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, 2018
There is not a total one to one correlation, but the similarities are there between the baptism of Jesus and creation. 1. The Spirit hovered over the water (Gen1:2). Hovering is a word associated with birds. In the baptism of Jesus the Holy Spirit descended as a dove (Mt.3:16). 2. “Then God said” (Gen.1:3ff). In […]
PHall | August 28, 2018
Hills and mountains do not have only one side. While that is obvious, good-hearted believers tend to forget the obvious when warning about “slippery slopes.” In the arena of spiritual matters, a slippery slope argument is the fear an action will lead to a chain reaction resulting in an undesirable and unscriptural end or ends. […]
PHall | August 22, 2018
Jesus’ ancestry was defiled by sinners guilty of incest, prostitution, adultery (or possibly rape), and even the “sin” of being a different race (Matthew 1). To make matters worse, his birth was witnessed by ceremonially unclean shepherds (Luke 2). Jesus’ life was spent being surrounded by outcasts such as tax collectors, prostitutes (Luke 15), and […]
PHall | August 16, 2018
I am a Gentile by nature (birth). I am gentle by nature (behavior). To my surprise Gentile and gentle are etymologicallly related via “gens” meaning birth (also where we get “genes”). “Gentle” became associated with high class birth because of the well-born expectancy to be well-behaved. Where is this thought going? Christians, born again from […]
PHall | August 8, 2018
Truth versus Tradition. This is continually the battle in practicing religion. Tradition is not necessarily wrong, and is impossible to escape. If, to escape traditionalism, you vow to never do the order of services the same, that becomes your tradition! When is tradition wrong? How can we tell if it is contrary to truth? Let’s […]
PHall | August 8, 2018
Luke’s gospel account is known for his attention to society’s downtrodden, specifically women. And yet here is a surprise – Luke’s genealogy of Jesus does not list any woman including Mary; while Matthew’s list has four (Mt.1:3,5-6). Looking at Luke he does give more attention to Mary in the narratives of Jesus’ conception and childhood. […]
PHall | August 3, 2018
A new YouTube “genre” is “Reaction Videos.” People listen to music they haven’t heard before and react; while viewers react in the comments to their reactions. Strange, (but should I admit) curiously entertaining! This got me thinking…What would a reaction video look like: * to us during a sermon? * to our family arguing? * […]
PHall | August 3, 2018
The ASK Prayer and Study Method Jesus famously preached to ask, seek, and knock in prayer (Matthew 7:7). We should pray while we study: A – Technical Study: When we are spiritual youths we ask, “What does this text mean?” S – Personal Study: As we mature we personally see the need to do more […]
PHall | August 3, 2018
Never ask a question you don’t want to know the answer to: “Were you talking about me?” I got asked that question after a sermon by a visiting gentleman. I said “no” and still don’t know why he asked. A guilty conscience whispers loudly! “Does that dress make me look fat?” I said that to […]
PHall | August 3, 2018
There are difficulties in recovery. Regardless of what we are recovering from, the body, spirit, mind, and emotions are not always in sync. It reminds me of Jesus lamenting “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). What we want is not always what we want. Yes you read that last sentence […]