Big Things Through Humble Beginnings

I’m often asked, “Joni, how do I get my story published?”  

Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and it’s a pretty common question. People will tell me that they’ve been working on a manuscript of their testimony, and they want to know – how do I get it printed? Now, I try to answer that as best I can, but to be honest, years ago, I did not approach a publisher. Let me tell you how it happened …  

My journey with book-writing began back in 1974 when my artwork – things I created using a mouth stick – my artwork caught the attention of a local TV station in my hometown of Baltimore. They did a short feature about my paintings, and that local TV interview caught the attention of a producer at NBC’s “The Today Show” in New York. At his invitation, my sister and I, we loaded up  my artwork in the back of her station wagon, and we drove up to New York City to be interviewed by Barbara Walters (she was kind of the Kelly Ripa of her day). And then, when on national TV I was asked about my smile, I told America, “You know, it’s all because of Jesus Christ, my Savior. I’d be hopeless without him!” Well, after that, things just exploded! A publisher who had been watching asked me to write a book. I mean, when does that happen anymore, right?! And when the Joni book was released in 1976, I began (singing) getting letters; I get letters.  

And one of those letters was from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Apparently, Ruth Graham had read the Joni book, and she suggested that I share my story on several Billy Graham Crusades, which I did. Then, the Billy Graham people asked me if I would be willing to play my own part in a film about my story. What an experience that was! Oh, gee. And should you wonder, there will be no Joni II, no Son of Joni, no Joni’s Revenge. Uh, uh, uh. That one film experience was enough! 

Well, as you would guess, the movie brought even more mail to my door, and many of those letters were from people with disabilities like me. And that’s when I realized that I needed more than just a few friends around the kitchen table to help me to respond. So in 1979 I began Joni and Friends. It’s hard to believe that a worldwide ministry got started through a few mouth-sketches drawn by a 20-something girl in a wheelchair. Now, to this day, nobody is more surprised than I am! Taking wheelchairs around the world. Holding retreats for special needs families in the States and in places like Peru, or Thailand, and Ukraine. God is doing huge things from such small beginnings! But isn’t that just how God works?  

The Lord delights in doing big things through humble beginnings. I mean, consider: Remember when He took Gideon’s army and whittled it down to 300 men before they took on the military machine of the Midianites. He used a farm kid tending sheep to bring down a mighty giant, Goliath. He chose a man with no children to be the Father of Many Nations. And God picked me, a young girl in her early 20s still struggling to find her way in a wheelchair. God picked me back then, to now reach thousands of people with disabilities around the world. So, what about that question: “How do I get my book published?” My answer? I say, leave it to God – you focus on deepening your message and let your faithful Lord focus on spreading that message! One bit of advice, though: when you do tell your story, even in a manuscript, always use God’s Word. Because neither your story nor mine can transform the hearts of readers; only God’s Word can do that! And you can take that to any publisher.  

And one more thing. We at Joni and Friends would love to pray for you and your hardships, so share with us your prayer need today at joniradio.org. Again, that’s joniradio.org.

© Joni and Friends

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