Joni And Friends Ministry Podcast

For our first episode, host Crystal Keating sits down with Joni Eareckson Tada, Founder and CEO of Joni and Friends, to talk about insights Joni's gained from 51 years as a quadriplegic in a wheelchair and 40 years of leading a growing ministry for people with disabilities. Joni also shares how she’s holding on to hope following a second cancer diagnosis and practical ways that encourage her – tangible tips you and your church can also use to encourage someone going through a health or disability-related challenge. 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. Over the past 40 years, the ministry has grown to serve thousands of people impacted by disability worldwide: Joni and Friends has delivered 150,000 wheelchairs and Bibles through Wheels for the World and provided Christia

On the new Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast, we’re answering real questions about disability. Each week, host Crystal Keating is sitting down with a special guest or ministry expert to explore creative and practical ways to embrace and include people with disabilities in our churches and communities. Find resources mentioned on the podcast: www.joniandfriends.org/podcast Crystal Keating has been part of Joni and Friends for 5 years helping Joni Eareckson Tada answer thousands of calls, letters, and messages about disability, chronic illness, and holding fast to the hope we have in Christ through life’s greatest hardships. She is also a graduate student studying marriage and family counseling.