Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Finding New Purpose After My Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Diagnosis – Cady Bell Oct 14, 2021

Show notes

“God wastes nothing, even disability. He has a purpose for you right where you are.”

After receiving her EMT certification, Cady Bell was on the path to becoming a doctor to use her skills in service overseas. But when she began experiencing severe pain, seizures, stomach issues, and fainting, her life's plan dramatically changed. As Cady searched for the cause of her symptoms, her intensifying health challenges forced her to drop out of school and quit her job.

On the Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast, Cady is sharing her journey to finding a diagnosis for Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), a rare connective tissue disorder that affects mobility and strength. This invisible disability that has no cure has brought physical and emotional ups and downs, but has also beautifully deepened her relationship with God—something she wouldn't trade for perfect health. Hear how EDS helped Cady discover new joy and purpose and how she’s using her struggles to reach other women who might feel hopeless in their hardships.

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Questions or comments? Email Crystal at podcast@joniandfriends.org
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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 Facebook, Instagram, 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.

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.

Even If… I Will Still Rejoice in My Suffering – Renee Dollenmayer Oct 07, 2021

Show notes

“Nothing that we go through is wasted… no pain, no hurt, no sorrow. We can rejoice in our suffering because we know who our God is.”

Renee Dollenmayer, a college student living with chronic pain and spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, is returning to the podcast to share about her online outreach to other women who live with physical and spiritual challenges. Born prematurely as a triplet alongside two typical brothers, Renee always wondered if she needed to be healed to be a faithful follower of Jesus. But as she discovered the way Jesus suffered, she realized that she has a place in the body of Christ and a calling to encourage others through their hardships!

Do you feel limited by a disability or lack of support? Hear how Christian counseling helped bring Renee through the darkness of her own struggles. Be encouraged that God can use you to bring others to himself—just like he is using Renee and her ministry, Even If!

Follow Renee on Instagram.

Learn about Joni and Friends internships.
Register for the Beyond Suffering course.

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 Jesus Changed My Perspective on Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy – Renee Dollenmayer Sep 30, 2021

Show notes

Have you ever wondered, what is my place? Where do I fit in the body of Christ?

Renee Dollenmayer, a university senior majoring in rehabilitation services, grew up struggling with similar questions about her purpose. Born prematurely with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy as a triplet alongside two typical brothers, Renee wondered if she needed to be healed to be a faithful follower of Jesus.

Listen as Renee shares how God revealed beauty and purpose in her disability, and how that journey led Renee to a Joni and Friends internship. She recently interned alongside our host Crystal Keating in the Response Department to help minister to people looking for spiritual and practical encouragement, as well as resources related to living with a disability. Don’t miss hearing Renee’s advice for other Christian students living with a disability, and how her Joni and Friends internship helped affirm her calling to serve people and serve Jesus for his kingdom.

Follow Renee on Instagram.

Learn about Joni and Friends internships.

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 POT Syndrome Radically Altered My Whole Life – Claire Walker Sep 23, 2021

Show notes

Claire Walker was a varsity basketball player making plans for college when health challenges radically altered her life. After a routine oral surgery, a strep throat virus entered her bloodstream and began wreaking havoc in her nervous system. Claire began to faint almost daily whether standing, sitting, or walking, and suddenly had to exchange her active lifestyle for the safety of a wheelchair.

On the podcast, Claire is sharing about God’s faithfulness through frustrating misdiagnosis and the eventual discovery of a neurological disorder called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (also known as POTS or dysautonomia). Although this syndrome is widespread and growing due to COVID-19, it’s rarely heard about, including among medical experts.

Life hasn’t been the same for Claire since her diagnosis; she is now accompanied by her service dog, Lily, a trained seizure alert dog that helps mitigate POT syndrome. But hear why Claire is grateful to God for what he is doing through her story.

Find Claire on Instagram and Facebook.

Questions or comments? Email Crystal at podcast@joniandfriends.org
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!

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.

Designed to Heal – Dr. Cymbeline Culiat Sep 16, 2021

Show notes

“The deepest transformations in our lives actually happen from some of our deepest woundings…good healing happens in community.”

What can the body’s healing process show us about repairing relational wounds? This week on the podcast Crystal is joined by Dr. Cymbeline T. Culiat, a scientist, entrepreneur, and co-author of the new book Designed to Heal: What the Body Shows Us about Healing Wounds, Repairing Relationships, and Restoring Community.

