Podcast
The Mockingcast
Hosted by Mockingbird · EN
The Mockingcast is a bi-weekly podcast hosted by RJ Heijmen, Sarah Condon and David Zahl, and brought to you by Mockingbird Ministries, an organization which seeks to connect the Christian faith with the realities of everyday life in fresh and down-to-earth ways. You can find out more about Mockingbird at www.mbird.com. Audio production provided by TJ Hester.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Episode 296: The Curb That the Builders Rejected
Jun 800:58:02Tap to summarizeIn their season finale, RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk Costco skaters, commodified religion, and the God who isn't supposed-to-be. Also, Dave doubles down on hotdogmaxxing while Sarah's remembers jncos. Click here to respond to the opening appeal Click here to read "What I Learned about Loss While Skateboarding at Costco" by Conor Dougherty in The NY Times Click here to read Freya India's substack about "The Commodification of Christianity" To download The Mockingapp click here for Apple and here for Android Click here to read NBW's sermon "Creatures from the God Lagoon"
Transcribe →Episode 295: The Blessing of Being Forgotten
May 2601:03:27Tap to summarizeIn which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk forced cheeriness, prediction addiction, satisficing breakthroughs, and the grammar of grace. Also, Sarah visits the mothership while Dave maximizes hot dogs. Click here to read about Starbucks notes in The Boston Globe. Click here to read Joshua Rothman's essay "Do We Think Too Much About the Future?" in The New Yorker. Click here to read "The Blessing of Being Forgotten" by John Pennylegion on Mbird. Click here to read about The Nobel-Prize Winning Psychologist Who Thought He Found the Secret to Happiness in The NY Times. Click here to read Trygve Johnson's substack on The Grammar of Grace. Click here to listen to the episode of The Daily about the resurgence of religion in the United States.
Transcribe →Episode 294: Who Do You Think You Are Miss Astorbutt?
May 401:15:30Tap to summarizeIn which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk casinofication, sketch comedy, main character energy, and self-transcendence. Also, RJ yearns to be too small to fail, while Sarah learns her son used to be a light bulb. Click here to listen to the recordings for our recent conference in New York City Click here to register for the 20th Anniversary NYC Conference (4/15-17/2027) Click here to read Russell Moore's newsletter "Against the Casinofication of the Church" Click here to read the NY Times interview with Bob Odenkirk Click here to read Megan Garber's piece in the Atlantic about The New Age of Performance Anxiety Click here to read Tony Robinson's post on Mbird, "A Self Help Guru Has Second Thoughts" Click here to read McKay Coppins essay in the Atlantic about online gambling, "Sucker"
Transcribe →Episode 293: The Secret Vault of Thomas Kinkade
Apr 2001:12:03Tap to summarizeIn which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk underachieving parents, hype aversion, and the impassability of God. Also, Dave reconsiders Iron Maiden while Sarah has a run-in at the farmer's market. Click here for more information about this week's Mockingbird Conference in New York City (4/23-25). Click here for more information about our Fall Conference in Minneapolis (10/2-3). Click here to read "Parents, Consider Underachieving" by Rachel Feintzeig in The NY Times. Click here to read about The People Who Shun Super Popular Pop Culture by Anna Holmes in The Atlantic. Click here to watch Nick Cave's interview with Unherd. Click here to read "Lessons from the Hidden Vault of Thomas Kinkade" by Michael Wright on Mbird. Click here to read Richard Beck's substack on The Good News of God's Impassability.
Transcribe →Episode 292: False Evidence Appearing Real
Apr 701:12:48Tap to summarizeIn which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk starting a band, the tyranny of metrics, meaning fatigue, and the second most honest day of the (church) year. Also, Dave uncovers an animated conspiracy while Sarah bumps into an alternate timeline. Click here for more information about the upcoming Mbird Conference in NYC (4/23-25), including RJ's pre-conference church renewal seminar. For inquiries about scholarships, email info@mbird.com. Click here to read "Start a Band, Even If You're Terrible" by Hugo Lindgren. Click here to read (or listen to) Derek Thompson's interview with C. Thi Nguyen about How Metrics Make Us Miserable. Click here to read Ryan Burge's substack about The Big Questions. Click here to read "Every Day Is Holy Saturday" by M Elizabeth Lewis Hall, Kelly Kapic and Jason McMartin on Mbird.
