Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast
207 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 months ago - ★★★★★ - 220 ratingsJoni 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.
We've wrapped season 5, but we'll return with new conversations in 2024!
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Episodes
Hope Wins: Don’t Let Disability Steal Your Hope – Leisa Williams
July 14, 2022 07:00 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MBFor more than two decades Leisa Williams has cared for a son with a disability. She knows firsthand the grief, hopelessness, family divisions, and weariness that often plague families living with disability. That’s why she wrote her book, Hope Wins: Overcoming Feelings of Hopelessness in Special Needs Families. Leisa joins the podcast to talk about the challenges that come with disability and the importance of turning to God and Christian community, even when it’s tempting to withdraw. Her ...
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: Finding God’s Gifts Amid Suffering – Darci Steiner
July 07, 2022 07:00 - 31 minutes - 43.8 MBAfter decades of living with the ups and downs of chronic pain caused by CRPS, author and Nutritionist Darci J. Steiner wants to give a message of hope to people facing disability and chronic suffering. Her book, Beauty Beyond the Thorns, and its companion study guide, include personal stories of suffering and biblical stories to demonstrate how God can turn unexpected curveballs into victorious home runs. Key Questions: What is it like to live with chronic pain? How does God help you wh...
Creating Belonging in the Church for People with Disabilities – Scott Sauls
June 30, 2022 07:00 - 16 minutes - 23.2 MBEvery person needs to find a place of acceptance and belonging. For people with disabilities, too often, inclusion can be hard to come by, even within the body of Christ. As a pastor, Scott Sauls knows how important it is for the church to embrace marginalized people, like those with disabilities. He has seen firsthand how a robust ministry to people with disabilities—not only welcoming them but evoking their gifts—catalyzes the life of a church. Scott also knows that pastors and ministry...
How God Redeems Regret, Hurt, and Fear to Make Better Humans – Scott Sauls
June 23, 2022 07:00 - 17 minutes - 24.5 MBEveryone carries regret, hurt, and fear. These burdens can weigh you down and make you feel trapped. In his book, Beautiful People Don't Just Happen: How God Redeems Regret, Hurt, and Fear in the Making of Better Humans, Scott Sauls explores how Christ provides hope and healing amid the most trying emotions and circumstances. Pastor Scott hopes to reach people who sin and suffer—people who feel tired or afraid. He shares the message that because of Christ’s love, presence, and promises, the...
Better Together: The Power of Community Amid Isolating Health Struggles – Danika Deva
June 16, 2022 07:00 - 18 minutes - 42.8 MBDanika Deva knows isolation. Living with multiple chemical sensitivities, which can cause life-threatening allergic reactions to everyday things, she must be intentional about her relationships. Through seasons of severe sickness and physical isolation, she has found strategies for connection and invites others to walk the trails she has blazed. With God’s help, Danika has learned to serve and minister to others, even from a place of suffering. She urges everyone facing difficulty to seek w...
How to Choose Joy When Coping with Severe Allergies and Environmental Illness – Danika Deva
June 09, 2022 07:00 - 24 minutes - 34 MBIn 2016, Danika Deva’s life was turned upside-down by the sudden onset of severe environmental illness. Desperate, isolated, hopeless, and hurting, she begged God for healing. To this day, Danika lives what she calls “a bubble life,” to manage life-threatening allergic reactions to an ever-shifting range of environmental and dietary triggers. She will tell you, “It’s hard to live like this.” But amid her suffering, she has found hope and closeness to God. Danika’s God-given Ph.D. in "Hard...
Persevering in Faith When Illness Remains – Dr. Andy Laurie
June 02, 2022 07:00 - 22 minutes - 31.2 MBSince the onset of POTS almost two decades ago, Dr. Andy Laurie has prayed for his suffering to go away. As his disease and the hardships that come with it have remained, God has led Dr. Andy through a process of clarification, grappling, releasing, and ultimately drawing closer to Jesus and his promises. Crystal Keating and Dr. Andy explore aspects of suffering that God can use for good: Suffering causes us to focus on things that really matter. Suffering can force clarification about o...
