Do you need help parenting? I know I did! I was a parent educator for many years and taught some of the best curriculums. And yet, when I had teenagers… I reached out for other perspectives! Sharla Goettl’s book, Spiritual Resilience, Leading our Youth to Go and Do, is a wonderful resource for any parent who is also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ ~ or who lives a Christ centered life.
Sharla’s book is a priceless resource written with all the passion parents feel for their children. But I don’t need to tell you about it. Listen to Sharla talk about her life and inspiration. Read an interesting interview with the author. After you listen—comeback and download a free gift and enter a Rafflecopter Giveaway sponsored by the author. Meet Sharla and hear her story:
Sharla Goettl has served as a youth leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints almost every year of her adult life. Doing so has taught her the faithful capacity of the youth and a respect for the parents who teach them. She currently serves as a stake Young Women president in Oregon. Sharla is a wife, mother, sister, confidant, instigator, and believer. She listens to the voices in her head, sings loudly out of tune, and dreams of faraway mountains. She feels pleasantly surprised when her kids beat her in board games, enthusiastic toward unexpected adventures, and overwhelmed by the generosity of God.
Free gift available: The Goal Maker is a guided questionnaire that will help parents determine what their next best step can be in developing spiritual resilience. This effort will help set a more powerful example through action, not just words. Makes a great companion to the book.
Fun facts: The book includes still shots from the Book of Mormon videos and a new painting of young Nephi entitled Nephi Unfinished. In the book and on my website, I tell poignant stories about my grandfather who did the work to change from bootlegger to spiritually resilient father. It is only through real-world actions that these principles can be taught.
Why did you want to write this book? I did not want to. I had no intention to write a book, but the Spirit told me there was helpful information that needed to be shared. As a stake Young Women president, I very much want to help the good families I know, and love feel successful as they teach their children the gospel of Jesus Christ. I very much want the youth I work with to get the answers they need to their repetitive questions so they can grow up fearlessly relying on a Savior that will never let them down.
What inspires you when you were writing? The parents I was working with were feeling overwhelmed about all they needed to do and all the counter influences affecting their children. We all have felt anxiety over a teenager who is losing their way. Yet I also know the younger generation will usher in the miracles of the future because of their faithful acts and greater commitment. I knew Christ must have a solution to these interconnected problems. So I went looking for the solution in the most likely place I would find it: the very beginning of the Book of Mormon. Where else would Christ put the solution to our most personal struggles?
What other authors have influenced your writing? In this instance, Nephi has been my most influential author. Afterall, the solutions I offer are not mine, but his. I just happen to be pointing them out. I love authors who back up their words with action. Rudyard Kipling, Mark Twain, Sheri Dew and Nephi are some of my favorites.
What books are you reading right now? Hold Back the Dawn. It is an unpublished manuscript my grandmother wrote several decades ago. I’ve known it existed for a long time, but am just now reading it. It has been wonderful to experience a side of her I never knew through her perspective, word choice and storytelling.
My favorite book of all time? Runaway Bunny. The book only has two characters and I have played them both. As a child, I liked to push the limits and as a mother I am learning to support my children unconditionally no matter where their adventures may lead them.
How did you come up with your book s premise? I follow the sequence of Nephi’s learning process. In fact, I use his famous verse of 1 Nephi 3:7 to reverse engineer his testimony to better understand what he knew that made him willing to say, “I will go and go.”
What was the most difficult thing about writing the book? First was remembering to pray before I began to write. If I did not, I would inevitably get stuck and have to start over. Second was developing the cover. I went down so many rabbit holes trying to find an image to relay spiritual resilience. Finally, I went with what was real: my own family. I had to write based on my own real questions. I had to share my own real interactions with my daughters and the Spirit, so it feels fitting. Besides, my family has their fingers all over this book. A book about family would mean nothing without them.
What advice would you give someone who thinks they might want to write a book? Be prepared for a long process. Be willing to humbly share parts of yourself. Every time you hit delete to start over it marks a mini-step of progress, not defeat. It means you are learning and changing and getting better.
What is the next book you will begin writing? I am already working on an illustrated children’s book based on the same ideas discussed in Spiritual Resilience but for a much younger crowd. The book is based on how Nephi developed his testimony and is called “I Will Go and Do.”
What do your fans mean to you? I wrote the book for the many youth I have worked with over the years. They have shared parts of themselves with me which is sacred. But I believe our Heavenly Father would tell me there is nothing there is nothing more sacred than a relationship between a parent and a child. I truly just want to be helpful in strengthening that bond to be even more reliable, loving, and strong.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day? Covid has wrecked my daily schedule. I stay up way too late and wake up too late in the morning, so that is a question that hits home. The answer is easy of course. It is my kids. I want to be with them more than I want to be on my pillow.
When you are not writing, how do you spend your time? Like so many others, I wear many hats these days and not a single day Is the same. I help my kids on their heavy schoolwork, all are online and two are enrolled early in college. My church calling is time consuming in a wonderful way. My husband and I own a construction business. We are also currently renovating a personal property in Bend, Oregon. It is a place that has all my favorite things: mountains, rivers, hiking, biking, skiing, kayaking and food.
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FOLLOW AND CHAT WITH THE AUTHOR!
Author’s website: www.sharlagoettl.com
Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/authorsharlagoettl
Instagram: @authorsharlagoettl
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/sharlagoettl
