Kirby Kelly
13 min read ⭑
“If God can do a beautiful, unexpected work like this in my life, we can all have that same hope for our individual stories — the stories he is sewing, stitching and knitting together, all in his perfect timing.”
With the heart of a scholar and a passion for practical theology, Kirby Kelly shares the gospel wherever she can. Since giving her heart to Jesus at 14, she’s been ministering online, reaching thousands for Christ on social media. More recently, she hosts the popular Bought + Beloved podcast and regularly speaks on topics ranging from faith to culture to mental health to social media strategy. Her latest role? Author, thanks to her first book, You Can Be Free, and her newest release, The Fabric of Hope.
Today, Kirby is getting vulnerable about grieving the loss of her mother while welcoming her first baby and why she no longer hides her darkest struggles. Join us as we discuss how she connects with God despite chronic headaches and pregnancy pains, and which books and Bible study tools she recommends for hungry believers.
QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT
Food is always about more than food; it’s also about home and people and love. So how does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind your web bio?
Whenever my friends ask where we should all eat after church, my answer is always the same: Babe’s Chicken Dinner House! Maybe it’s because I have lived in North Texas for most of my life, but nothing beats fried chicken slathered in thick country gravy, accompanied by all of the bottomless fixings that are sure to bump you up a pant size.
There is something so familial about country food — probably because it’s best described as comfort food. Just like the quirky restaurant’s atmosphere itself, it’s warm and inviting. It teaches us to slow down from the everyday hustle and bustle of life and just be present with our people, a rhythm I have embraced more and more as my husband and I have prayed for and pursued community in this season of life together. I think another reason why Babe’s Chicken resonates with this former Jersey girl is that it gives off the same vibes as my favorite food category: Italian. Italian food is also all about family, comfort and slowing down after the rush of preparing.
I guess that’s also a pretty picture of the two worlds I grew up in, with an East Coast father and a Southern mother. Whether the chicken is breaded and over pasta or fried and over some mashed potatoes, I’ll have a seat pulled up next to my most favorite people, ready to swap stories, share a couple of laughs and celebrate the milestones and mundane moments that make up the beautiful details of life.
benjamin lehman; Unsplash
QUESTION #2: REVEAL
What “nonspiritual” activity have you found to be quite spiritual, after all? What quirky proclivity, out-of-the-way interest or unexpected pursuit refreshes your soul?
I don’t think most people would describe hip-hop classes as sacred, but I guess that makes me the exception! Who knew that dancing like David could make a secular gym holy ground? But I am not the person who can take credit for that; it all goes toward my amazing dance instructor, Andrew, who leads classes at my local gym, but with one big twist: it’s all to Christian music! Christian hip-hop, rap, Latin and EDM. I didn’t even know so many of those songs existed! When I signed up for his class, I assumed it would be like any other dance class. After all, I grew up doing dance, gymnastics and cheer and was not used to seeing Christ witnessed in most of those spaces. So it was truly a surprise to me when I started listening to the lyrics of his song choices and picking up on the God-honoring choreography he paired with them.
It’s been well over a year now that I’ve taken up this holy hobby, and I’ve not only become a good friend of Andrew and his fantastic wife, but I have also found a real sense of community among the other classmates. It’s not every day you get to be in a safe space filled with prayer warriors who hype you up when you bust a move and hug you when you burst into tears. Whether I’m having the best day or the worst week, I look forward to attending class and praising the Lord with the body he has given me.
QUESTION #3: CONFESS
Every superhero has a weakness; every human, too. We’re just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re all broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite, and how do you confront its power?
I’ve had to overcome my fair share of struggles and get honest about the kryptonite in my life. I think even being open and honest about it has been a struggle in and of itself, since I often want to present myself to the world as if everything is fine all the time.
Or at least, that’s how I used to be. I thought allowing people to see my weaknesses was the weakest thing I could do. To have people find out that Christian Kirby was struggling with a porn addiction in high school felt like it would have been the end of the world, but when Jesus radically changed my life through confession and community during my freshman year of college, I realized that vulnerability was the antidote, the avenue to real freedom and real hope!
To my surprise, I even wrote a whole book called “You Can Be Free,” which details this hidden part of my story. I never imagined this book would see the light of day, but now God is using it to bring freedom to others. The thought of anyone finding out that I grew up in a broken household with addicts for parents would have made young Kirby ashamed and embarrassed. I didn’t want anyone to see the frayed and fragmented parts of my life that were chipped and cracking. But as I have pursued honesty before the Lord in my disappointment and grief instead of pretending like I’m strong enough to hold everything together, I’ve ended up encountering the Lord in divine appointments. My sorrow was met with unexpected joy, and I found permission to rest in God’s redemptive plans in my life and the lives of others.
