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Conferences


Mockingbird Festival – Tyler, TX – Pre-Registration NOW OPEN

by Mockingbird on Jan 27, 2020 •

Pre-Registration is NOW OPEN for “Take it Easy: Mockingbird Festival 2020”! Celebrating the God of grace and comfort in Tyler, TX, April 3-5.

It’s our 6th annual gathering, and our contributors list is growing! Our keynote speaker will be Will Willimon, and he’ll be joined by Carrie Willard, Jacob Smith, David Zahl, Leigh Hickman, and Jason Micheli among others, with more music guests and a mini-market this year.

Thank you to Brad Wofford with BW Design for another year of beautiful graphics!

Register by March 15 for the “EarlyBird” discount at mbirdtyler.com and receive 15% off.

Shooting Blanks: Baby-Making in an Age of Anxiety – Ben Maddison

by Mockingbird on Dec 3, 2019 •

From our Spring conference in NYC, the following video features Mockingbird contributor Ben Maddison, in a talk about fatherhood and fertility in the 21st century. For more, see his previous work The Weight of Masculinity and Mary Definitely Knew.

Shooting Blanks: Baby-Making in an Age of Anxiety – Ben Maddison from Mockingbird on Vimeo.

Devotion # 4 – Larry Parlsey (Colossians 1:21-23)

by Mockingbird on Nov 18, 2019 •

The next video from our gathering in NYC features conference chaplain Larry Parsley. Here Larry addresses shame and the curation of blemishes — and from where we draw our ultimate hope:

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. (Colossians 1:21-23 NIV)

Devotion 4 – Larry Parsley from Mockingbird on Vimeo.

On Comic Books: Our Commonly Felt Need and the Search for Hope – Kyle Tomlin

by Mockingbird on Oct 21, 2019 • 2 Comments

Right on time for the new Watchmen series, this video from our recent conference in NYC features commentary on the graphic novel, among other classics. Guided by “God and Comics” co-host Kyle Tomlin, we consider stories of superheroes and what they tell us about who we are, who we think we are, and what we are ultimately longing for. Characters include Superman, Billy Batson, Batman, the Joker, Doctor Manhattan, and others.

On Comic Books: Our Commonly Felt Need and the Search for Hope – Kyle Tomlin

Life, Love and Other Impossibilities: Your Savior is Not You – Nick Lannon

by Mockingbird on Oct 16, 2019 •

In our next video, Nick Lannon, author of Life Is Impossible (And That’s Good News), speaks at our annual conference. Topics include: asking out a crush, turning your frown upside-down, Saving Private Ryan, the Sermon on the Mount, a tyrannosaur, and a double quarter-pounder with cheese. Bombs away!

Life, Love and Other Impossibilities: Your Savior is Not You – Nick Lannon

Seculosity and the Future of Guilt Management – David Zahl

by Mockingbird on Sep 30, 2019 •

From this year’s annual Mockingbird conference in NYC, here is David Zahl speaking about and reading from his new book Seculosity. Topics include Soylent, anxiety, toxic religions, and snow days:

Seculosity and the Future of Guilt Management – David Zahl from Mockingbird on Vimeo.

Be Your Worst Self – Stephanie Phillips

by Mockingbird on Sep 5, 2019 •

From our recent conference in NYC, Mockingbird contributor Stephanie Phillips shares wisdom on how to live your best life—psych! Topics include: anarchical deodorant, firemonster babies, the expectations of our best selves, Catastrophe, grief, and the presence of God.

Be Your Worst Self – Stephanie Phillips from Mockingbird on Vimeo.

Judgment, Grace, and Rest in Flannery O’Connor – Will McDavid

by Mockingbird on Aug 30, 2019 •

Next up in our series of conference videos, Will McDavid discusses the lesser known short story, “A Circle in the Fire,” by Flannery O’Connor. A thorough take on a story that blazes…

Judgment, Grace, and Rest in Flannery O’Connor – Will McDavid

Devotion #3 – Larry Parsley (Colossians 4:2-6)

by Mockingbird on Aug 26, 2019 •

This morning’s video, from our conference in NYC, features pastor and author Larry Parsley, speaking on Colossians 4:2-6. In this one, Larry discusses what it means to season your speech with graciousness and…garlic. Yum:

Devotion #3 – Larry Parsley from Mockingbird on Vimeo.

Why Me Lord: A Brief Look at the Scoundrels, Buffoons and Ne’er Do Well’s Whom God Pursues in the Parables – Erick Sorensen

by Mockingbird on Aug 19, 2019 •

Next in our series of conference videos, Erick Sorensen discusses a God who couldn’t care less about our lists of accomplishments, as illustrated by the parables of Jesus. Press play for a fresh take on familiar tales, which Sorenson re-casts in light of real-life stories featuring scoundrels, sinners, and nobodies…like us.

Why Me Lord: A Brief Look at the Scoundrels, Buffoons and Ne’er Do Well’s Whom God Pursues in the Parables – Erick Sorensen

I Died and Didn’t Go To Heaven: Grace, Grief, and the Big Question – Connor Gwin

by Mockingbird on Aug 5, 2019 • 4 Comments

Up next in our series of conference videos, Mockingbird contributor Connor Gwin tells of his sudden cardiac arrest and subsequent resuscitation. Thus the big questions are raised, and linen pants are worn, and Steel Magnolias is watched — and the reality of life and death is confronted. This talk is for anyone who has ever wondered “what comes next.”

I Died and Didn’t Go To Heaven: Grace, Grief, and the Big Question – Connor Gwin from Mockingbird on Vimeo.

At Ego’s End: Where Grace Intersects Us – Josh Retterer

by Mockingbird on Aug 1, 2019 • 2 Comments

Next up from our recent conference in NYC, Mockingbird contributor Josh Retterer takes the stage! Here Josh shares a testimony of ego-death — the point at which we can begin to see the gospel’s impact on our lives:

At Ego’s End: Where Grace Intersects Us – Josh Retterer from Mockingbird on Vimeo.