YouTube Lessons

By |Published On: October 13, 2017|Categories: 4-Minute Radio Program|

Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and this weekend is my birthday.

Welcome to “Joni and Friends” and I can’t believe another birthday has come around so quickly. And with every year that flies, I thank God for the big birthday gift of my good health, my husband, and my work at Joni and Friends. I tell you, if tomorrow I become ill and had to be bedridden, if I broke a bone or developed pneumonia or pressure sores or any of the other ailments that commonly plague quadriplegics like me, believe me, I could not complain. I’ve enjoyed over 50 years of good health and great ministry in this wheelchair, and I’m just so grateful God has blessed me with those two gifts over so many years.

And I have a little confession to make. Sometimes when I get down, when I do have to be in bed because of a bad cold or pressure sore, when I start to feel blue about my circumstances, (this is so funny) I go on-line to the Joni and Friends YouTube channel and I watch a few of our programs. Our ministry has produced over 40 television episodes of amazing stories of people who have such great joy in the midst of tragedies. It’s all right there on our Joni and Friends YouTube channel.

Then I will watch videos of the many kids with disabilities that we are reaching for Christ through our Family Retreats. Believe me, it’s the best remedy for the blues; just watching these kids in their wheelchairs or on crutches, smiling, laughing when they get in the pool, take a hayride, get on a horse, go zip-lining, square dance, you name it, you can see the joy of the Lord on their faces. And me, lying there in bed, paralyzed? It chases away every vestige of discouragement, just watching these kids with disabilities overcome the odds.

Then, if I need more inspiration, I watch a few videos on our YouTube channel about people with disabilities in China or Cuba or Ukraine or Peru. I watch them come crawling on their hands to our wheelchair distribution; me, lying on a nice soft bed, watching them being carried around on plywood chairs or dragged around on dirty mattresses. And then I watch them being fitted to a padded leather wheelchair with detachable arm rests and swing-away foot pedals. I watch a pastor give them the Gospel and the Bible in their language. I see the smiles. And I tell you, I just shake my head, and near tears I thank God for the blessings of life that we all enjoy here in America. So take a hint, if you are feeling down or discouraged, just visit our YouTube channel today and become a subscriber. Just go to youtube.com and type in Joni and Friends. Click on our channel to watch all kinds of videos that showcase the grace and glory of God in the midst of so much pain and disability. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and believe me, you’ll be uplifted by the work that God is doing through the ministry! We are posting all sorts of new videos every week, and I don’t want you to miss out. So subscribe to our YouTube channel today, and be inspired.

Oh, you don’t have to be sick in bed like I was. Oh, and if the smiles on those kids with disabilities don’t lift you out of the blues, here’s one idea: you can always get my free booklet on depression. Just go to joniandfriends.org/radio and if you’re struggling with the blues, with feeling down, just ask for your free copy of “The Way Out, Out of Depression.” It’s all at joniandfriends.org where the joy of the Lord always shines through the dark clouds of weakness and disability.

Oh, and by the way, if you have a prayer request let me know on our radio page and our ‘Joni and Friends’ staff will lift up your need before the Lord. God bless you today and thanks for listening to Joni and Friends.

© Joni and Friends

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