Joni: An Unforgettable Story

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It’s the noble cause of Christ to which I’ve dedicated myself for decades, and I can’t think of anything that gives me more joy. Yet as I reach the milestone of 55 years of quadriplegia—not to mention two bouts of cancer, severe breathing issues, COVID-19, and chronic pain—I hold tightly to Acts 20:24 (NIV): “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” ECPA Gold Medallion Award in Elementary Children for co-authoring Hymns for a Kid's Heart, Volume 1 [49] She shared, “I am inspired by the many valiant people with disabilities and their families whom we serve every day at Joni and Friends; they are people who constantly persevere through personal crises. They do not doubt God’s glorious purposes for their lives, why should I?” Tada invites friends and associates to share the news of her diagnosis, but with one caveat: that people be encouraged to pray. Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience". Manhattan Declaration . Retrieved December 3, 2018.

I don’t often think about those days I served on the Council. During a recent vacation in Yosemite National Park, however, Ken and I noticed that everywhere we went, the paths were paved and marked with access symbols. I was pleasantly surprised to discover miles of trails I could wander. And for places I couldn’t wheel, there were accessible trams. It's why we do what we do at Joni and Friends, and I couldn't be happier than to be on the frontlines with you and every friend of the ministry," she wrote. People are sometimes mystified by my joy, especially since I now deal with chronic pain. But God shares his joy on his terms, and those terms call for us, in some measure, to endure suffering, as did his precious Son. But that’s okay. For when I hold fast to God’s grace in my afflictions, the joy he gives tops everything. It’s how my so-called hateful paralysis now makes me so happy. Joni, he cares about your afflictions, but they are merely symptoms of a deeper problem. God cares less about making you comfortable, and more about teaching you to hate your transgressions and to grow up spiritually to love him. Tada also served on the Heritage Foundation’s National Coronavirus Recovery Commission. As a part of the commission, offering guidance on response efforts, she prioritized the need to safeguard “the vulnerable, the weak and medically fragile, the disabled, and the elderly who are our nation’s heritage and who deserve our protection, respect, and gratitude.”She has received numerous other awards and honors, including the American Academy of Achievement’s Golden Plate Award; the Courage Award from the Courage Rehabilitation Center; the Award of Excellence from the Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center; the Victory Award from the National Rehabilitation Hospital; and the Golden Word Award from the International Bible Society. In other words, God lets you feel much of sin’s sting through suffering, while you are heading for heaven. And it should constantly remind you of what you are being delivered from. So, one form of evil, your pain and paralysis, is turned on its head to defeat another form of evil, and that is your bitterness, resentments, anxieties, fears, and I could go on — all to the praise of God’s wisdom.” Ken Tada is a retired teacher by profession. His parents are Japanese immigrants, and they raised him in California. Ken’s dad wanted to make his son a businessman. However, Ken had other plans. He attended John BurroughHigh School and graduated in History. Furthermore, until 2003, Ken taught history to students in the same high school. After he retired from his day job, Ken started to help his wife with the organization. Today, he is the director for developing the ministries in the JAF organization.

Tada is showing signs of improvement after receiving monoclonal antibodies, a treatment designed to help boost disease-fighting by the immune system that has been used by high-profile COVID-19 patients including President Trump. God reigns. I’ve come to realize how powerless I am to control my situation. I am completely dependent on God for life. All of life is grace. There is no magic formula I can use to get God to do what I want. He doesn’t owe me anything. He is the potter, I am the clay. His ways are above my ways. His wisdom I can not comprehend. As Spurgeon explained, the sovereignty of God is the pillow on which to lay your head at night. In God’s strange providence, this has been His plan for me. I’ve learned to submit my will to God. As Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy will be done.” God wants all of me. Through submission, God wanted to rule my heart. God wants my heart, not a perfect marriage or a ‘perfect’ Christian. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." - 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 True, God permits awful things, but (to paraphrase Dorothy Sayers) something so grand and glorious is going to happen in the world’s finale that it will more than suffice for every pain we experienced on this planet. God will exponentially make up for every tear (Psalm 56:8), and will abundantly reward us for every hurt (Romans 8:18). Best of all, God will make plain the mysterious ways of his will. Has Horrible Happened to You?She founded Joni and Friends in 1979, an organization to "accelerate Christian ministry in the disability community" [6] throughout the world. In 2007 the Joni and Friends International Disability Center in Agoura Hills, California, was established. [7] Led by Tada (founder and CEO) and John Nugent (president and COO), the Joni and Friends International Disability Center runs a multi-faceted non-profit covering a number of program outlets. The longest-running program is "Joni and Friends Radio", a five-minute radio program begun in 1982. It now runs four minutes in length and can be heard each weekday on over 1,000 broadcast outlets. [8] Tada also records a one-minute radio feature, "Diamonds in the Dust", that airs daily. [8] Both programs have received awards: "Joni and Friends Radio" received the "Radio Program of the Year" [9] award from National Religious Broadcasters in 2002, and "Diamonds in the Dust" won the same award in 2011 in the short program. [10]

