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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As I was reading Romans 7 today, I was reminded of a pivotal scene in one of my favorite movies, As Good As it Gets.
God’s Law is a death sentence for us sinners. There is no winning beneath the Law of God.
The Gospel predominates when hearers receive the saving gifts of Christ as God’s final word to them.
There is just something about the idea of not being ‘under Law’ that sets off all kinds of alarms in the minds of many Christians.
The greatest joy of Lent is failing at it only to find Jesus has already done it for us.
The Law must attack because nothing outside of Christ can enter Heaven—nothing!
As sinful humans, we are adept at taking what God gives as gift and making it into a work. Nowhere is this made more evident than in the universally misunderstood doctrine of sanctification.
Jesus’ sacrificial death is the perfect sacrifice because He is sinless, the spotless Lamb, and it is for you.
God has given us a way out of our plight of “ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” It is the way of the cross.
Every day for the baptized is a good day to die."
“In a culture that promotes self-interest, children in church learn that something much bigger and more important than themselves is going on in their midst."
While I was still an over-eager seminarian the professor warned me, “Mr. Riley, this is exciting stuff.