my situation that might in some measure redeem it. I do believe it has permanently damaged me, and shall be my infirmity for many years to come. But it is my belief that all things work together for the good of those who love God, as scripture says in Romans 8:28. Perhaps teaching others prudence in this regard will cheer me slightly. And in this way I can still do kindness to the young man whose heart I am responsible for breaking, by preventing other people from making the same mistake, from breaking more hearts.

My mind has been occupied recently with the question of what my exact mistake was in the aforementioned situation: a question of definitions.


The facts of the situation are thus:

We met, and got along quite well.

I found him quite attractive, with every physical and mental characteristic I could wish for in a member of the opposite sex. If I were able to locate the piece of paper I made when I was younger to be read at the age of eighteen detailing my standards, I am sure he and my standards would have agreed quite well. That is, they would have agreed minus one important detail; he was not a Christian. Indirectly, I let him know that under my principles, dictated by II Corinthians 6:14, a Christian cannot in any way unequally yoke herself to a non-Christian, a statement which includes yoking in the context of a relationship. As I was soon to find out, Christianity, though at the very top of my list, was not my actual chief standard.

Throughout our friendship, he sought to respect my guideline of only accepting a Christian man in a relationship.

Showing less respect to my own ideals than he, and in contradiction to my ideals, I allowed myself to admire him, as many of his traits were quite admirable. I was driven quite out of my mind with my admiration.

Beyond simply admiring him in my mind, I allowed him to understand my particular esteem through my actions, which made him begin to think that it might be acceptable for him to allow himself to esteem me as well.

A few months down the road, in some unseemely thoughtlessness and singleness of purpose, I straightly inquired of him whether he esteemed me after making my regard known. He honestly replied in the affirmative.

My conscience was not forgiving. After a few days, I apologized for how I treated him ever since I first met him, saying that I was wrong to give my heart to him. I am not sure I knew just how accurate that assessment was at the time, and am sure I did not know what or why I was doing.

Somehow in the following days I managed to maintain this stance, though it was loathsome to me.

I have been apologizing ever since, though he does not reply. At first he tried to remain civil, even to be friends; he even told me he forgave me after the initial apology. But a person's patience can only be tested for so long before that person breaks. My company was obviously painful to him, and my feigned indifference even more so with its small inconsistencies. I wanted badly to love and be loved by him before, during, and long after my first apology, and my looks and actions reflected this state of mind even if my lips never again formed the words in his company. Throughout the whole, I must have shamelessly cared more for my own satisfaction than for his, as love dictated that I back off, even stop being near him, because that would be better for him in the long run. But I gave in to wants instead of realities, and selfishness instead of selflessness. Even now it makes me so ashamed. There are no words, and there is nothing to repair the breach--nothing except God's forgiveness which, if someone has taken the habit of considering other things as more important and more real for a few months, is only comforting as a fact after it is sought after again.


So what was my specific mistake in all this? Elisha would know I am sure; he referred to it as "halting between two opinions" (I Kings 18:21).

There is nothing anyone can say to convince me that I was without some blame in this situation, but in hindsight, and for your better edification since my mind has tirelessly examined the subject, there are two options by which, at least in the eyes of the non-Christian world, I could have been without blame.

The first would have been to disregard II Corinthians 6:14, to throw off the theology of the unequal yoke. Though compromised theologically by my church's standards, I could have convinced myself that I had only changed that one point, that I could keep all the other theology while "changing my opinion" on that particular issue. My young man might have become a Christian, we might have been happy together, who knows. An added benefit is that I could have taken this position at any time before my apology, and I would have had him. However, as I would have discovered, though I probably would have been happy for a while before I discovered it, a person cannot just throw away a part of her theology she has accepted since her youth without also injuring the authority in which she considers the rest of her theology. That decision might have had the power to compromise a great deal more of my theology.

The second would have been to protect my heart from the beginning, to consider this young man as a friend, to actively prevent myself from falling in love with him; in two phrases, to stick to my purpose, and to keep my principles from injuring anyone besides myself. A person is blameless for keeping their principles even in the eyes of the rest of the world as long as their principles do not hurt anyone else. And as my experience would tell you, it is Hell on earth to compromise one's principles without a clear reason, and perhaps Hell beyond earth as well. It is now my opinion that it is better to stomp on one's own heart than to even prick another's, unless the reason is just and justifiable, and selfishness is unjustifiable.

I cannot advise anyone to take the former "blameless" option, as it is against my principles, and against good sense in general. But I strongly recommend the latter as far superior to the former. It is life, both for the individual partaking in it and the young man for which it is intended.

My all-too-personal warning is to avoid halting between opinions. That, in the context of the two opinions in question, was my mistake: its definition. Do not halt between opinions. It has been at times more painful than the death of a dear friend.

It is not a situation entirely without redemption, however. My relationship with God is mending.

I am hoping, dear Parsiphony, my sweet and patient friend, that you might be able to unravel these thoughts in a way that is beneficial to yourself. God bless you,
~Dinah Greyhorn

Get a Job

Dear Parsiphony,

I've recently been thinking quite a bit about marriage. Many of my friends are getting married, you see, and two of my siblings as well. I've also been thinking about relationships in general, and asking some questions that it seems very few people actually ask.

For instance, when is it right to consider another person romantically?

It seems the most common answer is very "feelings" based. I was listening to some songs by I think Cascada, and she said something in one of them like "I love you just because the feeling is there, this is my religion." That made me think a little.