Listen as Dr. Culiat provides a fascinating look at how the restorative processes of our physical bodies provide a model for healing the painful wounds of broken relationships and divided communities, including wounds within the church. Discover practical ways to address the need for reconciliation, wholeness, and function in our relationships with God, with one another, and within our communities.
Download Your Free Chapter of Designed to Heal
When you download chapter 1, you'll be entered to receive a free copy of the book.

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 a Wheelchair Has Taken Me Places I Never Dared to Imagine – Jenny Smith Sep 09, 2021

Show notes

"When everything around me was changing, I knew that God wasn’t going to change. Without that truth, I don’t know where I would be today.”

Jenny Smith was a typical teenager—a gymnast who loved makeup, played in a band, and was active in her church youth group. But at 16 years old, she sustained a spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed from the chest down. Now relying on others for her most basic needs, privacy and independence seemed like things of the past. But Jenny refused to give up, and over time she discovered that a wheelchair could take her places she’d never dared to imagine. This week on the podcast, listen as Jenny shares how you can live the impossible, even when life doesn’t go as planned.

Read Jenny’s book or visit her website to see her latest videos and updates.

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.

Fueled by Faith – Vicki Zoradi Sep 02, 2021

Show notes

On our last episode of the podcast, Vicki Zoradi shared the miraculous story of how God carried her through a life-threatening battle with severe septic shock. Although medical professionals gave her virtually no chance to live, God had a different plan.

But despite beating the odds, inadequate blood supply to her extremities caused Vicki to lose both of her hands and feet. Now, fitted with prosthetic arms and legs, she is returning to share about God’s enduring love through loss and grief.

Visit Vicki's website to watch her story.

Vicki's new book, Tested by Fire...Fueled by Faith is now available! Request your free copy from Joni and Friendswhile supplies last.

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.

Tested by Fire – Vicki Zoradi Aug 26, 2021

Show notes

On her 60th birthday, shortly after receiving a Teacher of the Year award, Vicki Zoradi was diagnosed with an innocuous kidney stone. When the kidney stone became lodged between her bladder and kidney, she was rushed back to the hospital 36 hours later in severe septic shock. Medical professionals gave Vicki virtually no chance to live, but God had a different plan.

Despite miraculously beating the odds and surviving 35 days in the Intensive Care Unit, inadequate blood supply to her extremities caused her to lose both of her hands and feet.

Now, fitted with prosthetic arms and legs, Vicki is joining Crystal on the podcast for a two-part conversation about her miraculous story of loss and hope.

Subscribe to hear part 2 on our next episode!

Visit Vicki's website to watch her story.

Vicki's new book, Tested by Fire...Fueled by Faith is now available! Request your free copy from Joni and Friendswhile supplies last.

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.

Singing in the Dark – Ginny Owens Aug 19, 2021

Show notes

“Songs are our portable theology… There’s something about the way music gets into our hearts and minds that's different than all other mediums of communication."

We all experience darkness. Perhaps darkness has come for you in the form of a painful loss, a chronic illness, deep loneliness, or perpetual anxiety. Because we are all human, we understand what it means to battle with darkness.

This week on the podcast, singer-songwriter and author Ginny Owens who has been blind since the age of three is back to shine light on finding hope through life's dark and challenging circumstances. Listen as she offers practical ways to cultivate rest in a busy world and tells of the spiritual power and perspective she’s found in the songs of scripture.

Hear Ginny Speak with Crystal about Contentment

Learn powerful ways of drawing closer to God through music and prayer in Ginny's new book, Singing in the Dark, and accompanying EP, Sing Hope in the Darkness. Order your copy.

Find Ginny on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

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.

Pursuing Contentment – Ginny Owens Aug 12, 2021

Show notes

“The bigger our vision of Jesus and the more confidence we have in who he is, the more our circumstances pale in comparison.”

Is it possible to be content in any situation? When faced with circumstances outside your control, it can be easy to feel lost and hopeless. But you are part of a bigger story, and you have a purpose.

Blind since age three, singer-songwriter Ginny Owens has a unique approach to music and writing that have a way of helping us see more clearly and find hope in suffering. This week on the podcast, she is sharing about pursuing contentment as you live by faith and not by sight. After facing several harrowing struggles in her own life, Ginny discovered a deep contentment that changed her perspective on her challenges. Because although you don’t always get to choose your circumstances, you do get to choose the story your life tells.

“It is in the darkness that we learn who we are, and most importantly, we learn who God is.”

Learn powerful ways of drawing closer to God through music and prayer in Ginny's new book, Singing in the Dark, and accompanying EP, Sing Hope in the Darkness. Order your copy.

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