In which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk the fastest growing sport in America, the allure of conspirituality, exvangelical hashtags, and renamed churches. Also, a pair of golden girls wipe the pickleball court with Mr. Zahl. Click here (https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/10/how-pickleball-won-over-everyone) to read Craig Coyne's piece on "How Pickleball Won Everyone Over" in Vanity Fair. Click here (https://www.metmuseum.org/press/exhibitions/2021/da-corte-roof-garden-commission) to check out Alex D...
Nov 02, 2021•1 hr 8 min
In which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk travel selves, generational generalizations, optimistic pitfalls, and forgiving bad fathers. Also, Sarah spies some aliens and RJ jumps off several cliffs. Click here (https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/psychology-travel-vacation-identity-transformation/2021/10/07/19e2615c-2204-11ec-8200-5e3fd4c49f5e_story.html) to read “You’re a Different Person When You Travel” by Jen Rose Smith in The Washington Post. Click here (https://www.newyorker.com/magazin...
Oct 18, 2021•1 hr 8 min
In which Sarah, Dave, and RJ talk self-awareness, gracious friendships, nap ministries, and the "gift" of rejection. Also, RJ explores his haze-ability while Sarah buys a bridesmaid dress. Click here (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/16/opinion/psychology-consciousness-behavior.html) to read David Brooks column on "Is Self-Awareness a Mirage?" Click here (https://time.com/6100956/anne-lamotts-advice-could-stop-you-from-drowning-in-cynicism/) to read the interview with Anne Lamott in Time. Click h...
Sep 28, 2021•1 hr 1 min
In which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk favorite comedians, status games, personal progress, deconversion narratives, and the allure of re-enchantment. Also, somehow RJ keeps winning. He's insufferable that way. Click here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxD3pT8C9-A) to watch Norm Macdonald deliver the Moth Joke. Click here (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/aug/29/we-all-play-the-status-game-but-who-are-the-real-winners) to read Will Storr's article on Status Games in The Guardian. Click here...
Sep 17, 2021•1 hr 13 min
In their first episode after the summer hiatus, Dave, RJ and Sarah talk misbehaving consumers, trapped perfectionists, and controversial forgiveness before taking a detour to a little church in Mississippi. Also, Sarah dons a babooshka while Dave drums up some tips. Click here (https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/08/pandemic-american-shoppers-nightmare/619650/) to read Amanda Mull's article on how American Shoppers Are a Nightmare Click here (https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/08/10...
Aug 30, 2021•1 hr 20 min
In their last episode before the summer hiatus, RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk brand loyalty, thought-terminating cliches, father's day championships, the religion/psychoanalysis intersection, and God's downstairs neighbor. Also, RJ changes his mind about Michael Jordan (sort of). *To support Mockingbird, please visit www.mbird.com/support. * * To read Sophie Gilbert's review of Cultish, click here (https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/06/review-cultish-amanda-montell-language-fanaticism/6...
Jun 21, 2021•1 hr 5 min
In which Sarah, RJ, and Dave talk spite, ubiquitous burnout, chaplaincy booms, and our conflicted relationship with newness. Also, Dave marvels at how refreshed the cicadas are looking. Click here (https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/05/why-are-we-so-spiteful/618865/) to read Charlie Tyson's review in The Atlantic on Why Are We So Spiteful? Click here (https://vimeo.com/553832309) to watch Todd Brewer's talk on Anger ("If Jesus Had a Twitter Account") from our Tyler Conference. Clic...
May 24, 2021•1 hr 5 min
Recorded live in front of an audience at the Mockingbird Tyler festival, Sarah, RJ, and Dave talk ambivalent mothers, Nordic expectations, getting "on top of things", and elite religiosity. Also, Sarah indulges in some, er, splendid show-and-tell. Click here (https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2021/05/make-your-mom-happier/618811/) to read How Adult Children Affect Their Mothers' Happiness Click here (https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/04/finland-happiness-lagom-hygge.html?utm_sour...
May 11, 2021•1 hr 3 min
Surprise! It's a special edition episode of The Mockingcast, in which CJ Green introduces the unpredictable content of the Surprise issue (https://magazine.mbird.com/shop/issue-17-the-surprise-issue/) of The Mockingbird magazine. You'll hear an incredible personal essay read by author and professional listener, Helena Dea Bala; an interview on unexpected grief with the Rev Liz Tichenor; and a discussion about jazz and John Coltrane with musician Sam Bush. Plus some stuff about Disneyland. Lots o...
May 03, 2021•1 hr 9 min
In which Dave, RJ and Sarah talk subtraction strategies, birth order effects, Bieber's redemption, and the spiritual dangers of courting controversy. But maybe that's just what a couple of oldest children (and one middle child) would discuss. Click here (https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/04/15/psychology-innovation-subtraction-addition/) to read The Washington Post's report on our aversion to subtraction when it comes to problem solving. Click here (https://time.com/5953372/birth-order...