I also recently heard the popular song "Skater Boy," where the point of the song is that we are supposed to stick to someone like glue if we like them whether or not they have a means of self-improvement, or whether or not they are willing to go the extra mile and even do things they do not enjoy to provide for their family. Basically, this boy is a very good skater, and a girl who likes him decides to back off because that is the only thing going for him. He gets rich and famous on MTV because of his massive skating skills, and the person singing the song tells us she is his later girlfriend and the first was stupid for not sticking by him, because of course his talent couldn't be denied.

Well, forgive me for saying so, but very few people who are good enough at skating to land a job as a professional skater end up famous on MTV with enough money to support a family. Skating, though nice, literally only produces entertainment and, for the skater, exercise.

My point in all of this is that it is very unkind, if one is a boy, to try and ensnare the affections of a girl without any means, future or present, of supporting her or the family she would in an ideal universe provide him if they got married. It is also very unkind, if one is a girl, to marry someone willfully in the above circumstances (i.e., who could with exertion provide for her and the family in a meaningful way) when she wants to have children and children need food. If a man wants to get married and his current skill-set will not procure a job which provides enough money, it is time to go back to school and form a bigger skill-set.

How much of our if-I-feel-it-it-is-right culture comes down to simple laziness and the rejection of reality? Let's start joyfully embracing what is necessary (i.e., honest, hard work and a purposeful, steady life) instead of denying reality and being bitter when things don't turn out like we imagined.

That goes for the women as well. We should prepare ourselves for married life by honing the humble but extremely necessary skills for managing a household. If we cannot bring ourselves to cook, clean, teach, and care, change diapers, etc, then we shouldn't consider becoming romantically attached. It would be extremely unkind to expect the men to do all the labor, as women are thoroughly capable of taking up responsibility just like men are. It would be extremely unkind to be anything but sacrificial in time and labor towards the children, because those little tykes need a lot of love and a lot of guidance as they grow. An attitude of sacrifice is necessary for both men and women in the married state, and both need love and patience as their spheres of labor overlap depending upon temporal and possibly financial vulnerabilities.

When I first started thinking about this, I thought saying what I thought would be too unkind. I mean, look at all the people I just seemingly doomed to remaining unmarried! But then it occurred to me, I'm not dooming anyone; I'm telling them to shape up, as they jolly well should if they don't want to be lazy.

Looking forward to seeing your thoughts on this matter, my dear Parsiphony, and God bless,
~Dinah Greyhorn

To Chase the Previous Letter

Dear Parsiphony,

I have written and sent this letter quickly to arrive with the first I sent because there is one thing I would amend within the first.

In my previous letter, I mentioned the Christian woman who entered into a union with a non-Christian with her eyes open, but sincerely repented afterwards. It is certain she will have trials; possibly that is what drove her to repent. But God is often more merciful than we give Him credit for, and perhaps through the mercy of God she may have more to hope for than a combative relationship with her husband.

Surely if there was ever a generation which abandoned God with its eyes open, it was the generation in Judges 10:6-16. They had a national history of a faithful generation receiving the blessings God had promised for an obedient nation in the generation of Joshua (Joshua 23:14), and of at least a generation at this point who had incurred God’s wrath by turning away, and then experienced His deliverance when they began again to seek Him with all their heart. That is the context of Judges 10:6-16, which I have reproduced for you below.

6 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.
7 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.
8 And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that [were] on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which [is] in Gilead.
9 Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.
10 And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.
11 And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, [Did] not [I deliver you] from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? [<-- talking about easily memorable times He had delivered Israel in the past]
12 The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. [<-- MORE past deliverances!]
13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.
14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.
15 And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day.
16 And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

It is easy, when God brings one of His children low, for that child to despair of ever reaching the same trust and intimacy with God she used to have again. When God brought me to repentance about my young man, I was too upset to do anything except read my Bible, even though it was finals week. I read for hours and hours. My reading included these verses:

Revelation 3:1-2
1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

“Strengthen the things which remain.” Oh how those words stung! Was I always going to be like I was, a doubter, far from God, away from His presence? Would I always be strengthening what remained, never gaining again what was lost, never building beyond that point? God had delivered me from many enemies before (metaphorically), but I had taken this young man as a new idol. Would He tell me what he told the Israelites in verse 13 (“wherefore I will deliver you no more”)?

For months those words tormented me. But what did God do after the children of Israel repented and “put away” the strange gods to which they had married themselves? God raised up Jephthah, who retrieved once again for Israel twenty cities from the Ammonites (Judges 11:33)! Retrieved again! Funny that I didn’t notice this when I went past it. What really struck this home to me was I Samuel 7, verses 3-4, 7-8, and 13-14.

3 And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
4 Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only.

7 And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel gathered together to Mizpeh, the Lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
8 And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.

Between here and the last two verses I cited, God discomfited the Philistines and the Israelites pursued after them in battle.

13 So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coasts of Israel: and the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
14 And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

The people’s hearts were not right with God, but they repented, and ceased not to cry unto the Lord. And not only did the Philistines no longer come into the coasts of Israel for all the days of Samuel, but the cities which before were taken were restored to Israel again!

God truly is merciful. He doesn’t owe us anything, but if we turn to Him, He is a merciful God. We can say with the Israelites “We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee.” But because of the great mercy of God, we can also intreat, “deliver us only, we pray thee, this day,” and perhaps the day after as well, from our other enemies.

Much love, and God bless,
~Dinah Greyhorn