Are you up for a little foray into nature? This summer I’m enjoying sitting on the patio most mornings, usually in the company of our new puppy, Paddy.

Needing to go out our little back gate, I saw a creature I don’t remember seeing before. A spider of some sort, you could see the strand of web he (she?) had used to get to the gate. I took the dog’s toy bunny and attempted to swat it to the ground. I say attempted because that spider was FAST. I’d swipe, and it would be several inches away on a different side of the post. Finally, I knocked it into the grass and escaped through the gate.

Interestingly, on the same day, someone else posted a picture of one on NextDoor. “What is it?!” Many were quick with the news: it’s a bold jumping spider. The leaf picture comes from the linked Wikipedia article and contains more than I wanted to know:

Bold jumping spiders are solitary carnivores that use their highly specialized eyesight to actively hunt and stalk prey. They prey on a variety of insects and non-insect terrestrial arthropods such as caterpillars, dragonflies, grasshoppers, and other spiders… Unlike most spiders, bold jumpers do not build webs to catch prey.

The highly specialized eyesight description comes later and starts:

Similar to other spiders, bold jumpers have four pairs of eyes arranged in a semi-circle around their head, giving them nearly 360° of visual coverage.

I’m impressed, first at their design, and second that scientists have studied them and know exactly what each pair of eyes does (read the whole article if you’re interested).

Spiders aren’t named in the Bible, but other predators are, and God takes credit. For example, God says to Job:

Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars and spreads his wings toward the south? Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up and makes his nest on high? On the rock he dwells and makes his home, on the rocky crag and stronghold. From there he spies out the prey; his eyes behold it from far away. (Job 39.26 – 29, ESV)

King David said it about himself, but I think that spider is…

…fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. (Psalm 139.14, ESV)

Ezekiel 22:6 – 12, as so many chapters in the prophets, lists the ways the people of Jerusalem have forgotten God. There will be judgment:

Can your courage endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with you? I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it. I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you through the countries, and I will consume your uncleanness out of you. And you shall be profaned by your own doing in the sight of the nations, and you shall know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 22.14 – 16, ESV)

As silver is melted in a furnace, so you shall be melted in the midst of it, and you shall know that I am the LORD; I have poured out my wrath upon you.” (Ezekiel 22.22, ESV)

A promise of judgment, concluding with:

• The people of the land have practiced extortion and
• committed robbery.
• They have oppressed the poor and needy, and
• have extorted from the sojourner without justice.

And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none. (Ezekiel 22.29, 30, ESV)

Verse 30 is well known although I haven’t heard it preached in a while. “Stand in the gap…”

If you search “Stand in the Gap” you find organizations. https://www.standinthegap.org/

This one says,

There’s only one response to a gap: stand in it!

So many people want to make a difference in this world, but we don’t know where to start, or maybe we’ve been burned by past experiences. In 1997, two friends and I set out to see if we could develop a repeatable model to “love our neighbors.” After many years and various approaches, Stand in the Gap has become a safe, time-tested model that allows people to know what it feels like to love and be loved.

Another take is the language of Ezekiel reminds one of Moses praying for the people after the golden calf:

Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.”

But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, “O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? (Exodus 32.10, 11, NKJV)

The psalmist summarizes:

Therefore He said that He would destroy them, Had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach, To turn away His wrath, lest He destroy them. (Psalm 106.23, NKJV)

“Stood before him in the breach” sounds a lot like “Stand in the gap.” So one immediate application is prayer, and in Matthew 9, the prayer is for people – “laborers.”

And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9.35 – 38, ESV)

But prayer is often followed by action:

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction…These twelve Jesus sent out… (Matthew 10.1, 5, ESV)

I see a gap in discipleship training. Some churches do everything but.

So the question is, “What gap has God called you to?”

Sahil Bloom’s blog of July 17, 2026, reminded me a principle I’ve heard for years. He credits a “Dear Abby” response from 2000, but I’m pretty sure I heard it before that. No matter. Here’s the “Dear Abby” version:

January 19, 2000

​Dear Abby:

​I am a 36-year-old college dropout whose lifelong ambition was to be a physician. I have a very good job selling pharmaceutical supplies, but my heart is still in the practice of medicine. I do volunteer work at the local hospital on my time off, and people tell me I would have made a wonderful doctor.

​If I go back to college and get my degree, then go to medical school, do my internship and finally get into the actual practice of medicine, it will take me seven years! But, Abby, in seven years I will be 43 years old. What do you think?

​- Unfulfilled in Philly

​Dear Unfulfilled:

​And how old will you be in seven years if you don’t go to medical school?

Indeed. I may have encouraged June with that principle when she was considering whether to start a 3-year Spiritual Direction school when she was 75. “How old will you be in three years if you don’t go to Spiritual Direction school?”

Moses was 80 when he led the Israelites out of Egypt. Harland Sanders began to franchise his chicken recipe after he was on Social Security. He sold the company when he was 73 years old for $2 million ($20+ million today).

