Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | January 12, 2022
Sin Is Like Those Russian Dolls I got reminded recently and reconfessed my laziness of 40 years ago. An acquaintance of mine was passing around a booklet at college, denying the deity of Jesus. Over Christmas break, I planned on writing a rebuttal. I never did. I got lazy. I let the festivities of life […]
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
A Modern Parable: Started my January 1st exercise program this morning. I spent about 30 minutes stretching back and forth, otherwise known on December 31st as trying to get out of bed. Seriously though, when I pulled my left knee up to my chest, something popped in my back/hip area when I was stretching. I […]
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
Small Things Both success and failure begin the same way – small. Two bookends of Genesis include both a prophecy of Jesus and of a son of Jacob, the latter ends with a cry for salvation (3:15; 49:17). Two components of each are: 1. Serpent 2. Heel Now before your eyes glaze over, there will […]
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 28, 2021
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/hgccTXB-daw TEXT: I’m not very adept at technology. I’m getting better, but to illustrate, let me give comparable examples of ineptitude from English classes. Yes, that is plural, sadly. In 4th or 5th grade, I won the “Most Improved Reader” award. So, I must have been good at English, right? Let’s see. In middle school […]
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 […]