Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Disability and Belonging – Jenny Hill Oct 29, 2020

Show notes

"When you’re not sure what to offer, your very presence can be a gift."

People of all abilities need community, a place to fully belong and share our gifts with others. But loneliness, especially exaggerated by the isolation of COVID-19, is one of the difficult realities faced by many adults with disabilities.

Today on the podcast, Crystal is talking with author and educator Jenny Hill. Born with mild spastic cerebral palsy, Jenny didn’t experience the healing she prayed for as a girl, but she has learned to walk in the tension of God’s goodness and the challenges of cerebral palsy. In this conversation she shares honestly about her experiences with envy, grief, and loneliness, and where she has discovered healing for her soul. Jenny also offers tangible ways to share friendship with adults living with disability and the importance of sharing your story to create hope and community for others along life’s journey.

Resources:

Learn more about Jenny Hill
Order Helping with Life Transitions: Engaging Young Adults with Disabilities into the Life of Your Church
Listen to How to be More Inclusive
Serve at Family Retreat

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

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*Joni and Friends was founded in 1979 by Joni Eareckson Tada who in a diving accident was left a quadriplegic at 17 years old. Ministry began as Tada, joined by friends around her kitchen table, responded to letters she received from people with disabilities in search of support. For more than 40 years, the ministry has grown to serve thousands of people impacted by disability worldwide: Joni and Friends has delivered more than 180,000 wheelchairs and Bibles through Wheels for the World and provided Christian care to 63,000 special needs family members through Family Retreats. The organization also equips individuals and churches with disability ministry training and provides higher education courses through the Christian Institute on Disability. For more encouragement, download the Joni and Friends radio podcast in English or Spanish, and view inspirational videos on the Joni and Friends website.

www.joniandfriends.org*

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.

Marriage Story: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life's Detours with Faith – Angela Muir Van Etten Oct 22, 2020

Show notes

"Marriage is hard, but it's not too difficult for God to make it work."

Even the best marriages require intentional effort to thrive. So, what happens when a relationship is complicated by dwarfism, discord, and discrimination?

Last week, Angela Muir Van Etten talked with Crystal about her passion for raising awareness and advocating for people with dwarfism and disability. Today, Angela is back on the podcast to share her marriage story: how God took two people with numerous challenges and grew them into a faithful couple who have honored him.

Standing at 3 feet, 4 inches, Angela and Robert’s common height wasn’t enough to hold their marriage together. When workaholism, a failing business, and a breakdown in communication put their relationship on the brink, they needed help! In today’s conversation, hear where Angela and Robert sought help and how they’ve been able to face life’s challenges head-on with love and faith. Their now 35-year marriage is a truly a picture of God’s power being made perfect in weakness!

Learn more about Angela Muir Van Etten

Read more about Angela and Robert’s love story in Angela's new book, Pass Me Your Shoes: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith.

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

Support Joni and Friends to help make this podcast possible.

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

Help other people find this podcast by leaving us a 5-star review!

www.joniandfriends.org*

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.

A Voice for People with Dwarfism and Disability – Angela Muir Van Etten Oct 15, 2020

Show notes

"When something is happening that shouldn't be, you look around and think, 'Who’s going to do something?' It's then you realize, 'God’s given me the skills to do this.'"

Do you feel compelled to take action when you encounter ignorance and inequity? For Angela Muir Van Etten, she has made it her lifelong mission to raise awareness and advocate for people with dwarfism and disability. Standing at three-feet-four-inches, she a gentle, yet firm voice as she advocates for biblical standards of integrity and justice.

As a dual citizen of New Zealand and the United States, Angela qualified as a lawyer and served as national president of Little People organizations in both countries. Today on the podcast, she is sharing her story and how her passion for advocacy has grown.

Be encouraged by Angela’s conversation with Crystal and inspired to speak up for integrity and justice! 

Learn more about Angela Muir Van Etten

*October 15th is Joni Eareckson Tada 's 71st birthday! Celebrate with Joni!

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

Support Joni and Friends to help make this podcast possible.

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

Help other people find this podcast by leaving us a 5-star review!

www.joniandfriends.org*

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.

Joni and Friends Survey Oct 08, 2020

Show notes

Thank you for listening to this special message from Joni Eareckson Tada.

We know this season of isolation has not been easy for families impacted by disability. The pandemic has challenged us to find new ways to serve families like yours. So now, want to hear from you!

We have created a brief survey so that we can better understand how to serve you and other families dealing with the same realities you face each day. We want to expand our programs to meet your needs, and your opinions matter to us.

If you are part of a family living with disability, please take a few minutes to complete this brief survey.

Thank you for sharing your input!

www.surveymonkey.com/r/joniandfriends

Support Joni and Friends to help make this podcast possible.

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

www.joniandfriends.org*

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.

Is God Listening? – Dave Deuel Oct 01, 2020

Show notes

“Suffering can feel like a darkness that blinds us to God’s presence. In the dark, you can stand next to someone and not even know they are there. Suffering can do that to us spiritually. Although God is always close by, we can feel alone.”

What do you do when you beg God to help you and it seems like nothing changes? You ask for relief, but circumstances remain overwhelming. You plead for reasons, and it feels like God is silent.

Is God listening?

