Elrena Evans

Children with disabilities often struggle to fit in, but church can be a place where everyone is welcome and included! When I Go to Church, I Belong helps us better understand the experiences and feelings of children with special needs. And it reminds us that even though we have our differences, we also have so much in common. Written by Elrena Evans and illustrated by Rebecca Evans, this message of inclusion and belonging can be enjoyed by children and the adults who read with them. Also included is a note from the author to encourage further conversation about the content. Discover IVP Kids and share with children the things that matter to God!

The world of special needs is filled with statistics: in the United States, about 17 percent of children have a diagnosed developmental disability, and 14 percent of public school students receive special education services. But behind these statistics are stories—stories of children struggling to fit into a world that wasn't designed for them, and stories of parents giving everything they have to advocate for their children. Most of these parents didn't choose this path; they were thrust upon it unknowing, unprepared, and often overwhelmed. They may struggle to talk about their experiences in relatable ways with family, friends, and even God. Special Grace is a collection of 127 prayers for all aspects of life for families with special needs. Here are prayers for family life, school, and church; prayers for an initial diagnosis, for the first day of school, and for celebrating a milestone. Each section is set off by a reflective essay from Evans's own family life. Filled with humor and wisdom, these prayers and reflections will help families process their experiences together and offer them to God with hope and simple trust. In moments when the cries of your heart leave you speechless, Special Grace provides words you can bring before your Father in heaven.

This Crowded Night brings the women of the New Testament Gospels to life, capturing the voices of mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives struggling to find their way--and perhaps their faith--in a society where women's voices are too often pushed to the margins. "I'm always looking for ways to read the scriptures--its narratives and people--with clearer, wider eyes and ears. Elrena Evans book does this beautifully, bringing ancient but real people and events to vivid, enfleshed, believable life. Words are made flesh--and God comes near in these stories," says Leslie Leyland Fields, Author, The Spirit of Food; and MFA faculty, Seattle Pacific University. "In these short stories, Elrena Evans joins a long, Christian literary and theological tradition that extends back to the times of the medieval mystery plays and likely before that. To the Bible stories' bare contours, she adds earthly atmosphere, creaturely flesh, and very deep feeling. Her renderings of the familiar tales offer such startling insight and moving revelation that this work of devotion and imagination deserves to find a place beside the more conventional approaches to the Bible," celebrates Julia Spicher Kasdorf, Author, Poetry in America