Our Ministries
News, Stories, Inspiration
Thirty-eight!
Today I’m singing “Happy Anniversary to us!” Ken and I were married 38 years ago, and yes, it is a happy anniversary. We are celebrating thousands of joyful moments together, including spiritual milestones, and hard-fought-for contentment and perseverance. Yes, it’s a milestone, but we’re still learning. Still being stretched. Back in March, back when we…
Building a Strong Marriage Under the Weight of Caregiving
How do you prioritize your marriage when you’re managing the life and death care of a terminally ill child? Last week on the podcast, Crystal talked with Jim and Deanna Achilles about raising Ryn, their daughter who has lived with a terminal diagnosis of A-T for 20 years. As Ryn has faced diabetes, cancer, and…
Needy and Needed: Why Every Church Needs People with Disabilities
One of the strangest things for those in the disability community is reconciling the fact that while virtually no church outright says they don’t want people with disabilities, there is often a conspicuous gap in our congregations left hollow by those with disabilities who should be there. If Christ died to win the hearts of all people regardless of their disabilities, shouldn’t those with disabilities be present in our churches? Last week Joni and Friends began releasing two brand-new training videos each Wednesday for four weeks. You can find…
Marriage and Quarantine
I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and I have a personal word to you couples who live with disability, especially during this hard season of quarantine. And it’s hard. Ken and I have always believed that confines and restrictions are God’s way of revealing the stuff of which we are made. And it’s not pretty. The first week of isolation back in March had…
Parenting a Child with a Terminal Diagnosis
When Jim and Deanna Achilles’ daughter was diagnosed with the progressive disease Ataxia-Telangiectasia (A-T) at 8 years old, they received heartbreaking news: there is no cure. With no way to stop degeneration, Jim and Deanna were introduced to disability and left walking the line between life and death. Two decades later, Ryn Achilles has outlived…
What is Special Needs Ministry?
When we as the church talk about “disability” and “special needs,” we are talking about real people in our churches and communities. While a diagnosis can help us understand someone’s needs, we are not treating an abstract “disability;” we are loving someone created in the image of God. The mission of Joni and Friends is “to communicate the Gospel and equip Christ-honoring Churches worldwide to evangelize and disciple people affected…
God Is Safe To Follow
Trusting God only when things are going well or when we think we can understand his ways sets us up for a life filled with doubts and crippling anxiety, and it will prevent us from following the plans he has for us in the future. In times like these, when we don’t know what tomorrow…
From Hardship to Hope in Jesus
As a Luke 14 Project partner, you are a friend to children worldwide who are lonely and isolated because of their disability. Your monthly support and prayers give the hope of Jesus and practical help to children like Jackie in Thailand. Jackie was born a healthy typical boy. He could walk until he was five…
Persevering in a Blizzard
When I was still a little girl, my family and I piled into my mother’s white Buick and drove from our home in Maryland to Colorado to visit my uncle on his ranch. Just before we got there, though, we took a detour to Pike’s Peak. Pike’s Peak was a mountain that lived large in…