Apr 26, 2021•1 hr 7 min
In which Sarah, RJ and Dave talk vaccinated no-no's, real estate obsessions, recalibrated ambitions, and Easter messages. We almost titled it House Hunters: The Mockingcast Edition. Click here (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/03/29/things-fully-vaccinated-people-are-still-not-allowed-to-do) to read The New Yorker's list of Things Fully Vaccinated People Are Still Not Allowed to Do. Click here (https://annehelen.substack.com/p/no-im-not-ready) to read Anne Helen Peterson's newsletter, "I'...
Apr 11, 2021•1 hr 9 min
In which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk last chance basketball programs, true selves, teenage errors, and gracious dispositions. Also, Sarah gets kicked off AOL Instant Messenger. Click here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-YCKtBb0L4) to watch the trailer for Last Chance U: Basketball. Click here (https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/sherry-turkles-plugged-in-year) to read the New Yorker's profile of Sherry Turkle. Click here (https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7mwa3/why-your-true-sel...
Mar 29, 2021•1 hr 14 min
In which Sarah, RJ and Dave talk baby busts, Instavangelists, and epiphanies of the heart. Also, RJ comes clean about his favorite Disney princess. Clue: It's not Anna or Elsa. Click here (https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-covid-19-baby-bust-is-here-11614853803) to read The Wall Street Journal's report on the intenational baby bust. Click here (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/05/opinion/influencers-glennon-doyle-instagram.html) to read Leigh Stein's piece on The Empty Religions of Instagram. Clic...
Mar 15, 2021•1 hr 5 min
In which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk Covid-Deutsch, the advice column boom, and grieving video game characters. Also, Sarah cozies up to some ghosts while dancing to DMB. Click here (https://slate.com/human-interest/2021/02/germans-words-pandemic-life.html) to read Rebecca Schumann's overview of the new German words being invented to describe pandemic life. Click here (https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-age-of-peak-advice) to read The New Yorker's profile of The Age of Peak Advi...
Mar 01, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Highly recommended for Mockingast listeners: All six episodes of the first season of Mockingbird's brand-new podcast are available now at https://thebrotherszahl.fireside.fm/ -- or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe today!
Feb 25, 2021•2 min
In which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk peripheral relationships, nervous breakdowns, and nighttime prayers. Also, after making a startling discovery in her father's desk drawer, Sarah goes shopping for yoga pants. Click here (https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/03/bring-back-the-nervous-breakdown/617788/) to read Amanda Mull's piece on how The Pandemic Has Erased Entire Categories of Friendship Click here (https://www.thestar.com/life/relationships/2021/02/09/are-people-having-more-sex-...
Feb 13, 2021•1 hr 11 min
In which RJ and Dave hear from Sarah about her first month of grief, before talking together about family estrangement, faulty memories and the blindspots of Jefferson's Jesus. Also, Dave breaks up with a friend while Sarah goes to the zoo. Click here (https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2021/01/why-parents-and-kids-get-estranged/617612/) to read Joshua Coleman's article in The Atlantic about Why Parents and Children Get Estranged Click here (https://www.thecut.com/2021/01/i-want-my-famil...
Jan 22, 2021•1 hr 10 min
In their final episode of the year, RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk mer-baby mishaps, library impermanence, celebrity pastors, and their increasing distaste for Advent. To support the Mockingcast, text "MCAST" to 77948. We need your help! Click here (https://www.instagram.com/p/CIns4NIBLV0/) to read Sarah's message about the tragic news she received just after recording (that RJ mentions in the prelude). Please pray like mad for the Condon family. Click here (https://www.facebook.com/5405219/posts/1010...
Dec 11, 2020•1 hr 10 min
In this special extended episode of The Mockingcast, Ethan Richardson takes us on a tour of The Sports Issue (https://magazine.mbird.com/shop/issue-16-the-sports-issue/) of The Mockingbird magazine, featuring interviews with journalist Anna Katherine Clemmons, legendary skateboarder Christian Hosoi, and former Falcons cornerback (and current chaplain) Jason Webster--beamed in, it would seem, almost straight from Friday Night Lights. The game is on! Click here (https://magazine.mbird.com/shop/iss...
Dec 02, 2020•1 hr 27 min
In which we celebrate the 200 episode milestone by talking soul toupees, American happiness, None elevator pitches, and the compelling perfectionism of Yeshua. Also, Dave comes to grips with his ADD, Sarah starts a new hobby, while RJ serenades them both like some kind of overgrown Dutch choirboy. Click here (https://mbird.com/2013/11/dont-look-now-but-your-soul-toupee-is-showing/) to read about Soul Toupees. Click here (https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/22/america-the-anxious/) to r...
