Nancy Kellogg on purpose, coaching, and why we’re not finished yet

Nancy Kellogg is a Blackaby-certified coach whose ministry is focused on helping people pursue God, clarify their purpose, and move forward with hope. She has served for decades in women’s ministry at Highlands Community Church in the Seattle area, and recently published Not Finished: Building Lives of Hope, Purpose and Passion, a book shaped by her experiences in ministry, coaching, and new home construction.

In this conversation with Bob Royall, Kellogg reflects on her journey into coaching, the personal transition that gave rise to her book, and the construction metaphor at the heart of the material. She also shares candidly about the writing process, her hopes for readers, and her advice to anyone who is considering writing a book.

Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Bob Royall: How did you first learn about Blackaby’s coaching training, and what drew you to it?

Nancy Kellogg: Over the years, I had gone through Experiencing God course work several times. When the opportunity to consider coaching as a career came to my attention, I discovered Blackaby offered a coaching course from a Biblical viewpoint. Pursuing God’s perspective was clearly where I wanted to center my training.

Royall: Tell us a little about your ministry journey and the people and places that have shaped it.

Kellogg: The most important people who have shaped my life are my family. I’ve been married to Dan for 57 years and we have three children and three grandchildren who live nearby. Then there has been our church community. We’ve been part of Highlands Community Church, an independent Bible-teaching church in the Seattle area, for five decades. I’ve served there in women’s ministry from the beginning. Over the years, that has included teaching a variety of Bible classes, being active on the Leadership Team, plus mentoring and encouraging women of all ages to grow in God’s Word. My desire is to encourage and equip women to deepen their relationship with him, and step into the purposes he has for their lives.

Royall: How would you describe your own sense of purpose?

Kellogg: Recently, I identified my core values by using an acrostic with my last name, “Kellogg,” to identify the recurring themes God has built into my life. Those included valuing relationships, encouraging discovery, liberating creativity, leaning in with others, offering hospitality, gathering potential in people, and growing deeper in pursuit of God. Clarifying how God has worked in my own life over the years, validated much of my purpose is to help others develop their core potential and encourage them forward to live out all God created them to be.

Royall: When did the idea for writing a book first begin to take shape?

Kellogg: Writing a book was never something I had aspired to do. But when I lost my job after 22 years in real estate, I found myself asking “What’s next?” Around that same time, a woman from our church asked me to speak at our women’s retreat. I began building the retreat sessions around the requested theme of hope, using a construction metaphor from my own experience. As I developed the material, my husband declared, “You should write a book!” Although I was surprised by the idea, that challenge never left me.

Royall: What was the writing process like for you?

Kellogg: The writing itself flowed more naturally than I expected, in part, I believe,  because the Lord kept bringing ideas, stories, and illustrations to mind. Plus, the building metaphor was already part of my DNA from years of work in real estate and construction-related settings. The more painful part was the editing, formatting, and getting the manuscript ready for publication. Still, after publishing, despite your best efforts, you find errors that must be corrected. 

Royall: What do you hope God will do through this book?

Kellogg: My hope is that it will encourage people, wherever they are in life—whatever their age, stage, brokenness, or need for hope—to take meaningful steps forward. Because each chapter includes reflective questions, I believe the book can serve readers well whether on their own, in a small group setting, or alongside a coach or counselor. I want it to encourage people to discover their unique purposes, ignite or rebuild passion and joyfully continue the work God has given them to do. They clearly are not finished. 

Royall: Was the book written specifically for women?

Kellogg: No, not at all. The principles in the book are neither feminine or masculine—they are God’s principles, and that is important to convey.

Royall: One chapter that stood out in particular was “Bedrock, Boulders and Boundaries.” What is at the heart of that chapter?

Kellogg: When you build a home, the foundation rests on the ground above the bedrock, but any boulders have to be removed first. In spiritual terms, the “boulders” represent the sins, obstacles, and recurring issues that keep tripping us up, while the bedrock is what our lives are truly built on. For me, that foundation is Jesus Christ. That chapter also looks at boundaries—what God has placed inside and outside the lines for our good—because unless people deal honestly with those things, they cannot move forward and build well.

Royall: What advice would you give someone who senses God may be leading them to write a book?

Kellogg: First, there needs to be real certainty of the call. Writing is too demanding a process to take on lightly. If God is truly asking someone to write, there will be a deep inner conviction that moves you, and what flows onto the page will be shaped and nourished by his truth and Word. That sense of calling, more than any ambition to be a writer, is what makes it possible to keep going.

Nancy Kellogg’s book, Not Finished: Building Lives of Hope, Purpose and Passion, is available for purchase here.