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)

The World Cup of Soccer (Football everywhere else!) is winding down. Just the consolation game for third place Saturday, and the championship Sunday between reigning champion Argentina and Spain. Missing? England. England hasn’t won the World Cup since 1966, and their goal this year was to fix that. They failed, eliminated in the semi-final by Argentina. You can read about the game here.

Why did England lose? There’s no shortage of articles you can read, but they all say the same thing: England’s manager, Thomas Tuchel, chose to defend rather than attack when they went up 1 – 0 with more than 30 minutes left to play. Here are some snippets from Tuchel’s retreat set up England’s World Cup exit as Argentina smelled blood by Tom Hamilton, published by ESPN, July 16.

“The changes we made didn’t help us. Devastated,” was former England striker-turned pundit Wayne Rooney’s assessment. Ex-defender Micah Richards said “tactically, we all thought he got it wrong today.”

Just 10 days ago, the England boss was being hailed as a tactical genius for the manner in which his side held out against Mexico, playing with a back five, down to 10 men, repelling any and everything thrown at them to win their quarterfinal 3-2 at the Azteca. But in the semifinal, the same defensive switch coincided with Argentina finding another level to grab two late goals and win 2-1.

“There was blood in the water, and we went for it,” Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said said afterward.

… the damning statistics from the Argentina match are hard to ignore. Tuchel was hired to deliver England their second World Cup star. It’s the message he gave the players in his first team talk back in March 2025: It’s time to end 60 years of hurt and bring the trophy home. Except it isn’t coming home, because England lost all control of the match in that final half-hour.

From the 55th minute when Gordon scored through to Argentina’s winner in the 92nd minute, England had just 12% possession. They allowed Argentina 37 minutes with 88% possession — a team who at that point had four forwards on the pitch, stretching England’s defense and offering midfielders …time on the edge of the box.

…Tuchel’s substitutions were too negative. When England were winning 1-0, Tuchel brought on three defenders…With the benefit of hindsight, critics said Tuchel should have used attacking replacements for those flagging legs to chase the second goal, rather than protect the slender 1-0 lead.

I think you get the idea.

Scripture is clear. The Apostle Paul did not try “to protect a lead.” He pressed on and expected us to do the same:

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind… (Philippians 3.12 – 15, ESV)

“I press on…I press toward the goal…”

Jesus said it first in an often misunderstood promise:

…I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16.18, ESV)

Often people picture the church under attack, but that’s not what Jesus said. It’s not, “The gates of the church shall not prevail against Hades.” It’s, “The gates of Hades shall not prevail against the (attacking) church.”

Michael Zarling, whom I don’t know, captures the idea well, closing his blog on Matthew 16.18:

One of my all-time favorite movies is “The Princess Bride.” One of the great lines from the movie is when Miracle Max says to Inigo and Fezzik, “Have fun storming the castle.” Storming Satan’s castle may not seem like much fun – not with all the mistreatments, persecutions, imprisonments, and deaths. But winning is always fun. And Christ has already assured us of the victory. St. Paul proclaimed: “He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57) The devil is defeated. Death is dead. Sin has been struck down. The gates of Hades will not overcome.

Go on the offensive. Have fun storming the gates of Hades.

We’re still fighting fires in Colorado. The major one that I wrote about on July 2 grew to be the 7th largest in Colorado history, and it’s not nearly out yet. But in the middle of all that, there’s a feel good story on a minor fire on Cheyenne Mountain on July 8.

Turns out the crews were led to and from the fire by Goldie, the Goat. Here’s the short version:

Fire crews working to contain the Rock Creek Canyon fire west of Cheyenne Mountain State Park on Wednesday encountered a goat who led them up and down the mountain, often stopping to bleat to make sure they were following. The Southern Colorado Interagency Wildland Fire Team wrote on Facebook that fire crews wanted to “give a huge shout out to this cute little path finder who indeed was the GOAT of the Rock Creek Canyon Fire today ensuring all Crews got off the mountain safely.” (Photo courtesy of Southern Colorado Interagency Wildland Fire Team)

The story opens:

Give Goldie the goat a gold badge.

