When Peter Coleman set out to follow God’s call to serve as a missionary in Nicaragua, he couldn’t imagine the journey ahead. But as he faced danger, uncertainty, and life-threatening illness, Peter learned to lean on the Lord in new ways. Tune in for this episode of the Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast to hear Peter Coleman talk about living out God’s call and trusting Jesus through hardship.

Tune in for this first installment of Joni Eareckson Tada’s “Heart of the Founder” series, focused on the subject of disability. Hear straight from Joni as she shares a biblical understanding of disability, along with her own personal experience. When Joni Eareckson Tada first broke her neck and became paralyzed at age 17, she fell into despair and self-pity. She couldn’t imagine that God had a good plan for her life. She wanted physical healing, to be free from her disability. Instead,...

The Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast launches its sixth season with Joni herself, and host Crystal Keating, introducing Stephanie Daniels, who will team up with Crystal behind the microphone to share hope through hardship. As a member of the Joni and Friends team, Stephanie loves sharing encouragement and Gospel hope with each person who connects with the ministry on our social media channels.

In our final episode of season 5, we hear from Joni and Friends team member Wilame Leal Silva. He and his wife Erica Leal were overjoyed to hear they were pregnant with their second child. Then doctors gave a diagnosis that sent them reeling. Their son, they were told, had trisomy 13, a condition likely to end the baby’s life soon after birth. Even if Daniel survived, doctors said, he would be severely disabled and not live long. Grieved facing the loss of their son—and pressured to terminate...

Across the United States nearly 53 million people serve as caregivers to family members, friends, and others in need of care. On call around the clock, often without pay, caregivers can experience discouragement and burnout. Rebekah Dowhy knows the rigors of caregiving. After years of caring for her mother with multiple sclerosis (MS) Rebekah founded the Caregiving Support Network to provide caregivers with Christ-centered respite, community, and encouragement. She joins the podcast to offer...

Cami Lundt didn’t expect any surprises with her fourth pregnancy… until the doctor broke the shocking news. Baby Grace was diagnosed with trisomy 13 and a Dandy-Walker brain malformation—conditions that doctors considered “incompatible with life.” The baby, they said, had a 99.9% chance of dying just minutes after her birth. But God had a different plan. For almost five years, Cami and her family got to love and care for Grace, walking her home to heaven. Tune in to hear Cami’s story, and...

Have you considered how including people with disabilities might positively impact your church’s culture? Stephanie Hubach is on the podcast to share the importance and value of including everyone in ministry.

Jeb Beauchamp joins the podcast to talk about expanding the reach of the Gospel to people living with disability in the North Carolina area. As an Area Director with Joni and Friends and an ordained pastor, Jeb talks about shifting culture and overcoming barriers in churches to help people with disabilities experience true belonging. Jeb also shares about biblical counseling, and how the Word of God can speak to every person, regardless of life circumstances.

J.D. Kim’s life changed forever when he broke his neck in a snowboarding accident and became paralyzed. At first J.D. wanted to die. Then Jesus reached into his life, gave him hope, and sent him on a purposeful journey. Tune in to hear J.D.’s story of finding hope through hardship.

Bestselling author Laura Wifler joins the podcast to share about her journey as a mother raising a child with disabilities, and to introduce her children’s book, Like Me: A Story About Disability and Discovering God's Image in Every Person. The story—following a child with disabilities and his sibling as they go through their day—aims to help typically developing children understand disability and befriend people with disabilities in their own lives. Tune in to hear Laura’s encouraging...

Author and Christian counselor Darby Strickland previously joined the podcast to share about caring for people who have suffered from trauma and abuse. In this episode, she returns to talk about spiritual abuse. Tune in to learn the markers of spiritual abuse, how spiritual abuse can hurt people with disabilities in particular, and what can be done for a person wounded by coercive control, misuse of Scripture, manipulative spiritual teaching, or other forms of spiritual oppression.

Author and Christian counselor Darby Strickland joins the podcast to talk about trauma and abuse. As a specialist in counseling people in abusive marriages, Darby provides a biblical response to domestic abuse and other forms of oppression, including people with disabilities who can be particularly vulnerable to abuse and suffer unseen trauma. In her own counseling practice, and through speaking and writing, Darby comes alongside pastors, counselors, and others who seek to help those...

