This week finds the Supreme Executive Committee on the move once more. Well, half the SEC anyway. Tim is still snowed in, left behind to invoke the patron saint of ice dams but Scott speaks from an airport on his way to Kenya. Because of lousy Internet speeds, there is bonus entertainment as Tim's face at times resembles an Impressionist painting.

In this episode, hear updates on the first round of Lent Madness and note the admiration of the SEC for a grassroots campaign for one of the candidates. (Like some other Supremes, Tim and Scott stay publicly neutral, but they nevertheless commend good practices when they see them). There's also plenty of time to cast your vote in today's matchup between Francis of Assisi and John Wycliffe.

Scott is going to Kenya and Rwanda on a pilgrimage with Episcopal Migration Ministries to learn more about their good work and about the plight of refugees. Episcopal News Services has a story, and you can follow along on hashtag #ShareTheJourney on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

Or at least that's his cover story. In reality he's trolling international airports handing out Lent Madness tracts to everyone he meets.

In this week's episode of Monday Madness, Tim and Scott display a real Golden Halo miracle! You'll also get to hear their advice for people who are worked up about Lent Madness, but not in a good way. Perhaps you'll take what Scott and Tim say to heart and put it on a cross-stitch or one of those heart-warming motivational posters with a sunset in the background.

Sure, nothing on LentMadnessTV has ever won an Oscar, but that's just because our high production values would make Hollywood's efforts look puny by comparison. After all, have they ever captured an actual miracle on film?

If you're intrigued by the idea of wearing a purple Lent Madness T-Shirt, you can acquire your very own for fifteen bucks. Same deal for the Golden Halo Flying Disc, which can be yours for the bargain price of just three bucks.

This morning at 8 a.m., we learned that Molly Brant had defeated Swithun to earn a spot in the Saintly Sixteen. This will be the only Sunday morning voting result of Lent Madness 2015. For many Lent Madness fans, today will be hard, because this is the first day in Lent without any voting. People will be twiddling their thumbs, constantly refreshing their web browsers, or scouring their homes for something purple. This unsettled feeling is familiar to veterans here, and it's called Lent Madness Withdrawal (LMW). This one day won't be so bad, but future weekends will involve two days without voting. So to help with LMW, and even more important, to suggest some other ways to engage Lenten practices, we thought we'd share a few ideas.

Although the Supreme Executive Committee commends Lent Madness to every man, woman, child, dog, and ferret, we also acknowledge that the saintly smackdown is only part of a well-rounded diet of Lenten discipline. As we wrote on Ash Wednesday, "This Lenten season, we invite you to draw closer to our Lord Jesus. Give up those things which keep you away from Jesus. Take on those things that bring you closer to Jesus."

Here are a few ideas for Lenten practices that might bring you closer to Jesus.

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Lent Madness 2015 is off to a great start. On opening day, Ash Thursday, we broke our previous record for page views and votes. Competition has been fierce, while the comments have been (mostly) gentle. That's just how we like it. Because the SEC cares about you, the Lent Madness Global Viewing Public, we wanted to offer a few pro tips to maximize your enjoyment and learning from Lent Madness.

But first, if you haven't yet voted in today's match-up between Swithun and Molly Brant, vote right now.

TOP TEN LENT MADNESS PRO TIPS

10. Lobby celebrities for endorsements
Let's face it. If you could get, say, Pope Francis to urge people to vote for your favorite saint, that would garner lots of votes. This is how to win -- rally others to vote for your saint. If you can't get the pope, try your neighbors, your priest, your local police chief, or your local news anchor. Here is Pope Francis showing his potential as a spokesperson, as he wears purple and possibly talks up his favorite saints.

9. Read up on the saints
If you were one of the lucky ones who scored a limited-edition Saintly Scorecard booklet, use it to read the bios and prayers for the saints. You can also get the Saintly Scorecard as an ebook. While the ebook doesn't include a fold-out bracket, you can add a fold-out bracket to your Kindle for maximum enjoyment. Jennifer Roland offers the paragon of digital-analog Lent Madness fandom, with her e-reader adorned by a homemade fold-out bracket.

8. Vote one time only
Those who vote more than once are liable to be cast into the outer darkness of Lent Madness. We want free and fair match-ups. Voting 300 times because you really want your saint to win is going to get you banned, and that's just no fun.

7. Make Lent Madness ubiquitous in your parish
St. Paul's Church in Rochester, NY has placed not one, not two, not three, but FOUR giant bracket posters around the church to tally the results. The posters are all sold out, so you have a couple of choices. You can print out regular-sized brackets (for free!) and issue magnifying glasses so they look big. Or you can find a bracket poster and use a massive photocopier to duplicate the number you need.

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Dear friends in Christ,

On this one day a year, even Lent Madness pauses to reflect on our life, our blessings, and our mortality. The entire season of Lent is an invitation to recommit to following Jesus. This day, Ash Wednesday, is a poignant reminder that life is short. We are meant to savor our earthly life and to live it well.

At the end of life, few people regret not having worked more, nor do they wish they had spent more money on stuff. In fact, end of life regrets usually revolve around love. "I wish I had spent more time with my family. I wish I had forgiven the person who wronged me. I wish I had been a more faithful Christian."

When we kneel before the altar and hear the words, "Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return," we are reminded that we are mortal. We should not delay our decision to repent, to live more fully, to follow Jesus more faithfully.

Aside from the ridiculous competition and constant silliness of Lent Madness, we hope everyone who takes part will notice something about each of the saints. Every single one of the saints was a flawed human. You might be used to seeing them in stained glass or in marble, but they were living, breathing, messed up people not so different from us. And yet, each one of these saints managed to allow God's grace to work in them such that Christ's light shone brightly in their lives. They were witnesses to the world of the transforming love of Jesus Christ.

