Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | September 15, 2009
I do not like reading the Bible. That doesn’t sound right coming from a preacher, does it? So let me rephrase that – I do not like reading the Bible as I should read it – up close and personal. It is much easier focusing on others instead of myself. For example, reading Matthew 23. […]
PHall | September 15, 2009
Not quite a hypocrite. Eighteen times that word is found: All in the NT; 15 times in Matthew; 3 in Luke; only used by Jesus. Such an easy word to throw around, to accuse others of being…and yet I wonder if those we call hypocrites actually are. First, a hypocrite is someone who pretends to […]
PHall | September 15, 2009
A Happy Ending Triumphantly, Jesus enters Jerusalem. Fulfilling prophecy, the Christ rides a colt both humbly and royally. Friends spread their garments before their King as a symbol of submission (2 Kings 9:13). Palm branches spread out symbolizing victory (Suetonius, Caligula, 32). No wonder this is called “The Triumphant Entry.” No wonder, too, this is […]
PHall | September 15, 2009
In The Parable of the Two Debtors (Matthew 18:23-35), when the first debtor realized the price of his debt – he, his wife and children, and all that he owned had to be sold to repay his debt (v.25) – his debt became personal. His debt became real…at least real enough for him to be […]
PHall | September 15, 2009
What does a guilty conscience do? While a plethora of answers would be possible – and both positive and negative – how about we focus on just one. But I must warn you…us, we might not like the answer. What does a guilty conscience do? It causes us to misunderstand others by assigning false motives […]
PHall | September 15, 2009
“Turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:39). As a child I didn’t quite understand this. As I physically drew a picture of Jesus’ words in my mind, the assailant’s slap would literally turn the other cheek away, not towards him. So that didn’t make sense. As an adult, do I understand it any better? This verse […]
PHall | September 15, 2009
A Most Powerful Weapon Going away for college, while backing out of the driveway, my mother gave me the following advice – “Don’t forget what your name is!” Either my mother thought that I scored even worse on my SAT scores than I actually had done, or else she was giving some very sound advice. […]
PHall | September 15, 2009
Cool, awesome, literally out of this world. I can only imagine the euphoria of casting out demons, healing the sick, and other divinely oriented miracles. Become the deaf and mute man, and imagine being instantly cured. Then jump to the other side of the miracle and pretend you’re the man performing the wonder. Who do […]
PHall | September 15, 2009
A badge of honor among the Jews was circumcision. To their dishonor, they lost sight of the implication of circumcision. They clung to the meaning – a singular special covenant relationship with God unknown among the nations. Unfortunately they had forgotten the implication – they were desperate without God. John 7:22-23 – (22) “For this […]
PHall | September 15, 2009
The only problem with family is that they are…uh, family. Edna Buchanan said, “Friends are God’s way of apologizing to us for our families.” Many people have sighed and accepted their fate by saying, “You don’t choose the family you are born into.” Family. We have to love them, but that doesn’t mean we have […]