The Mockingcast

They explore why we mispredict what will make us happy and how small daily joys beat rare big wins. Fantasy literature, myth, and monsters get defended as sources of wonder and moral truth. The idea of workplace mattering and Gen Z’s search for value is debated. Tender stories about loss, vocation, and finding closeness to God weave through the conversation.

They trade surreal survival tales from snowstorms and an iguanapocalypse. They debate facial conformity, aging, and the pressures of appearance. They wrestle with mortality, funerals, and Ash Wednesday’s plain confrontation with finitude. They argue for messy, welcoming worship and tell the surprising story of a well-meaning art restoration that became a pilgrimage.

In 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

Last 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

In 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)"

In which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk picky eaters, shameless monsters, wartime tragedies, and the uselessness of God. Also, RJ wets the bed (and never looks back). Click here to listen to the recordings from the recent Mbird Conference in Charlottesville, VA. Click here to read "In Defense of Picking Eating" by Irina Dumistrescu on Serious Eats. Click here to read Belle Tindall's piece on Seen and Unseen, "We Needs a Sense of Shame -- But Need Mercy Even More." Click here for more details about the 2026 NYC Mbird Conference (4/23-25). Click here to read "The End of Ed Kochanowski's War" in The Boston Globe. Click here to read "A (Reluctant) Living Testimony" by Amanda Geisinger on Mbird.

In which RJ, Sarah and Dave talk intentional everything, morbid curiosity, Methodist exorcists, and Hollywood epiphanies. Also, Sarah praises her favorite horror film, while the boys gush about Task. Click here to register for our Fall Conference in Charlottesville, VA (11/14&15) Click here to read When Did Everything Become So ‘Intentional’? by Marie Solis in the NY Times Click here to read The Perks of Morbid Curiosity by Coltan Scrivener in The Atlantic Click here to read "Exponents of Falsehood" by Jason Micheli on Mbird Click here to listen to the Mcast episode Sarah mentions, "What Am I Gonna Do About the Demons?" Click here to read the interview with Anthony Hopkins in the NY Times Click here to read "It's a Beautiful Day to Yell at God" by Sarah Condon on Mbird

In which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk painless tattoos, workaholic scripts, sloppy social media, and Japanese lifesavers. Also, Sarah gets down with a theater full of fifth graders before singing with church full of Norwegians. Closing music courtesy of Voice of Joy. Click here for more details about -- or to register for -- the Fall Mbird Conference in Charlottesville, VA (11/14&15). Click here to read in the Atlantic about how "People Are Getting Tattoos Under Anesthesia." Click here to watch the short film, Beneath the Ink. Click here to read "If I Work Harder, Will You Love Me?" by Arthur Brooks in the Atlantic. Click here to read "We Are the Slop" by Freya India in the After Babel newsletter. Click here to read Dave's piece "Grace in a Time of Line-Drawing and Statement-Making" on Mbird. Click here to read about "The Pastor Who Rescues People from Japan’s ‘Suicide Cliff’" by Kazusa Okaya in Christianity Today. Click here to find out more about Voice of Joy, the Norwegian gospel choir Sarah mentions who also close the show.

In which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk silent retreats, repentant writing, alien mercy, and Hallmark movies. Also, RJ goes Confucian while Dave spitballs a new kind of Dry January. Click here to read Ben Brasch's article "Silent Retreats Are Surging in Popularity" in the Washington Post. Click here to read Lauren Jackson's newsletter on "The Pscyhological Value of Repentance" in the NY Times. Click here to read Sarah's "Grace in an Age of Vengeance" on Mbird. Click here to read Ashley Hales's interview with Elizabeth Bruenig in Christianity Today, "Alien Mercy." Click here to read Elizabeth Bruenig's lengthy essay "Witness" in The Atlantic. Click here to read Matt Metevelis's piece on Mbird "The Gospel Is Not Your Happy Ending." Click here for more information about, or to pre-register for, the Fall Mbird Conference in Charlottesville, VA (Nov 14&15).

In which RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk predatory advice-giving, suspicious mission statements, unloving algorithms, and atoning physicians. Also, Dave's son wins a big award. Click here to read Russell Shaw's article in the Atlantic, "When Your Kid’s Best Friend Is a Great Big Problem." Click here to read the NY Times interview with Brene Brown. Click here to read NBW's "Sufficiently Suspicious" newsletter. Click here to read "Excuses, Excuses" by Sam Bush on Mbird. Click here to read "A Family Doctor's Search for Salvation" in the New Yorker.