On the second day of Celebrity Blogger Week Lent Madness gave to me...not two turtle doves but a single Lutheran! Beth Lewis is what you might call an overqualified Celebrity Blogger and we're delighted she agreed to join us for the 2016 Lenten season. Read on!

But first, in case you missed yesterday's edition of Monday Madness, be sure to tune in as Tim and Scott highlight the start of Celebrity Blogger Week and explain why Westminster Abbey is basically a monument to Lent Madness.

Beth Lewis has served as President & CEO of Augsburg Fortress, Publishers, since September 2002. During this time, the company has transitioned into a leader in delivery of digital content for congregations, higher education and families through their Augsburg Fortress, Fortress Press, sparkhouse, and Sparkhouse Family imprints. This call followed 20+ years of work for several Fortune 500 publishing companies and owner of a computer and technology career school. Beth is a popular speaker in ecumenical groups on a wide range of topics; some of the most popular are Gutenberg to Google: Effective Use of Technology for Congregations, Strategic Planning for Faith-Based Organizations, and Congregational Hospitality. Having been raised Lutheran in Lexington, Kentucky, Beth continues to be a dedicated fan of UK Wildcats basketball, so brackets are among her favorite things to follow! She writes the One Mission blog and you may connect with her on Twitter @bethalewis and on Facebook.

1. Since being named a Celebrity Blogger is obviously your greatest lifetime achievement, how will you handle the inevitable post-Lenten letdown?
I’m thinking a nice bottle of red wine will do the trick; perhaps one of my favorites, Druid’s Fluid from Troon Vineyard in Grant’s Pass, Oregon?

2. What is the single strangest thing you’ve learned about one of your assigned saints?
Dominic’s emblem in art is a dog with a torch in its mouth. It is reported that it is a pun on his name because the Dominicans are sometimes called the "Domini canes,” the hounds of the Lord.

3. What is your favorite saint-inspired food and why?
Chewy German pretzels. I assume that one of my favorite saints, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, having lived most of his life in Germany, must have enjoyed plenty of these! Besides, they are bread-like, so make me think of communion. The best ones have plenty of salt -- “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:6).

And, I find this bit of legend/history regarding their Trinitarian form interesting: “Though the exact origins of the pretzel remain mysterious, legend has it that the story began around A.D. 610, when Italian monks presented their young students with treats of baked dough twisted in the shape of crossed arms. At the time, crossing one’s arms was the traditional posture for prayer. As the custom spread through medieval Europe, the pretzel’s three holes came to represent the Holy Trinity—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—and the twisty baked good became associated with good luck, long life and prosperity.”

4. Besides Lent Madness, what do you most look forward to during the season of Lent?
This Lent, it will be celebrating my 10th wedding anniversary with my husband! Yes, a Lutheran pastor and a Lutheran publisher were married in Lent! Probably slightly scandalous in some circles!

Celebrity Blogger Week (or however long it takes) kicks off today! We’ll introduce you to the fabulous writers who will help make our 32 Lent Madness 2016 saints come alive.

We’ve asked all of our CBs to answer a few questions and provide a photo that somehow reflects or sheds new light upon them in a way that transcends their official headshot. The Supreme Executive Committee will be posting these intros in the order we receive them. Mostly because this will offer subtle motivation to those Celebrity Bloggers who have yet to submit their answers. Don't make us write the answers for you! (as we famously did one year for a particularly deadline averse former Celebrity Blogger).

As the pre-Lent Madness frenzy ratchets up, we hope you’ll enjoy spending some time with the men and women of Lent Madness 2016. We think they’re all pretty amazing and not just because they work for free mugs.

Then make sure to order your copy of the Saintly Scorecard: The Definitive Guide to Lent Madness 2016 and large Bracket Poster in order to fully participate in the Madness.

But before you read about our first CB, don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Thanks — it’s good for our self-esteem.

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It's hard to believe, but the time is here! Gather your loved ones at the computer and watch the Supreme Executive Committee in the season premiere of Monday Madness. For the first time ever, Tim and Scott appear in 720p high-def full color! More important, in this episode, they exclusively reveal never-before-seen details of the 2016 Saintly Scorecard, the definitive guide to Lent Madness.

