Ep 121 - Small Steps, Big Hope: Kimberly Knowle Zeller on Blessings, Pilgrimage, and Writing

About this episode

The episode features a conversation with Kim Knowle Zeller about her writing journey and the significance of small blessings in everyday life.

Dawn and Ruth check in mid-Lent about rotating Wednesday pastorates, quirky church history discoveries, and children's theater outings before sitting down with Kim Knowle Zeller, ELCA pastor and writer from rural central Missouri. Kim's got two books under her belt: The Beauty of Motherhood: Grace-Filled Devotions for the Early Years (co-authored) and her new release Small Steps: Blessings to Lift Your Soul on the Pilgrimage of Life. But here's what makes her story compelling—the new book was born from her Camino de Santiago pilgrimage and a "100 Day Project" where she wrote one blessing daily. That practice changed everything. Kim learned to notice God's presence in small, ordinary moments instead of waiting for the big spiritual revelations. She reads "A Blessing for When the World Is on Fire" during the conversation, and honestly? It's the kind of blessing we all need right now. Kim shares her traditional publishing journey, marketing strategies, writing rhythms, and the truth about what blessings actually do. Spoiler: They don't guarantee safety or fix everything. But they do something maybe more important—they accompany people into a hard world so they're not alone. This…

People in this episode

Hosts: Ruth Hetland, Dawn Trautman

Guest: Kim Knowle Zeller

Topics covered

• faith
• writing
• blessings
• pilgrimage
• spirituality
• church history
• children's theater

Keywords

• small steps
• big hope
• writing journey
• spirituality
• ordinary moments
• blessings
• faith

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Beauty of Motherhood: Grace-Filled Devotions for the Early Years, Small Steps: Blessings to Lift Your Soul on the Pilgrimage of Life

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