Lent Madness

In Laurie Brock’s case, the “horse you rode in on” has a name. And that name is Nina. She is the only Celebrity Blogger that owns a horse. Though on more than one occasion a member of the SEC has been likened to the back end of such an animal.

The Rev. Laurie Brock is a returning Celebrity Blogger because she loves getting free coffee mugs and receiving celebrity red carpet treatment at Episcopal gatherings. One of those things may not be entirely accurate. She serves as the rector of St. Michael the Archangel Episcopal Church in Lexington, Kentucky. She blogs at Dirty Sexy Ministry, is the co-author of Where God Hides Holiness: Thoughts on Grief, Joy and the Search for Fabulous Heels (Church Publishing), and is also a contributor to a forthcoming book about the real lives of women clergy. A reality series on E! is surely coming soon. 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, the Official Horse of Lent Madness.

What do you most love about the extraordinary honor of being a Celebrity Blogger (besides global adulation)?
I love that I never have to wait in line at the most famous restaurants and attended last year’s Oscars as a VIP! And the guest spot as zombie number 7 on The Walking Dead! Wow!

Well, not really. None of that really happens if you’re a Celebrity Blogger, although occasionally I get recognized at church functions as “One of those people who writes for that thing.”

Being part of a community that engages the stories of the saints and all their foibles and accomplishments is quite rewarding. My Celebrity Blogger responsibilities require I dig into the lives of the saints in a way my day-to-day ministry doesn’t generally allow. The saints of the church were very real people whose lives are far more complex and dimensioned than the one page hagiographies we get in Lesser Feasts and Fasts or many of the other lives of the saints books available. I hope Celebrity Bloggers are able to share some of that dimension and invite our Lent Madness followers to appreciate the examples of inspiring, unsettling, quirky, and amazing faith our saints give us in the sermons that are their lives.

What is the quirkiest thing you’ve learned about one of your saints and how does this inspire your faith?
While it’s not exactly quirky, both Teresa of Avila and Francis of Assisi were quite the rebellious teenagers who would most certainly not have been voted most spiritual or most likely to become a saint by their high school classmates. They remind me that God is never finished with us, that as long as we are breathing, God can work with all the aspects of our lives for God’s will to be done, even (and maybe even especially) the questionable, imperfect, and messy parts of our lives. As one of the other saints in this madness is quoted — God rides the lame horse and carves the rotten wood. Indeed. And thanks be to God for that.

Downton Abbey or The Walking Dead and why?
The Walking Dead. Zombies. Great stories. Daryl Dixon. And a fierce woman who isn’t afraid to use her katana.

Besides Lent Madness, what do you most look forward to in the season of Lent?
The usual online arguments between clergy about the appropriate colors for Lent — purple or oxblood and unbleached linen — and whether or not baptism during Lent is appropriate. And new episodes of The Walking Dead. And the communal journey as we prepare for Easter in prayer and spiritual discipline. That, too.

SEC Note: Since she’s from the south, Laurie is genetically disposed to snake handling. Please don’t try this at home, kids. The SEC would prefer not to get sued when things go horribly wrong.