You can get your own Saintly Scorecard by visiting the Lentorium or directly at Forward Movement's web showcase. The Saintly Scorecard is a bargain at $3 for one, and a steal at $2 each for 10 or more. It's insane at only $1 when you purchase 25 or more. So head over to the website and buy now! While you're there, make sure you stock up on giant bracket posters, mugs, pint glasses, t-shirts, and even Golden Halo Flying Discs. If you don't love Jesus enough to spend your hard-earned cash in the Lentorium, you can download a free PDF of the bracket to study. Despite the fact the it's free, the SEC has provided this bracket in color!

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Welcome to Purple Friday 2016, the one-day bonanza of insanely low prices in the Lentorium. Get all your must-have Lent Madness items today! Okay, actually, the prices will last through Cyber Monday, November 30. But you'd better get in line now, because quantities are limited!

Think of the bracket poster as this year's Tickle-Me-Elmo doll or whatever the hot-ticket item is this year (speaking of which, did we mention St. Elmo made the 2016 bracket?). You want to get your bracket poster right away! Just don't claw anyone on your way into the store! Shop now!

Today is also launch day for the Saintly Scorecard: The Definitive Guide to Lent Madness 2016. It's so cheap we can't discount it, but you'll want to place your order while supplies last. It's only $3, which is a steal. But if you buy ten, they're just $2. And if you buy 25 or more (as many parishes do -- and all parishes should), we're practically giving them away for only a dollar. Pre-order yours today!

The Supreme Executive Committee offers a live video report from Purple Friday, including details of their late-night trip to open the Lentorium doors at midnight. Watch as Scott and Tim reveal bargains never before seen, and never to be seen again. Also tune in for exclusive product information about the giant bracket poster (spoiler alert: it's not merely printed in black & white!) -- and details about the Muzak you'll hear when browsing the Lentorium on Purple Friday.

Of course, it's not just Lent Madness stuff that's on sale at low, low prices today. Check out the full sale list for details on Forward Movement bargains galore! Here are some examples of the special Purple Friday pricing:

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Happy All Brackets' Day! And welcome to the holy Season of Pre-Lent (aka any time outside the penitential confines of Lent's 40 days and 40 nights).

While much of the world is recovering from the Halloween sugar high, the rabid Lent Madness faithful cast their collective eye toward Lent 2016. It may be more than three months away, but the 2016 bracket of 32 saints has been officially released by the Lent Madness Supreme Executive Committee! For the seventh year running, people worldwide are gearing up for the “saintly smackdown” that will kick off on “Ash Thursday,” February 11.

In response to a question about why people should think about Lent in November, Lent Madness creator, Tim says, “It’s all part of our diabolical plan to create a year-round Lent. Why be penitential for just 40 days and 40 nights? And if you can walk into some big box store and see Christmas decorations in August, why can’t you walk into your local coffee shop and see purple lights strung up in November?” Scott agrees. “The Lent-Industrial complex is alive, well and thriving. We’re simply tapping into it in order to get people talking about saints throughout the year.”

Click here to access the full bracket. If you are a true fan, you're going to want to pony up ten bucks for a giant bracket poster (printed in full color with extra purple!) from Forward Movement. But first, watch the latest edition of Monthly Madness as Tim and Scott highlight some of the unique battles to come in Lent Madness 2016.

Then let the saintly games begin! Well, in three months or so.

Get ready, world. The Pope's visit is about to be overshadowed by the biggest religion story of early autumn. Yes, friends, it's time to reveal the lineup of 2016 Celebrity Bloggers. Scott and Tim have the goods in the latest episode of Monthly Madness!

We bid farewell to several retiring Celebrity Bloggers, whose jerseys are now hoisted to the rafters in the LentDome. We also welcome five new Celebrity Bloggers: Anna Fitch Courie, David Hansen, Beth Lewis, Hugo Olaiz, and Derek Olsen. Please note we now have two doctors and a nurse in the house in case of medical and/or spiritual emergency.

As usual, the Supreme Executive Committee urges you to show that you love Lent Madness (and Jesus) the most by spending your hard-earned money in the Lentorium. In addition to the standard mug spiel, they are hawking Meet the Saints, a family storybook published by Forward Movement about the saints of the church. Check it out -- it's part of a free, downloadable curriculum for congregations in which children, youth, and adults can learn more about saints and how Jesus' light shone brightly in women and men through history. Get yours now, for free, using these links for children or youth/adults.