A prayer of Moses, the Man of God, ends this way:

Let Your work appear to Your servants, And Your glory to their children. And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands. (Psalm 90.16, 17, NKJV)

The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing, To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. (Psalm 92.12 – 15, NKJV, emphasis mine)

Continuing in Ezekiel, our reading plan, which has us reading only one chapter/day, has once again showed me a verse I’ve never seen before. God is speaking:

Moreover, I gave them statutes that were not good and rules by which they could not have life, (Ezekiel 20.25, ESV)

As I say, I’ve never seen that verse. What does it mean? In what sense did God give them “statutes that were not good and rules by which they could not have life”? Here’s a suggestion. When you come across such a verse, check it out in other translations. We’re blessed with a plethora of them.

The Living Bible has a nice clarification:

I let them adopt customs and laws which were worthless. Through the keeping of them they could not attain life. (Ezekiel 20.25, LB)

This paragraph from the NLT also makes sense:

Nevertheless, I withdrew my judgment against them to protect the honor of my name before the nations that had seen my power in bringing them out of Egypt. But I took a solemn oath against them in the wilderness. I swore I would scatter them among all the nations because they did not obey my regulations. They scorned my decrees by violating my Sabbath days and longing for the idols of their ancestors. I gave them over to worthless decrees and regulations that would not lead to life. (Ezekiel 20.22-25, NLT)

I “gave them over to worthless decrees…”

Compare Romans 1:

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting. (Romans 1.28, NKJV)

What are some “worthless customs and laws” that we might be tempted to follow? Here are a few:

• He who dies with the most toys wins.
• If you really want to enjoy watching sports, put a little skin in the game – by gambling.
• If your marriage isn’t going well, just go get another spouse.

The list goes on. Our challenge remains: stick with God’s Word!

To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. (Isaiah 8.20, NKJV)

This morning, July 22, my son Mark came over at 8:00a to install some overhead shelves in the garage. I had ordered them from Costco and two boxes had arrived on schedule. However, after we opened them, we discovered we were missing some vital parts so I called the number in the instructions. Turns out there are three boxes, and the third one had just shipped. An aborted project. We put everything back, and at 8:45a, Mark prepared to leave.

“Wait! While you’re here can you change the A/C filters?” (Our house has high ceilings, and all three A/C filters require a tall ladder. I don’t do ladders at my advanced age.) The last filter was in our bedroom where June was getting ready to take a friend to a retreat house for the day.

Except… June was in the bathroom struggling with a piece of scrambled egg that had gotten stuck halfway down. Mark has had advanced first aid training, and I called him in to help. Around 9:15a, he texted:

ER at 9:20 if no progress by then. Get ready.

I was out in the living room talking with the lady June was taking to the retreat house. We figured out there would be no retreat house that day, but as she was leaving, she and I prayed that June would be OK. And at 9:20, the piece of food became unstuck. Praise the Lord. But, of course, June was worn out from the ordeal.

A little while later, Mark texted:

You understand why God kept Costco from sending the install brackets. Otherwise we would have been working in the garage while mom was in the bathroom alone.

A good observation. I think it’s called “providence.” Thank you, Lord.

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. (Psalm 34.7, ESV)

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. (Psalm 34.19, ESV)

PS Mark said the same thing happened to him 10 or more years ago. He had fixed breakfast for his two children, one of whom was in his late teens. Mark got a piece of bacon stuck in his throat. He told the kids something like, “I’ll be out in a minute.” Then he went to the bathroom…just as June had done. He got the bacon piece turned appropriately, BUT, he said that if it had turned the other way, he could have died alone in the bathroom. Lesson: if you’re choking on food, tell someone!

Ezekiel 18 opens with a well-known verse about sin and punishment:

The word of the LORD came to me again, saying, “What do you mean when you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are set on edge’? “As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel.

“Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die. (Ezekiel 18.1 – 4, ESV)

He then goes into detail on several fronts. First, what is righteousness?

If a man is righteous and does what is just and right—

• if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel,
• does not defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman in her time of menstrual impurity,
• does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge,
• commits no robbery,
• gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment,
• does not lend at interest or take any profit,
• withholds his hand from injustice,
• executes true justice between man and man,

walks in my statutes, and keeps my rules by acting faithfully—he is righteous; he shall surely live, declares the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 18.5 – 9, ESV)

That is, righteousness is not defined by personal piety but by right actions toward others.

Another theme reminds me of a sign in the office of Fisher DeBerry, former football coach at the Air Force Academy:

You’re only as good as your last play.

Or, as Ezekial reports:

“But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?

But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die. (Ezekiel 18.21 – 24, ESV)

The message of Ezekiel 18 is simple:

Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.” (Ezekiel 18.31, 32, ESV)

“Turn and live.” It’s a message for all and for all time. Jesus said it:

No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. (Luke 13.3 and 5, ESV)

It’s National Moon Day, the remembrance of the first moon landing, July 20, 1969. But I’m glad that this year, it’s more than a “remembrance.”

Just as President John Kennedy proclaimed in 1962,

We choose to go to the moon!

We’re saying it again. We just sent four astronauts around the moon back in April in the Artemis II mission, and the 2027 crew of Artemis III has already been named. We’re moving toward another moon landing. We’re on the offensive, not resting on an accomplishment of nearly 60 years ago. It’s a mindset England could have used when they lost to Argentina last week.