When Skies Aren’t Blue: A Doctor’s Journey to Hope Amid Chronic Illness
May 26, 2022 07:00 - 32 minutes - 44.7 MBDr. Andy Laurie knows what it’s like for life’s skies to go dark. His book, When Skies Aren’t Blue: A Physician’s Personal Journey, recounts his journey from health to sickness, and to living with joy in the midst of traumatic and overwhelming circumstances. His prescription for hope that endures no matter what? “We need objective, provable truth,” he says. “To know that we can prove God is real, prove God is true. Prove the Bible is real.” But Dr. Laurie was not always a believer. Even i...
When Skies Aren’t Blue: A Doctor’s Journey to Hope Amid Chronic Illness – Dr. Andy Laurie
May 26, 2022 07:00 - 32 minutes - 44.7 MBDr. Andy Laurie knows what it’s like for life’s skies to go dark. His book, When Skies Aren’t Blue: A Physician’s Personal Journey, recounts his journey from health to sickness, and to living with joy in the midst of traumatic and overwhelming circumstances. His prescription for hope that endures no matter what? “We need objective, provable truth,” he says. “To know that we can prove God is real, prove God is true. Prove the Bible is real.” But Dr. Laurie was not always a believer. Even i...
How to Flourish Within Your Limitations - Katherine Wolf
May 19, 2022 07:00 - 20 minutes - 28.2 MBKatherine Wolf kicked off Season 4 with a conversation about suffering. After surviving a catastrophic stroke at age 26, which left her with profound disabilities, Katherine now works to break down the myth that joy can only be found in a pain-free life. Here, in Episode Two, Katherine digs deeper into the topic of suffering, and particularly, how to flourish within our limitations. We as believers have all been there: we make a request to God in prayer, then wait for him to give us what w...
How to Flourish Within Your Limitations – Katherine Wolf
May 19, 2022 07:00 - 20 minutes - 28.2 MBKatherine Wolf kicked off Season 4 with a conversation about suffering. After surviving a catastrophic stroke at age 26, which left her with profound disabilities, Katherine now works to break down the myth that joy can only be found in a pain-free life. Here, in Episode Two, Katherine digs deeper into the topic of suffering, and particularly, how to flourish within our limitations. We as believers have all been there: we make a request to God in prayer, then wait for him to give us what w...
Let's Talk About Suffering: What Does it Mean to "Suffer Strong?" - Katherine Wolf
May 12, 2022 07:00 - 24 minutes - 33 MBCrystal and Katherine discuss what it means to “suffer strong,” and how community plays a key role in leaning on God through suffering. They explore what it means to heal—not just the body but the soul, and the difference between curing and healing. Katherine also gives tips about how to encourage and support people in suffering—what to do and say, and, just as importantly, what NOT to do and say. No matter what difficulties we face, Katherine’s wisdom gives refreshment and insight on what...
Let's Talk About Suffering: What Does it Mean to "Suffer Strong?" – Katherine Wolf
May 12, 2022 07:00 - 24 minutes - 33 MBCrystal and Katherine discuss what it means to “suffer strong,” and how community plays a key role in leaning on God through suffering. They explore what it means to heal—not just the body but the soul, and the difference between curing and healing. Katherine also gives tips about how to encourage and support people in suffering—what to do and say, and, just as importantly, what NOT to do and say. No matter what difficulties we face, Katherine’s wisdom gives refreshment and insight on what...
Season 4: Find Hope in Your Hardship
May 05, 2022 07:00 - 2 minutes - 1.99 MBWelcome to Season 4 of the Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast! We are excited to kick off a new series of encouraging conversations about finding hope through hardship, and share practical ways to include people with disabilities in your church and community. The past few years have brought unexpected changes and challenges, from the Coronavirus pandemic to global unrest, not to mention personal difficulties. And trying times bring up big questions: What does it mean to suffer well? How...
Reflections: How God Provides Abundantly When You Are Generous
November 25, 2021 08:00 - 8 minutes - 8.12 MB"This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God." -2 Corinthians 9:12 As we close out season 3 of the Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast, Crystal is reflecting on the many wonderful conversations we’ve had this year and the remarkable people we’ve met along the way. So many of our guests persevered through the hardships of their disabilities and chronic conditions, sacrificing their strength to ...
How to Grow through Significant Loss and Grief – Jerry Sittser
November 18, 2021 08:00 - 45 minutes - 41.5 MB“It is not the experience of loss that becomes the defining moment of our lives, but how we respond to loss that matters.” 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. While most of us will probably not experience such a catastro...
