Today in Lent Madness, we head back to the time of the "bleak midwinter" to encounter Joseph of Holy Family fame and then zoom up to the 19th century to meet an English poet, Christina Rossetti, who coined that very phrase. To the outside world this is an unlikely pairing. To us, it's just another day of Madness during the season of Lent.

Yesterday, in the most lopsided matchup thus far in Lent Madness 2016, Constance rolled over Dominic 77% to 23%. Or you could say that she swatted him away like a pesky mosquito, if you want to get technical about it. Thus setting up the first confirmed battle of the Saintly Sixteen as Constance will face Helena with a shot at the Elate Eight.

While an impressive margin of victory, you may be curious where this ranks among the annals of Lent Madness blowouts. Last year King Kamehameha of Hawaii spanked William Laud 84% to 16% and in 2013 Florence Li-Tim Oi, the first woman ordained in the Anglican Communion, defeated Chad of Lichfield by the same percentage. Talk about your hanging Chad…

But the greatest blowout in Lent Madness history, percentage-wise, came in the very first year this devotional started. In 2010, Francis of Assisi defeated Aelred of Riveaulx 87% to 13% in the Elate Eight. For the record, Francis lost to Julian of Norwich in the Faithful Four that year before redeeming himself by winning the Golden Halo last year while Julian lost in the final to the first ever Golden Halo winner, 17th century priest and poet George Herbert. There's your Lent Madness history lesson for the week!

(more…)

Only in Lent Madness would you find a monk battling a nun across the centuries. Yet this is exactly what we have today as Constance, a 19th century American nun takes on Dominic, a 12th century Spanish monk.

Yesterday Meister Eckhart squared off against Drogo, and, sadly, it appears that the Patron Saint of Coffee entered the Lent Dome after drinking some Sanka. Eckhart handed Drogo the cup of defeat 55% to 45% and will go on to face the winner of Columba vs. Kateri Tekawitha in the Saintly Sixteen.

It may surprise you, but Lent Madness is not the only way to learn about saints. If you're interested in online Christian formation opportunities, ChurchNext is a valuable resource, with online video classes on all sorts of topics. Click here for information about a four-part video series hosted by the SEC titled "Praying with the Saints with Scott Gunn and Tim Schenck." Here's the official blurb:

In the Christian faith, the lives of exemplary Christians have inspired countless people to live more selfless and charitable lives. While a the word 'saint' can apply to any believer, as Scott Gunn and Tim Schenck explain, the term can also be applied to those who have lived particularly faithful lives. In this class, they help us understand more deeply the roles of the saints in history - and in our lives. Their lectures include: 1) What Is a Saint? 2) A History 3) How Can We Be Saints? 4) How to Pray with the Saints.

(more…)

Another day, another mystic, as the great thinker Meister (please don't call me 'Mister') Eckhart faces off against Drogo, 12th century saintly soul and patron saint of coffee. WARNING: Don't even try to make your choice without first drinking a hot, steaming cup of coffee -- as long as this action will in no way ultimately influence your vote.

Yesterday in a tight, emotionally-charged contest, amid heavy voting, Julian of Norwich prevailed over William Wilberforce 52% to 48%. Julian will face the winner of Roch vs. Gertrude in the next round.

The SEC also released their weekly Monday Madness video in which a contest(!) was announced. Watch now to learn how you can own the cardboard cutout of 2015 Golden Halo winner, Francis Assisi (as seen at the Episcopal Church's 2015 General Convention).

And finally, if you need to add some extra Lent Madness commentary to your day, tune in to Priest Pulse's recent interview with one half of the Supreme Executive Committee (Tim). We suggest listening to it while on the treadmill, for that extra motivation, or during your commute, to make it speed seamlessly by.

(more…)

In today's episode of Monday Madness, Tim and Scott report that the 2016 Lent Madness season is off to a good start. They also announce big news. Big as in you can get your own life-sized St. Francis of Assisi cutout. Wow! Watch the video to learn the details and see the actual St. Francis cutout who might come to your home or church. On an unrelated note, to add even more value to this already priceless video, for those who can't remember the Ten Commandments of Lent Madness, the SEC also shares the first and greatest command of Lent Madness, whilst Scott has discovered the audio effects menu in iMovie. You're welcome.