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on… (Philippians 3.12, ESV)

I’ve written about this before, but it was nearly five years ago. It’s worth a reminder: The Cobra Effect. Sahil Bloom reminded me on July 15. Here’s the short version, summarized nicely in a comic:

“A policy designed to reduce the cobra population had done just the opposite.” Sahil applies the story:

The Cobra Effect is an example of Goodhart’s Law, which says that when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.

In other words, if a measure of performance becomes a stated goal, humans will tend to optimize for it, regardless of any associated consequences.

Unfortunately, most churches illustrate this in spades: the “measure of performance” most often used is church attendance. Go to any conference where there are a lot of pastors and listen in on their conversations. True, some denominations focus on baptisms, but my friend Dan Holcomb observed in a church in which he served:

I was on staff of a church which had weekly attendance of 2,000. In the two years I was there, we baptized 800 people/year, 1,600 people in two years. And what was our weekly attendance after two years? 2,000. When 2,000 + 1,600 = 2,000, something is wrong.

Jesus told us to make disciples, not see how many folks we could get into the building. And it’s fairly clear that Jesus did not optimize for numbers:

After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. (John 6.66, ESV)

Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. (Luke 9.25 – 27, ESV)

Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Matthew 19.21, 22, ESV)

Seth Godin’s blog of July 13, 2026, is too good not to share. It’s a biblically sound reminder of how we should live. He calls it “The Hedonic Treadmill.” I reproduce it in its entirety:

When we upgrade something in our lives, the thing we used to be satisfied with is no longer satisfying.

That’s the nature of an upgrade.

After a certain point, the only thing we’re buying is the way the upgrade makes us feel in the moment, not our satisfaction going forward.

Stereos, salt, art on the wall. It’s easy to get hooked on the climb, not the altitude.

Luxury goods are a special set of upgrades. These are purchases that aren’t actually an upgrade, they simply feel that way because of their cost (and the status that goes with it).

At some point, the best upgrade is the realization that we have enough. – Seth Godin, July 13, 2026, emphasis mine

“…the best upgrade is the realization that we have enough.” That will preach.

…be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13.5, ESV)

Sin is ugly and ought not to be excused. Seems simple enough, but not in today’s culture…

Have you seen the case of Brendan Sorsby, the Texas Tech quarterback who placed bets over years, some on his own team? The NCAA ruled him ineligible. Then a judge said he could play. Other universities said they wouldn’t play Texas Tech if he were on the team. Then the quarterback dropped his case and said he would go to the NFL. An editorial in World Magazine has identified a real problem with lack of punishment:

First, his behavior was excused for being caused by his mental health issues. Jeffrey Kessler, Sorsby’s attorney, argued that Sorsby’s gambling history was “a mental health issue that the NCAA is obligated to support and not punish.” Holding him accountable for behavior for which he was not responsible isn’t fair, so the argument goes.

Second, the argument was made that Sorsby receiving consequences would harm his mental health. The Hill reported that “Sorsby’s legal team argued that keeping him off the field would have a negative impact on his mental health and hurt his recovery.” Punishment would hurt, therefore it shouldn’t happen, so the second layer of the argument goes.

Unbelievable. As the writer went on to point out, it’s as old as Adam: “The woman you gave me.” Therefore, “I’m not responsible.”

But you are. We are. The editorial continues:

This is the philosophy of “Gentle Parenting” bleeding onto adults and organizations. If something hurts, then it’s wrong; if someone was hurting, then their subsequent behavior is excused. Consequences shouldn’t be leveraged as teachers because creating bad feelings is bad, so the argument goes.

Now I’m reading Ezekiel 16, a graphic metaphor of prostitution. The nation Israel scorned the God who adopted her, actually, married her, clothed her, enriched her, etc., and became a prostitute. It’s ugly. For example,

Therefore, O prostitute, hear the word of the LORD: Thus says the Lord GOD, Because your lust was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your whorings with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, and because of the blood of your children that you gave to them, therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from every side and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness. And I will judge you as women who commit adultery and shed blood are judged, and bring upon you the blood of wrath and jealousy. (Ezekiel 16.35 – 38, ESV)

In the middle of it, this intriguing section:

Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it. (Ezekiel 16.49, 50, ESV)

Some have argued that the chief sin of Sodom was not illicit sex, but failure to care for the poor. That’s not quite right. “They were haughty AND did an abomination…” So it’s all the above:

• pride
• excess of food
• prosperous ease
• did not aid the poor and needy
• haughty
• did an abomination

You bear the penalty of your lewdness and your abominations, declares the LORD. (Ezekiel 16.58, ESV)

Unlike the way our society is dealing with sin, absolving people of responsibility for “mental health” issues, God holds people responsible. The whole theme of all the prophets is, “Don’t do that!“

And yet the chapter ends in hope:

…yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant. Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you take your sisters, both your elder and your younger, and I give them to you as daughters, but not on account of the covenant with you. I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the LORD, that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 16.60 – 63, ESV)