Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast

Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast

Joni and Friends shares encouraging conversations about finding hope through your hardships, along with practical ways to include people with disabilities in your church and community.

Episodes

December 26, 2024 39 mins

Crystal Keating has been part of Joni and Friends for over ten years helping the ministry answer thousands of calls, letters, and messages about disability, sharing resources, and holding fast to hope in Jesus through life’s greatest hardships. Her prayer for the Ministry Podcast is that each conversation will help listeners and their loved ones “bear much fruit” (John 15:8) in acts of love throughout the disability community.

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Do you find yourself feeling nostalgic, wistful, or drained going into Christmas? Perhaps frustrated, frantic, or lonely? Joni knows well that Christmas time doesn’t automatically induce joy, especially as you grapple with the challenges of disability, grief, or other hardships. This is why she invites you to think deeply about Christ’s coming, and his death on the cross, meditating on what this salvation message means to you perso...

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Do you ever struggle to feel hopeful about your life? When suffering and pain get overwhelming, whether because of the challenges of disability, chronic pain, loss of a loved one, or even world events, hope can seem fleeting—or even impossible to find.

Today, in every hardship you or your loved ones face, Jesus offers you hope and is faithful to provide what you need.

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU FIND HOPE THROUGH HARDSHIP:

· Order Joni’s bo...

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Carole Reitsma, loving wife to her husband Scott, and devoted mom to her adult son Scotty (who is now an ordained minister), came to faith at a young age, and in the midst of ongoing abuse. Through it all, God has shepherded Carole, leading her to wholeness through grace, and into ministry to others. She has been a pastor alongside her husband in an inner-city church, and for more than twenty-five years has provided Christ-centered...

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Jesus tells us our earthly possessions won’t last. We will outlive them, or they will outlive us. You can’t keep your things forever, and you can’t take them with you. However, according to Jesus, you can send your treasure on ahead. And that’s by giving of your treasure and thus setting your heart on the things that matter eternally. So how do you make the kind of investment Jesus recommends? Here are some places to start:

  • Help...
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Stephanie Daniels welcomes her good friend and colleague Mary Grace Burkey back to the podcast for a heartfelt conversation about two significant topics: marriage and disability. Mary Grace shares her story of meeting her husband Chad at a Joni and Friends Warrior Getaway, which supports Veterans and their families. Chad sustained a traumatic brain injury while serving overseas, which left him with a disability. When they decided t...

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Stephanie Daniels welcomes her friend and co-worker, Mary Grace Burkey, to the podcast for a deep look at the unique needs of military families—and what you can do to support them. With 25 years of experience serving with Joni and Friends, Mary Grace began as a volunteer and now oversees our Texas-area Retreats & Getaways. Organizing multiple Warrior Getaways every year, she shares valuable insights into their life-changing benefit...

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November 7, 2024 38 mins

Stephanie Daniels welcomes married couple Cedric and Michelle White to the podcast. Both pastors, authors, and counselors, Cedric and Michelle work together in ministry strengthening families through biblical counseling and coaching. They also understand firsthand the struggles that many Veteran families face—including PTSD and moral injury—through Cedric’s experience serving with the U.S. Navy. This Christ-centered couple shares a...

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Do you have questions about God’s will for your life? Are you facing circumstances—suffering, disability, uncertainty—that lead you to the end of your rope? For these struggles, and all life’s moments and questions, the Bible is God’s gift to you and all believers. 

Joni invites you, right now, to let the Holy Spirit lead you deeper (or maybe for the first time) into the Word of God. Pray that he will meet you as you listen for his ...

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October 24, 2024 28 mins

Ron Sandison shares his story of growing up on the autism spectrum and offers encouragement for those navigating life with autism. Leaning on Jesus, and with the support of his family, Ron has built a fulfilling and purposeful life. Now, as an author, professor, husband, and father, Ron provides insight to parents raising children with autism, spreading the important message that all children can flourish and mature through the lov...

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Stacy DeWitt is the Executive Director of James Storehouse, a community-based non-profit established in 2012. She works daily with an outstanding volunteer team to meet emergency needs to help expedite cases and ease transitions for children and families. By offering essential support to foster children—including those with disabilities—James Storehouse helps to break multi-generational cycles of abuse, neglect, and poverty.

Stacy i...

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What is grace and how can it change your life? In this installment of Joni Eareckson Tada’s “Heart of the Founder” series, Joni shares how grace has flowed through her life in a transformational way.

When Joni broke her neck in a diving accident and became paralyzed at age 17, she discovered grace like never before—as light piercing through the darkness of her despair and sin, bringing joy and healing to her life, and illuminating t...

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October 3, 2024 27 mins

Get your copy of Darby’s Children’s book, Something Scary Happened (Comfort for Children in Hard Times)

Get your copy of Darby’s booklet, When Children Experience Trauma: Help for Parents and Caregivers

Learn more about Darby and her work

Darby Strickland is a Christian counselor who works with individuals and families facing a variety of issues. She was trained at Westminster Theological Seminary where she obtained a Masters of Divin...

Millions of people throughout the world struggle with chronic pain. And in the United States alone, an estimated 20% of adults experience chronic pain. That’s around 51 million people! 

So if you’re listening today, there’s a chance that you live with chronic pain, just like Joni. If you are suffering in an ongoing way from physical pain, grief, isolation, or relational strife, it can be overwhelming! It’s why Joni invites you to tu...

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How do you help someone who is grieving? Or, if you’re experiencing grief yourself, what do wish others knew about what helps—and what just makes things worse? Poet Emily Curtis joins Stephanie Daniels to talk about bringing hope to those who are grieving. inspire you with biblical insight and heartfelt encouragement for facing grief.

Emily is the compiler and author of the bestselling book Hope in the Mourning. Featuring real life ...

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This episode features the stories two beautiful young women, Vicki and Liz. Though they never met, God wove their lives together through a beloved purple wheelchair and the power of his grace.

Vicki lived with profound disabilities. She also exuded joy and made others happy everywhere she went. When she died unexpectedly the day after Mother’s Day at 27 years old, Vicki’s parents were heartbroken beyond belief. They held on to Vicki...

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Michael Hingson, blind since birth, was born in Chicago to sighted parents who believed in raising their son with a can-do attitude. Treated like all other children in his family, Michael rode a bike, did advanced math in his head, and learned to read and write. He later went to college receiving a bachelor’s and master’s degree in physics along with a secondary teaching credential from the University of California at Irvine. Micha...

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August 29, 2024 10 mins

Don’t miss this installment of Joni Eareckson Tada’s “Heart of the Founder” series where Joni digs into the topic of healing. Imagine you’re an athletic, ambitious teenager looking forward to starting college. It’s a hot day at the beach. On a whim, you plunge into the water and your neck snaps as your head hits the sandy bottom. Life will never be the same… 

After her diving accident, Joni recalls fervently asking God for healing—t...

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Philip Yancey, a renowned author and avid investigator of the mysteries of the Christian faith, joins Crystal Keating for a deep and honest conversation you won’t want to miss. No stranger to wrestling with doubt and suffering, Philip often writes about encountering God in our pain. In this episode he shares about his latest book and opens up about his own recent hardships, including diagnoses of Parkinson’s disease and cancer. He ...

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Rachel LeMaster lives with both Turner syndrome and a traumatic brain injury. But she doesn’t let her troubles keep her from pursuing God’s call on her life. In the midst of following Christ’s example, encouraging and serving others, she met her husband, Caleb. Now the two live out their Christ-centered mission to love one another and those around them, all for the glory of God. As Rachel says, “to live is to give!”

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