Yep, that's right. Post your very own mug shot -- that is, a photo of yourself with a Lent Madness mug -- and we'll pick a lucky winner who will receive the Lent Madness 2015 Golden Halo winning St. Francis of Assisi, the very same cutout that was at the Episcopal Church's General Convention last summer and was photographed with countless church luminaries. To participate post your photo on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter and double hashtag it with #LentMadness and #MugShot. We'll pick the photo that best exemplifies the spirit of Lent Madness, and we'll probably share quite a few of the others. Your deadline is March 14, 2016. Enjoy!

If you don't have a mug, you can borrow one from a friend. Or you can visit the Lentorium or the Forward Movement website and buy your own mug. We have Francis mugs, Charles Wesley mugs (2014 winner), Frances Perkins mugs (2013 winner), or always-in-style purple Lent Madness mugs. You can also pre-order a 2016 Golden Halo winner mug, but it won't ship until Eastertide, so it's not helpful for the mug shot context. Anyway, buy the whole set! They're collectible!

(more…)

Happy Monday! We trust everyone survived a day without Lent Madness and is ready to get back into the voting fray. We kick off the week with what will sure to be a hotly contested battle between Julian of Norwich and William Wilberforce. 14th century Mystic vs. 18th century Reformer. Who will move on to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen? Well, that's up to the global Lent Madness community.

Over the weekend, in the only Saturday matchup of Lent Madness 2016, Methodius defeated his brother Cyril. Lent Madness bracketologists will note that this was not the first brother vs. brother contest. In the first round of the 2014 Saintly Smackdown, eventual Golden Halo winner Charles Wesley dethroned his brother John. Thus there is indeed precedence for hagiographic fratricide.

As a reminder of how this whole process works, the Supreme Executive Committee, released the Ten Commandments of Lent Madness. We encourage everyone who thought pitting Cyril vs. Methodius was "unfair" to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest these rules of the Lenten road.

Finally, some have asked where they can go to see previous results from Lent Madness 2016. Fortunately, we have an amazing Bracket Czar, Adam Thomas, who updates the bracket every day. If you click the Bracket tab on the website, you'll find an updated bracket along with clickable links to the battles that have already taken place. Scroll down on the same tab and you'll encounter the 2016 Matchup Calendar, where you can find out the precise date your favorite saint will be entering the Lent Dome to do battle.

(more…)

There's more to Lent than Lent Madness. But before we get to that, we have results to share. Yesterday, in the Slavic Smackdown®, Methodius easily bested his brother Cyril (65% to 35%). He'll be stepping into the Lent Dome with the winner of Lawrence vs. Albert Schweitzer in the round of the Saintly Sixteen. Some of the discussion got a bit heated as people variously protested that it wasn't fair to pit two brothers against each other and that they should have been allowed to compete as a pair. In response, the Supreme Executive Committee has shared the Ten Commandments of Lent Madness for your reading pleasure. Feel free to chant them this morning in church.

In any case, you may know that Lent Madness is sponsored by Forward Movement, a ministry devoted to inspiring disciples and empowering evangelists. Lent is prime time for the work of discipleship, so we wanted to share some other resources with you. If you're looking for a way to enrich your Lenten journey further, perhaps one of these resources will be useful. Some are free, some have a very modest cost.

Selected Lenten Resources from Forward Movement

Grow Christians

Grow Christians is the brainchild of the Rev. Nurya Parish (who keeps an excellent blog called Churchwork) offered in partnership between Plainsong Farm and Forward Movement. Grow Christians is an online community of discipleship focused on the practical details of life at home. Gathering reflections, stories, images and recipes, this group blog inspires generations to come together as they celebrate the presence of God through the Christian year. Grow Christians is a pilot project for Lent 2016. It is a temporary project on purpose, because a major intergenerational effort like this needs reflection from the whole church. Check it out at www.growchristians.org.

Meeting Jesus on the Margins

Where do you meet Jesus? In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus urges us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, and visit the prisoners. And in doing so, we meet Jesus. These daily reflections for Lent, offered by well-known faith leaders, provide boots-on-the-ground stories of serving and being served by "the least of these." The meditations also explore our own hunger, our vulnerabilities, and the times we are imprisoned, either self-imposed or by circumstance. Come and meet Jesus each day this blessed Lenten season. Contributors include Mike Kinman, Becca Stevens, Allison Duvall, Bo Cox, Hugo Olaiz, Lee Anne Reat, and Richelle Thompson. You can buy this small book in paper or for Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, or Apple iTunes.