How to Heal from Disabling Trauma and PTSD – Dr. Tim Lane
November 11, 2021 08:00 - 33 minutes - 30.9 MB"If anxiety, fear, or trauma is part of your experience, the book you want to become familiar with is the Bible. The Bible is all about how God’s redemptive purposes enter into our suffering through his Son who experiences trauma and suffering on our behalf for the purpose of healing." Dr. Tim Lane, who recently spoke about how to make changes that last is returning to the podcast to discuss post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD. Often associated with servicemen and women who ...
How to Make Changes That Last – Dr. Tim Lane
November 04, 2021 07:00 - 23 minutes - 21.3 MB“Your circumstances shape you but they do not define you – what defines you is that you are in a relationship with a God who loves you.” Is there an area in your life that you want to change, but you don’t know how? A behavior you’ve tried to stop, but just can’t seem to? Is there a relationship you want to repair, but nothing seems to make things better? Do you feel stuck? Dr. Tim Lane, Founder of the Institute for Pastoral Care and author of Unstuck: A Nine-Step Journey to Change That...
How Including People with Disability Changes Church Culture – Stephanie Hubach
October 28, 2021 07:00 - 22 minutes - 20.2 MB“When disability ministry starts to take hold in the heart of a church, it’s like hitting the refresh button on the Gospel in that church.” 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. Stephanie is a research fellow in disability ministries at Covenant Theological Seminary and visiting instructor in the seminary’s educational m...
Parenting a Child with Down Syndrome into Adulthood – Stephanie Hubach
October 21, 2021 07:00 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MBWhere is God in your journey of parenting a child with disabilities? In celebration of Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Stephanie Hubach is sharing the joys and challenges of parenting a child with intellectual disabilities. She's a visiting instructor and research fellow in disability ministries at Covenant Theological Seminary and previously served as the Director of Mission to North America’s Special Needs Ministries. Listen as Stephanie offers wisdom from her leadership experience in d...
Finding New Purpose After My Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Diagnosis – Cady Bell
October 14, 2021 07:00 - 27 minutes - 25.2 MB“God wastes nothing, even disability. He has a purpose for you right where you are.” After receiving her EMT certification, Cady Bell was on the path to becoming a doctor to use her skills in service overseas. But when she began experiencing severe pain, seizures, stomach issues, and fainting, her life's plan dramatically changed. As Cady searched for the cause of her symptoms, her intensifying health challenges forced her to drop out of school and quit her job. On the Joni and Friends Min...
Even If… I Will Still Rejoice in My Suffering – Renee Dollenmayer
October 07, 2021 07:00 - 20 minutes - 18.5 MB“Nothing that we go through is wasted… no pain, no hurt, no sorrow. We can rejoice in our suffering because we know who our God is.” Renee Dollenmayer, a college student living with chronic pain and spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, is returning to the podcast to share about her online outreach to other women who live with physical and spiritual challenges. Born prematurely as a triplet alongside two typical brothers, Renee always wondered if she needed to be healed to be a faithful foll...
How Jesus Changed My Perspective on Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy – Renee Dollenmayer
September 30, 2021 07:00 - 18 minutes - 16.6 MBHave you ever wondered, what is my place? Where do I fit in the body of Christ? Renee Dollenmayer, a university senior majoring in rehabilitation services, grew up struggling with similar questions about her purpose. Born prematurely with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy as a triplet alongside two typical brothers, Renee wondered if she needed to be healed to be a faithful follower of Jesus. Listen as Renee shares how God revealed beauty and purpose in her disability, and how that journ...
How POT Syndrome Radically Altered My Whole Life – Claire Walker
September 23, 2021 07:00 - 34 minutes - 31.3 MBClaire Walker was a varsity basketball player making plans for college when health challenges radically altered her life. After a routine oral surgery, a strep throat virus entered her bloodstream and began wreaking havoc in her nervous system. Claire began to faint almost daily whether standing, sitting, or walking, and suddenly had to exchange her active lifestyle for the safety of a wheelchair. On the podcast, Claire is sharing about God’s faithfulness through frustrating misdiagnosis an...
Designed to Heal – Dr. Cymbeline Culiat
September 16, 2021 07:00 - 25 minutes - 23.1 MB“The deepest transformations in our lives actually happen from some of our deepest woundings…good healing happens in community.” What can the body’s healing process show us about repairing relational wounds? This week on the podcast Crystal is joined by Dr. Cymbeline T. Culiat, a scientist, entrepreneur, and co-author of the new book Designed to Heal: What the Body Shows Us about Healing Wounds, Repairing Relationships, and Restoring Community. Listen as Dr. Culiat provides a fascinating ...