She deserves it after escorting firefighters up and down a mountain on Wednesday as they worked to contain a wildfire sparked by a lightning strike near Cheyenne Mountain State Park just south of Colorado Springs.

The goat showed firefighters the best path, often stopping to bleat and encourage them to follow her route, said Shayne Coyne, superintendent of the Southern Colorado Interagency Wildland Fire Team.

“She understood what was going on and what was happening,” Coyne said. “She wanted to make sure she knew all the humans got to the fire. This goat got to be a legend up there.” – Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, July 9, 2026

Shayne summarized the story:

Animals are amazing and they do such special things. It’s been a pretty tough time in Colorado with the fires and this was a good story.

I nearly always finish an animal story with:

But ask the animals, and they will teach you… (Job 12.7, NIV)

Yesterday I wrote about a missionary practicing 2 Timothy 2.2 closing with this principle:

2 Timothy 2:2…

• It’s so easy anyone CAN do it, even lay people.
• It’s so important, everyone MUST do it, even pastors and missionaries!

Right after I scheduled it, I received a nice piece from friends and Navigator colleagues Terry and Leah Green, who now live in New Mexico. The title “You Are a POI” got my attention. When I was developing training programs in the Air Force, “POI” stood for “Plan of Instruction.” But they meant something different, of course. Here’s the article in its entirety:

#1 You are a Person of Interest ~

“For God so loved you that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

#2 You are a Person of Influence ~

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I (Jesus) have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Regardless of how we describe our ministries, this is the eternal purpose we have all been called to:

• to be a witness to our personal trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord

• and to help others grow in the faith so they may be an influence for the Kingdom

How this is done varies with personalities, locations, opportunities, age, etc. but it is not a complicated responsibility. As we find ourselves in the “elderly” group now, we reflect on the number of people we have been able to share with and have a peace in knowing that any influence that has happened is only what God has done – maybe in a brief encounter or over time as we have trusted God to make our lives fruitful in the relationships we are blessed to have.

May we not use our earthly measuring stick to determine our value as “influencers” ~ the truth is, we all have influence! Our focus must be on the One who has designed us to make a difference as His image-bearer.

The more time we give to “knowing” Him, the more we have to offer others ~ He decides how He will use us. – Terry and Leah Green

A good word. I especially like “…it is not a complicated responsibility.”

And a reminder that it’s our job “to help others grow in the faith so THEY may be an influence for the kingdom.” I was talking with a fellow a few days ago who, despite YEARS of discipleship training from The Navigators and others, wasn’t actively helping anyone. He was thinking about “What sort of discipleship ministry I might have when I retire two or three years from now.” I challenged him:

You don’t have “two or three years from now.” All you have is NOW.

And when he protested that he was working very hard and was very tired, I responded: “I get that you need to take care of yourself. However…”

Can you give one guy one hour once/week?

Thankfully, he took the challenge and before the day was out had invited a guy to do bible study with him on Saturdays.

We are people of interest. God loves us. We are also people of influence. God wants to use us where we are.

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2.2, NIV)

Where you are right now is God’s place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there. (1 Corinthians 7.17, MSG)

I sent out a ministry update the other day and received a response from a missionary lady serving in an African country. At first, I was really pleased that she was having success using discipleship materials from my organization The Navigators. She wrote:

I was assigned to mentor a single gal serving here for one year, and in recent weeks she’s asked to transition more into discipleship and learning of spiritual disciplines. We’re beginning with “Compact Discipleship” a small project put together by a [Navigator] staff member at Colorado College in the mid-2000s and introduced to me through campus Navs at Texas A&M. We’ll then start through the 2:7 series (using a workbook I happened to find in the one Christian bookshop here in town) for as long as we can until she heads back home to Germany. I’m grateful for the many, many Nav tools that I’ve been exposed to (either through my parents, through college ministry, or from other mentors who use Navigator material), and for the opportunity to pass things on to faithful [wo]men who will teach others also.