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The moment you've been waiting for is almost here. Yes, the Purple Fever is building toward Ash Thursday, coming up later this week. In this week's episode of Monday Madness, Tim and Scott talk about how to prepare for Ash Thursday, and they explain the bare shelves in the Lentorium, much like the bare shelves in the milk aisle at the Hingham Supermarket.

If you are intrigued by the idea of acquiring your very own Golden Halo Flying Disc, just pop over to Forward Movement's website for this and many other Lent Madness items. Rumor has it you can find other resources for Lent there also.

It's not too late to read the Saintly Scorecard on your Kindle, Nook, or iThing.

Remember to tell all your friends to like Lent Madness on Facebook and follow @LentMadness on Twitter. To get the full SEC effect, you'll want to follow @ScottAGunn and @FatherTim as well.

With the first day of voting hours away, it's time to get serious about Lent Madness. Except for Ash Wednesday, when we encourage you to be serious about repentance.

Around this time of year, the Supreme Executive Inbox starts to fill with some version of "How do I play Lent Madness?" There are two options for answering this question. First, if you live in a pleasant place, such as Hawaii, the south of France, or a Caribbean resort, you can fly one or more members of the Supreme Executive Committee to your location for a personal tutorial. Second, if that sounds a bit extreme or if you can't quite afford the purple limo demanded by the SEC, you can just watch this video.

Yes, friends, Maple Anglican has helpfully provided a lovely video to explain all the DOs and DON'Ts of Lent Madness, including how to vote. Spend four minutes now and enjoy forty days of unfettered voting fun.

Speaking of Maple Anglican, the Supreme Executive Committee was saddened to learn that the Archbishops will not be providing regular color (or colour) commentary this year, due to Maple's work demands. There may have also been some disputes with the Saints' Actors Guild, but those are just rumors.

The SEC is very grateful for Maple's many videos and for introducing the world to the delightful commentary of Archbishop John Chrysostom and Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. We'll miss their regular contribution this year, and we hope for more in the future. If you see the mysterious Maple Anglican (which seems unlikely, since he is mysterious), thank him for his devotion to the cause of Lent Madness.

Voting begins the day after Ash Wednesday on Thursday, February 19th -- aka "Ash Thursday." The first matchup of Lent Madness 2015 between Gregory the Illuminator and Brendan the Navigator will be posted at 8:00 a.m. EST. In other words, please don't try to vote until then. It won't work!

This week, Tim and Scott talk about essential preparations for Lent Madness as we continue to bask in the glow of Celebrity Blogger week. To get ready for Lent Madness, everyone should research the saints, perhaps using their own copy of the Saintly Scorecard (book or ebook). Everyone should also complete their bracket, available for free download or purchase as a giant poster. It's also a good idea to invite all your friends to like Lent Madness on Facebook and follow @LentMadness on Twitter. No, really. Use your Facebook and Twitter feeds to shamelessly promote the saintly smackdown. For Jesus, of course.

There's also very exciting news this week from the Lentorium. We have a product ready to ship, the Flying Golden Halo! Yep, you can buy your own Golden Halo, perfect for tossing and catching. It's just $3, so why not buy 50? Your church service will be immeasurably enriched when you "pass the peace" next Sunday by tossing a halo to everyone around. Buy now!

In this week's installment of Monday Madness, Scott and Tim discuss the start of Celebrity Blogger Week. They also encourage every website on the entire internet to add a Lent Madness widget, whilst explaining how you can get tattoos directly from your computer screen. Last, but not least, there's a shout out to everyone's favorite shopping destination, the Lentorium.

Since you've already liked Lent Madness on Facebook, make sure you invite your friends to join us on Facebook too. Those of you who are on Twitter will doubtless want to keep a close eye on @LentMadness, as well as @FatherTim and @ScottAGunn.

With this post, we move officially from the off season to the high season of Lent Madness. From now on through Easter Monday, you can expect a weekly-ish video from the Supreme Executive Committee. Speaking of high season, one of our hard-working staff was updating some behind-the-scenes action today and inadvertently hit "publish" on a post too soon. As a result, you may have received a spurious email from Lent Madness HQ. Sorry about that, and pay no attention to the staff member behind the curtain.

In any case, Tim and Scott discuss Snowmageddon and how to prepare for Lent Madness 2015 in this week's action-packed video.

Right after you watch the video, you'll want to visit the Lentorium or head right over to Forward Movement's website to order your 2015 bracket poster. You get a massive suitable-for-framing or attachment-to-your-altar poster for just $10, or $9 for two or more. Your Saintly Scorecards are only $1 when you buy 25 or more. If you want only one, it's still a bargain at $3. There's an ebook version available, but you'll have to do without the full-color fold-out bracket, unless you tape one to your Kindle.

New this year, we'll have a t-shirt. It's going to be a high-quality purple shirt (obviously) with a design in two colors featuring "Who will win the Golden Halo?" and the Lent Madness logo, all on the front left of the shirt. They will be priced at around $12, we think. It's important that you tell us what size you'd buy, if you think you'll buy one, so we can plan our order accordingly. So please fill out the poll at the end of this post.

Last, but not least, check out Tim's newest book from Forward Movement, Dust Bunnies in the Basket: Finding God in Lent & Easter. It's like Lent Madness but in a book (or an ebook).

Remember to fill in your sizes below! The totals of this poll will help us with our t-shirt order. If you're planning to order, say, 50 mediums, go ahead and tell us that in the comments. Thanks!

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