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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How the pumpkin patch has a lot to teach us about the love and work of Christ
Amy Mantravadi asks if we should forgive others even if they are not repentant
No plot spoilers here just some really Good News
Confession and absolution offer more than assurance, they gift real and genuine Divine promises.
Human solutions to problems, important as they are, are inadequate to meet our deepest needs
Christ reshapes what forgivness means and why it's important
As much as we want the glory, riches, and knowledge of Dantes, what we need is Jean Valjean's candlesticks.
When God remembers his covenant with Noah and causes the flood to subside, he also chooses to forget.
We must also address the stigma surrounding addiction within so many churches.
The issue is not the existence of so-called inner rings, but our desire and willingness to spend our lives in order to gain from an inner ring what is freely promised in Christ: hope, security, and identity.
What if Jesus had said on the cross, “Earn it”?
Is salvation by the law or not? Moses or Jesus? Indeed, we find a fundamental parting of the ways put forward here, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.