Kay Toombs, a Christian, professor, and author who lives with disability, returns to the podcast to explore the transformational power of intentional Christian community. Over decades living with multiple sclerosis (MS), Kay has reflected and taught on issues related to illness, disability, caregiving, and healing, as well as the role Christianity can play in creating a sustainable culture and caring communities.

At age 29 Kay Toombs was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system that has since caused paralysis and impacts every part of her life. Living with disability and chronic illness for decades has inspired Kay’s life work. As a Christian, professor, and author she has reflected and taught on issues related to illness, disability, caregiving, and healing. Kay joins the podcast to explore the meaning of illness and share how wholeness is...

Do you know how to create lasting peace in your home? Laura Hernandez joins the podcast to share her story of raising ten children (biological and adopted), some living with hidden disabilities. Hear how Laura transformed from an overwhelmed do-it-all mom to a parent who leans on the Lord to create a peaceful, Christ-centered home.

Loss came suddenly for Jerry Sittser. In an instant, a tragic car accident claimed three generations of his family: his mother, his wife of 20 years, and his four-year-old daughter. Left as a single father to care for his three surviving children, Jerry was nearly overcome by the tremendous weight of grief. Are you wondering if you will ever heal or what God’s plan is for you in the depth of your pain? Be encouraged as Jerry helps put words around sorrow and offers hope for how to grow with...

In 2011 Cameron Horner survived a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed and in a wheelchair. Like many others who have endured life-changing injuries, Cameron never imagined he would live without the full use of his hands and legs. He joins the podcast to talk about how God has filled him with strength and grace amid his suffering, which has led people to know Jesus and displayed God's power through trials.

Larry Randolph joins the podcast to share the story of how God called him to start Canines for Christ, an organization spreading the Good News of Christ through therapy dogs and their owners. Hear how he uses dogs to bring comfort and joy to people facing hardships, from disability to PTSD.

When Becky Ellis first served at a Joni and Friends Family Retreat in 1999, she discovered God’s call on her life. Every summer Becky returned to Family Retreat to serve. Now a Regional Operations Director for Joni and Friends, Becky wants to inspire the next generation to love, serve, and advocate for people with disabilities. She joins the podcast to talk about bringing the love of Christ to individuals and families living with disability—and how getting involved as a volunteer can...

Disability. Illness. Loneliness. Heartache. It’s a broken world and suffering comes at us in many shapes and sizes. Joni Eareckson Tada who has lived through more than 5 decades of quadriplegia, two rounds of breast cancer, and daily chronic pain, is well-acquainted with hardship. But she also knows about perseverance! Joni shares where she finds the strength to continue on and what she has learned about the power of example.

Christopher Davison has faced many difficulties because of his Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a progressive, terminal illness that has led to quadriplegia. Diagnosed at age 6 and in a wheelchair by 8, Christopher didn’t expect to live past his 20s. Now in his 30s, he lives to serve God and help others to find hope and truth in their difficulties. He joins the podcast to talk about living with a progressive disability, his experience as a pastor for 10 years, and how God’s strength shines...

At age 14 Sarah Willoughby's world turned upside down when she fell seriously ill. Sarah went from trail running and adventuring to spending her days sick in bed. Doctors struggled to diagnose her condition until they finally discovered the culprit: toxic mold. Facing the severity of her condition, Sarah sought the Lord. She joins the podcast to share how her faith in Christ has sustained her through the trials of chronic illness, and to help you find hope amid your own hardships.

Joni and Friends Nashville Area Director Larea Kwakye joins the podcast to talk about being called into ministry serving people living with disabilities, especially those struggling with poverty and in under-resourced communities. For more than twenty years Larea has followed God’s call on her life to share the Gospel with people from Tennessee to Europe to Africa. A lifelong learner who holds a doctorate in Christian counseling, Larea loves to watch God meet his people’s needs and transform...

Caregiving for a person with exceptional needs—whether it’s a child, spouse, parent, or friend—can be overwhelming. Mary Tutterow, author of the Heart of the Caregiver® study series, joins the podcast to share how peace is possible for caregivers in all circumstances.

Joni and Friends New England Area Director Maria DeGenova joins the podcast to share how God brought her deep healing through serving families living with disability. Maria is one of four sisters—and a twin! Two of her sisters deal with mental health struggles and learning disabilities. Like many siblings in households navigating disability, Maria needed God’s help to understand her own identity, story, and calling. And she wants you to discover what she has: that God is close and...