Happy Advent, friends!
Today, I’m grateful to interview author, pastor, and TV host Noelle Kirchner about her new book, How to Live Your Life Purpose: The Six-Step Journey to God’s Best. I’m doing a giveaway on Instagram if you’d like to nab your own copy! Now, let’s meet Noelle.
1. Noelle, tell us a bit about yourself, your work, and your family? What matters most to you?
I met my husband in college while in the Midwest, and we’ve been married for almost twenty years. We have three wonderful boys who range from pre-teen to toddler. While I desire to be the best mom I can be to them and shower them with unconditional love, I find it affirming and freeing that there is only one Perfect Parent. God is the reason I do everything I do.
I have been an ordained Presbyterian minister for over ten years and am currently affiliated with my third congregation. I’ve published online in both the secular and faith-based parenting spaces. I also regularly tape a faith and parenting cable TV show, Chaos to Calm.
While I’ve had a lifelong faith relationship, it’s led me along a path that I never imagined. I think that’s exactly how God wants it. He’s always tucking in surprises. I want my readers to stand on his promises and delight in his gracious surprises through my book.
2. Tell us about your book, how you wrote it, and why?
My book started out as a project for my denomination which they were going to supplement with curriculum. A turn of unexpected events caused their publishing arm to close, however. I found myself with material that I believed in, and the opportunity to shape it in an even greater way.
I decided to design my book as a six-week group or personal Bible study. Because I believe that the best teaching integrates different modes of learning, I made the book’s study questions media-friendly. Each chapter ends with cultivated clips to watch on-demand from my show. Participants will hear valuable life purpose insights from show guests, including one New York Times bestselling Christian author, one Emmy Award-winning journalist, one trending company founder, and one spiritual director with internationally-recognized quote jars.
3. I found your six steps to be more relevant and thoughtful than most “Steps To…” books I’ve seen, which leads me to think this book is deeply tied to your own personal journey with God. Would you share a bit of this with us?
While I explain in the book how I discovered each step, I find that the cycle of steps repeats as I deepen my commitment to my life’s work. In other words, purpose is a journey—not a destination. It’s a journey that has the power to unleash the greatest fulfillment that we can find on Earth—that’s the power of living in sync with our Creator.
It’s worth noting that risk is a key step in the journey that often gets misinterpreted. While we live in a society of immediate self-gratification, which sometimes is risky, society often shies away from the God-lead risk that I talk about in the book. This kind of risk demands sacrifice, obedience, and persistence, but its rewards are life-altering and praise-worthy. For more on the risks worth taking, check out my article for Crosswalk in addition to my book.
4. Your chapter titles touch on experiences and practices that we all face: surrender, persistence, joy (to name just a few). How do you find these to impact our relationship with God day to day?
I want every person who buys my book to come alive to the faith adventure that God wants to embark upon; I designed the book’s steps to help. Christianity is not a laundry list of do’s and don’ts. It’s an invitation to fall more deeply in love with the One who made us, and wants to bless us to the extent that we allow him to pull us wildly close—day by day.
An image comes to mind. I think about my one-year-old smiling on a swing. He wants to go to the playground together. He knows I’ll keep him safe. But he longs for the thrill of being pushed through the air at my direction. It’s bonding time that sets him soaring through the world. God wants to do the same for us.
5. You published this book during a global pandemic! How has that impacted the book’s reception?
Now more than ever, people are questioning their purpose due to boredom, changes in circumstances, or a newly closed or open door. It’s the perfect (providential) time to prayerfully consider my book. I’ve seen how God can use hardship to bring me to a better place when I’m willing to follow his lead.
6. Any parting words for us?
It’s an honor to post on your site and share my first book with your readers, Catherine. I so believe in the ministry of motherhood—we are kindreds! The intersection of faith and parenting is the genesis behind my work. My passion led me to you and your book Long Days of Small Things, which I’m delighted to be featuring on my site this week too. Thanks for having me here today!
Friends, thanks for hanging out with Noelle and me today! To enter to win a copy of How To Live Your Life Purpose head over to Instagram. If you want to learn more about Noelle (and find out about her giveaway of Long Days of Small Things), head over to her website or find her on social media: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
