Posts tagged "David Zahl"
Hopelessly Devoted: Matthew Chapter One Verse Twenty-One
Bible / Christmas

Hopelessly Devoted: Matthew Chapter One Verse Twenty-One

by Mockingbird on Dec 5, 2011 • No Comments

From DZ, this Monday’s devotion brings us into the spirit of Advent with a reflection on the first chapter of Matthew.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

The poet W.H. Auden once wrote, “Nothing that is possible can save us/ We who must die demand a miracle”. This is a bold statement, and one whose truth might not be self-evident in everyday life. Many of the problems we face on a daily level can be fixed, or at least, addressed: If our car…

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Birmingham Conference Recordings: Grace, Rest and the End of Scorekeeping
Books / Conferences / Film / Grace in Practice / Humor / Music / Theology / TV

Birmingham Conference Recordings: Grace, Rest and the End of Scorekeeping

by Mockingbird on Nov 1, 2011 • 14 Comments

A major thank you to everyone who helped us put on this past weekend’s conference in Birmingham, AL, especially all the good people at Cathedral Church of the Advent. What a delightful and inspiring time it was! Lots of laughter, a few tears, some great food and tons of new connections, we could not be more grateful. The audio files for the presentations are below, listed in chronological order, and are embedded to be playable on this site. You may download them by clicking on the title. We have also provided links to where you may purchase the media that…

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Give Up, Charlie Sheen!
Addiction / Celebrity / TV

Give Up, Charlie Sheen!

by Bryan J. on Feb 25, 2011 • 7 Comments

But alas, the exhortation to “give up” does not engender the ability, nor the desire, to “give up.”

We’ve posted bits and pieces on Charlie Sheen’s very public, very unfortunate meltdown before, but one might argue that Thursday the “bottoming out process” began. CBS has halted production on Sheen’s successful TV show, Two-and-a-Half-Men, in response to Sheen’s recent disastrous radio interview. Sheen attacked, among other things, the show’s producer, Alcoholics Anonymous, and, of course, Thomas Jefferson? As Sheen publicly tailspins, he becomes a public example of the bound will we all wrestle with day-in and day-out. Some moments…

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Prayer

Participants Needed For An Online Questionnaire Study

by Bonnie on Feb 15, 2011 • No Comments

DZ gave me permission to post this on here, so I’ll be quick: I’m looking for participants to take part in a questionnaire study that explores people’s experiences of asking God for something or to do something (i.e. people’s petitionary prayers). It takes anywhere between 20-45 minutes to complete, is entirely anonymous, and has been approved by the University of Cambridge Research Ethics Committee.
If you would like more information or to take part in the study, please click here.

(And if you take part in the study and have comments to share with me, please email me rather than post comments…

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2011 NYC MOCKINGBIRD CONFERENCE: PRE-REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
Conferences

2011 NYC MOCKINGBIRD CONFERENCE: PRE-REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

by Mockingbird on Jan 14, 2011 • No Comments

Control and Freedom. Two words that dominate the emotional, spiritual and cultural landscape. Also two words that many of us spend our lives chasing after, mistaking one for the other, or believing they go hand-in-hand. Yet how friendly are these terms? What is the actual relation between freedom and personal control? Please join us this Spring in NYC as we explore how God’s grace calms our fears, upsets our controls, and inspires freedom in the way we live, work and love.

Our keynote speaker this year will be Mark Galli, Senior Managing Editor of Christianity Today. Other speakers include Jady Koch…

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Coming Attractions
Film

Coming Attractions

by Stampdawg on Dec 29, 2010 • No Comments

Here are seven movies being released on DVD in Jan/Feb (most of them on Jan 11 or 18). I haven’t seen them yet — but they all feel like home runs.

Get Low. “A deft blend of dark humor and poignancy” and a huge standout from a MB perspective. Read this great Christianity Today interview with Robert Duvall about it.

The Social Network. Making either #1 or #2 in many of critics’ Top Ten lists around the country. Our DZ and the NYT comment here.

The Town. Great action/thriller. Also making many critics’ top ten lists.

The Other Guys and Cyrus. Two…

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Best of 2010: Favorite Documentaries of SD
Art / Film / Year In Review

Best of 2010: Favorite Documentaries of SD

by Stampdawg on Dec 20, 2010 • 3 Comments

A week ago, DZ posted a sweet roundup of the documentaries he’s seen and loved this year. Here are a few more from me.

5. I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale. John Cazale was one of the great actors of the 70s — perhaps of all time. You may know him from playing Fredo in The Godfather (the title of this documentary is a famous line between Al Pacino and John Cazale.)

I Knew It Was You is a touching look at this gifted artist, who’s stunning performances in The Godfather, The Godfather II, The Conversation, The Deer Hunter, and…

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THE MOCKINGBIRD SINGS: Pensacola & Good News for People with Big Problems, Plus
Addiction / Conferences / Film / Humor / Literature / Music / Poetry / Sermons / Theology / TV

THE MOCKINGBIRD SINGS: Pensacola & Good News for People with Big Problems, Plus

by Mockingbird on Nov 8, 2010 • No Comments

1. The Pensacola Mini-Conference is a mere 11 days away! November 19th and 20th are your long-awaited chances to experience Mockingbird in all its physical, um, glory. The theme is “God’s Grace When We Need It Most: The Gospel For Hard Times,” and we promise it will be more fun than it sounds (you can read the previews of the content here), especially with the Mockingfather himself, Dr. Paul Zahl, speaking! Believe it or not, what we’re most looking forward to is PZ’s pre-conference seminar on preaching/ministry/life – not that any of us need help with our sermons, of course…!

