This is an excerpt from the introduction of Stretched: A Study for Lent and the Entire Christian Life by Christopher Richmann (1517 Publishing, 2026).
We can bring our troubles, griefs, sorrows, and sins to Jesus, who meets us smack dab in the middle of our messy mob.
Confession isn’t a detour in the liturgy. It’s the doorway.

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The truth is, a Christian's holiness is hidden outside himself in Christ through faith.
Inside every relationship, there’s a gap.
Thank you for all you do to encourage me, pray for me, and remind me of the grace of Christ which forms the foundation of all I write.
God spoke into the black depth. “Let there be light."
Old Adam's works are good because he says they're good. End of conversation.
Still, sadly, many polls suggest that above 50% of Americans get their news from social media sites as opposed to actual news sites.
I don’t care why you left the ministry—moral failure, congregational politics, burnout, whatever—the Christ whom you proclaimed has not left you.
The Garden of Eden proved to be the first battlefield between God and his submissive people.
True freedom, Luther discovered, is found in Jesus crucified who sets us free.
The Word of God wrecked the room. The wise and seasoned pastor along with the smart mouth vicar were all silenced in the fear and awe of a God who can seem so absent at times.
Over and over, generation after generation, sinners repeat the same mistake. "How is it possible that God can be a man," we ask.
Christians are Christians not because of anything that they have done but because of everything Christ has done for them.