Joni shares the hope of heaven that can be experienced at a Joni and Friends Family Retreat. In the face of such joy, difficulty seems to disappear. The Good News of the Gospel is meant for people who suffer, to encourage them. Heaven gives us hope that one day we will experience the joy of Christ fully and forever.
Joni Eareckson Tada shares the hope of heaven that can be experienced at a Joni and Friends Family Retreat. In the face of such joy, difficulty seems to disappear.
The Good News of the Gospel is meant for people who suffer, to encourage them. Heaven gives us hope that one day we will experience the joy of Christ fully and forever.
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There are parts of the Gospel that really captivate people who suffer.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and it is especially true when you have a physical disability like mine. There are so many aspects of the Gospel that, well, to me – or to anyone who has physical problems – there’s just parts that feel so personal, so wonderful, as if the Good News were meant just for – just for us! Like… Jesus is our Rock who strengthens us in our every weakness - and boy, when you have a disability, you can feel pretty weak. Or Jesus is our Savior, constantly rescuing us from sin, like when we whine, “God’s not being fair… others have it easier!” Jesus is our precious Comforter who pours hope into our hearts when suffering overwhelms us. Yep, the Gospel impacts every aspect of disability.
However, there’s one part that really gets me excited. You hear it all the time at Family Retreats and at our Marriage Getaways or Warrior Getaways. Whether whooping it up at a wheelchair square dance, or wildly applauding a brain-injured kid as he recites his poem during Talent Night, you hear it… you sense it. All of a sudden, invariably someone will shout out, “I feel like I’m in heaven!”
The unmistakable fragrance of heaven permeates every Joni and Friends Family Retreat and Getaway. And it’s because our disabilities, well, they seem to disappear in the joy of a Family Retreat. Honestly, really, we almost forget about the pain. At retreat, the power of Christ in our weakness is so tangible, so palatable, it transports us to that glorious Day described in Malachi chapter 4, one of my favorite verses, where it says, we “will go out and skip like calves released from the stall.” These Joni and Friends Retreats feel like a slice of heaven because we all experience that wonderful feeling of being sorrowful, yet rejoicing; we have nothing, and yet we feel like we possess everything. At Retreat, the kingdom of heaven just bubbles up within you and you cannot contain the joy. I know you’ve cried tears of joy, and it happens a lot at Family Retreat and our Getaways. The heavenly joy is just so big it splits the human container, and the overflow just has to spill out through our tears.
And this is what I would love for you to experience. Because it’s April and special needs families are signing up right now to attend our Family Retreats and Getaways. Many of these families will be coming for the first time, and I just bet you know of a family that’s struggling with disability, right? Well, tell them about what we’ve got going at Joni and Friends this summer. And, hey, we will be holding a record number of retreats this year, which means we really, really, really need more volunteers. I can’t say it enough. You don’t need to be experienced in helping kids with disabilities, or adults. All you need is a heart for Jesus and a pair of willing hands. So, take a look at your summer schedule and if you can join us for a week at Retreat, one near you, then sign up! Go to my radio page at joniradio.org where I’ve provided a link to all the details you need. And you can even watch a few videos to see exactly what a Family Retreat looks like.
So, please, if you want to experience a slice of heaven, if you have a heart to serve, then join us. Volunteer with us and enjoy the unmistakable fragrance of heaven that permeates every Retreat. As you serve our families, you may well forget about your own limitations, so sign up today at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends