Hurst: You are loved and valuable; author, gospel singer coming to Easthaven

Published 9:41 pm Monday, February 18, 2019

Bestselling author Chrystal Evans Hurst and her gospel singer brother Anthony Evans want Lincoln Countians to rediscover their identities.

The sibling children of megachurch pastor Tony Evans will be at Easthaven Baptist Church March 7 at 7 p.m. as part of the “She’s Still There Tour,” based on Hurst’s 2017 popular book of the same name. The Brookhaven visit will coincide with the release of Hurst’s newest book, “Show Up for Your Life,” a book similar to “She’s Still There,” but aimed at teenagers to help them understand who they are in God’s eyes.

“You are loved. You are accepted. You are valuable,” Hurst writes, and it is the central theme of her message.

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Evans also recently released a memoir entitled “Unexpected Places: Thoughts on God, Faith and Finding Your Voice,” which also explores the idea of understanding a person’s worth as far as their Creator is concerned.

Evans told The Daily Leader it was his upbringing that rooted him in his faith and identity.

Growing up as the son of a well-known pastor “was very interesting,” he said. “There’s pressure on you as a preacher’s kid that you didn’t ask for. But when you’re a kid, it feels like it’s everywhere you go. It was hard with the expectation that people put on me, but our parents helped. My parents were always the same, on stage and at home, no matter what. That’s what held me and my siblings down was how faithful they were at home. It’s been amazing to have faithful parents like we have.”

With the experiences he and his sister share, Evans stresses that authenticity is a common theme for their writings and their lives. Unchanging truth must be what guides a person’s life, he said, and not emotions and circumstances. He compares life to traveling down a railroad track.

“Feelings can’t be the engine. They have to be the caboose as it relates to our understanding of where we’re going,” he said. “God’s Word has got to be the engine. Sometimes our feelings need to catch up to what God is doing.”

Touring with his author-speaker sister as her worship leader is something Evans said he’s wanted to do for a long time.

“I remember having a prayer in my journal years ago, asking God if he would please give me an opportunity to minister with my family,” said Evans.

“This synergy with family is not what you can get with any other situation. Just having people who grew up in the same house together underneath the same teaching — it’s a very unique dynamic.”

Tickets for the event are available through EventBrite.com, starting at $20 for general admission or $30 for preferred seating with early entry. A $55 VIP ticket includes reserved seating, a meet-and-greet and photo with Evans and Hurst, plus a copy of the book “She’s Still There” and an Evans CD.