Joni: An Unforgettable Story

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A higher law than the ADA is needed. InLuke 14:13–14, Jesus tells us to “invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.” At Joni and Friends, we envision a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. In other words, God lets you feel much of sin’s sting through suffering, while you are heading for heaven. And it should constantly remind you of what you are being delivered from. So, one form of evil, your pain and paralysis, is turned on its head to defeat another form of evil, and that is your bitterness, resentments, anxieties, fears, and I could go on — all to the praise of God’s wisdom.” When people with disabilities are embraced, they are God’s best audio-visual aids for the display of his power.” — Disability and the Gospel: How God Uses Our Brokenness to Display His Grace God gives grace to broken vessels. I am weak and I need grace every day. As one pastor put it, spiritual strength is the amount of grace I depend on in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). God showed me that I can do nothing apart from Him. He showed me that he uses broken vessels so that his power can be shown by complete dependence on him. I became profoundly aware of my need for grace. I’ve always known God’s grace, but not like this. Grace is God’s unmerited favor. Grace can’t be earned. Grace reaches out to those who don’t have any righteousness of their own. Grace is for the broken. This. is. me. “Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to the Cross I Cling.” Throughout their forty years of marriage, Joni and Ken have faced typical marital challenges along with the unique stressors of Joni’s disability. Their willingness to share openly and candidly about these issues has proven a powerful healing tool for couples struggling in their own marriages.

Joni married Ken, a football coach, in 1982 and while he thought he knew what he was getting into, he soon became overwhelmed with the never-ending responsibility of caring for Joni, a quadriplegic from the age of 17 after a tragic diving accident. She shared, “I am inspired by the many valiant people with disabilities and their families whom we serve every day at Joni and Friends; they are people who constantly persevere through personal crises. They do not doubt God’s glorious purposes for their lives, why should I?” Tada invites friends and associates to share the news of her diagnosis, but with one caveat: that people be encouraged to pray.Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." - 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 She founded Joni and Friends in 1979, an organization to "accelerate Christian ministry in the disability community" [6] throughout the world. In 2007 the Joni and Friends International Disability Center in Agoura Hills, California, was established. [7] Led by Tada (founder and CEO) and John Nugent (president and COO), the Joni and Friends International Disability Center runs a multi-faceted non-profit covering a number of program outlets. The longest-running program is "Joni and Friends Radio", a five-minute radio program begun in 1982. It now runs four minutes in length and can be heard each weekday on over 1,000 broadcast outlets. [8] Tada also records a one-minute radio feature, "Diamonds in the Dust", that airs daily. [8] Both programs have received awards: "Joni and Friends Radio" received the "Radio Program of the Year" [9] award from National Religious Broadcasters in 2002, and "Diamonds in the Dust" won the same award in 2011 in the short program. [10] God continued to expand the impact of Joni’s testimony and ministry through her public campaigns against euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research. In 2007 Joni and Friends opened the doors to its International Disability Center to usher in a new era of outreach to families worldwide.

Tada wrote of her experiences in her 1976 international best-selling autobiography, Joni: The unforgettable story of a young woman's struggle against quadriplegia & depression, which has been distributed in many languages. The book was made into a 1980 feature film of the same name, starring herself. Her second book, A Step Further, was released in 1978. [5] Ministry and public life [ edit ] It's why this book was written. For many people . . . I think all of our lives are spent looking for and wanting to go home. But what if it were as close as the hand of your spouse? That would make for a contented and complete marriage." Doctor of Humane Letters from Columbia International University, the first honorary doctorate bestowed in its 75-year history True, God permits awful things, but (to paraphrase Dorothy Sayers) something so grand and glorious is going to happen in the world’s finale that it will more than suffice for every pain we experienced on this planet. God will exponentially make up for every tear (Psalm 56:8), and will abundantly reward us for every hurt (Romans 8:18). Best of all, God will make plain the mysterious ways of his will. Has Horrible Happened to You? For example, here in the U.S., we hold Family Retreats where parents of those with special needs receive much-needed respite and whole families discover they belong—not just within a community that understands them but in the body of Christ. Thousands of veterans have returned from war struggling with physical wounds, moral injuries, and PTSD, so we hold Warrior Getaways for these brave service men and women and their families. There are also desperate needs in communities like East St. Louis, Nashville, and Downtown Los Angeles. So we’re seeking to grow our programs and resource churches to bring people with disabilities into the fold—into God’s house through faith in Christ.EPM loves the heart and mission of Joni and Friends, the ministry she founded, and they’re one of the main organizations we support with our Disability Special Fund. (100% of all contributions to our special funds go to carefully chosen ministries; give online here. You can also donate directly to JAF.)

In 1976, the Christian author completed her debut book. It was an autobiography titled Joni that captured the chronicles of her life. The book spread like a forest fire, and the publishers translated it into 30 different languages. Furthermore, they also made a visual adaptation. The best part is Joni herself starred in the movie that she based on her life. ECPA Gold Medallion Award in Elementary Children for co-authoring Hymns for a Kid's Heart, Volume 1 [49]Beginning in 1982, she started hosting “Joni and Friends,” a daily five-minute radio program of information and inspiration. Now four minutes in length, the program airs on more than 1,000 outlets and reaches one million listeners a week. Her one-minute inspirational program, “Diamonds in the Dust,” also airs daily on more than 800 stations nationwide. In May 2017, the “Joni and Friends” radio program celebrated 35 years of broadcasting. God’s in charge, Joni, but that doesn’t mean he actually pushed you off the raft,” Steve said. “Numbers 35:11 pictures someone dying in an ‘accident,’ calling it ‘unintentional.’ Yet elsewhere, of the same incident, the Bible says, ‘ God lets it happen’ (Exodus 21:13). It’s an accident, but it’s God’s accident. God’s decrees allow for suffering to happen, but he doesn’t necessarily ‘do’ it.”