Register…

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Death / Humor

Scientists successfully teach gorilla that it will die some day

by Bonnie on Oct 22, 2010 • 3 Comments
Following on from DZ’s earlier post on talking to kids about God and all the moral/ethical/theological issues surrounding it, here is a genius piece from The Onion about teaching a gorilla about the concept of mortality:

Mumford & Sons: Sigh No More
Music / Religion / Theology

Mumford & Sons: Sigh No More

by Bryan J. on Oct 13, 2010 • 5 Comments

It’s been about two months since a clergy friend of mine gave me his copy of Mumford & Sons debut album Sigh No More, and it’s been pretty much the only thing I’ve listened to since then. And whether you picked them up from DZ’s January playlist or picked them up on the radio, odds are you’re loving these guys too (they’re kinda breakin’ out here in the states, but you probably knew that already)! And Mockingbird readers, I am happy to report to you that in this album we find the ever elusive gospel in a world full of…

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Another Week Ends: We Call When All The Cards Stop
Books / Film / Humor / News / Religion / Theology / Week In Review

Another Week Ends: We Call When All The Cards Stop

by JDK on Sep 3, 2010 • 6 Comments

Filling in for DZ (a.k.a Charlie’s Dad!), I’ve dedicated these Week Ends to our tireless defense against spirituality, or, as it will, doubtless, come to be known: gnostosolipsism.

1. As Philip Yancey’s article Life in a Bubble attests to, few things illustrate the difficulty and necessity of properly distinguishing law and gospel like Christian educational institutions. Like the church, these organizations are easy targets for unexamined, lazy critiques along the lines of those exposed by PZ in his recent podcast: Green Light (1 & 2). The Law–not “those judgmental people”–is responsible for guilt and shame, and, as such, is…

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Another Week Ends: Parenting, Katy Perry, New Weezer, U2 and "God Told me to…"
Children / Music / Psychology / Religion / Week In Review

Another Week Ends: Parenting, Katy Perry, New Weezer, U2 and "God Told me to…"

by Todd Brewer on Aug 27, 2010 • 1 Comment

Filling in for DZ this week…

1. A great article from Chris Gottlieb for any parent who has ever been given unsolicited advice on their parenting skills ( I suppose that includes everyone?).

The author laments: I marvel at how comfortable people feel telling complete strangers about their purported parenting flaws…No infraction is too small or too strange to elicit comment. (The newspaper was too close to the baby’s eyes?) All my parent friends have experienced this no-win culture of judging parenting. Depending on their personalities, they have cowered, gotten angry or been demoralized by…

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Another Week Ends: Roger Ebert, Judgment, Ben Folds & Nick Hornby, and TS3
Comics / Film / Music / Psychology / Religion / Testimony / Week In Review

Another Week Ends: Roger Ebert, Judgment, Ben Folds & Nick Hornby, and TS3

by Todd Brewer on Jun 25, 2010 • 4 Comments

Filling in for DZ this week…

1. An interesting piece from George Elerick over at the Huffington Post about the destructive power of judgment. Though his alternative of a love-filled justice leaves much to be desired, he’s on to something…

“We judge others and ourselves because we have forgotten in what it looks like to be generous towards the potential of another. Judgment is a kind of amnesia that blinds us from the need to be people of generosity. Judgment, much like cigarettes, can kill. Judgment also puts everyone below the judge.”

2. A worth-while follow-up to Mr. T’s recent post about…

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High Brow Grace: Just A Little, Not Too Much – Verdi’s "Stiffelio" and Rossellini’s "Stromboli"
Film / Music / Religion

High Brow Grace: Just A Little, Not Too Much – Verdi’s "Stiffelio" and Rossellini’s "Stromboli"

by Mockingbird on Jun 23, 2010 • 2 Comments

Earlier this year the Metropolitan Opera mounted a handsome production of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Stiffelio”. It was well reviewed, and what caught the eye, in the photographs published in the New York Times at least, was the set created to represent the interior of a Reformed Church. It was Pieter Saenredam come to life.

But Wait, There’s More!

Turns out that Verdi’s 1850 “Stiffelio” is a neglected work of art. Because it was to be produced in Italy, its subject, a married Protestant minister, was controversial at the time. Therefore Verdi altered the original, and…

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A Letter From The Board: Mockingbird, Charlottesville and R.E.M.
Music

A Letter From The Board: Mockingbird, Charlottesville and R.E.M.

by Mockingbird on Apr 30, 2010 • No Comments

On June 1st, Mockingbird will be moving its headquarters from New York City to Charlottesville, Virginia. One of Mbird’s chief supporting parishes since day one, Christ Episcopal Church has graciously invited us to make our “nest” there, and we have accepted! You may remember that The Rev. Paul Walker, rector of Christ Church Charlottesville, was the founding president of Mockingbird’s board of directors.

We see this as a tremendously positive development. The move will put Mockingbird on more solid ground financially and institutionally, allowing us to embrace our calling as a resource ministry with deeper confidence and enthusiasm. While the past…

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