Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast

Latest Episodes:

When Skies Aren’t Blue: A Doctor’s Journey to Hope Amid Chronic Illness – Dr. Andy Laurie May 26, 2022

Show notes

Dr. Andy Laurie knows what it’s like for life’s skies to go dark. His book, When Skies Aren’t Blue: A Physician’s Personal Journey, recounts his journey from health to sickness, and to living with joy in the midst of traumatic and overwhelming circumstances.

His prescription for hope that endures no matter what? “We need objective, provable truth,” he says. “To know that we can prove God is real, prove God is true. Prove the Bible is real.”

But Dr. Laurie was not always a believer. Even in medical school, he considered himself a “man of science” and saw faith as a crutch some people needed—but not him! Then, his quest for knowledge led him closer to God instead of further; ultimately, he came to faith, and became a pastor-physician.

When he “had it all”: a loving marriage, four small children, and two thriving careers, the skies went dark, seemingly forever. Faced with his devastating diagnosis, he dug deep into his faith, and asked the ultimate questions about identity, self-worth, hope, and love.

Now, Dr. Laurie invites others to join him on a journey, from darkness back to light, even if a cure never comes.

Key Questions:

How can I cope with chronic, incurable, unsolvable struggles?
How do I define victory in my life?
Can I experience joy amid my suffering/sickness/grief?

Additional Resources:

Read more from Dr. Andy Laurie
Listen to Claire Walker share how POTS radically altered her life

Send Crystal a message with your comments and questions.

Find more encouragement through Joni Eareckson Tada's radio podcast, daily devotional, or by following us on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Support Joni and Friends to help make this podcast possible.

Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Founded by international disability advocate Joni Eareckson Tada, the ministry provides Christ-centered care through Joni's House, Wheels for the World, and Retreats and Getaways, as well as disability ministry training and higher education courses through the Christian Institute on Disability.

You make this podcast possible! Thank you for your support.

Find all podcast resources and message our team.

Follow Joni and Friends on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.

Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Founded by Joni Eareckson Tada, we provide Christ-centered care through Joni's House, Wheels for the World, Retreats and Getaways, and disability ministry training.

Find more encouragement on Joni Eareckson Tada's Sharing Hope podcast and her daily devotional.

How to Flourish Within Your Limitations – Katherine Wolf May 19, 2022

Show notes

Katherine Wolf kicked off Season 4 with a conversation about suffering. After surviving a catastrophic stroke at age 26, which left her with profound disabilities, Katherine now works to break down the myth that joy can only be found in a pain-free life. Here, in Episode Two, Katherine digs deeper into the topic of suffering, and particularly, how to flourish within our limitations.

We as believers have all been there: we make a request to God in prayer, then wait for him to give us what we want. When we don’t get the results or answer we hope for, we get frustrated, perplexed, or even angry with God.

Katherine offers insight about how to trust God when he doesn’t answer prayers the way we hope he will. When it comes to suffering well, she highlights the importance of the narratives we believe and tell about our lives—past, present, and future. She shares how to reframe and redefine the hardest parts of life: tragedy, disability, loss, and grief, with God’s goodness and his good story as the ultimate hope-giving reality.

From a wheelchair to social isolation, to illness or disability, Katherine sheds fresh light on the concept of limitations. She shares how her disability has catalyzed a powerful reframe in her life: seeing limitations as opportunities rather than barriers. Because of Jesus, we can do hard things in the good story he is writing through each of our lives.

Key Questions:

How can we trust God when he doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want him to?
How can we cope with pain, grief, or disability?
How can we find hope amid suffering?

Key Scripture:

“Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame.” Romans 5:3-4

Additional Resources:

Listen to A Deeper Healing with Joni Eareckson Tada
Listen toHow God Meets Us in Suffering with Vaneetha Risner

Send Crystal a message with your comments and questions.

Find more encouragement through Joni Eareckson Tada's radio podcast, daily devotional, or by following us on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Support Joni and Friends to help make this podcast possible.

You make this podcast possible! Thank you for your support.

Find all podcast resources and message our team.

Follow Joni and Friends on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.

Find more encouragement on Joni Eareckson Tada's Sharing Hope podcast and her daily devotional.

Let's Talk About Suffering: What Does it Mean to "Suffer Strong?" – Katherine Wolf May 12, 2022

Show notes

Crystal and Katherine discuss what it means to “suffer strong,” and how community plays a key role in leaning on God through suffering. They explore what it means to heal—not just the body but the soul, and the difference between curing and healing.

