The Mockingcast

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 f...

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 to read the full opening news report. Click here to read Nellie Bowles's NY Times profile of spiritual consultants in the workplace. And here to read Dave's commentary on...

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 to read the Inside Higher Ed piece on college reopenings. Click here to read Sarah's post on Defunding Your Inner Police. Click here to read Tim Kreider's article, "I Am a Meme Now." C...

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 Also, RJ decides to invest in some outdated (but comfortable!)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 to read Your School District's Reopening Survey on McSweeney's. Click here to read Zadie Smith's thoughts on "Suffering Like Mel Gibson"--and see the meme we mention. Click here to read Meghan O...

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 to read the WSJ article on Smoking. Click here to read the article about COVID-19 Killing the Soulmate Model of Marriage. Click here to read David Clay's Mbird piece on the Freedom to be Bored. Click her...

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 to read Shannon Ashley's column on Medium "Girl, You've Been Made." Click here to read Zeynep Tufekci on how "Scolding Beachgoers Isn’t Helping". C...

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 to read Sam Bush's article about God of Our (Lonely) Fathers. Click here to read Ekemini Uwan's piece about Radical Acceptance and the New Normal. Click here to read Chad Bird's col...

In which Sarah, RJ, and Dave talk picky eaters, casual racism, George Floyd, and Brendan the Navigator. Also, Dave presses some steel while Sarah reheats some frozen garlic bread. Click here to read CNN's report on picky eating. Click here to read The NY Times piece on How to Talk to a Racist Click here to read CT's article on the Gospel Legacy George Floyd left in Houston Click here to read Fr St...

In which Dave, Sarah, and RJ talk Calvin and Hobbes, dirty dishes, prayer science, and oscillating faith. Also, RJ risks domestic discord to rearrange the silverware, and Confetti Egg Condon make a cameo. Click here to read Chuck Wendig's article on "Calvin and Hobbes and Quarantine." Click here to read Ellen McCarthy's article on how "The Dishes Will Never Be Done." Click here to read about "The...

In which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk middle school meddling, Waffle House fisticuffs, worthless baseball cards, and weird Christians. Also, Dave gets cut from a basketball team (or two). Click here to read an excerpt of Judith Warner's new book, And Then They Stopped Talking to Me Click here to read about the full Waffle House report Click here to read Ryan Hockensmith's article about "My Priceless,...

In which RJ, Sarah and Dave talk guilty pleasures, quarantine fatigue, 1st century exorcisms, and eccentric branches of the welfare state. Also, Dave turns to ebay while Sarah lets them eat cake. Click here to read Ian Olson's article on The Acquittal of Our Guilty Pleasures Click here to read Megan Garber's appraisal of Groundhog Day Click here to read Damon Linker's When Time Stops Click here to...

In which Sarah, RJ, and Dave talk Michael Jordan, productivity epiphanies, and Kierkegaard's glorious failures. Also, Dave goes full Regency while Sarah expounds on Russian dynasties. Click here to read Brian Phillips' piece on Michael Jordan the Story Versus Michael Jordan the Man. Click here to read Laurie Penny's essay on how Productivity Is Not Working. Click here to read Thomas J. Millay's re...

In which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk corona shaming, prepared forgiveness, parental anxiety and essential churches. Also, RJ finally finds out how the cow ate the cabbage. Click here to read Jennifer Weiner's piece on The Seductive Appeal of Pandemic Shaming. Click here to read Emily Lordi's The Stutterer's Song: Remembering Bill Withers Click here to read Agnes Callard's article on The Emotion Polic...

In which Sarah, RJ and Dave talk the ministry of weirdness and the hope of post-Corona grace before lamenting the popularity of lament. Also, Sarah reassesses Pokemon while RJ complains about his boss. To read Sam Anderson's profile of Weird Al, click here . To read Amanda McMillen's piece on Grace Before and After Corona, click here . To read Todd Brewer's essay on "More Than Lament", click here...