With the example of her parents, Tada lived a very active life all through her growing-up years, enjoying riding horses, hiking, tennis, and swimming. On July 30, 1967, when she was 17 years old, she dove into the Chesapeake Bay after misjudging the shallowness of the water. She had a fracture between the fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae and became a quadriplegic (or tetraplegic), paralyzed from the shoulders down. [1] During Tada's two years of rehabilitation, according to her autobiography Joni, she experienced anger, depression, suicidal thoughts, and religious doubts. However, during occupational therapy, she learned to paint with a brush between her teeth and began selling her artwork. She also writes this way, although for most writing tasks she relies on voice recognition software. To date, she has written over forty books, recorded several musical albums, and starred in an autobiographical movie of her life, and is an advocate for people with disabilities. [1] Rev. Neil C. Damgaard, Th.M., D.Min. (March 25, 2018). "Notes from the Pulpit Ministry" (PDF). Dartmouth Bible Church. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 3, 2018 . Retrieved December 2, 2018. {{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link) ECPA Gold Medallion Lifetime Achievement Award by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association [48]

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In a 2022 interview with The Christian Post, the speaker and author revealed that resting in God's sovereignty, come what may is what enables her to have "profound, unshakable gladness" in the face of "horrible hardships and jaw-biting pain." God is love. God has shown me His love and grace through His church. The love of brothers and sisters in Christ was a tangible demonstration of the reality of God’s love (1 John 4:7-12). Tangible love, from the elder who literally stood by me as I confronted a womanizer, to the friends that offered their presence and ears. Lovers of Jesus moved toward me when I felt unlovable. Their compassion towards me in my darkest hours reminded me of Psalm 16:3, “As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” Tangible love, tangible grace. Anne Graham Lotz wins Women in Christian Media award". Dallas News. January 28, 2009 . Retrieved December 2, 2018. In November 2009, Tada signed an ecumenical statement known as the Manhattan Declaration calling on evangelicals, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians to work towards changing laws which permit abortion, and other matters that go against their religious consciences. [29] [30] Music [ edit ] The Billy Graham Evangelical Association asked Joni to share her story with over 100,000 people who attended their 1989 Crusade. And in 1990, Joni and Friends hosted ministry leaders from 44 countries at the International Congress of the Church and Disability.

What else could be more important than practicing Christianity, with sleeves rolled up, among the needy? When I do become tired, I’m inspired by the life of Jesus who, even as he was nailed on his cross and in great pain, nevertheless kept serving others (like the thief, his mother, and the soldiers who needed forgiveness).Ephesians 5:1tells me to imitate him. So I’m heaven-bent on honoring my Jesus, serving others, finishing the race, and completing the task of testifying to gospel grace.It was becoming clearer. God permitted what he hated on the hill of Calvary to accomplish what he loved — my salvation and his honor in saving me. So, Satan ended up slitting his own throat, because the world’s worst murder became the world’s only salvation. Suffering for the Rest of Them God transformed my heart, changed my attitude, and showed me there are more important things in life than walking. Anniversary of the Disabilities Act When the coronavirus outbreak began in the US in March, Tada—who has written and spoken extensively on faith amid suffering— emphasized God’s sovereignty during the pandemic.