Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | February 6, 2022
Is the Lord’s Prayer Praying the 10 Commandments? Why did Jesus say, ““Therefore, you should pray like this” and then recite what commonly is called, “The Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6:9-13)? I want to suggest the possibility Jesus is giving us, in prayer form, a variation of the 10 Commandments. If Jesus is rephrasing and reapplying […]
PHall | January 28, 2022
A Verbal Hug (A Prayer Commentary) TEXT: “Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (CSB’17 1 Thessalonians 4:18) DEVOTIONAL: When tragedy strikes, it can leave us speechless. Ironically we use words to say, “I have no words”. Advice give to me in such troubled times has been, “Sometimes the best thing you can do is […]
PHall | January 19, 2022
We want to love people out of their hurt, but some hurt so deeply, it is stronger than any human love. Any human love often hurts because the one who loves hurts within themselves. Consider, “For as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so through the Christ our comfort also overflows” (2 Cor.1:5). To […]
PHall | January 7, 2022
Praying 1 Thessalonians 4:13 – Do Go Gentle Into That Good Night (Praying God’s Way to Grow Healthy, Spiritual Communities) TEXT: 1 Thessalonians 4:13 (CSB) We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. DEVOTIONAL: […]
PHall | January 7, 2022
At the birth of Jesus there were three great lights. The Magi followed a light called a star (Matthew 2). The shepherds saw the glory of God light up the night (Luke 2). Both because of the third light – Jesus himself, the Light of the world (John 1). How appropriate lights led to the […]
PHall | January 7, 2022
Nothing But Chickens in the Hen House Matthew’s gospel account is written to Jews. And yet, it includes a record of Gentiles – the Magi – visiting Jesus in Matthew 2. Luke’s gospel account is written to Gentiles. And yet, it includes a record of Jews – the shepherds – visiting Jesus in Luke 2. […]
PHall | January 7, 2022
Praying 1 Thessalonians – Paul’s Prayers (A Prayer Commentary) TEXT: See Devotional: DEVOTIONAL: When thinking of Paul’s prayers, my mind immediately goes to Ephesians which records, possibly, the most thought-provoking written prayers in the NT (e.g., 1:15-19; 3:14-21). 1 Thessalonians records a short, beautiful prayer in 3:11-13: (CSB) 11) Now may our God and Father […]
PHall | December 29, 2021
Why do we share the Lord’s supper on the first day of the week? Many answer, “That’s when we have an example” and cite Acts 20:7. May I suggest that the wrong question is “Why shouldn’t we follow the example of the church in the first century as to when to take the Lord’s supper?” […]
PHall | December 12, 2021
Sunday’s Sustenance – A theme of my study (and hopefully of the Bible then), is God keeps telling the same stories over and over, with different people and in different situations. This method is one way to see the hand of God in 66 books being 1 book. For example, in Mark 1:1-13, the story […]
PHall | December 8, 2021
It’s Not the Difficult Scriptures that Bother Me It’s not the things God says which we don’t understand that cause us the most trouble: 1. It’s the things God says we understand, but don’t like; so we change them. Too many change God’s word instead of allowing God’s word to change them. 2. It’s the […]