Ah, the last battle of the First Round is finally upon us. Barnabas vs. Elmo. Or, as the Supreme Executive Committee, has dubbed it, Barney vs. Elmo. It's a furry red and purple Lenten miracle!

Yesterday, on the Lent Madness version of Super Tuesday, Frances Joseph-Gaudet left John Mason Neale singing the blues as she handily defeated him 68% to 32% to advance to the Saintly Sixteen, where she'll face Sojourner Truth.

All the voting excitement of Super Tuesday didn't keep the Forward Movement staff from having a bit of fun, as you can see with our Barney vs. Elmo banner, fashioned by Michael Phillips in between designing book covers and websites. No word on whether he's putting his skills to work on a Tim vs. Scott meme.

Tomorrow the long-anticipated Round of the Saintly Sixteen begins. But first it's time to vote and put the final nail in the first round coffin (don't worry -- we firmly believe in resurrection).

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In the penultimate (we love that word here at Lent Madness) matchup of the first round, it's Frances Joseph-Gaudet facing off against John Mason Neale. Six names, two saints, only one will emerge victorious and advance to the next round.

Yesterday Vida Dutton Scudder skated to an easy win over F.D. Maurice, 72% to 28%. She'll face Clare of Assisi in the Saintly Sixteen.

Stay tuned for a special "Tuesday Edition" of Monday Madness in which Tim and Scott wax eloquent(ish) on a variety of Lent Madness topics. It will be epic, as usual.

And finally, if you live in a Super Tuesday state, make your first and most important vote right here at Lent Madness, before heading out to those other polls.

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Congratulations on surviving another looooooooong weekend without Lent Madness voting to anchor your day, ground your faith, and generally infuse your soul with the will to live. The only lifeline we tossed out was a chance to win your very own life-sized cardboard cutout of 2015 Golden Halo winner Francis of Assisi. Learn how here.

Today's pairing involves two saintly souls whose lives overlapped for a period during the mid-19th century. Vida Dutton Scudder, an American laywoman and proponent of the social gospel tangles with F.D. Maurice, a British cleric and defender of Christian socialism. Both were writers and advocates for the poor and downtrodden.

On Friday, we capped off a week of blowouts with Dietrich Bonhoeffer triumphing over Athanasius 77% to 23% to advance to the Saintly Sixteen. Actually, it wasn't an entire week of lopsided results, as last Monday saw the closest battle of Lent Madness 2016 with Columba eking out a victory over Kateri Tekakwitha.

But enough of the recent past. A full week of voting is nigh upon us which will include our first foray into the Saintly Sixteen on Thursday as Helena takes on Constance. Time to vote!

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In the last battle of a madcap week of Lent Madness, it's two spiritual giants facing off in the first round. Not fair to pit Dietrich Bonhoeffer against Athanasius so early in the Madness? Perhaps. But remember...life, like Lent Madness, is not fair.

Yesterday, Albert Schweitzer soundly defeated Lawrence 60% to 40% to advance to the Saintly Sixteen against Methodius.

As we will soon enter another 48 hours without voting, please remember these 10 tips to surviving Lent Madness Withdrawal. We know it's not easy and that LMW is real. But it all returns on Monday morning as Vida Dutton Scudder takes on F.D. Maurice. The first round concludes next Wednesday then it's on to the Saintly Sixteen starting Thursday. Hang on to your Lenten-themed-purple-bramble-infused hats!

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As the drive toward the Golden Halo continues, we meet a martyred 3rd century deacon and an early 20th century renaissance man, humanitarian, and Nobel Prize winner. Lawrence lived out his faith in Rome, giving all that he had to the poor while Albert Schweitzer gave much of his energy and talents to building hospitals to care for the sick.

Yesterday, in the second lopsided contest in as many days, Sojourner Truth set Soren Kierkegaard free 77% to 23%. She'll face the winner of Frances Joseph-Gaudet vs. John Mason Neale in the Saintly Sixteen.

And remember, if anyone "grills" you about Lent Madness today, just tell them it's the world's greatest online Lenten devotion!

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Today we meet two 19th century contemporaries who lived in very different worlds -- the United States and Denmark, to be literal about it. Sojourner Truth -- slave, abolitionist, radical vs. Søren Kierkegaard -- philosopher, theologian, writer. Two complex, passionate individuals who influenced and inspired many throughout their lives and beyond.

Yesterday Clare of Assisi easily advanced past Denis 74% to 26% to secure a place in the Saintly Sixteen against the winner of Vita Scudder and F.D. Maurice. Despite all the head jokes and puns in the comment section throughout this contest, you will note that the SEC has shown great restraint in not using one to describe this battle. This is because we like to stay well ahead of the humor curve.

So in the meantime, have a tete a tete with your friends and neighbors as you consider Sojourner or Søren.

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Let's just state right off the bat that there is no room for nepotism in Lent Madness. Saints related to members of the Supreme Executive Committee are ineligible to compete for the Golden Halo.

Therefore, just because Francis of Assisi won the coveted Golden Halo last year, there was no funny business going on that led to Clare of Assisi's inclusion this year. The SEC was not coerced by the Assisi mafia. In fact, Clare only made it into the bracket by winning a play-in round against  Chad of Lichfield held during the Episcopal Church's General Convention last summer.

Anyway, today Clare faces off against Denis. Please don't lose your head over this battle.

Yesterday, in a VERY tight contest, Columba eked out a victory over Kateri Tekakwitha 51% to 49% in the closest battle to date in Lent Madness 2016. Columba will face Meister Eckhart in the Saintly Sixteen. Sadly, we also saw our first case of voter fraud. At 11:02 pm EST, two addresses, in Vermillion, SD and Medford, OR were blocked. 125 votes for Kateri Tekakwitha were recorded from these two locations, and we do not know of groups participating in Lent Madness in those cities. Not enough votes were cast to affect the outcome, but we have blocked the addresses to prevent further votes. Remember, vote only once per person or be cast into the outer darkness of Lent Madness! Also, Jesus does not approve of cheating.

And finally, if you missed yesterday's edition of Monday Madness, Tim and Scott share suggestions on how to be a Lent Madness evangelist in your congregation. Using a Lent Madness mug in place of a chalice may or may not be one of their tips.

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"Are you a dog person or a cat person?" Not to get too philosophical on you, but this is one of the fundamental questions of human existence. A question that, had the Supreme Executive Committee in its infinite wisdom chosen the other Saint Gertrude ("of Nivelles" rather than "the Great"), could have perhaps been decided once and for all. You see today Roch, the patron saint of dogs, takes on Gertrude, the patron saint of...not cats but...the West Indies. Alas.

Of course, there are other criteria on which to base your decision as you seek to choose between a 14th century Frenchman and a 13th century German woman. Like whether you prefer cabernet to beer or croissants to pretzels. But enough of these European stereotypes!

Yesterday, in the most lopsided battle of the year, Joseph trounced Christina Rossetti, sending her into her personal "bleak midwinter," 79% to 21%. He'll face Absalom Jones in the Saintly Sixteen.

This is the last battle of the first full week of Lent Madness 2016. Save your voting energy, folks, and we'll see you bright and early on Monday morning as Columba takes on Kateri Tekakwitha.

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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!

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