How a Wheelchair Has Taken Me Places I Never Dared to Imagine – Jenny Smith
September 09, 2021 07:00 - 27 minutes - 24.7 MB"When everything around me was changing, I knew that God wasn’t going to change. Without that truth, I don’t know where I would be today.” Jenny Smith was a typical teenager—a gymnast who loved makeup, played in a band, and was active in her church youth group. But at 16 years old, she sustained a spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed from the chest down. Now relying on others for her most basic needs, privacy and independence seemed like things of the past. But Jenny refused to give u...
Fueled by Faith – Vicki Zoradi
September 02, 2021 07:00 - 21 minutes - 19.2 MBOn our last episode of the podcast, Vicki Zoradi shared the miraculous story of how God carried her through a life-threatening battle with severe septic shock. Although medical professionals gave her virtually no chance to live, God had a different plan. But despite beating the odds, inadequate blood supply to her extremities caused Vicki to lose both of her hands and feet. Now, fitted with prosthetic arms and legs, she is returning to share about God’s enduring love through loss and grief...
Tested by Fire – Vicki Zoradi
August 26, 2021 07:00 - 25 minutes - 23.3 MBOn her 60th birthday, shortly after receiving a Teacher of the Year award, Vicki Zoradi was diagnosed with an innocuous kidney stone. When the kidney stone became lodged between her bladder and kidney, she was rushed back to the hospital 36 hours later in severe septic shock. Medical professionals gave Vicki virtually no chance to live, but God had a different plan. Despite miraculously beating the odds and surviving 35 days in the Intensive Care Unit, inadequate blood supply to her extremi...
Singing in the Dark – Ginny Owens
August 19, 2021 07:00 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MB“Songs are our portable theology… There’s something about the way music gets into our hearts and minds that's different than all other mediums of communication." We all experience darkness. Perhaps darkness has come for you in the form of a painful loss, a chronic illness, deep loneliness, or perpetual anxiety. Because we are all human, we understand what it means to battle with darkness. This week on the podcast, singer-songwriter and author Ginny Owens who has been blind since the age o...
Pursuing Contentment – Ginny Owens
August 12, 2021 07:00 - 20 minutes - 18.7 MB“The bigger our vision of Jesus and the more confidence we have in who he is, the more our circumstances pale in comparison.” Is it possible to be content in any situation? When faced with circumstances outside your control, it can be easy to feel lost and hopeless. But you are part of a bigger story, and you have a purpose. Blind since age three, singer-songwriter Ginny Owens has a unique approach to music and writing that have a way of helping us see more clearly and find hope in suffer...
Mental Health Challenges and Belonging in the Body of Christ – Dr. John Swinton
August 05, 2021 07:00 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MB"What does the church bring to the table? We specialize in love and human kindness, manifested in Christ-like friendships." Previously on the podcast, Dr. John Swinton shared how stigma affects those struggling with their mental health. During this insightful conversation, he shared practical ways to love our neighbors well. This week, Dr. Swinton is returning to expand on how the body of Christ can create a community of belonging for those facing mental health challenges. He offers up ne...
Mental Health and Loving our Neighbors Well – Dr. John Swinton
July 29, 2021 07:00 - 27 minutes - 24.9 MB“First recognize the person before you for who they are in Christ, not because of what they are going through… When a diagnosis is all you see, that’s when problems begin.” How do stigma and the language we use affect those struggling with mental health? This week on the podcast, Dr. John Swinton is joining Crystal to discuss faith, mental health, and how to love our neighbors well. Listen as he shares the important difference between mental illness and mental health, and how listening to...
Marriage Reflections
July 22, 2021 07:00 - 14 minutes - 13.2 MBThis week on the Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast, find encouragement from three couples you'll recognize from previous episodes of the show. Discover the importance of good communication, respect, and gratitude in a marriage, especially when a disability is involved. Mike and Tracey Motoda: When Tracey met Mike nearly 2 decades ago, she told him, "I use a wheelchair to get around, but I don't let that get me down!" And these words have been true for them as a couple over 13 years of marri...
