Eyres On The Road

In this episode the Eyres talk about how a parental attitude of extreme humility, acknowledging the "everythingness" of God and our own "nothingness" can impact the atmosphere and the perspective of our children and our families. Through personal stories and experiences Richard and Linda summarize their article which is currently the cover story in Meridian Magazine at latterdaysaintmag.com.

In the first half of this episode the Eyres talk about the log cabin they built as a family in the Blue Mountains of Oregon--where their five sons and 20 of their grandkids are "camping" this week. In the second half they shift to an overview of an essay series they are writing on viewing the Gospel of Jesus Christ within a family centric paradigm. You can find the summary of all 12 essays at latterdaysaintmag.com this weekend.

The Ampersand (&) is what we need more of in this polarized world of ours where everything seems to be a Versus (vs). The & pulls things (and pulls people) together, while the vs pushes people (or things) apart. We especially need more & and less vs in Politics and in human relationships. And perhaps where we need the & most is in our marriages. Read the article that accompanies this episode on the cover of Meridian Magazine.

In this episode, Richard and Linda tell three stories from their recent essay at latterdaysaintmag.com. Each of the three stories illustrate how our Parental God loves all of His children despite the things that, to our limited perspective, look unequal and unfair. You will enjoy these stories, (one involved a giant Banyan tree) and they will expand your view of Divine Inclusivity.

There are more than 2.5 billion Christians in the world who refer to God as "Father." Usually it is a term of respect or honor, symbolic or metaphorical for Creator (as in Thomas Edison being the "Father" of the light bulb.) But there is one Church, one Faith Tradition, that uses the term Father literally, and that is what the Eyres talk about in this episode. For more on this subject, see the cover story at latterdaysaintmag.com.

In this episode, Richard and Linda explore the fascinating doctrine of pre-mortal life and delve into how that belief can change our view of this world and its purpose. While all churches teach some form of life after live, and even though deja vu is a near universal experience, there is only one church in all of Christianity that officially teaches of a life before life. Richard also writes about this subject today at https://latterdaysaintmag.com

Today the Eyres, fresh off of a retreat with their four soon-to-be missionary grandsons, talk about the interplay between family and church, and how, in an ideal world, religion supports and backs up families. They believe that it is families that are eternal, not churches, and that we are all part of families here on earth and part of God's family for eternity. Read the article they refer to at https://latterdaysaintmag.com/making-sense-of-the-gospel-through-a-family-lens/.

How do we get ourselves and our kids in touch with the Spirit or Higher Intelligence of God, to help us discern truth from error and give us the security and comfort we need? The Eyres suggest that there are four portals (abbreviated PTL) that get us "in" to the Spirit: Joy, Love, Peace, and Beauty. Today, they discuss these four portals as both the passwords into the Spirit, and as the manifestations of the Spirit.

(Saren, left, as a 5 year old in England) In their ongoing effort to introduce podcast listeners to their children who they talk about so often, the Eyres interview their first daughter Saren on today's episode. Saren's stellar Wellesley/Harvard education, her LDS mission to Bulgaria, and having 5 kids of her own in five years launched her into a life of service to other parents and families and to coaching and speaking to parents worldwide through her organization, poweroffamilies.com

(Shawni, middle, as a child in London) On today's show, Richard and Linda interview their daughter Shawni, well-known blogger (71toes.com) and podcaster (In the Arena with the Eyre Sisters) about her life, her family, and the motivation behind her ongoing work to help and improve parenting and families. Briefly covering Shawni's life from childhood through her education, her mission, and her own marriage and family, the conversation stems into encouragement for all parents.

The Eyres are in Laguna Beach today and In this new episode they continue their series on "3-letter lessons" and focus on OBS or Observe. Really seeing, truly noticing, and the effort to be acutely aware is the key to all learning and all becoming. Jesus taught us to "watch and pray" and the better we get at observing the more we will have of gratitude, calmness, love, beauty, peace, perspective, inspiration, and joy.

The Eyres cast today from the South of Italy, the "boot" as it is called, where Richard is playing in an international senior tennis tournament. They are traveling with their son Tal, featured on last week's podcast with his new book DAD MODE, and his Swiss wife Anita who is a noted personal coach. Tal and Anita tell "their story" which includes a year long "humanitarian honeymoon." See more at TalEyre.com and AnitaJoosEyre.com.

In this new episode, Richard and Linda interview their son Talmadge about his new book DAD MODE. Tal, a Master of Positive Psychology from U. Penn, and a former college basketball star who now lives in Switzerland with his family, talks about the universal need of Dads to have stronger personal connections with their children. DAD MODE will be published for Father's Day but is available now for pre-order on Amazon.

Linda and Richard get personal on today's show, and talk about what each of their adult children are doing to strengthen and encourage families. Perhaps the permissible form of pride is the kind we all have for our kids, and the Eyres, while acknowledging that everyone has problems, let it rip about their pride in each of their progeny, and give us websites to follow each of them in the family-work they are doing.

Today the Eyres make a strong appeal for a more inclusive definition of "FAMILY" and suggest that blood really is thicker than water. Conscious, diligent effort to stay connected with parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles and even ancestors is important and always pays off. Family is not just parents and kids: we are ALL part of a family. The Eyres give four specific suggestions on how to connect and synergize.

The Eyres continue their 3-letter lesson series with the concept of "easy" and the question of whether we should think of our lives as hard or easy and how we can move from one toward the other. For Easter week, Richard and Linda have focused on Matt. 11:30 where Christ says "My yoke is easy" and they examine both spiritual and secular approaches to simplifying, prioritizing, and "sharpening our saws."

How can parents and grandparents work together in a synergistic way for the good of the children? How can we keep ourselves connected with good parenting and grandparenting ideas? The Eyres discuss these questions and point us toward their website EyresFreeBooks.com where many of their books are instantly available for free and where there are discount links for their latest books.

In this episode, Linda and Richard talk about the three books they are currently working on, and reflect on how the role of books has changed in today's world, and been replaced in many ways by podcasts and audible. They mention the new hit podcast of their four daughters and encourage us all to pay closer attention to what we listen to, what we read, and what we write.

Today the Eyres are at Indian Wells at a tennis tournament and talk about how Linda adopted Richard's love for tennis. The discussion expands to how Richard developed a love for Linda's profession of classical music, and then broadens to the concept of making the interests of those you love into your own interests and learning from each other even as we expand our own horizons.

Richard is flying solo from Phoenix this week on Eyres on the Road while Linda is traveling with her sisters-in-law, so Richard is taking the opportunity to explore some recent public polling data that shows that the individual rather than the family has become the basic unit of American thought and culture and that good jobs and income are thought to be more relevant to well-being than being married or having children. What can be done?