As I say, good for The Navigators! But as I was crafting my response, I remembered something that I had written 20 years ago about 2 Timothy 2.2 which reads:

What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. (ESV)

I wrote to the missionary:

Thanks for taking time to write. I’m excited that you have the opportunity to practice 2 Timothy 2.2! Some missionaries don’t, thinking their primary missionary work is sufficient ministry. I was once teaching this concept in a mission compound in Haiti. There were missionaries there as well as volunteers on a short-term mission. I said something like:

2 Timothy 2:2…

• It’s so easy anyone CAN do it, even lay people.
• It’s so important, everyone MUST do it, even pastors and missionaries!

Thanks for leading the way.

I quoted from Ezekiel 11 yesterday in reminding ourselves of people’s never-ending bent toward disobedience:

For you have not walked in my statutes, nor obeyed my rules… (Ezekiel 11.12, ESV)

There’s more in Ezekiel 11: prophecy against wicked counselors:

The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the house of the LORD, which faces east. And behold, at the entrance of the gateway there were twenty-five men. And I saw among them Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. And he said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and who give wicked counsel in this city; who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses. This city is the cauldron, and we are the meat.’ Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, O son of man.” (Ezekiel 11.1 – 4, ESV)

Ezekiel names 2 of the 25 counselors, Jaazaniah and Pelatiah. It’s the only mention they get in the Bible…except for Pelatiah:

And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and he said to me, “Say, Thus says the LORD: So you think, O house of Israel. For I know the things that come into your mind…”

And it came to pass, while I was prophesying, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. (Ezekiel 11.5, 13, ESV)

How would you like to be on the receiving end of that prophecy? “Pelatiah, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that you will be immortalized in the pages of holy scripture. The bad news is that you won’t like what you’ll be immortalized for!”

But there’s hope right in the same chapter:

Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone.’

Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD:

• I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and
• I will give you the land of Israel.’ And
• when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. And
• I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them.
• I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
  • that they may walk in my statutes and
  • keep my rules and obey them. And
• they shall be my people, and I will be their God. (Ezekiel 11.16 – 20, ESV, bulleted for clarity)

Before we get too far away from the 4th of July, let’s roll the holiday into Ezekiel…

Because of the fires in our area, as I wrote before, fireworks were banned here:

That didn’t stop people from shooting off fireworks. We heard a steady barrage of pop, pop, pop all evening. We weren’t alone:

CSFD said emergency dispatchers had taken more than 90 firework-related calls as of 9:47 p.m., despite fireworks being banned in the city for the Fourth of July due to fire danger. – Colorado Springs Gazette, July 5, 2026.

I hope you don’t have trouble understanding the message on practically every page of Ezekiel. For example:

For you have not walked in my statutes, nor obeyed my rules…” (Ezekiel 11.12, ESV)

True then. True now. Laws do not prevent people from doing what they want. In the case of fireworks, it’s not just a law, it’s a good idea! There was a grass fire in a neighborhood on the 4th of July. It had not been officially determined that it was caused by fireworks, but it certainly could have been. If nothing else, it was a reminder that fire danger is real.

It’s been an ongoing problem since Genesis 3. As one comedian observed:

And God said, “Don’t eat the forbidden fruit!” And they said, “Where is it?”

With both June and I turning 80 this year, we don’t often do an adventure, but we made an exception last week…

I received an email invitation from the Lazy Dog Restaurant near us to bring our dog to lunch on the patio on July 2. I thought, “Why not?” and it would be the one-year anniversary of our moving into this house. You may recall that Paddy, the dog, born on St Patrick’s Day, would be only 15 weeks old. So we went with some trepidation: could he sit still, not bark or whine, and handle himself well in the presence of other dogs?

