Entering her second year as a Celebrity Blogger, Laurie Brock is also the owner of Nina, the Official Horse of Lent Madness. Of course everybody in Kentucky owns a horse so we realize this is only a big deal to those outside the Bluegrass State. When she’s not riding, writing, snarking up the joint on Twitter, tending to her congregation, following Alabama football, drinking bourbon, or walking her puppy Evie, we really have no idea what Laurie does all day.
Oh, she also has the distinction of teaching Tim how to ride a horse when he was in Kentucky to lead Clergy Conference for the Diocese of Lexington last year. He was not a natural.
The Rev. Laurie Brock
Laurie Brock is a returning Celebrity Blogger because she loves getting free coffee mugs. Clergy never have enough coffee mugs or crosses. She serves as the rector of St. Michael the Archangel Episcopal Church in Lexington, Kentucky. She blogs at Dirty Sexy Ministry and is the co-author of Where God Hides Holiness: Thoughts on Grief, Joy and the Search for Fabulous Heels (Church Publishing). She is also the creative force behind Fifty Days of Fabulous from Forward Movement. She frequently shares her quirky, snarky views on faith, Alabama football, and popular culture on Twitter at @drtysxyministry, but don’t follow unless you can laugh at yourself and your religion. Otherwise, you’ll just be offended. When she’s not doing priest things, she is riding her horse Nina and trying to avoid another spot on the Celebrity Blogger injured reserved list like last year.
This year, Thomas Merton is one of my saints (vote THOMAS!), so I trekked to Gethsemani, the monastery where he lived and wrote not too far from where I live in Kentucky. I met one of the monks who knew Brother Louis (as Thomas was known to his fellow monks) who told me personal stories of their time together and quoted poetry about God as we sat in the garden where Thomas himself sat and prayed decades before. It was a lovely moment realizing I would have never had this ethereal opportunity without the generosity of the SEC, Scott and Tim, and without my ability to snark in 140 characters or less on Twitter (which is how I’m still convinced I got the call to the major leagues of Church blogging).
What do you hope the Lent Madness public will learn from the lives of the saints?
Laurie with Nina, the Official Horse of Lent Madness
I was intrigued with the small scandal that erupted over Frances Perkins winning last year’s Golden Halo. I had some people argue, “She’s not really a saint.” Well, no, her hair and fingernails didn’t continue to grow after her death, and as far as we know, she didn’t put a pickled barrel full of children back together after a mean shopkeeper had enough of their shenanigans and dismembered them (why no one tells that story from the life of St. Nicholas is beyond me). Do these qualities make a saint? Or is a saint someone who heroically lived his/her faith in a daring and courageous way? Frances is a wonderful example of using her faith to guide her decisions and influence others to help the least of these in this country at a time when women’s leadership was considered suspect and rarely given heed. That seems heroic to me…I mean, imagine if we all lived our love for God and neighbor the way Frances did.
“Who is the first Episcopal priest to host Saturday Night Live?”
I loved this Bio. I also love all the humor that is part of Lent Madness which helps us all learn and want to continue to learn. Thank you to the SEC and all the Celebrity Bloggers, for helping me learn more and more about the Saints and infusing some humor along the way.
Laurie Should Host Saturday Night Live. Totally!
I completely agree!
Gold Medal (still in Olympic mode) for the BEST Jeopardy question, so far, of all the Celebrity bloggers. Kudos, and I will be tuned into NBC.
Hurray for all the attributes here..Thomas Merton affectionado, Nina’s horse person extraordinare and most of all Celebrity Blogger w/wit and wisdom to host SNL!! Looking forward to “her quirky, snarky views on faith, ” to put spring into Lent!! Great Bio/BTW!
St. Hilda of Whitby was my favorite saint last year. I am now reading the historic novel: HILD.
Welcome ..again..to LentMadness from an ETSKY graduate of the once-upon-a-time Vocational Diaconate program (class of 1989). Please try to stay seated upon your trusty..really?..steed this time around. Keep striving for SNL…faint hearts ne’er …whatever. You get the gist of it. Everybody who’s retired oughta be on their knees thanking Frances Perkins!
Welcome Laurie! your horse is absolutely beautiful. At he risk of sounding like a broken record, which on certain subjects I am, I am wondering if you are hopefully on the same page as Some Of Us regarding Fred Rogers for the golden halo? I have been harping on this(pun intended)for some time and recently went off on someone whom I mistakenly thought was opposed to the idea. OOPS. still embarrassed about that.
Well, Laurie…..your first test is to persuade the SEC to lighten up about their stance on the status of Fred Rogers. PLEASE get them to change their minds so that our dear Madeleine can find happiness at least next year since it appears this one is a lost cause. If you are successful, becoming the SNL host will be a shoo-in.
Where can I read about the pickled barrel of children story? Also, we need a picture of your pup too. Love Lent Madness!!