Katherine also gives tips about how to encourage and support people in suffering—what to do and say, and, just as importantly, what NOT to do and say.

No matter what difficulties we face, Katherine’s wisdom gives refreshment and insight on what it takes to suffer strong, embracing God’s good story that he writes in each of our lives.

Key Questions:

What does it mean to suffer well?
How can I reframe my suffering?
Is it possible to find healing if there is no cure for the condition, disability, or pain that I live with?

Key Scripture:

“I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.” Isaiah 45:3

Additional Resources:

Listen toHow God Meets Us in Suffering with Vaneetha Risner
Listen to A Deeper Healing with Joni Eareckson Tada
Find community at Joni and Friends Retreats and Getaways

Send Crystal a message with your comments and questions.

Find more encouragement through Joni's radio podcast, daily devotional, or by following us on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Support Joni and Friends to help make this podcast possible.

Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ.

Founded by international disability advocate Joni Eareckson Tada, the ministry provides Christ-centered care through Joni's House, Wheels for the World, and Retreats and Getaways, as well as disability ministry training and higher education courses through the Christian Institute on Disability.

You make this podcast possible! Thank you for your support.

Find all podcast resources and message our team.

Follow Joni and Friends on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.

Find more encouragement on Joni Eareckson Tada's Sharing Hope podcast and her daily devotional.

Season 4: Find Hope in Your Hardship May 05, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to Season 4 of the Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast!

We are excited to kick off a new series of encouraging conversations about finding hope through hardship, and share practical ways to include people with disabilities in your church and community.

The past few years have brought unexpected changes and challenges, from the Coronavirus pandemic to global unrest, not to mention personal difficulties. And trying times bring up big questions:

What does it mean to suffer well?
How can we understand and cope with pain, loss, disability, and grief?

Beginning next week, we will learn how to lean on Christ and redefine our experiences with suffering. In each episode, Crystal Keating will talk with a guest who knows what it means to suffer. Each conversation will shed light on some of life’s great challenges and provide deep encouragement.

Episode One kicks off with Katherine Wolf, a true trailblazer when it comes to disability and suffering. In 2008, at just 26 years old and 6 months after having a new baby boy, Katherine miraculously survived a catastrophic stroke. Now profoundly disabled, Katherine has learned to take joy in doing hard things in the good story God is writing in her life. She and her husband Jay have used their second-chance lives to disrupt the myth that joy can only be found in a pain-free life.
In other episodes, Crystal will interview remarkable people who have walked with Jesus through disability, illness, and other experiences of great darkness and difficulty. Guests will include Scott Sauls, Danika Deva, and, of course, Joni Eareckson Tada.

Subscribe to the Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. And be sure to share it with a friend!

As you listen, you can send Crystal a message with your comments and questions.

We pray that you will find encouragement and inspiration as you listen this season!

Support Joni and Friends to help make this podcast possible.

Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Join us in answering the call in Luke 14:21-23... until his house is full!

Founded by author and international disability advocate Joni Eareckson Tada, the ministry provides Christ-centered care that serves needs and transforms hearts through Joni's House, Wheels for the World, and Retreats and Getaways. Joni and Friends also equips individuals and churches with disability ministry training and provides higher education courses and internships through the Christian Institute on Disability.

Find more encouragement through Joni's radio podcast, daily devotional, or by following us on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

You make this podcast possible! Thank you for your support.

Find all podcast resources and message our team.

Follow Joni and Friends on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.

Find more encouragement on Joni Eareckson Tada's Sharing Hope podcast and her daily devotional.

Reflections: How God Provides Abundantly When You Are Generous Nov 25, 2021

Show notes

"This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God." -2 Corinthians 9:12

As we close out season 3 of the Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast, Crystal is reflecting on the many wonderful conversations we’ve had this year and the remarkable people we’ve met along the way. So many of our guests persevered through the hardships of their disabilities and chronic conditions, sacrificing their strength to share about their lives and God’s faithfulness.

