Our people page on Joni Eareckson Tada

More from and about
Joni Eareckson Tada
(biographical info at bottom of page)

Sometimes God allows what he hates, to accomplish what he loves.

The best we can hope for in this life is a knothole peek at the shining realities ahead. Yet a glimpse is enough. It's enough to convince our hearts that whatever sufferings and sorrows currently assail us aren't worthy of comparison to that which waits over the horizon.

Contentment ... has an internal quietness of heart that gladly submits to God in all circumstances. We will stand amazed to see the topside of the tapestry and how God beautifully embroidered each circumstance into a pattern for our good and His glory.

I wished God were like He used to be, a few notches lower. I wanted Him to be lofty enough to help me but not so uncontrollable. I longed for His warm presence, times when He seemed more. . . safe. As a matter of fact, God isn't asking you to be thankful. He's asking you to give thanks. There's a big difference. One response involves emotions, the other your choices, your decisions about a situation, your intent, your 'step of faith.

When I was on my feet, big boisterous pleasures provided only fleeting satisfaction. In a wheelchair, satisfaction settles in as I sit under an oak tree on a windy day and delight in the rustle of the leaves or sit by a fire and enjoy the soothing strains of a symphony. These smaller, less noisy pleasures are rich because, unlike the fun on my feet, these things yield patience, endurance, and a spirit of gratitude, all of which fits me further for eternity. It is this yieldedness that gains you the most here on earth.

Contentment ... has an internal quietness of heart that gladly submits to God in all circumstances.

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Maybe the truly handicapped people are the ones that don't need God as much.

Deny your weakness, and you will never realize God's strength in you.

One of the most wonderful things about knowing God is that
there's always so much more to know, so much more to discover.
Just when we least expect it, He intrudes into our neat and tidy
notions about who He is and how He works.

A diving accident in 1967 left Mrs. Tada a quadriplegic in a wheelchair, unable to use her hands. During two years of rehabilitation, she spent long months learning how to paint with a brush between her teeth. Her high detail fine art paintings and prints are sought after and collected.

Due to her best-selling books, beginning with her autobiography, Joni, as well as having visited 35 countries, Joni's first name is recognized around the world. World Wide Pictures' full-length feature film, Joni, in which Mrs. Tada recreated her own life, has been translated into 15 languages and shown in scores of countries around the world.

Mrs. Tada's role as a disability advocate led to a presidential appointment to the National Council on Disability for three and a half years, during which time the Americans with Disabilities Act became law.

Joni and Friends was founded by Mrs. Tada in 1979 and has grown into four flagship programs that affect the lives of thousands of disabled people and their families. In 2002, Joni and Friends will serve over 500 special needs families through nine Family Retreats across the nation. Through Wheels for the World, over 14,000 wheelchairs have been collected nationwide, refurbished by inmates in correctional facilities, and shipped to developing nations where physical therapists fit each chair to a needy disabled child or adult. Joni and Friends, a daily five-minute radio program, is heard over 850 broadcast outlets and this year received the "Radio Program of the Year" award from National Religious Broadcasters. Through ten Area Ministries offices, Joni and Friends teams provide church training and education to promote inclusion of people with disabilities.

Mrs. Tada is a highly sought-after conference speaker both in the U.S. and internationally and is also a columnist for Moody Magazine, the United Kingdom's Christian Herald, and several European Christian magazines.

Mrs. Tada holds an honorary Bachelor of Letters from Western Maryland College; an honorary Doctor of Humanities from Gordon College; an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Columbia International University, the first honorary doctorate bestowed in their 75-year-old history; and an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary.

Mrs. Tada and her husband Ken have been married since 1982. Mr. Tada recently retired from 32 years of teaching and has come on board with Joni and Friends to serve as Director of Ministry Development. He is also a member of the Board of Directors and recently received Family Life Ministries Robert McQuilken Award honoring "The Courageous Love of a Marriage Covenant Keeper."

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