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Stretched: A Study for Lent and the Entire Christian Life
A Study for Lent and the Entire Christian Life
is a Scripture-centered Lent study that helps you engage Lent's core themes—death, fasting, temptation, repentance, and piety—and carry their meaning into everyday Christian life.
This isn't a "read-and-move-on" devotional. It's an interactive journey through key biblical texts with a clear, grounding God is the One who acts—testing faith, granting repentance, and reviving life by grace in Christ. As Lent's days lengthen, you are "stretched," and more profoundly, stretched out with Christ on the cross—learning what it means to live as the baptized.
Designed for individual reflection or group study, Stretched
• Chapter discussion questions to guide thoughtful conversation
• Bible-reading-driven structure to keep the focus on Scripture
• Concluding meditations + topic-based questions for deeper reflection
Whether you're walking through Lent alone or with your church, Stretched will engage your mind and soul—and show how God's redemptive work in Christ shapes far more than a season.
This isn't a "read-and-move-on" devotional. It's an interactive journey through key biblical texts with a clear, grounding God is the One who acts—testing faith, granting repentance, and reviving life by grace in Christ. As Lent's days lengthen, you are "stretched," and more profoundly, stretched out with Christ on the cross—learning what it means to live as the baptized.
Designed for individual reflection or group study, Stretched
• Chapter discussion questions to guide thoughtful conversation
• Bible-reading-driven structure to keep the focus on Scripture
• Concluding meditations + topic-based questions for deeper reflection
Whether you're walking through Lent alone or with your church, Stretched will engage your mind and soul—and show how God's redemptive work in Christ shapes far more than a season.
- GenresTheology
163 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 13, 2026
11 people are currently reading
4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 10, 2026
This was actually the last book that was added to my Lenten reading list for this year, and the last one acquired. I picked it up on a whim after seeing an ad for it on Facebook, from the 1517.org page.
I am beyond glad that I did. This book is absolutely amazing! And it lives up to its title, because it certainly "stretched" me.
This book (as any good book on the subject of Lent and the life of Christ should) relies heavily on the Word of God, and is very well referenced in terms of other material used. I was pleased to see how much Martin Luther the author quoted, as well as multiple references to the Book of Concord, the collection of Lutheran Confessions.
Beginning with a brief discussion of Ash Wednesday, stemming from an event with his family, the author briefly discusses some origins of Lent, reminding us that there is nothing inherently Biblical about this season and its observation. We know that the forty days period comes from Jesus's forty days of fasting immediately after His baptism and before His temptations. There is also an appendix that gives a more detailed discussion of the origins of Lent, which I found fascinating.
This is an interactive book, which I found enjoyable. It only has five chapters, and is not a long book, coming in at 148 pages, plus about 25 pages of Foreword and Introduction. The five chapters line out five different aspects of Lent, "Dust, Denial, Trial, Turn, and Piety." I found each of the chapters to be quite good, but I think my favorite was the final chapter on Piety, which really casts some shade on some of our modern characteristics of piety (one of the most prevalent being "virtue signaling"). Each chapter has what I call question boxes interspersed with the text. Some of those give a Scripture reference and ask questions pertaining to the Scripture passages, but others are just questions that relate to the surrounding text. At the end of each chapter, there is a page of discussion questions, which, in my opinion, make this book to be a most excellent group study book.
As in all cases (or most cases, at least), there were a few things said in the book with which I struggled and may need to discuss with my pastor, but overall, I find this to be an excellent resource for the Lenten season, and, as the subtitle suggests, "The Entire Christian Life."
I enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone looking for a deeper life in Christ through the observation of Lent, or just in general. It is a book that I think would serve well in any season of life.
I am beyond glad that I did. This book is absolutely amazing! And it lives up to its title, because it certainly "stretched" me.
This book (as any good book on the subject of Lent and the life of Christ should) relies heavily on the Word of God, and is very well referenced in terms of other material used. I was pleased to see how much Martin Luther the author quoted, as well as multiple references to the Book of Concord, the collection of Lutheran Confessions.
Beginning with a brief discussion of Ash Wednesday, stemming from an event with his family, the author briefly discusses some origins of Lent, reminding us that there is nothing inherently Biblical about this season and its observation. We know that the forty days period comes from Jesus's forty days of fasting immediately after His baptism and before His temptations. There is also an appendix that gives a more detailed discussion of the origins of Lent, which I found fascinating.
This is an interactive book, which I found enjoyable. It only has five chapters, and is not a long book, coming in at 148 pages, plus about 25 pages of Foreword and Introduction. The five chapters line out five different aspects of Lent, "Dust, Denial, Trial, Turn, and Piety." I found each of the chapters to be quite good, but I think my favorite was the final chapter on Piety, which really casts some shade on some of our modern characteristics of piety (one of the most prevalent being "virtue signaling"). Each chapter has what I call question boxes interspersed with the text. Some of those give a Scripture reference and ask questions pertaining to the Scripture passages, but others are just questions that relate to the surrounding text. At the end of each chapter, there is a page of discussion questions, which, in my opinion, make this book to be a most excellent group study book.
As in all cases (or most cases, at least), there were a few things said in the book with which I struggled and may need to discuss with my pastor, but overall, I find this to be an excellent resource for the Lenten season, and, as the subtitle suggests, "The Entire Christian Life."
I enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone looking for a deeper life in Christ through the observation of Lent, or just in general. It is a book that I think would serve well in any season of life.
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