Crystal is thinking of friends like Jennifer Ji-Hye Ko who lives with tremendous pain and mental health challenges and brought a powerful reminder about lamenting to our God through seasons of grief. She’s also thinking of Heather Hart who, on the morning we recorded, had been in the ER with one of her daily migraines. She’s reminded of Abigail Brown who used a communication board to share her testimony of God’s unseen purposes for her suffering and Stephanie Magness who shared on the podcast even though her Friedrich’s ataxia would not allow her to talk for more than about 10 minutes. With mental health being a focus this year, she is also so thankful for her conversations with Tara Groff who serves the Lord as a wife and mother through her daily episodes with schizophrenia. We are grateful for these friends and the many more not mentioned, for the kindness you’ve shown by sharing your hearts on this platform.

Living with a disability is not easy, but each guest has reminded us that the hope of heaven, the help of other Christians, and the grace of God is sustaining. So how can we make the gospel accessible in our churches and communities? As she wraps up season 3, Crystal shares how Joni and Friends is making this possible through a modest grant program called the Christian Fund for the Disabled and a giving opportunity called the Perfect Gift. And the best part is, you can get involved! As we give generously and strategically to meet the needs of those God is directing us to care for, the Lord will provide—that is a promise that we can hold fast to! And when we see his provision in a tangible way, it increases our faith, deepens our love for Jesus, and fills our hearts with thanksgiving.

May this season be filled with evidence of God’s hand as you continue to trust in him. Happy Thanksgiving and thank you for listening to the Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast!

Resources:

Questions or comments? Email Crystal at podcast@joniandfriends.org
Support Joni and Friends to help make this podcast possible.

You make this podcast possible! Thank you for your support.

Find all podcast resources and message our team.

Follow Joni and Friends on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.

Find more encouragement on Joni Eareckson Tada's Sharing Hope podcast and her daily devotional.

How to Grow through Significant Loss and Grief – Jerry Sittser Nov 18, 2021

Show notes

“It is not the experience of loss that becomes the defining moment of our lives, but how we respond to loss that matters.”

Loss came suddenly for Jerry Sittser. In an instant, a tragic car accident claimed three generations of his family: his mother, his wife of 20 years, and his four-year-old daughter. Left as a single father to care for his three surviving children, Jerry was nearly overcome by the tremendous weight of grief.

While most of us will probably not experience such a catastrophic loss in our lifetime, we will all face some sort of loss. Whether in the form of disability, chronic illness, crushing disappointment, or the death of a loved one, the experience of loss is universal.

Jerry is joining Crystal to help put words around sorrow and offer hope for growing with grief. If you are wondering if you will ever heal or what God’s plan is in the depth of your pain, be encouraged by this conversation. Through God’s transforming grace, new life is possible.

Resources:

Read A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows through Loss
Visit Jerry's Website
Listen to Carrying Grief with Bekah Bowman
Listen to Coping with Grief and Loss with Halley Mastrolonardo

Questions or comments? Email Crystal at podcast@joniandfriends.org
Support Joni and Friends to help make this podcast possible.

You make this podcast possible! Thank you for your support.

Find all podcast resources and message our team.

Follow Joni and Friends on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.

Find more encouragement on Joni Eareckson Tada's Sharing Hope podcast and her daily devotional.

How to Heal from Disabling Trauma and PTSD – Dr. Tim Lane Nov 11, 2021

Show notes

"If anxiety, fear, or trauma is part of your experience, the book you want to become familiar with is the Bible. The Bible is all about how God’s redemptive purposes enter into our suffering through his Son who experiences trauma and suffering on our behalf for the purpose of healing."

Dr. Tim Lane, who recently spoke about how to make changes that last is returning to the podcast to discuss post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD. Often associated with servicemen and women who live with distressing memories from combat experience, PTSD can actually occur in any person at any age.

As an experienced counselor and the Founder of the Institute for Pastoral Care, Dr. Lane explains that many people are affected by trauma, but we all respond to disturbing events and the associated shame in different ways.

Whether you face disabling memories from combat, abuse, health problems, or a traumatic accident, you are not alone. Christ, who himself suffered intensely, is with you. Be encouraged as Dr. Lane compassionately shares some of the keys to beginning the healing process and how that process looks over time. And if you know someone struggling with PTSD, learn how you can help create a safe community and come alongside them in the gradual process of restoration.

If you are a veteran living with visible or invisible disabilities from combat, learn about Joni and Friends Warrior Getaways.

Resources:

Visit Dr. Tim Lane's website
Read Dr. Lane’s minibook PTSD: Healing for Bad Memories
Listen to Darby Strickland’s conversation about Trauma
Take the course Becoming a Church That Cares for the Abused
Order Unstuck: A nine-step journey to change that lasts

Questions or comments? Email Crystal at podcast@joniandfriends.org
Support Joni and Friends to help make this podcast possible.

