More than 70 million Americans — 1 in 4 people — live with a disability. Nearly a third of families affected by disability say they have left a church because their child felt unwelcome or excluded. For Nadia Ibrahim Mossburg, that number isn’t surprising.
Born with cerebral palsy, Mossburg spent more than two decades shaping policy across federal agencies, the private sector, and nonprofits, and nearly four decades navigating what it means to live as a person with a disability inside the American church. Now she’s written the book she wishes she’d had.
For too long, the conversation about faith and disability has been limited to platitudes, pity, or prayers for physical “fixing” — leaving millions feeling isolated, misunderstood, and spiritually adrift. Divinely Disabled: A 30-Day Devotional to Discovering God’s Heart for the Disability Community (Ink & Willow/Penguin Random House, September 15, 2026) challenges that. It is written for anyone who has ever felt isolated by disability, any friend who wants to be a true ally, and any church leader who wants to build a community of belonging but isn’t sure where to start.
“At some point in your life, disability will touch your story,” Mossburg writes. “I hope this book serves as a catalyst for biblical conversations about disability. Wherever you find yourself today, please know you are not alone.”
Drawing from Scripture, disability history, personal narrative and decades of policy expertise, Divinely Disabled moves readers through five phases of the disability journey — from facing hidden battles and unmet expectations to advocating for change, cultivating community, and living with purpose. Each of the 30 daily readings includes a reflection, a prayer, and a “Share Your Story” section with prompts.
Mossburg writes candidly about nearly ending her life between ages 12 and 16 as she wrestled with her diagnosis, encountering ableism in faith communities, and the years it took to believe her disability was not an accident and not a barrier to a life of purpose and contribution.
Equal parts personal and practical, Divinely Disabled is for the person asking “God, why me?” and for the friend, family member, and church leader sitting beside them. Mossburg’s message is clear: disability is not a detour from purpose. It is the path.
Nadia Ibrahim Mossburg, born with cerebral palsy, uses her degrees in English, journalism, and social work, as well as her experience as a senior advisor in disability policy, to improve disability policy at the national, state, and local levels. For over two decades, she has advocated for greater equity, better employment, emergency management, public health, and public transportation. Over more than three decades, she has also led Bible studies and served on many teams at her church. Nadia and her husband, Mathew, live in the Nashville area with their three cats and Watson, Nadia’s third service dog, who is enjoying retirement.
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