Now, I have another book coming out, “The Fabric of Hope,” detailing how God has woven hope into these places where I once felt hopeless, helpless and left alone to try and keep up the facade of “fine.” But because of God’s goodness and grace, I now get to embrace every high and every low, knowing that Jesus really is with me and that, in being vulnerable about my struggles and the hard parts of my past, others can now get a glimpse of the hope that is ahead for them in their own places of hurt.
QUESTION #4: FIRE UP
Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your current obsession? And why should it be ours?
I feel as if all of my time right now is being dedicated to two major things: book launch and baby! I know books and babies are two separate spheres of responsibility and preparation, but when both are due in the same month, it can almost feel like you’ve got twins on the way. At least, that’s how it’s felt for me! A few years ago, when I began writing my upcoming book, “The Fabric of Hope,” I was still in the process of grieving the loss of my mom, who died just days after Mother’s Day. The book gave me a safe space to process how God was weaving redemption into that nuanced season of my life (I say “nuanced” since my mother was an addict).
As I wrote that book and grieved my mom, I pre-grieved the idea of mothering a child one day without my own mother to be a part of that journey. But God, being so compassionate and kind, gave me two of the most unexpected gifts just a month later, after I turned in the final manuscript: a positive pregnancy test and a genuine heap of joy! It was as if he washed away all the anticipatory grief I expected to feel. Those two lines on the pregnancy test were like a God-wink, showing me that God redeems and restores in ways we could never dream. In the same month that my book of hope and redemption would hit the shelves, I’d be walking out a new chapter of hope and redemption by bringing a baby girl into this world.
I get to mother my daughter in all of the wonderful ways my mother did me, but because of the Lord’s kindness, I also get to be the mother I prayed for, grieved for and needed. And I know that if God can do a beautiful, unexpected work like this in my life, we can all have that same hope for our individual stories — the stories he is sewing, stitching and knitting together, all in his perfect timing.
QUESTION #5: BOOST
Whether we’re cashiers or CEOs, contractors or customer service reps, we all need God’s love flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?
If I were to show you the number of voice notes I have recorded on my phone, your jaw would drop. It’s basically an infinite number at this point. But when God gives you crazy ideas and Holy Spirit nuggets of inspiration while driving in the car, you’re not going to be pulling up the notes app to write them down!
Besides, I feel like God has given me a specific gift as a communicator to articulate my thoughts through speech, so it makes sense that my voice notes app is popping off like it is.
I have also found that when I am preaching at conferences or events, the Holy Spirit always drops specific words of encouragement, inspiration or talking points that weren’t in my notes for people in the room. Oddly enough (or should I say “God-ly enough”), those are always the moments that stick the most with attendees. I think it’s because when we are open to the Holy Spirit moving, even in the work we have already prayed over and prepared for, he can do a greater thing and meet immediate needs we never even knew existed.
That kind of Holy Spirit synergy gets me so hyped when I get to travel and speak at churches and conferences — because it’s in those real-life moments that real ministry takes place! When we remember that we are just vessels for his glory and grace to be mirrored into the world, we can relax when he interrupts our shower thoughts, our worship-in-the-car moments and even our onstage speaking and embrace the excitement of partnership he is inviting all of us into with him.
QUESTION #6: inspire
Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied habits that open our hearts to the presence of God. So let us in. Which spiritual practice is working best for you in this season?
Usually, I would say I encounter God the most as I study the Scriptures. It’s like he highlights words on the page for me, fills my mind with questions and sends me down a rabbit hole of discovery about him!
But in this season, stillness has been the unsuspecting avenue he’s used to meet with me. Maybe it’s because of the new pace I’ve had to embrace as a first-time mom navigating pregnancy, but this busy body has been humbled to slow down and be in every moment, especially with God.
This has felt especially special to me because I’ve noticed that in the Old Testament, God interacts with women by seeking them out in the stillness and the mundane moments, meeting them right where they are. And if any mamas are reading this and get this far, then you know that pregnancy just about amplifies every pain and ailment you already have going on in your body; the same has been true for me with my chronic migraines. With a baby kicking inside me and my head pounding, I have found myself resting in dark rooms, talking with God in the stillness, but also being graced with his peace and presence in that place like a weighted blanket. It’s felt so real and tangible in these past few months of pregnancy, and I know that if he has been this good to meet me in this phase, he will also be faithful to meet me when I’m juggling emails and diapers in the season to come!
QUESTION #7: FOCUS
Looking backward, considering the full sweep of your unique faith journey and all you encountered along the way, what top three resources stand out to you? What changed reality and changed your heart?