It turns out he did just fine, and he thoroughly enjoyed his grilled hamburger patty bowl. He rated the whole experience Four Paws! I won’t tell him that along with the bandana, they gave us a coupon for a free dog lunch on our next visit.

So for us, the lesson is:

Don’t be afraid to try something you haven’t done before!

Actually, getting a puppy in the first place is a bit more of an adventure than we had planned on!

Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? (Isaiah 43.18, 19, ESV)

Ezekiel 6 and 7 contains an important phrase…over and over:

And you shall know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 6.7, 10, 13, 14, 7.4, 9, 27)

These are always in the context of judgment. For example,

Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places. Your altars shall become desolate, and your incense altars shall be broken, and I will cast down your slain before your idols. And I will lay the dead bodies of the people of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones around your altars. Wherever you dwell, the cities shall be waste and the high places ruined, so that your altars will be waste and ruined, your idols broken and destroyed, your incense altars cut down, and your works wiped out. And the slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the LORD. (Ezekiel 6.3 – 7, ESV)

The apostle Paul wrote:

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2.9 – 11, ESV)

We will all bow the knee to Jesus. Do we do it under duress and judgment or do we worship God voluntarily when we have a choice? Nehemiah knew the difference:

Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly. Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law or paid attention to your commandments and your warnings that you gave them. Even in their own kingdom, and amid your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you or turn from their wicked works. (Nehemiah 9.33 – 35, ESV, emphasis mine)

World Cup fans are marveling at the “large and rich land” the US is.

Moses warned the Israelites:

All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you. They shall be a sign and a wonder against you and your offspring forever. Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you. (Deuteronomy 28.45 – 48, ESV, emphasis mine)

And back to Ezekiel:

I will bring the worst of the nations to take possession of their houses. I will put an end to the pride of the strong, and their holy places shall be profaned. When anguish comes, they will seek peace, but there shall be none. Disaster comes upon disaster; rumor follows rumor. They seek a vision from the prophet, while the law perishes from the priest and counsel from the elders. The king mourns, the prince is wrapped in despair, and the hands of the people of the land are paralyzed by terror. According to their way I will do to them, and according to their judgments I will judge them, and they shall know that I am the LORD. (Ezekiel 7.24 – 27, ESV, emphasis mine)

I wasn’t sure whether to write this one or not. My son Mark doesn’t agree with my analysis, but a Denver Post sportswriter does…

The US soccer team got hammered Monday by Belgium. 4 – 1. US was never in it. They played badly. Is it just because the US still isn’t in the top tier? Possible. But they had played really well up until that last game. What happened?

You may know that in their previous game, one of their best players was given a red card and sent off. US played the last 30+ minutes one man short. But it’s more than that. By rule, that player also sits out the next game. Everyone agreed it was a bad call. Shouldn’t have even been called a foul, much less a red card.

Then President Trump asks the FIFA President to “review the case” and FIFA found a way to “suspend” the penalty and the player was cleared early Sunday morning for Monday’s game. Instantly everyone turned against the US. Bad vibes? Soccer is a funny game. By all accounts, the US had a “bad night.” However, I think it’s a case of “win the battle, lose the war.”

As I said, my son Mark didn’t agree with me, but a Denver Post guy did:

But didn’t it feel like something shifted after FIFA’s eyebrow-raising decision to overturn Folarin Balogun’s red-card suspension? Like, there was a disruption in the good karma and momentum the US Men’s National Team had accumulated in its first four World Cup matches? – Bennett Durando, Denver Post, July 7, 2026

I’m not a karma guy, but there’s no question the vibe shifted. Is there a Biblical example of not insisting on your “rights”? Maybe:

When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?…To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? (1 Corinthians 6.1, 7, ESV)

I think the US would have done better if they had suffered the wrong.