Nov 16, 2020•1 hr 13 min
In which Sarah, RJ, and Dave talk living inside the news, POW uncertainty, segmented sleep, and American paradoxes. Also, RJ peeks behind the Iron Curtain while Sarah scores some great lamps (buffalo check). Click here (https://magazine.mbird.com/) to preview and/or order the Sports Issue of our magazine. Click here (https://store.mbird.com/shop/books/daily-grace-the-mockingbird-devotional-vol-2/) to pre-order the new Mockingbird Devotional, Vol 2. Click here (https://www.oliverburkeman.com/so/c...
Nov 06, 2020•1 hr 6 min
In which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk private lives, political junkies, Craigslist confessionals, and the surprising hope of 2020. Also, RJ feels his (lonely) feelings while Sarah buys a birthday cake. Click here (https://mailchi.mp/3bb0c2fbceb4/the-great-rearranging) to read Mo Perry's Great Rearranging newsletter. Click here (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/20/opinion/polarization-politics-americans.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage) to read the NY Times article about "the r...
Oct 23, 2020•1 hr 5 min
In which RJ, Dave, and Sarah talk gracious play, burned out children, burned out workers, burned out clergy, and the hope of unconscious bias training. Also, RJ gets down to some liturgical reggae. Click here (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/30/magazine/nba-bubble.html) to read Sam Anderson's article on the NBA bubble. Click here (https://mbird.com/2015/05/grace-is-play-our-magazine-interview-with-nimi-wariboko/) to read our interview with theologian Nimi Wariboko. Click here (https://www.youtub...
Oct 09, 2020•1 hr 13 min
For too long, the podcasting industry has flooded our ears with self-indulgent commentary and lazy sermonizing. Well, the answer to your commuting conundrum is finally here! We at Mockingbird are obsessed with side-stepping the noise and bringing 200 proof grace directly to your earbuds. Simple and seasonal, yet thoughtfully sourced and designed to fit in with your busy lifestyle, brace yourself for your new favorite listening experience. There is only one Mockingcast, and this is it. In all ser...
Sep 25, 2020•1 hr 13 min
A jumbo-sized episode in which Sarah, RJ and Dave talk spiritual consultants, anxious NBA stars, the charity of Frederick Douglass, and the hope of Julian of Norwich. Also, a hapless kayaker receives an ironic rescue. Click here (https://wnyt.com/albany-new-york-news/jimmy-macdonald-of-albany-was-rescued-from-lake-george-by-paulist-fathers-priests-on-a-floating-tiki-bar/5850670/) to read the full opening news report. Click here (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/business/remote-work-spiritual-c...
Sep 11, 2020•1 hr 19 min
In which Dave, Sarah, and RJ talk college reopenings, internal deputies, racist sinners, and recovering pharisees. Also, Sarah is absolved of her lunchable guilt, and Mrs Heijmen finally becomes an adult. Click here (https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/08/24/college-covid-strategies-dont-adequately-address-typical-student-behavior) to read the Inside Higher Ed piece on college reopenings. Click here (https://mbird.com/2020/09/defund-your-inner-police/) to read Sarah's post on Defunding Your...
Sep 02, 2020•1 hr 4 min
In which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk school reopenings, comparative suffering, digital hygiene, and the crisis of capacity. Also, RJ decides to invest in some outdated (but comfortable!) furniture. Click here (https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/your-school-districts-reopening-survey) to read Your School District's Reopening Survey on McSweeney's. Click here (https://mbird.com/2020/08/love-compassion-and-the-relative-suffering-of-christ-on-the-cross-intimations-by-zadie-smith/) to read Zadie Smith'...
Aug 14, 2020•1 hr 4 min
In which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk marriage models, bored believers, fragile meritocrats, and reconciled congressmen. Also, RJ catches up on some Netflix while Sarah dabbles in prophecy. Click here (https://www.wsj.com/articles/altrias-net-revenue-falls-11595938465) to read the WSJ article on Smoking. Click here (https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/july-august/coronavirus-covid-19-killing-soulmate-model-marriage-good.html) to read the article about COVID-19 Killing the Soulmate Model of Mar...
Aug 02, 2020•1 hr 7 min
In which Dave, RJ, and Sarah talk curated authenticity, shameful beaches, and imputing baseball coaches. Also, Sarah does some Corona math while and Dave weighs the wisdom of a Shakespearean admonition. Oh don't miss the surprise at the end. Click here (https://medium.com/honestly-yours/rachel-hollis-mommy-blogger-and-relationship-coach-is-getting-a-divorce-4ae26b998ec4) to read Shannon Ashley's column on Medium "Girl, You've Been Made." Click here (https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/202...
Jul 10, 2020•1 hr
In which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk lonely dads, radical acceptance, hashtag preaching, and anger in the Bible. Also, the Heijmens pray someone into a fender-bender while Sarah takes a break from social media. Click here (https://mbird.com/2020/06/god-of-our-lonely-fathers/) to read Sam Bush's article about God of Our (Lonely) Fathers. Click here (https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/06/radical-acceptance-path-change/613015/) to read Ekemini Uwan's piece about Radical Acceptance and the...
Jun 29, 2020•1 hr 11 min