In which Dave, Sarah, and RJ talk celebrity backlash, culpability anxiety, remote worship, and New York trauma. Also, Dave does his best Coach Taylor impression while Sarah learns from widows.

In which Sarah, RJ, and Dave talk favorite memes, anticipatory grief, apocalyptic pick-up lines, and other impossibilities. Also, Sarah organizes a Zoom happy hour, and RJ shakes his neighbor's hand.

In which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk corona-couples, corona-parents, corona-jobs, and the perils of giving advice. Also, RJ takes things too personally, Sarah skips Morning Prayer, and no celebrates Lazarus's life. Articles discussed: Jennifer Senior's "Welcome to Marriage During Coronavirus" "Lowering the Bar in Parenting" via The Cut Productivity in a Pandemic Click here to read Tim Kreider's polem...

In which Dave, Sarah, and RJ talk new corona-realities, compassion shortages, and Martin Luther's advice for pandemic survivors--before giving their quarantine recommendations. Also, RJ goes bodysurfing while Sarah prays for teenagers in love. Click here to read David Brooks' column on how Pandemics Kill Compassion. Click here to read Emmy Yang's article on What Martin Luther Teaches Us About Coro...

In which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk dating Lady Gaga, reading MeMaw's bible, reckoning with coronapanic during Lent, and forgiving other people's enemies. Also, Sarah leaves a trail of bodies behind her while Dave listens to Big Pink. Click here to read about Lady Gaga's new boyfriend's ex-girfriend Click here to read Sarah's article about the blessings of the elderly Click here to view A Photograph...

In which Sarah, RJ, and Dave talk closeness-communication bias, Type of Guy Theory, nuclear family breakdown, and skipping church. Also, Florida man RJ Heijmen reveals why he speaks so quickly, and Sarah discloses her least favorite sermon. Click here to sign up for The Mockingbird Digest. Click here for more info about the Mockingbird Festival in Tyler, TX (4/3-5). Click here to sign up for the 2...

In this special episode of The Mockingcast, Ethan Richardson takes us on a tour of The Future Issue of The Mockingbird magazine, featuring interviews with historian Tom Holland and NY Times technology columnist Nellie Bowles. Also, once-and-future Mbird authority Will McDavid provides what may be the world's foremost take on the intersection of Marcel Proust and the Left Behind series. Grab your c...

In which Dave, Sarah, and RJ talk 50 year old aspirations, middle school peers, and knitting purity spirals. Also, Rev. Condon takes us on a tour of that frightening place known as "Secular Sarah Hell." Click here to read Jennifer Weiner's article "I Feel Personally Judged by J.Lo's Body" Click here to read Lydia Denworth's article on The Outsize Influence of Your Middle School Friends in The Atla...

In which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk advanced status games, gracious cheerleaders, deathrow mercies, and anti-institutional performancism. Also, Ken F promises to let them all cut in line. Click here to read Agnes Callard's article "Who Wants to Play the Status Game?" Click here to read Todd Brewer's piece "Netflix’s 'Cheer': Law and Grace in Action." Click here to read Christianity Today 's intervie...

In the first new episode of 2020, RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk Parkinson's Law, algorithmic decades, and neonatal epiphanies. Also, Dave sees Little Women, Sarah preps for Twin Day, and things stop going according to RJ's plan. Click here to read The Atlantic's explanation of Why You Have No Time Click here to read Katherine Miller's essay on how The 2010's Broke Our Sense of Time Click here to listen...

In which Sarah, RJ, and Dave talk sassy mom merch, overrated advents, and the theology of foster care. They also share their favorites from 2019. Oh and RJ sings... a lot. Click here to read Jia Tolentino's article on "The Quiet Protests of Sassy Mom Merch." Click here to read Tish Harrison Warren's NY Times column about Advent. Click here to read Ben Maddison's "Mary Definitely Knew." Click here...