Clinging to Jesus When You're in Pain – Heather Hart
July 15, 2021 07:00 - 10 minutes - 10 MB“My pain does overtake me. But even when it does, God is still there.” In 2017, Heather Hart felt like she was on top of the world. She was leading a women’s Bible study at her church and fulfilling her passion for writing. She was loving Jesus and living life to the fullest! Then one summer day, a migraine changed her life. Over the past four years, through numerous hospital visits, tests, and medications, Heather has not been able to find a remedy for her daily pain. Last week, Heather j...
Coping with Chronic Migraines – Heather Hart
July 08, 2021 07:00 - 17 minutes - 15.7 MB“I can’t get through each day without Jesus. If I can’t do anything else because my head hurts too bad, it doesn’t hurt so bad that I can’t cling to him.” Over the past 4 years, Heather Hart has enjoyed only one day without a migraine. As an active mother of 5, her life turned upside down in 2017 when her head began to hurt, and she was hospitalized with meningitis. But when her meningitis cleared up and she returned home, Heather’s headache continued. To this day, doctors have not discover...
Suffering, Healing, and Heaven – Jenny Hill
July 01, 2021 07:00 - 17 minutes - 16 MB“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." –Revelation 21:4 This week on the podcast, we are wrapping up our 3-episode Q&A series with Jenny Hill. Living with cerebral palsy, Jenny has shared about how to navigate painful situations and where to find hope in the midst of loneliness. Today, Jenny is completing her Q&A series with a powerful conversation about suffering, healing, and heaven...
Loneliness – Jenny Hill
June 24, 2021 07:00 - 17 minutes - 16.4 MB“There is a difference between isolation and loneliness. Isolation is when you are physically separated from everybody else, but loneliness can be most felt sometimes when you are with other people.” As we continue our Q&A series on the podcast, Jenny Hill who lives with cerebral palsy is returning to answer questions about coping with loneliness and finding your hope in Christ. We all understand the pain of isolation, especially after this past year, but loneliness is more than being sep...
How to Transform a Painful Situation: Being Stared At and Falling in Public – Jenny Hill
June 17, 2021 07:00 - 15 minutes - 13.8 MB“Looking at another person can be a very hurtful experience or a very welcoming, affirming experience. We have a choice of what role we want to play in that.” During our third season of the Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast, we’ve invited listeners to send in your questions about disability-related topics and etiquette. Today we are kicking off a special 3-part Q&A series with Jenny Hill who joined us last season to talk about disability and belonging. Jenny is a speaker and author, she hol...
From Anger to Acceptance – Robert and Nelly Kapen
June 10, 2021 07:00 - 15 minutes - 14.5 MB“It’s about being a light for the next person, realizing that my troubles will bless somebody one day.” Robert was an active college student when an unknown virus caused a bilateral stroke that left him suddenly paralyzed and unable to speak. Previously on the podcast, Robert and Nelly Kapen shared their powerful story of God’s provision through quadriplegia, recovery, and marriage. But as navigating a life-changing disability is never easy, Robert’s journey to acceptance took time. Followi...
God’s Generous Provision through Paralysis, Recovery, and Marriage – Robert and Nelly Kapen
June 03, 2021 07:00 - 18 minutes - 16.7 MBRobert Kapen was an athletic college student studying Parks and Rec and working part-time at an outdoor Young Life camp when his life turned upside down. In the summer of 2011, a mystery virus caused a bilateral stroke that left him suddenly paralyzed and unable to speak. With his mind fully functioning but no ability to move or communicate verbally, Robert felt trapped in his own body. Over the next 8 years, Robert diligently engaged in speech, physical, and occupational therapies. When he...
Mental Illness and the Church – Tara Groff
May 27, 2021 07:00 - 28 minutes - 26.3 MBOn our previous episode of the podcast, Tara Groff shared candidly about her journey with schizophrenia over the past three decades. As a wife and mother, she has experienced God’s sustaining love even through the devastating and debilitating symptoms of her mental illness. In addition to the support services Tara receives, God has provided two consistent mercies in her life: biblical counseling and her church. This week on the podcast, Tara is sharing about her church community who have wa...
Walking with God through Schizophrenia – Tara Groff
May 20, 2021 07:00 - 33 minutes - 30.6 MBTara Groff is a wife and homeschooling mother who has experienced God’s sustaining love as she's lived with schizophrenia for more than 30 years. This week on the podcast she is sharing how mental illness has impacted her life and relationships, including her relationships with God and the church. Tara talks candidly about the day-to-day manifestations of schizophrenia and treatments she has pursued to manage her symptoms. “Schizophrenia is not going away. The list of dreams lost, goals ...
