Brothers Judd Blog

If two New Hampshire men aren't a match for the Devil, we might as well give the country back to the Indians. -Stephen Vincent Benet (1898-1943)

June 30, 2026

Religion

THE CROSS IS UNCOMFORTABLE:

Christianity is Harder Than We Pretend it is (Stephen Mattson, June 29, 2026, Relevant)

Too often, when people are expecting—and want—to meet God, churches instead present an illusion, a tempting escape from reality.

Surprisingly, many people don’t reject Christianity because they’ve given up on God. Instead, they’ve given up on the people and things that represent God. They don’t hate Jesus, they just become tired of not finding Him within Christian culture.

As Christians, we sometimes mistakenly try to compensate for God by presenting our faith as easier than it really is. We cover up the ugliness and hardship of authentic faith.

But while following Christ is beautiful and worthwhile, disappointment, pain, suffering, betrayal and hurt are also a part of life, and Christians aren’t immune or excluded from these horrors. Contrary to a life of ease, comfort and luxury, following Jesus demands sacrifice, honesty, vulnerability, conflict and a lifetime dedicated to loving others. This is really hard—a commitment not meant to be taken lightly.

Given that Christ failed, the rest of us will too. Embracing the struggle anyway is the point.

Health

INCENTIVIZE CAUTION INSTEAD OF HEROICS:

Do Less, Heal More: The Case for Medical Conservatism: Dr. John Mandrola joins Russ Roberts to explore the surprising evidence behind sham knee surgery, the hidden power of expectation, and why medical humility may sometimes be the best medicine. (Russ Roberts, John Mandrola, 6/29/26, Econ Talk)


What if the surgery that fixed your knee did no better than fake surgery? EconTalk host Russ Roberts speaks with Dr. John Mandrola about a striking clinical trial in which patients who received sham knee surgery (a real incision, but no actual repair) did as well or better than those who had the actual procedure — one performed 700,000 times annually in the US. The conversation ranges from the power of placebo and nocebo effects (how expectation of harm can cause real suffering) to the broader philosophy of “medical conservatism” — the idea that humility, watchful waiting, and honest counsel often serve patients better than the knife. Mandrola argues that financial incentives, professional identity, and language itself (“bone-on-bone,” “the widowmaker”) conspire to push patients toward interventions that can do more harm than good.

Soccer

A NATION TURNS ITS LONELY EYES TO JURGEN:

Germany out of 2026 World Cup: What went wrong? (Jonathan Harding, 6/30/26, Deitsche-Welle)

Firstly, key players did not deliver on the field. Captain Joshua Kimmich underwhelmed. Florian Wirtz appeared to carry his poor club form into the World Cup. Jamal Musiala looked like a player desperately trying to get back into form after a long injury lay off. It was far too disappointing from far too many players who needed to deliver to keep the group together.

Collectively, Germany were shaky in defense and lacked penetration and decisiveness in attack. They did not go a game at this tournament without conceding, and other than against Curacao, failed to transfer promising passages into powerful performances.

Injuries certainly didn’t help. Losing Serge Gnabry before the tournament was a blow. To then see Lennart Karl suffer a major injury in Chicago just days before the tournament start really stopped Germany in their tracks, as the Bayern teenager looked set to shine down the right-hand side. Nico Schlotterbeck being ruled out for months during the first half of the Ivory Coast game was perhaps the biggest loss of all, though. The Borussia Dortmund defender was an integral part of Germany’s play, particularly in the build-up which Nagelsmann said was “too slow” against Paraguay.

Then there’s Julian Nagelsmann. His decision to recall 40-year-old Manuel Neuer did not prove, despite a save in the shootout against Paraguay, to be the factor he made it out to be. His substitutions suggested a coach still searching for his best 11. Against Ecuador, with the group already won, his changes left Germany disjointed and wiped away any hope of maintaining their momentum into the knockouts. Even though this Germany team were not contenders, it would also be fair to say that Nagelsmann appeared to struggle to get the best out of this group.

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