Transcribe →Episode 291: Happiness Weighs an Extra Twenty Pounds
Mar 201:02:34Tap to summarizeIn which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk affective forecasting, fantasy literature, workplace mattering, and collapsed demands. Also, a punk rocker gets a miracle bus ticket, and the ice monster comes for our kids. Click here to register for the Spring Mbird Conference in NYC (4/23-25) Click here to listen to Sarah's sermon "I Like Your Dancing", delivered at RJ's church. Click here to read "Most of Us Are Bad at Predicting What Will Make Us Happy" by Ruston Dodd on The Athletic. Click here to read Francis Spufford's defense of fantasy in The Guardian. Click here to read The Up and Up's interview with Jennifer Breheny Wallace about Gen Z and Mattering. Click here to read about "The Three Quarter Life Crisis" by Rob Myallis on Mbird. Click here to read "What Remains When Nothing Can Be Done" by Kyle Wells on Mbird.
Transcribe →Episode 290: Sanctuary of the Pitiful Heart
Feb 1001:08:36Tap to summarizeIn which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk face functions, last breaths, cringe churches, and Monkey Jesus. Also, Sarah runs into a teenage witch while RJ survives an iguanapocalypse. This episode is dedicated to the memory of Derek Sweatman. Click here to register for the upcoming NYC Mockingbird conference (4/23-25). Click here to read "Is the Backlash to Facial Conformity Finally Upon Us?" by Valerie Monroe in Allure. Click here to read "Ash Wednesday Asks Nothing" by Jacob Lupfer in Commonweal. Click here to read "A Church of Cringe" by Todd Brewer on Mbird. Click here to read the obituary for Cecilia Giménez in The Economist.
Transcribe →Episode 289: Throw Parties, Give Gifts, Tell Stories
Jan 2601:07:20Tap to summarizeIn which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk Lieutenant Dan season, holy inconvenience, millennial oversocialization, and playful faith. Also, Sarah buys a rebellious sweatshirt while RJ comes to terms with his inner delivery boy. Click here to watch the toddler yacht rock Dave and Sarah mention Click here to order a copy of the Beauty Issue of The Mockingbird Magazine Click here to register for the NYC Mbird Conference (4/23-25) Click here to read "Lieutenant Dan Season" by Matt Lindeman on Mbird Click here to read "The Ugly Side of the Truth" by Gretchen Ronnevik Click here to read "In 2026, We are Friction-Maxxing" by Kathryn Jezer-Morton in The Cut Click here to read "Oversocialization, the Shackles of the Millennial Generation" by Freddie deBoer Click here to read "Whatever Ails You, the Answer Is Dance" by Boris Fishman in The NY Times Click here to read "Blessed Are the Pickleball Players" by Dave in Christianity Today
Transcribe →Episode 288: A Dog Named Lucifer
Dec 2201:11:47Tap to summarizeLast episode of the year, in which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk Knives Out, self-checkout lines, optional futures, and how not to hate Christmas. Also, Sarah gets a Zippo while heaven and earth meet at an unlikely funeral. Click here to read Dave's review of Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man on Mbird Click here to read Valerie Trapp's piece in The Atlantic on "The One Line Americans (Weirdly) Choose to Wait In" Click here to "From Option to Obligation" by Paul Skallas in the Lindy Newsletter Click here to read Sarah's "No More Flaccid Christmas Stockings" on Mbird Click here to read David Clay's "How to Not Hate Christmas" on Mbird Click here to read "Faith's Long December" by Kyle Wells on Mbird Click here to watch the performance of "Fairytale of New York" at Shane MacGowan's funeral
Transcribe →Episode 287: All the Blessed Interruptions
Dec 801:02:10Tap to summarizeIn which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk advent calendars, perfectionist musicians, interrupting mothers, and the Batman effect. The gang also takes a field trip to an acute mental health ward across the pond. Click here to respond to the opening appeal. Click here to read Ellen Cushing's "Advent Calendars Are Totally Out of Control" in The Atlantic. Click here to read "The Quest for Perfection Is Stunting Our Society" by Jonathan Biss in The NY Times. Click here to read "Can You Stop?" by Heather Havrilesky on Ask Polly Click here for the abstract of the study on The Batman Effect Click here to read William Fagan's article on Mbird, "Advent Has a Purpose (Candle Lighting Isn't It)"
Transcribe →