My list could go on and on with resources and people who have played a massive role in my spiritual maturity and development. The first is Jen Wilkin’s book “Women of the Word.” I don’t know how many copies I have purchased and passed out to my fellow sisters in Christ, but that is an immediate add-to-cart kind of resource! I attended Dallas Baptist University and earned my master’s in theology. Out of all the incredible books I’ve studied, annotated and referenced in my scholastic career, none has had quite the lasting impact on me as this one has had, probably because this book was a foundational one for me when I first began my theological journey of marrying the head and the heart to worship the Lord as a faithful student of his Word.
Second to that, though, LOGOS’ entire database of Bible study tools is a top-tier resource I think every Christian should invest in. Now that they’ve switched to an affordable subscription model, it has become even more accessible to everyday believers everywhere who want to deepen their knowledge of the Word! They even have AI technology in their systems that will help locate answers to your questions based on the accredited library of resources they possess. And how many of us know that that matters in today’s day and age?
Lastly, for all of my artistic folks out there, you need to check out Streetlights — not the lights on your street but the artistic movement of creatives who are communicating the gospel through hip-hop beats. I always listen to them in the car, at the gym and even while I’m working, filling my mind with the truth of God to some sick beats that echo like spoken words. As much as we need to be doers and readers of the Word, I believe there is something profound about hearing and speaking God’s Word, and Streetlights amplifies the Bible in a very special way! Queue them up on your playlist and thank me later.
Certain things can be godsends, helping us survive, even thrive, in our fast-paced world. Does technology ever help you this way? Has an app ever boosted your spiritual growth? If so, how?
I know I already gave a huge shoutout to LOGOS, but if you are balling on a budget and want a trustworthy commentary that is free and sits in your back pocket, you need to download the Enduring Word Bible Commentary App. They have it as a website as well.
There have been so many moments in my own study of the Word when I wanted a little more context for what I was reading, and the Enduring Word app gave me the exact insight I was hoping to gain. I love how they pull from multiple theologians and references, balancing different viewpoints and understandings of the text, all while honoring its original intent. There are plenty of trustworthy commentaries out there that I use on the regular, both on LOGOS and from my physical library, but Enduring Word is another digital source I always put people on because it truly enriches the text and goes a couple of layers deeper in an easy-to-read and accessible way. And as a theology girlie, I love that!
QUESTION #8: dream
God’s continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?
I think I teased this a little already, but I am so excited for readers to get their hands on my newest book, which comes out April 7, titled “The Fabric of Hope: How God Weaves Redemption Into Every Season.” This has been one of my biggest labors of love that I’ve kept secret for almost two years now, and I can’t believe it’s finally going to hit shelves and the doormats of those who have ordered it soon!
In it, I touch on themes such as how God is still good even in our suffering, how to have hope in dark seasons, how to surrender to God’s perfect plan even when we don’t see it pieced together quite yet and how joy can appear in the most unexpected seasons. I feel like I am a living, breathing testimony of how God can use the parts of our stories that we once thought were unredeemable or too broken to be a place for redemption and beauty, and I know there are other people who need that message of hope for themselves today, too. And I’m not just talking about wishful thinking. I’m talking about confident assurance that is rooted in the promises of God! I’m ready to see people walk that out and genuinely believe in the God of hope that we get to call friend and Father.
So if that’s you today, feel free to grab your copy and join me on that journey! Other than that, you can definitely expect me to be embracing the balance of ministry and motherhood throughout 2026. Although speaking, preaching, podcasting and content creating will still be up and running on all of my platforms, I am excited to have those quiet moments with my sweet baby girl and husband, walking it out at a pace of grace with God’s guidance every step of the way.
Getting honest about our darkest, ugliest secrets can be terrifying. But James tells us it’s the first step on the path to true healing: “Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16, ESV).
The verses right before this Scripture are all about prayer in the context of biblical community. There’s something powerful about gathering together to confess, to speak and receive truth in love, and to build one another up in prayer. This is, in part, how we bear each other’s burdens — how we experience fullness in the body of Christ.
Because we weren’t made to go it alone. We were made for each other.
Kirby Kelly is a speaker, author, influencer and podcast host from Dallas, Texas, who has been creating Christian content for over a decade. She graduated with a master’s in theology from Dallas Baptist University in 2023 and creates engaging content online to reach a broad audience with the joy, truth and message of the gospel. Kirby’s mission statement reflects her heartbeat in all she does: to equip, empower and engage individuals in Spirit and in truth. Kirby published her first book, You Can Be Free, in 2024 and is excited about the upcoming release of her newest book, The Fabric of Hope, which hits shelves in April 2026.