You make this podcast possible! Thank you for your support.

Find all podcast resources and message our team.

Follow Joni and Friends on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.

Find more encouragement on Joni Eareckson Tada's Sharing Hope podcast and her daily devotional.

How to Make Changes That Last – Dr. Tim Lane Nov 04, 2021

Show notes

“Your circumstances shape you but they do not define you – what defines you is that you are in a relationship with a God who loves you.”

Is there an area in your life that you want to change, but you don’t know how? A behavior you’ve tried to stop, but just can’t seem to? Is there a relationship you want to repair, but nothing seems to make things better?

Do you feel stuck?

Dr. Tim Lane, Founder of the Institute for Pastoral Care and author of Unstuck: A Nine-Step Journey to Change That Lasts, discusses key steps toward lasting change. Much more than self-help strategies, Dr. Lane offers truths that are rooted in scripture.

This practical and biblical guidance recognizes that the path to lasting change can only be found by growing in grace as we look to Christ and are empowered by the Holy Spirit. Dr. Lane will help you understand your identity in Christ and recognize common mistakes people make when trying to change. Whatever your struggle, this encouraging conversation will help you to get unstuck as you look to Christ in the day-to-day pressures of life.

Resources:

Visit Dr. Tim Lane's website
Order Unstuck: A nine-step journey to change that lasts
Download the free Unstuck Study Guide

Questions or comments? Email Crystal at podcast@joniandfriends.org
Support Joni and Friends to help make this podcast possible.

You make this podcast possible! Thank you for your support.

Find all podcast resources and message our team.

Follow Joni and Friends on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.

Find more encouragement on Joni Eareckson Tada's Sharing Hope podcast and her daily devotional.

How Including People with Disability Changes Church Culture – Stephanie Hubach Oct 28, 2021

Show notes

“When disability ministry starts to take hold in the heart of a church, it’s like hitting the refresh button on the Gospel in that church.”

Have you considered how including people with disabilities might positively impact your church’s culture? Stephanie Hubach is on the podcast to share the importance and value of including everyone in ministry.

Stephanie is a research fellow in disability ministries at Covenant Theological Seminary and visiting instructor in the seminary’s educational ministries program. Previously she served as the director of Mission to North America’s Special Needs Ministries. She is also a speaker and author of a devotional called Parenting and Disabilities: Abiding in God’s Presence.

People of all abilities have spiritual gifts to offer in your church.

Listen as Stephanie talks about how to build a social ramp so that all gifts can be employed in the body of Christ. Because as we’re saturated in the Gospel and develop more of a biblical worldview, we’ll look expectantly for God-given gifts in other people, including those with disabilities. Learn how you can encourage people of all abilities to be full participants in the body and life of your church!

Resources:

Read Parenting and Disabilities: Abiding in God’s Presence and Same Lake, Different Boat by Stephanie Hubach
Explore all Church Training Resources available from Joni and Friends
Follow Stephanie on Facebook

Questions or comments? Email Crystal at podcast@joniandfriends.org
Support Joni and Friends to help make this podcast possible.

You make this podcast possible! Thank you for your support.

Find all podcast resources and message our team.

Follow Joni and Friends on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.

Find more encouragement on Joni Eareckson Tada's Sharing Hope podcast and her daily devotional.

Parenting a Child with Down Syndrome into Adulthood – Stephanie Hubach Oct 21, 2021

Show notes

Where is God in your journey of parenting a child with disabilities?

In celebration of Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Stephanie Hubach is sharing the joys and challenges of parenting a child with intellectual disabilities. She's a visiting instructor and research fellow in disability ministries at Covenant Theological Seminary and previously served as the Director of Mission to North America’s Special Needs Ministries.

Listen as Stephanie offers wisdom from her leadership experience in disability ministry as well as personal insight from raising two sons to adulthood, Freddy and Tim who has Down syndrome. Hear how her role as a mother has changed throughout the years, the steps she's taking to prepare for the future, and how the church can meet the biggest needs for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

Follow Stephanie on Facebook to see Tim’s latest recipes
Order Parenting and Disabilities: Abiding in God’s Presence and Same Lake, Different Boat

Questions or comments? Email Crystal at podcast@joniandfriends.org
Support Joni and Friends to help make this podcast possible.