In this week's edition of Monday Madness, Tim and Scott come to you live on the eve of Celebrity Blogger Day (a.k.a. #ShroveBloggerDay). Scott is at the chapel at Virginia Theological Seminary (what's he doing there? tune in to find out!), which features an almost-golden halo over the altar. Tim shows off his Ash Thursday Bounty, and there's STILL time in the episode to preview the kickoff of Lent Madness 2019, coming up later this week!
By the way, even though they didn't mention the Lentorium on air (a first in modern Monday Madness history), you can still shop there. Or you can head straight over to Amazon to get the Saintly Scorecard 2019 for your Kindle device. But if you don't want to spend money, no worries. Just visit the bracket page, print out your bracket, and make your picks for this year's action-packed line-up.
Friends, it's time for a brand-new episode of Monday Madness, featuring what Lent Madness historians believe is the first-ever double video post! Yes, brace yourselves, settle in with a giant cauldron of popcorn, and enjoy TWO videos embedded in this single post.
This week on Monday Madness, Tim and Scott discuss their shock at having once again been passed over for an Academy Award. Still, they soldier on, sharing Lenten joy and sanctoral smackdowns the world over.
Despite their dejection and outright rejection, Tim and Scott are pleased to share what is perhaps the definitive recording of the Official Lent Madness Hymn. You may recall that the Lent Madness global viewing public chose among three options penned by Hymn Writer in Residence Sr. Diana. A new version of "The glory of these forty days" is now the Official Hymn of Lent Madness. We're grateful to organist & director of music David Sinden and rector Fr. Luke Jernagan -- and their whole congregation -- for offering this wonderful recording from St. Peter's Episcopal Church in St. Louis, Missouri. We're also pleased to see that at St. Peter's, as at churches in all of Christendom, nobody sits in the first few pews.
It's hard to believe, but it's already been a week since the last episode of Monday Madness. Time flies when you're anticipating Lent! (Speaking of which, if you haven't already done so, you should forget about Game of Thrones and binge-watch all eight seasons of Monday Madness right now.)
Anyway, Scott and Tim are back with another compelling episode of must-see pre-Lenten TV. This week, they share the results of the first-ever three-option vote on Lent Madness, in which the global viewing public chose the new Official Hymn of Lent Madness.
Before we get to the results, now would be a good time to remind you to load up on special Lent Madness items, including the commemorative Tenth Anniversary Edition of the Saintly Scorecard. Just like last year, we are selling the scorecards individually or in packs of 10. To get the best price order three or more packs of 10, for an unbelievably low price of just $1 per scorecard. You’ll also want to buy the astonishing 2019 Giant Bracket Posters. They’re a steal at just $11. There’s no extra charge for the full color printing, and they get cheaper. It's only $10 each when you buy two or more. Why not get an even dozen?
The epic first pre-season episode of Monday Madness has arrived! Epic? Yes! Because Lent Madness 2019 marks the Saintly Smackdown's TENTH year. To properly prepare, you'll want to load up on tenth anniversary collectibles and start scoping out locations for Lent Madness launch parties. Ash Thursday (March 7) venues will soon be booked solid with Lent Madness Tenth Year Launch Parties.
This week, Tim and Scott talk about how it's never too soon to start preparing for Lent Madness. It would be a good idea to buy your 2019 Saintly Scorecard now, before they sell out. Just like last year, we are selling the scorecards individually or in packs of 10. To get the best price order three or more packs of 10, for an unbelievably low price of just $1 per scorecard. You'll also want to buy giant 2019 Giant Bracket Posters. They're a steal at just $11. There's no extra charge for the full color printing.
But the main reason to get excited is your chance to help select the OFFICIAL HYMN OF LENT MADNESS. That's right, we're finally establishing the official hymn of Lent Madness. Once it's chosen, it would be appropriate to insist your choir sing it on every Sunday in Lent. It should also be sung every time a member of the Supreme Executive Committee enters a room. Think Hail to the Chief, but in a penitential, Lent-y sort of way.
We are very grateful to Sr. Diana of the Community of the Transfiguration for writing these hymns. And with this post, we are naming her the official Hymn-Writer in Residence for Lent Madness. Her work will also accompany us throughout the competition, as she's in the process of writing a hymn dedicated to each one of the 32 saints in the 2019 bracket. Seriously. (rumor has it she's already halfway through the lineup).
So here's the deal. We'll print the words of the hymns below. At the bottom of the post, you can vote (once only, please) for your favorite. We'll cut off the voting at noon next Monday, February 4. The winner will be announced on next week's episode of Monday Madness.
