The Reason for Lent
By Christopher J. Richmann
01/23/26
15mins

The Reason for Lent

This is an excerpt from the introduction of Stretched: A Study for Lent and the Entire Christian Life by Christopher Richmann (1517 Publishing, 2026).
Is Faith Enough?
Heather Schulz
Heather Schulz
01/22/26

Is Faith Enough?

We can bring our troubles, griefs, sorrows, and sins to Jesus, who meets us smack dab in the middle of our messy mob.
Why Christian Tradition? Why Confession
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
01/21/26

Why Christian Tradition? Why Confession

Confession isn’t a detour in the liturgy. It’s the doorway.

All Articles

Chad Bird
Chad Bird
11/29/15

Preaching from a Wheelchair: Dan Chambers and the Unhandicapped Gospel

Dan reminded me—in his words, in his patient suffering, through his unwavering faith in Christ, by his confidence in his baptism—that Jesus Christ does not abandon his own. No matter where they are, no matter what they’re going through, He is there.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
11/25/15

The Best Time for a Pastor to Yawn During Worship

What if, while we were admitting all these serious infractions of the divine law, our pastor simply yawned?
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
11/18/15

A Sinning Church with a Preaching Problem

We are a sinning church with a preaching problem.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
11/05/15

We All Show up Late for Church

When we begin singing the opening hymn, our voices blend with those of angels in heaven, who have been belting out hymns long before we rolled out of bed that morning.
Rick Ritchie
Rick Ritchie
10/27/15

That Sermon Was Perfect For Those People

If there was a proclamation of grace, it was an afterthought, given in the sense of “just in case anyone needs this.”
Dominick Santore
Dominick Santore
09/21/15

Never Far Away

Why am I not surprised when people have a need to feel, touch or sense God in some tangible way? Part of it probably has to do with my church experience consisting of denominations that place a fairly strong emphasis on some form of tangible, experiential expression of God.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/18/15

God Writes Straight With Crooked Lines

I stumbled down labyrinthine paths, crawled in and out of cavernous pits, got lost a million times, and somehow ended up a little farther down the road to healing. Yet in all those crooked lines I see the hand of God writing straight.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
08/12/15

When God Drags His Feet

For most of us, waiting on God is not funny at all. It makes us wonder if he cares. If he has forgotten us. In our darkest hours, many even wonder if the atheists are right, if our prayers are nothing more than sick words vomited into an empty heaven.
Jeff Mallinson
Jeff Mallinson
07/29/15

The Holy Plumb Line

We believers are those who have been called out for a special healing mission in the world because we’ve caught a glimpse of the heavenly city.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
07/08/15

Learning Theology in the Devil’s Classroom

My best teacher, the instructor who taught me more theology than any other, has been the devil.
Daniel Emery Price
Daniel Emery Price
05/11/15

Tattoos With Mom

The lighting is fluorescent, the music is loud and heavy. There is a table in the corner with bottles of iodine, rubbing alcohol, and a biohazard container full of used needles.
Scott Keith
Scott Keith
04/23/15

The Lady Jesus Called a Dog

She had obviously heard about Jesus previously, maybe even from off-handed comments or even rumors. Her daughter was sick so she sought the gossiped-about Jesus as he was leaving for Tyre and Sidon.
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