Today on the podcast, Crystal is sitting down with Dave Deuel to talk about God’s attentive ear in the midst of unplanned, life-changing situations. Father to Joanna who has Down syndrome and is now in her 30s, Dave and his family have walked through challenging seasons of disability and mental illness. Listen as he shares how suffering has shaped his understanding of God, and he offers practical ways that you can press into Christ in the midst of your hardship.

Read Dave's minibook: Is God Listening?

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

Support Joni and Friends to help make this podcast possible.

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

Help other people find this podcast by leaving us a 5-star review!

www.joniandfriends.org*

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.

God Does His Best Work with Empty – Nancy Guthrie Sep 24, 2020

Show notes

It’s amazing how heavy the weight of emptiness can feel, and how much room something that isn’t even there can take up in our souls. Whether due to loneliness, disappointment, loss, or even a search for purpose, emptiness can seem like our greatest problem. But that’s not how God sees it! When God looks into the empty places of our lives, he sees his greatest opportunity.

This week on the podcast, author and teacher Nancy Guthrie is sharing why emptiness has never been, and never will be, a problem to God. With insights from her brand-new book, God Does His Best Work with Empty, she tells how throughout the narrative of Scripture, God is always working to fill up emptiness with his presence. Be encouraged by this hopeful conversation about how your emptiness can be also filled, because God really does do his best work with empty—as he fills it with himself.

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

Support Joni and Friends to help make this podcast possible.

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

www.joniandfriends.org*

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 Be More Inclusive – Joshua Fast Sep 17, 2020

Show notes

“If you want to understand how to be more inclusive, get to know someone with disabilities. Get out of your comfort zone.”

Last week on the podcast, Joshua Fast shared about raising Malakai, his 6-year old son who was born prematurely and diagnosed with myotonic dystrophy and cerebral palsy. But for Joshua and his wife Nicole, it was during Malakai’s 4-month hospital stay that they saw their church community come around them to provide the life-giving support that strengthened the Fasts as they encountered a series of unexpected challenges.

This week, Joshua is back to talk about how his unique journey inspired him to establish a ministry that helps other special needs families find similar support as he teaches church leaders how to better include people living with disability. Through Priceless Youth Ministry, Joshua is demonstrating the value of all people and creating opportunities for everyone to encounter God through fellowship, worship, and the teaching of God’s Word. Listen to learn about the creative ways he is breaking down barriers and helping churches make their existing ministries more accessible, and how you can too!

Learn about Priceless Youth Ministry

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

Support Joni and Friends to help make this podcast possible.

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

www.joniandfriends.org*

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.

An Unplanned Journey – Joshua Fast Sep 10, 2020

Show notes

When Joshua and Nicole Fast became pregnant with their son Malakai, they were thrilled to be growing their family. But when Malakai was born prematurely and diagnosed with myotonic dystrophy and cerebral palsy, they struggled to understand what life would look like for their son and their family.

“What are we going to do?”

Today on the podcast, Crystal is talking with Joshua about the joy that Malakai has brought to their family and how their struggles have taught the Fasts lessons that couldn’t be learned any other way. Hear how their unique journey with disability has deepened their spiritual life, illuminated the need for more special needs support within the church, and inspired them to help other families in similar circumstances.

Learn about Priceless Youth Ministry

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

Support Joni and Friends to help make this podcast possible.

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

www.joniandfriends.org*

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 Does Fear Affect Your Body? – Dr. Sam Kojoglanian Sep 03, 2020

Show notes

“You may think, ‘I’m ok. I’m going to sit here and watch the news over and over again,” but it’s affecting your entire body… When our spirit dips into God’s Word, it redirects the mind and the body; there is calmness, goodness, peace, and even health.”

Did you know that fear can impact your whole body? What you think and what you speak can actually alter your body physiologically. So, what are the effects of living in a prolonged season of uncertainty, stress, and anxiety as we face COVID-19?

Today on the podcast, Crystal is talking with Dr. Sam Kojoglanian, an award-winning cardiologist who uses his God-given skills to practice medicine with compassion. Nicknamed “Mender of Hearts,” Dr. Sam joyfully inspires his patients to live healthier, stronger, and more peace-filled lives. Listen as he shares about the interconnectivity of your heart, mind, and body, and the havoc that fear can wreak when you place your focus on information rather than the sovereignty of God. Be encouraged by his contagious joy as he shares what it means to have a faith that triumphs over fear!

Learn more about Dr. Sam's ministry, Beacon of Hearts.

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

Support Joni and Friends to help make this podcast possible.

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

www.joniandfriends.org*

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.

Patience That Leads to Perseverance – Joni Eareckson Tada Aug 27, 2020

Show notes

“Perseverance is so key. It means staying the course, not deviating, holding fast…and especially remaining patient. Patience over time leads to perseverance. And perseverance leads to character.”
When it comes to character-building, wouldn’t we all love to have a quick fix? But that’s not the way God works. It is a slow process. Through a series of small victories in suffering, our perseverance is strengthened and character is built.

Today on the podcast Crystal is sitting down with Joni Eareckson Tada to talk about patience in suffering that leads to perseverance. As Joni celebrates a ministry milestone – broadcasting 10,000 episodes of the Joni and Friends radio program – she’s sharing about the long, slow road of endurance. Through quadriplegia, two rounds of breast cancer, chronic pain, and now a pandemic, hear where Joni finds the strength to continue rolling up to the microphone decade after decade to share encouragement with others in need of hope in their hardship.

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