Growing Up with a Neurodegenerative Disease: Friedrich's Ataxia – Stephanie Magness
May 13, 2021 07:00 - 12 minutes - 11.1 MBLike most young women, Stephanie Magness wanted to be like everyone else; she wanted to fit in with her classmates and have fun at school. But when she learned in 7th grade that she had scoliosis, she was taken on an unexpected decade-long journey of misdiagnosis. At age 22 genetic testing confirmed that Stephanie’s symptoms were caused by Friedrich’s ataxia (FA), a rare neurodegenerative disease that has no cure. This week on the podcast, Crystal is talking with Stephanie about her FA diag...
How to Pray for Our Country on National Day of Prayer
May 06, 2021 07:00 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MB"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." – 2 Corinthians 3:17 Today marks the 70th annual National Day of Prayer. As people across the country set aside time to intercede for our nation, Joni and Friends is leading this special time of prayer under the theme “Lord Pour Out Your Love, Life, and Liberty.” On this episode of the podcast, we invite you to pray along with Joni Eareckson Tada, Pastor Shawn Thornton, Steve Bundy, and other special guest...
Chronic Pain and Healing – Tera Bradham DeNeui
April 29, 2021 07:00 - 21 minutes - 19.3 MB"It might not be physical, but God has healing for you. Press into that healing journey and see what it looks like for you. Then surrender the results to God.” On our last episode of the podcast, Tera Bradham DeNeui shared about how her swimming trajectory dramatically shifted after she suffered an undiagnosed shoulder injury. Instead of training to reach the Olympics, Tera walked through seven challenging years of chronic pain and spiritual darkness. But God was at work amid her challenges...
Pain is a Gift – Tera Bradham DeNeui
April 22, 2021 07:00 - 21 minutes - 19.9 MB"God completely changed my life through pain. I ended up finding true freedom which is not being bound by the world’s circumstances… God doesn’t waste pain, but we have to give it to him." This week on the podcast Crystal is talking with inspiring speaker and author Tera Bradham DeNeui. As one of the fastest 12-year-old swimmers in the country, Tera had her sights set on competing in the Olympics. But her swimming trajectory dramatically and unexpectedly shifted after she suffered an undiag...
Living Joyfully with Dystonia – Abigail Brown
April 15, 2021 07:00 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MB“Dystonia is like being imprisoned in a body with a mind of its own… but I wouldn’t trade the hardest times for the deep relationship I have gained with the Lord.” This week Crystal is talking with Abigail Brown, a young woman who lives with joy in Christ as she faces the challenges and limitations of dystonia. As a 3-year-old, Abigail contracted Rocky Mountain spotted fever which was misdiagnosed by her doctors and caused brain damage. Although her parents were told that she would have a ...
When Your Child with Autism Becomes an Adult – Emily Colson
April 08, 2021 07:00 - 29 minutes - 27.4 MB“It’s been my hope and my desire for Max to be a mighty man of God... and that’s exactly what God has done." How do family dynamics shift when a child with autism becomes an adult? For special needs parents, worry about your child’s future can begin at any age. What will happen when my child ages out of the school system? How will they transition to adult services, college, or work? This week on the podcast Emily Colson is talking about her son Max’s transition from boyhood to adulthood, a...
Changing the World One Heart at a Time – Emily Colson
April 01, 2021 07:00 - 24 minutes - 22.2 MBApril is Autism Awareness Month and we’re celebrating with a special podcast conversation featuring author and speaker Emily Colson. Emily and her 30-year-old son Max who lives with autism are on a heart-filled mission for you! Like many families living with disability, their world shifted in an instant when the pandemic shut down all systems of support. But as they faced a new normal during a challenging quarantine, Emily prayed: “How can we be a blessing to someone else every day?” With...
Chronic Illness and the Church – Jennifer Ji-Hye Ko
March 25, 2021 07:00 - 28 minutes - 26.3 MBHow can the church best walk alongside someone living with a chronic illness? Jennifer Ji-Hye Ko is a writer and poet who has remained tenacious amid her various physical and mental illnesses. She joined Crystal on season 2 of the podcast to talk about the healing process of lament, and is returning to share about her relationship with the church as she lives with chronic conditions. The needs of someone living with a long-term illness are unique, and the day-today challenges can often fee...