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Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast

Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast

By: Joni and Friends
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 Joni and Friends shares encouraging conversations about finding hope through your hardships, along with practical ways to include people with disabilities in your church and community.Joni and Friends Christianity Relationships Social Sciences Spirituality
Episodes
  • Watching for the Morning: Vaneetha Risner on Hope amid Suffering

    Watching for the Morning: Vaneetha Risner on Hope amid Suffering
    Sep 18 2025

    Vaneetha Risner is no stranger to suffering. Having lived through polio, the loss of a child, and multiple miscarriages, she has wrestled with God and learned to trust in his goodness. Vaneetha joins Stephanie Daniels to share about her journey and how she has continued to hope in God through the darkness of deep pain. Their encouraging conversation will remind you that God sees you and reassure you that you never have to suffer alone.

    Get your copy of Vaneetha’s devotional, Watching for the Morning

    Find out more about Vaneetha and connect with her at: www.vaneetha.com

    Learn more of Vaneetha’s story on previous podcast episodes: Desperate for Hope: Questions We Ask God in Suffering and Finding Freedom Through Forgiveness

    KEY QUESTIONS:

    • How have you seen God work through the hardships in your life?
    • What struggle do you need to bring before God today, trusting him to meet and sustain you?


    KEY SCRIPTURES:

    • Psalm 34:3–5: “Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.”
    • Psalm 30:5: “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

    You make this podcast possible! Thank you for your support.

    Find all podcast resources and message our team.

    Follow Joni and Friends on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.

    Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Founded by Joni Eareckson Tada, we provide Christ-centered care through Joni's House, Wheels for the World, Retreats and Getaways, and disability ministry training.

    Find more encouragement on Joni Eareckson Tada's Sharing Hope podcast and her daily devotional.
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    53 mins
  • Faith amidst Suicide: Help and Hope for the Darkest of Times – Kay Warren

    Faith amidst Suicide: Help and Hope for the Darkest of Times – Kay Warren
    Sep 4 2025
    Kay Warren, known for cofounding Saddleback Church with her husband, Pastor Rick Warren, joins Stephanie Daniels to discuss a deeply personal topic. Kay is the mother of three adult children, including Matthew who lost his life to suicide at age 27 after years of chronic depression. Having walked beside her son through his suffering, and survived the anguish of his death, Kay has experienced firsthand the need for the church, and all believers, to extend compassionate support to people facing mental health struggles. Tune in for this critical call for the body of Christ to support people who battle with depression, suicidal ideation, and despair—providing the love and hope of Jesus in moments of deepest darkness.Help is here! If you or a loved one is struggling with depression, suicidal ideation, or other mental health challenges, you are not alone…Explore resources mentioned in this episode, and encouragement from Joni Eareckson Tada who has herself wrestled with deep depression.Get your copy of Kay Warren’s book, Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn’t EnoughHear Joni Eareckson Tada’s shares heart on how to battle depressionGet your copy of Joni’s booklet, Navigating Depression: Hope for Heavy HeartsLearn more about Kay and her ministry at www.kaywarren.comFor Christ-centered encouragement, practical tools, and comprehensive resources for families and churches around mental health visit https://www.hopeforbrightertomorrows.orgFind additional resources and support through the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) | Mental Health Support, Education & AdvocacyKEY QUESTIONS:Who in your world needs to hear that they are not alone? Go tell them—be there to listen and pray.How can you find joy today even if you feel trapped in a season of hardship?KEY SCRIPTURE:Lamentations 3:19-25 (NLT): “The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!’ The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.” You make this podcast possible! Thank you for your support.Find all podcast resources and message our team. Follow Joni and Friends on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Founded by Joni Eareckson Tada, we provide Christ-centered care through Joni's House, Wheels for the World, Retreats and Getaways, and disability ministry training. Find more encouragement on Joni Eareckson Tada's Sharing Hope podcast and her daily devotional.
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    48 mins
  • Identifying Barriers and Building Pathways to Belonging for People with Disabilities in the Church – Matt McCraney

    Identifying Barriers and Building Pathways to Belonging for People with Disabilities in the Church – Matt McCraney
    Aug 28 2025
    Army Chaplain and special needs dad Matt McCraney joins Stephanie Daniels to talk about how the body of Christ can better embrace people living with disabilities. Bringing personal, biblical, and academic perspectives, Matt identifies barriers that keep disabled people from finding their places of belonging in the church and he offers practical ways Christians can better demonstrate the love of Jesus to those living with disability. Matt McCraney has served as an Army Chaplain for 17 years and is a devoted father to a child with autism. He holds a PhD from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Married to his wife Sarah for 20 years, Matt is the proud father of four children and the owner of a beloved dog named Appa.As Matt says: “Sundays are incredibly difficult for families with a disabled child, often because of the attitudes and assumptions of members. To welcome these families, we need to reexamine how we understand disability and bring our thinking in line with the Bible on this critical issue.”Read Matt’s articles:“I Hate Sundays”: Why Disabled Families Are Absent from Church and What We Can Do to Start Welcoming them BackMore than Bodies: Examining our Assumptions about DisabilityFaith on the Spectrum: Reimagining Discipleship Expectations for Children with AutismKEY QUESTIONS:Who can you encourage this week by simply reaching out to connect?What assumptions do you make about people with disabilities in your midst—are there mindsets that need to shift to align with God’s love for all people, regardless of disability?KEY SCRIPTURES:Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”John 9:3: “‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.’” You make this podcast possible! Thank you for your support.Find all podcast resources and message our team. Follow Joni and Friends on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Founded by Joni Eareckson Tada, we provide Christ-centered care through Joni's House, Wheels for the World, Retreats and Getaways, and disability ministry training. Find more encouragement on Joni Eareckson Tada's Sharing Hope podcast and her daily devotional.
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    42 mins
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