(more…)

Lent Madness 2016 is off to a roaring start. We had huge voter turnout on opening day, with a record number of votes cast in the Matronly Meltdown®. As this post is published, the comments section is filling up with a vigorous discussion on the Slavic Smackdown®. If you haven't cast your vote yet for Cyril or Methodius, go vote now! Our aim is to provide some fun, education, and inspiration throughout Lent as we learn about the saints and share in a global community, and that's certainly happening.

We are glad to welcome thousands of new participants to Lent Madness this year. Many of you watched Lent Madness Voting 101, so you know the mechanical basics of how it all works. But there's more. Because the Supreme Executive Committee cares deeply about you, the Lent Madness Global Voting Public, we have provided The Ten Commandments of Lent Madness.

These commandments will help you keep perspective on the whole thing and maximize your enjoyment. Many churches chant or recite the Decalogue (that's a fancy churchy-word for "Ten Commandments") during Lent, and who are we to stop you from swapping out the script so that the whole congregations gets a refresher on Lent Madness?

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF LENT MADNESS

(more…)

Today, in the only Saturday match-up of Lent Madness, it's the Slavic Smackdown® as Cyril takes on Methodius. While much of the world is preparing for Valentine's Day (named for a confusing muddle of murky, martyred saints in ancient Rome), the church actually celebrates Cyril and Methodius on February 14, not Saint(s) Valentinus. So go ahead and cast your vote and then show your devotion to your "Valentine" by writing a love poem in Cyrillic or serving up a big bowl of borscht.

Yesterday, Absalom Jones defeated Matthias 82% to 18% (in other words, by A LOT--get it?) in the first genuine blowout of Lent Madness 2016. He'll go on to face the winner of Christina Rossetti vs. Joseph in the next round. Really, it's bad luck for Matthias. He certainly drew the short straw in the match-up calendar.

Tomorrow, enjoy Sunday (we highly encourage church attendance) and then be ready to go bright and early on Monday morning as Lent Madness returns with what should prove to be a hotly contested battle between Julian of Norwich and William Wilberforce.

(more…)

Welcome to Day Two of Lent Madness 2016. If this is your first year playing along, congratulations! You are no longer a first-time voter. You have successfully navigated the rigors of clicking an online button. Of course, the voting is just a part of what happens during Lent Madness. The reading, the learning, the inspiration, the community that forms -- both online and in person -- are all part of the larger process.

In fact, you may be amazed at the number of comments. Nearly 300 yesterday! This is a big part of the full Lent Madness experience. People love to hear your thoughts about why you voted a particular way -- from the profound to the frivolous. So you're always encouraged to share and/or read the comments. Gracious online commenting? Here at Lent Madness it's not an oxymoron!

Speaking of yesterday, Helena mowed down Monnica 62% to 38% in record voting, with nearly 9,000 votes cast. For you Lent Madness historians, that beats the previous single day record -- last year's Golden Halo round when Francis and Brigid combined for 8,257 votes. Helena will go on to face the winner of Constance vs. Dominic in the Round of the Saintly Sixteen. And speaking of future battles, if you're curious about when your favorite saint will be up, check out the recently uploaded 2016 Matchup Calendar (deftly created by Bracket Czar Adam Thomas).

Oh, and we also reached a Facebook milestone as we crossed the 15,000 "like" mark on the Lent Madness Facebook page. If you haven't liked it yet, help us get to our next goal: 100,000!

But today it's a Biblical saint taking on a saintly soul who lived 1,800 years later. Matthias vs. Absalom Jones. Such is the Madness of our little online devotion...

(more…)

The moment we've all been waiting for has finally arrived: Lent Madness 2016 kicks off RIGHT NOW! For those who thought "Ash Thursday" would, like a desert oasis, never arrive, your penitential dreams have come true.

In any case, we’re delighted to welcome you to this year’s Saintly Smackdown with a First Round battle between Helena and Monnica. Or as we like to call it, the Matronly Meltdown®, as we open with two famous mothers doing battle (of course motherhood isn't either one's full claim to fame, so read on).

If you’re new to Lent Madness, welcome! You may want to check out our recent Voting 101 post which includes a step-by-step how to vote video. You can also read through the Lent Madness Glossary which highlights all sorts of phrases and terms you'll encounter along this unique Lenten journey.

Be sure to sign up for e-mail updates on our home page so you never miss a vote, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and encourage your friends to jump into the fray. While you are on our Facebook page today, please “Check In” to Lent Madness so all your friends will know you have gone to Lent Madness.

We can assure you this will be a wild, joyful, educational, ocassionally gut-wrenching ride. Let the Madness begin!

(more…)