I am super excited to celebrate the 15th Blogiversary of Random Thoughts from a Day in the Life of a Wife, Mom, and Author! Read on for information on how you can enter to win a copy of Dreams of the Heart and a $25 Amazon gift card!
Back in 2009, I started this WordPress blog on the heels of my third book, 77 Ways Your Family Can Make a Difference. My first blog post was titled “Preparing for a Writer’s Conference”. I followed that post with a humorous one about why I wasn’t a cowgirl due to my adventures on a persnickety horse in the Montana wilds.
It soon became clear my blog wouldn’t have just one topic. Rather, as a person with a million tabs open at any given time, my blog would advance forward in a direction that included a plethora of both fun and serious topics. Encouraging posts, devotionals, movie reviews, writing posts, recipes, humor posts, book news, and how-tos have all been included in the lineup over the years.
When God redirected my path to write fiction, I excitedly embarked on creating faith-filled love stories. Christian historical romance is my first love to write, followed closely by Christian contemporary romance. I don’t think I’ll ever return to nonfiction.
However, nonfiction still runs through my veins, and my blog has, and continues to, feature mainly nonfiction posts. I love to encourage others to join me as we grow in the Lord together.
Check out some of the most popular posts listed below, in no particular order.
11 Verses About God’s Unfailing Love
We’ve all been hurt by someone we care about, whether that be a friend, relative, or fellow believer. The sting of betrayal is painful and not something that is easily overcome.
But there is One who will never betray us. He will never walk away from us when times get tough. He will never betray our confidence, share our most precious secrets, give up on us, spread gossip about us, or leave us for someone “better”.
10 ways to persevere through these challenging times
We live in a crazy world. Inflation is soaring, gas prices, groceries, and property taxes are all increasing. Violence is more prevalent. Things we never had to deal with as children are being thrust upon our own kids. The world is looking darker and darker everyday.
How can we persevere through these challenging times?
5 Ways to be Your “Sweet Self”
From as far back as I can remember, my mom has always used the saying, “just be your sweet self.”
Whether in day-to-day life or dealing with a difficult situation, my mom reminded my siblings and me that being our sweet selves was, in essence, treating others as we would like to be treated and loving our neighbor. Even when someone was unkind, our response was not to be one of retaliation or revenge, but of kindness.
10 ways to Encourage Others
In a world of struggles and disappointments, pain and setbacks, one of the most important things we can do for others is encourage them. Below are 10 ways to do just that.
13 Verses to Comfort the Fearful Heart
There is a lot to fear these days. At every turn, there is something to cause our hearts to panic, our thoughts to veer toward despondency, and our minds to wrestle with the “what-ifs”. At any given moment, trepidation hunkers down for a permanent residency deep within our spirits.
the importance of aligning our actions with our words
Have you ever met someone and were astounded to discover that they were a Believer? Perhaps they live a life contrary to that of a Christian. Or perhaps they act flippant about Christianity in the presence of unbelievers.
To be clear at the outset: our actions are not what makes us Christians. Rather, the only way we can become a Christian is to put our full faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, believe that He died for our sins, and repent and turn from our sins. (Romans 10:9-10; John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 10:13; Acts 2:38-39; Romans 6:23; 1 John 1:9, etc.)
However, actions are important
the power of prayer: surviving Papa’s driving
One of the things you’ve likely noticed about my blog is that it truly is random. I blog on a variety of topics and today, I’m taking a trip back to the “olden days”. Back when life was simpler and less stressful, and things moved at a slower pace. Well, everything but my grandpa, Papa’s, car when he drove us to and from church.
I spent a lot of time in prayer during those trips to church.
11 ways we become our culture
I recently had a conversation with a young relative who works in an office where profanity, nasty jokes, and bizarre religions abound. Every day as she sits behind her desk and diligently does her work, she struggles with the atmosphere. While she enjoys her job and her boss is easy to work for, the days can wear on her. This young person asked for prayer that she would not become like her culture as it can be tempting at times to just give in and adhere to it. She also asked for prayer that she would be a “light” in an increasingly dark world where she is the only Believer in her office.
My relative’s dilemma is not unique. Most of us work in an atmosphere that is contrary, or even hostile at times, to our Christian faith. It’s not a stretch to one day wake up and realize we’ve become just like the ones we spend most of our time with.
We become like our culture when:
Other popular posts throughout the years:
In celebration of this monumental milestone, I am hosting an awesome giveaway. The winner will receive a paperback or ebook copy (their choice) of Dreams of the Heart, a finalist in the Faith, Hope, and Love Reader’s Choice Awards, plus a $25 Amazon gift card. Entering is super easy.
The logistics:
Open to U.S. residents 18 years and older.
A winner will be chosen at random. Ways to increase the odds of winning are included in the rafflecopter giveaway entry form.
Giveaway ends June 30, 2024.
Winner will have 7 days to respond to the email indicating they have won. If they fail to respond, an alternate winner will be chosen.
Happy entering!
Penny Zeller 
Congratulations on 15 Years!!
Thank you so much! 🙂