Today I’d like to welcome Drs. Gil Stieglitz and Dana Stieglitz as they talk about their book, Wise Parenting. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I was overwhelmed by the grace of God at the age of seventeen and have never recovered from it. God has completely remade my future and blessed me beyond anything I could have done for myself. I am one of those strange pastors who actually heard God call them into pastoral service. I enjoy an amazingly close relationship with the Lord Jesus that fills me with love, guidance, and strength each day. I am regularly amazed at what God is doing. He gave me the perfect woman, who is absolutely wonderful, gracious, beautiful, and a godly woman. Dana and I have been married for thirty-two years and are the proud parents of three wonderful adult daughters. Career-wise, I have been a Church Planter, a Senior Pastor, a District Superintendent, an Executive Pastor, and now a Discipleship Pastor for a fantastic church in the Sacramento area. Every job I have had is one that I didn’t necessarily want, but God clearly directed me to take them, so I did. He has proven over and over again that He knows way more than me. 

When did you know that you wanted to be a writer?

I can remember when my father first showed me his personal computer, and I sat down and my fingers just didn’t want to stop typing. Words poured out of my fingers. It was amazing to watch words, sentences, paragraphs, and pages grow. 

I didn’t really start putting my writing into publishable form until I wasn’t preaching new material all the time. All these ideas just needed to come out, and are still coming out today. I have published somewhere around 25-30 books, and I have probably 50 sitting in my computer or in my head waiting to get out. It’s just a part of who I am.

What is your favorite Bible verse and why?

My favorite Bible verse is Philippians 3:8, “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”   

God drew me into His personal embrace when I became a Christian in a powerful way, and I was willing to let Him take anything out of my life if I could have more of Him and more of our fellowship. He did take things away from me, but He has more than made up for anything that He has ever taken. I see this passage as Paul’s deal with Christ: “You can take anything out of my life as long as you give me more of You in its place.” Paul suffered the loss of all the things that meant so much to him, but he counted them rubbish compared to having Christ. 

I thought I was going to be married to a certain wonderful young lady as I was being installed as the pastor in my first church. On the day I was installed, she let me know that she would not be moving with me and would not marry me. I can remember telling God, “You sent me here and now I am alone. You are going to have to give me more of yourself for me to make it.” And He did. Six-and-a-half years later, I met and married the most wonderful young lady, my wife Dana, who was happy to join me in pastoral work in the Mojave Desert. We have had the most wonderful time raising our family and growing in the Lord together.

Where did you get the inspiration for your latest book?

I have been writing this book for over thirty years. We were powerfully mentored through the parenting process, and me being a writer, wanted to capture everything they had taught us—these Scriptures and godly principles that support wise parenting. I have written drafts of this book during every ten-year period of the parenting process, always knowing that we needed to know more before it was published. Now that our oldest is turning thirty this year, and the other girls are in their 20s, we feel we can confidently publish what we have learned and are still learning. I am so grateful to Dana for co-authoring with me, lending her insights and stories to the manuscript. Without her perspective, it would only be half of the story.

As a pastor, I have been helping marriages and families for all these years, but it is now time to get this material into the hands of as many parents as we can. In many ways, we parents have made the parenting process so complicated that we don’t feel competent to do it. It is a matter of Love and Training. Each of these has three elements, and if you stick to these basics, parenting can be an enjoyable and growing time for everyone. Love always has to be stronger than training, which is a hard balance when the children are small or in the teen years, but it is love that will stick with them. We must also train them and not just be a permissive parent who does not set up their children for a great life. It takes knowing how to balance these at the various ages and stages of their lives. We hope this book will show parents how.

What do you want readers to come away with after reading your book?

We want parents and grandparents to come away from this book with real tools for shaping the life and soul of the kids they are raising. It is not easy, but it is so rewarding. Pour love into them, and they will pour it back out to you. We have tried to put into this book all the routines and methods for enjoying your children and creating a joyful family. A family that is in chaos or completely disconnected is not enjoyable, are they? Introduce these wise parenting principles back into your family and watch what happens—Love and Training will always work.

About the Book

Book: W!se Parenting

Author: Drs. Gil and Dana Stieglitz

Genre: Christian Living

Release Date: August 15, 2020

Let’s face it—parenting is hard!

In fact, many parents agree it’s the hardest job they’ve ever had to do. Did you know there are specific reasons why some families do well and others come unglued? Wise Parenting: Creating the Joy of Family offers parents in all stages of parenthood the six essential ingredients that successful and joy-filled families all seem to have. This is more than just another parenting book—this is a book of hope, as well as a practical guide for success in some of the most difficult parenting areas.

For over three decades, Dr. Gil Stieglitz has worked with countless parents and teens involving family issues. He began to see a pattern emerge between families who “did it right” and the absence of that pattern in families who came apart. He, along with his wife, Dana Stieglitz, put this pattern into practice while raising their three daughters. Today, they share an uncommon depth of relationship and joy with each of them. Now they are passing this pattern on to you, so you can create a truly enjoyable family.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Dana Stieglitz has a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Samuel Merritt University. She works as Nurse Practitioner in a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation practice located in Sacramento, CA. Together, they have raised three beautiful young women who exemplify the Six R’s in their own unique ways. For more information and to check out their other books, visit www.ptlb.com or Amazon.com.

More from Dana and Gil

I can remember thirty years ago, when my wife and I had our first child, we picked up a mentor couple who was there to guide us through the first few years of the parenting process. Their guidance and support made all the difference in our parenting, helping us to be more confident in loving, directing, and guiding our baby daughter.

As our other two girls were born, we went to more parenting workshops and gathered more mentor couples. We also read, studied, and devoured all that the Scriptures had to say about the parenting process, especially the book of Proverbs. Another time, when my sister thought I was being too strict with the girls, she recommended a wonderful book that was helpful to us. All the different advice these mentors gave us and the various resources they offered were invaluable. We would have been lost without their help, not knowing what to do in so many situations. It really does take a village to raise kids wisely.

I am confident that God will guide every parent if they are looking for His wisdom. I am hopeful that my collection of all the wisdom we received over the years, and the scriptural underpinnings, will help you in the stretching, delightful, marathon-process of parenting your children. We truly did have a great time. Our kids were not easy but they were wonderful. And just so you know, we actually did have a staff meeting every week to talk through the six key R’s to try and stay ahead of our kids. I hope that this book acts like a gentle encourager on your parenting journey.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 12

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, September 13 (Author Interview)

deb’s Book Review, September 13

Texas Book-aholic, September 14

Inklings and notions, September 15

Stories By Gina, September 16 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, September 17

Locks, Hooks and Books, September 18

Artistic Nobody, September 19 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)

Ashley’s Bookshelf, September 20

Adventures of a Travelers Wife, September 21 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, September 21

Sara Jane Jacobs, September 22

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, September 23

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, September 24

Spoken from the Heart, September 25

Giveaway

To celebrate their tour, Dana and Gil are giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a set of parenting books!! (including W!se Parenting)

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10099/w-se-parenting-celebration-tour-giveaway