Most important, mark your calendars for All Brackets' Day, November 3, and get ready to stare at your browser at 8:00 am Eastern time as the Lent Madness 2016 bracket is unveiled. It's not too early to queue up for a good seat by the computer.

You may have heard by now that the dean of the Washington National Cathedral will soon be retiring. If not, you can read about it in this article from Tuesday's Washington Post.

The Very Rev. Gary Hall has had an illustrious ministerial career that has literally taken him all over the world. We’re pretty sure, however, that the true highlight of his ministry at WNC was being tapped by the Supreme Executive Committee to officially open Lent Madness 2014. Watch the video to take a trip down Lenten lane.

Yes, he also wrote a back cover blurb for the founder of Lent Madness’ 2015 book Father Tim’s Church Survival Guide but this presumably ranks a distant second in Dean Hall’s vocational highlight reel.

As the Washington National Cathedral will soon be experiencing a power vacuum (a.k.a. searching for a new dean), the SEC is considering a hostile takeover. Well, not hostile exactly. It’s really more of a holy takeover.

Here are the top 10 things the SEC will do to make the National Cathedral even more awesome than it already is.
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Lent Madness,

"Grace and peace to you from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ,” as Paul of Tarsus said before he was ignominiously defeated by Emma of Hawaii in Lent Madness 2012.

As you know from breathlessly following Lent Madness on Facebook and Twitter (using hashtag #SECconclave), the Supreme Executive Committee has been prayerfully discerning the 2016 bracket throughout the day. Much coffee was consumed. And then more coffee was consumed.

We realize that many of you find it unbearable to endure the wait until All Brackets’ Day (November 3), when the 2016 bracket is released to the entire world. The SEC hears the plaintive cry of the Lent Madness faithful, and we assure you of our constant concern during this wilderness time. Though not so much as to provide even a hint about the content of the aforementioned 2016 bracket.

Of course, to keep things in perspective, it could always be worse. You could contract leprosy -- although that wouldn’t be so bad either, since you would be able to meet Damien of Molokai (defeated in the first round of Lent Madness 2013) while experiencing an all-expenses-paid (not by us) trip to Hawaii.

Nonetheless, the SEC, in our beneficent magnanimity and unsurpassed compassion hereby offer the follow coping strategies:
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Was it last week or last century that a bunch of Episcopalians gathered in Salt Lake City for the 78th General Convention of the Episcopal Church? Seems like long ago, but it was just days. At Lent Madness HQ, we dug around in the archives and found this gem for Throwback Thursday. Enjoy the thrill of adventure as the entire Supreme Executive Committee (which is unicameral and yet bicameral, a great mystery) searches far and wide for signs of Lent Madness devotion. Additional hilarity ensues.

Stay tuned for news of the SEC Summer Retreat, at which Tim and Scott will gather in a secure, undisclosed location to discern the bracket for Lent Madness 2016. Thirty-one more saints need to be chosen for the bracket to join Clare, who didn't need any voting irregularities to defeat Chad at a play-in held at General Convention.

Welcome to this special edition play-in round of Lent Madness 2016 as we mark International Lent Madness Day with purple trumpets blaring. Coincidentally, this monumental occasion coincides with Lent Madness Day at the Episcopal Church's triennial General Convention in Salt Lake City.

Voting will run for 12 hours, from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm Eastern Time with both an online poll and an in-person voting opportunity at the Forward Movement booth on the Convention floor. The winner in this matchup of the Holy C's will advance to the to-be-determined 2016 Lent Madness bracket. Stay tuned for the announcement of the full bracket on All Brackets Day, November 3rd. We suggest sitting at your computer and hitting "refresh" for the next four months in anticipation of the blessed event.

In honor of all the voting at General Convention, we thought (Hanging) Chad of Lichfield would be a worthy contender to face Clare of Assisi as the Church seeks Clare-ity in its discernment on the issues of the day.

So, friends, the fate of the initial entrant into Lent Madness 2016 rests in your capable voting (once!) hands. We will share the result sometime soon after the live and in-person polls close. Minions have been acquired to tally the results of the paper ballots in a secure, undisclosed location in the salt flats, which will then be added to the online count.