It's Holy Week, but it's also the Week of the Faithful Four here at the Lent Dome. Tim and Scott come to you live with this week's edition of Monday Madness, the last in-season episode of 2018. They discuss the Faithful Four. They give shout-outs to huge Lent Madness fans who hold Faithful Four pep rallies. And they highlight a new Lent Madness 2018-inspired hymn (thankfully written by neither Tim nor Scott).
Get excited! The ever-approaching climactic end is near!
You can download the full hymn that Tim reads here, in case you want to insert it into the back of all your church's hymnals or sing it at your Spy Wednesday liturgy. Also, if you'd like to own a Lent Madness pint glass (kind of) like the one that Scott uses in this video, you can get a 2016 Golden Halo Dietrich Bonhoeffer pint glass of your own.
This week, Tim and Scott span the globe. Tim comes live from coffee country in Nicaragua. Scott is in Cincinnati. And they are both live, discussing the Elate Eight. They also warn about people who could be grumpy about this round, so the Supreme Executive Committee once again delivers the two great commandments of Lent Madness.
Check out the bracket tab as you plan your week around Lent Madness Elate Eight contests. Best thing is to vote once (and once only) but refresh your browser dozens of times an hour to check results constantly.
This week, Tim and Scott preview the upcoming Round of the Saintly Sixteen and answer your viewer mail questions. They also highlight a remarkably prescient Lent Madness participant from the state of Washington. Oh, and they announce plans to continue their boycott of the Oscars award ceremony based on the rejection, again, of Monday Madness in the Academy Awards.
Remember, we encourage you to consider taking a day off -- perhaps several times throughout Lent -- to re-watch the entire catalog of Monday Madness episodes.
It's time for everyone's favorite post-weekend activity, Monday Madness! This week, Tim and Scott answer viewer mail! If you want your question answered on the air, post your query to the Lent Madness Facebook page or Twitter feed next week, or send your question to Scott or Tim written (in pencil) on a $20 bill. You may become famous among your hopefully-not-too-jealous-because-that's-a-sin family and friends.
In response to a question from a viewer, Tim and Scott also mention a few books they've recently written. Or in Tim's case, recently-ish.
Scott's brand new book, co-authored with Melody Wilson Shobe, is Walk in Love: Episcopal Beliefs and Practices. It's available in paper from Forward Movement or Amazon. It's also available for your favorite ebook reader: Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, and at the iTunes store.
You can buy Father Tim's Church Survival Guide from Amazon in paper or Kindle.
Dust Bunnies in the Basket: Finding God in Lent & Easter is available from Forward Movement or Amazon, or you can get it for your favorite ebook reader: Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, and at the iTunes store.
While you wait impatiently for next week's episode, why not re-binge-watch the entire oeuvre of Monday Madness?
It's Monday, and that means it's time for a new episode of Monday Madness! This week, Scott and Tim bask in the glow of the first full week of saintly voting. They also highlight a change introduced this year, themed quadrants in the bracket. Finally, there's a shout-out for St. David's Episcopal Church in Austin, TX for their wonderful (and large) embrace of the Madness.
Remember, you can check the match-up calendar on the bracket tab of the Lent Madness website, where you can find out when your favorite saints step into the Lent Dome and who they'll be battling. Also check the bracket tab for each day's results, featuring one-of-a-kind headlines, brought to you by our Bracket Czar, Adam Thomas.
This week's Monday Madness focuses on the big news: after nail-biter, down-to-the-wire drama, the Supreme Executive Committee has announced that Lent will proceed, since the Lent Madness Facebook page achieved its goal of 20,000 likes, just in time for Ash Thursday. As you know, the threat of a Lent shutdown had been made, throwing the ash and pancake industries into turmoil. Tim and Scott discuss the averted shutdown, as well as previewing the opening contest in Lent Madness 2018. We finally find out if the voters will rob Peter to pay Paul or if they'll rob Paul to pay Peter. Either way, someone's getting robbed.
Now is the time you should be finishing up your bracket predictions and generally talking up Lent Madness. While it's too late to get bracket posters, you can print out your own brackets by visiting the bracket tab of the Lent Madness website. And it's too late to send you printed scorecards, but they're still available for your Kindle, Nook, or iBook gizmos. If you see the SEC out and about, you can hand them your e-reader and a Sharpie, and they might autograph your gizmo.
Remember, the action all starts this Thursday at 8:00 Eastern time. The SEC suggests staying up all night on Lent Madness Eve and hitting refresh in your web browser, just in case some glitch results in an early start to the voting.
This week, Tim and Scott talk about how it's never too soon to start preparing for Lent Madness. It would be a good idea to buy your