The Cricket and Seagull Fireside Chat

Forget that most famous first-page diary entry on January 1st where you try to sum up the entire previous year. Instead, listen as noted EFY and Education Week speaker Randal Wright teaches you The 3 Word Journal technique, and get started accessing your own mind and your own experiences in a simple, yet profoundly meaningful way.

You'll be surprised what memories and events just a few words can trigger and how easy it is to "3 Word" them for later expansion. You'll soon have a catalogue of instantly accessible life experiences which point the way to what the Lord has prepared you for in this life and be able to leave a legacy of personal learning to bless your family for generations.

(I'm not kidding when I say this is one of the most fascinating and useful interviews I've conducted and I really wish I could make everyone sit down and listen for 20 minutes, then share it with a friend.)

:-)

That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

Now accessible in nearly every temple district, the LDS Church's New FamilySearch program puts research resources at your fingertips in ways only dreamed of even a few decades ago, and prevents the duplication of effort which has bogged down the work in the past.

Product Manager Ron Tanner talks about how to log on, new advances in the online program, the realization of an amazing visionary statement from 1947, why you're never too old to learn to use the New FamilySearch, and why it's changing the atmosphere in temples everywhere.

That's th

Most Latter-day Saints can answer the "Why are we here?" question from childhood, but it can be a bit trickier to find the answer to "Why am I here?" Institute instructor, author, and EFY and Education Week speaker Randal A. Wright worries about that, "Because," he says, the youth we are retaining in the church "are the ones who really know who they are," while we lose many of the others.

In this interview Dr. Wright talks about Patriarchal Blessings, how the Lord reveals things to us over time, using both our strengths and our weaknesses as clues, and why we are never to old to ask the Lord, "What's next for me?"

That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

Though most of his patients in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada call him Dr. Burton, fans of his music just call him Wayne.

On his first Christmas release, Wayne Burton shares originals like "This Night," and "One Life," (which you can also find on YouTube.com with videos) and classics like "Angels We Have Heard on High," and "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," supported by artists like Jenny Frogley, Cherie Call, Alex Boyé, and Justin Smith.

That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

In over 40 trips to The Sacred Grove both on his own and with tour groups, author and photographer Scot Proctor has seen the Smith Farm in every light and every season, but there was one day, early in the morning, which truly was a day like no other.  The images captured on that magical day have now found their way into a book for both children and adults which is as close to a journey to the grove with young Joseph Smith as you can have, short of going there yourself.

Scot Proctor talks about deciding what to do with the gift of that day's photographs, the unique opportunity to publish the book simultaneously in eleven different languages, and about the questions and content included in the text itself.

That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

It's been seven years since her last holiday album, and with Christmas Once Again Hilary Weeks blends the true meaning of the holiday with songs of family and fun. 

From a unique new counterpoint to Silent Night, to favorites like O Come All Ye Faithful and Do You Hear What I Hear, you'll find music just right for decorating the tree, wrapping presents, or simply sitting and contemplating the wonder of our Savior born as a child.

That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

When four unique and recognizable voices suddenly blend into something altogether new, One Clear Voice is at their musically satisfying best.  In sharing music from their sophomore release, the four women of One Clear Voice talk about that surprising blend, their own sense of mission, and what matters most in their lives.

On "Go Without Knowing," you'll hear tender moments like  "Gratitude," and "Children Will Listen," the joy of "Dance in the Rain,"  and "How You Live," and the fun of an a cappella "I Can See Clearly Now," showing the versatility of experienced performers who sound just as good live as they do in the studio, and who can bring it back to center and break your heart with the simplicity of "Jesus Wept."

That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

For decades, people have been drawn to the inspiring music of Janice Kapp Perry and the sacred art of her brother Gary Kapp. Now, for the first time, the pair have combined their talents to present a stirring witness of the Savior through music and art with a book containing twenty-three full-color paintings and twenty-five original hymns and songs.

Janice and Gary talk about this tribute to the ancient people of the Book of Mormon, their own artistic beginnings, and a few of their spiritual experiences in the writing and painting of the works featured in "Another Witness—Music and Art that Testify of Christ."

That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

Once upon a time, two slightly frustrated neighbors began compiling all the useful food storage and food preparation info they could find into one place, which soon became the book they'd always wished for, but never found. Now in it's seventh printing, this eminently practical and helpful book has become many people's food storage "Bible."  

In "Emergency Food in a Nutshell," authors Lisa Harkness and Leslie Probert share the "why," the "how," and especially the "useful" and the "simple," about storing, cooking, and enjoying emergency food, and, perhaps best of all, the spiritual motivation and blessings for those who are willing to be prepared.

That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

When an established singer/songwriter puts out a new album of top-notch songs, it does tend to make a little splash. And in this case, the whole collection is about the little splashes of grace that ripple outward forever in our lives.

From the almost comical images of "Grace is Amazing" to "Leave it Like it Is," Cherie Call makes sure you get a full dose of the cheery and the teary, and rejoices in the comfort and the lessons to be found in the down-to-earth, every-day details of our lives.

That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...