While you wait for the results, perhaps you'll want to warm up with a cup of coffee from a Francis of Assisi 2015 Golden Halo Winner Coffee Mug or cool down with a pint of your favorite beverage from a Brigid of Kildare 2015 Silver Halo Winner Winner Pint Glass. You may also want to prepare for Lent Madness 2016 by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.

Now, on to the most important vote of the week and a brief foretaste of the Madness that is to come!

Chad of Lichfield

Chad (634-672), a native of Northumbria, was one of four brothers who lived lives in service of the Church. Chad’s eldest brother, Cedd, was Abbot of a large monastery at Lastingham. Upon his brother’s death in 664, the abbacy passed to Chad. The Venerable Bede recounts that Chad was “a holy man, modest in his ways, learned in the Scriptures, and zealous in carrying out their teaching.”

Around the time he became Abbot of Lastingham, the Bishop of Northumbria died, setting in play a strange series of events in which Chad would ultimately become intricately involved. Oswiu, the King of Northumbria, chose Wilfrid, a Northumbrian noble, to become Bishop. However, due to an outbreak of the plague in England, Wilfrid found himself unable to find the three bishops necessary to ordain him; undeterred, he sailed for France to seek ordination.

Bede notes that during Wilfrid’s absence, the King of Northumbria became impatient with the vacancy and decided to take further action. Impressed by Chad’s holiness, the King appointed him to take Wilfrid’s place as Bishop of Northumbria. Chad encountered the same problems in tracking down bishops as Wilfrid did; ultimately, he traveled to Wessex, where he was irregularly ordained bishop by two British and one Welsh bishop – none of whom were recognized by Rome. Bede recounts that Chad diligently set himself to the work of administering his see.

By the time Wilfrid returned from France, the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Theodore of Tarsus, denied the legitimacy of Chad’s appointment, and announced his intention to install Wilfrid to Chad’s see. Theodore instructed Chad to step down from his position as Bishop of Northumbria. In an act of profound humility and obedience, Chad did so without hesitation or reserve, and he returned to his abbacy at Lastingham.

Later that same year, the King of Mercia requested a Bishop. Remembering Chad’s example of humility and holiness, Archbishop Theodore recalled Chad from his retirement to Lastingham, and had him re-ordained as a bishop. Chad’s humility was most acutely seen when he refused to use a horse to travel his diocese, preferring to follow the example of the apostles by walking.

Chad ran his new diocese as diligently as he had administered his former one, establishing a Monastery at Barrow. Two and a half years after his re-ordination, Chad succumbed to the plague in 672. Bede recounts that Chad was “mindful to his end of all that the Lord did.”

Clare of Assisi

Clare (1194-1253) was born to a wealthy family in Assisi and as a teenager heard a moving sermon by Saint Francis (of Lent Madness 2016 Golden Halo fame).

Much to the chagrin of her family, at the age of 18 she decided to take a vow of poverty and follow a Franciscan lifestyle. Her family brought her back by force but she slipped out again and entered a nearby convent of Benedictine sisters. Soon enough Francis gave her and several other nuns both a rule of life and a dwelling built next to the church in San Damiano. They became known as the "Poor Ladies of San Damiano," living a life of poverty, prayer, and seclusion. In time, two of her sisters, her widowed mother, and several close friends also joined the order.

These female Franciscans came to be known as Poor Clares and Francis himself named Clare the Superior. The Poor Clares devoted themselves to prayer and caring for the sick, needy, and marginalized. They also lived a life of extreme poverty — beyond what other female orders had ever experienced. They lived a life of complete poverty individually and collectively; they had no beds beyond piles of twigs, they engaged in hard labor, and begged for whatever food they ate.

Clare stood up to various ecclesiastical authorities seeking to impose a less severe rule upon her order. Her strength of conviction defied the norms of female religious orders in the same way Francis faced criticism for his strict and passionate observe of his own faith.

Clare and Francis have been linked by their friendship and dedication to the Gospel of Christ. During her lifetime some even referred to her as alter Franciscus, or "another Francis." Clare tended to Francis during his old age and considered him always her spiritual father.

Clare died in 1253 at the age of 59 and her remains are kept in the Basilica of St. Clare in Assisi. Ten years after her death the order she led became known as the Order of Saint Clare.

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