Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | September 29, 2012
Psalm 23 is a song, a poem, of David. Jewish tradition states he writes it when he is being hunted. One time frame is when Saul hunts David, making David hunted by his own king, by someone who formerly had his trust, and the father of his best friend. Another is that David composed it […]
PHall | September 28, 2012
The Lord was His Shepherd, the world did not want. He made the Lamb to lie down nailed to a cross; He led Him through the stormy waters. By resurrection He restored His soul, because He walked in the paths of righteousness for my name’s sake. Though the Lamb of God walked through the valley […]
PHall | September 24, 2012
Marriage is a threefold covenantal contract: personal, spiritual, and social. It is never just about me, it is about others. If I take the other spouse or children out of the equation, marriage fails and they suffer. If I take God out, I fail and everyone suffers. If I forget it is a social contract, […]
PHall | September 23, 2012
I was sent on a mission to sinners I was sent to a foreign land I was a message of salvation for Gentiles I fell asleep in boat during the storm I was awakened by frightened men Lots were cast I sacrificed myself for others I was involved in the calming of a storm After […]
PHall | September 22, 2012
Being damaged by the actions of others can lead us to at least one more temptation – being defined by our pain, what others have done to us. Our total identity becomes what happened to us. We breathe our ache like we breathe air. We wear our past like we wear our favorite pair of […]
PHall | September 21, 2012
Being violated, whether sexually, physically, emotionally or verbally can lead to the temptation of repeating the cycle within your own family. Joseph had two sons. We do not know much about them, but when it is time for them to be blessed by their grandfather before he dies, Joseph follows tradition, firstborn first. When Jacob […]
PHall | September 18, 2012
Being broken by the sins of others leads to other forms of brokenness; such as giving in to the temptation of covering our pain or emptiness with emotional or chemical painkillers. Boys and girls, young men and women, become promiscuous because their sexuality became awaken through sexual abuse. They confuse sex with love. Addicts dull […]
PHall | September 17, 2012
Tenth, being transgressed against we can be tempted to lie to ourselves that it never happened. We conclude along with Proverbs 19.11 that it is our prerogative and is virtuous to overlook an offense. But that means admitting it happened. For some acts we just say, “It’s OK” when it’s not. “The first step in […]
PHall | September 16, 2012
Being sinned against can be so traumatizing and frightening that I believe God has created a self-defense mechanism. Many victims of sexual abuse block the memories. In time, when God believes we are ready, He allows the memories to surface through dreams and vague memories. The temptation is to continually tamp down the memories, to […]
PHall | September 14, 2012
Being hurt brings the temptation of putting ourselves into the place of God, by taking revenge. This is another form of not forgiving. While we can be passive in our unforgiving, we can also be dangerously and sinfully active. Turning the other cheek can only happen after being sinned against (Mt 5.38-39). Being hurt suggests […]