Podcast
“People are people and everybody has a place in the church family. When you get to know somebody, you can help them to be a part of the family. If you never take the time to get to know them, that’s not going to happen.” -Bret Welshymer Everyone who comes through the church doors should…
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“For a lot of people who deal with chronic pain it’s like walking constantly in a state of storm… for someone who only sees sunshine and clear skies, they can’t even comprehend that it’s storming.” –Hallie Sheaffer Not all disabilities are visible. While on the outside someone may look as if everything is fine,…
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Like most parents, Steve Bundy was not expecting his child to be born with a disability. Following Caleb’s diagnosis of partial chromosome deletion, Steve felt so alone – he didn’t know where to turn or who would understand. On this week’s episode, he shares a father’s perspective on a road that few parents would choose…
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“Respite is for the parents and for the kids. It’s for the whole family to really have an opportunity to just come to a church and know that the church genuinely wants them to be there.” -Gina Spivey, Disability Ministry Leader Families or caregivers who have children with disabilities are often isolated,…
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Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify When Shauna arrived at the doctor’s office for her four-month ultrasound, the question on her mind was what color to paint the nursery. But after an unexpected diagnosis of Down syndrome, she and her husband left with more questions than answers. “I pinched myself. I literally pinched myself. The one…
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Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify One of the places where families impacted by disability should feel most welcomed is at church. But when it comes to building an inclusive environment, people and churches often struggle with where to begin. Today on the podcast, Crystal talks with two ministry experts, Liz Babbitt and Lauren Garner, who…
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Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify More than 70 million people around the world are in need of a wheelchair, but only 10% have access to one.* During March, Joni and Friends is celebrating Wheelchair Collection Month to bring awareness to this need and help solve the global mobility crisis. Today, Crystal Keating talks with Elizabeth…
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There’s a difference between ministering to someone who has a disability and really doing life with them. While barriers like staircases and narrow doorways may keep someone with a physical disability from entering a space, there are other barriers that keep them from genuine, deep friendship. How can we take steps to tear down walls…
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Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify You don’t really know a person until you’ve heard their story. For so many families impacted by disability, that story includes unique challenges and demands that can be exhausting and relentless. Responsibilities are often 24/7 in order to meet the needs of a child, spouse, or grandparent with a disability.…
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Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify In the middle of his successful career in the biotech industry, Kevin Stark unexpectedly became a quadriplegic. A few years later, he met his lovely wife, Jamie, and they fell in love. On this special Valentine’s Day episode of the Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast, Kevin and Jamie Stark…
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