#Joni Eareckson

[progressofthepilgrim]

Believers are never told to become one; we already are one and are expected to act like it.

Joni Eareckson Tada

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Heartache forces us to embrace God out of desperate, urgent need. God is never closer than when your heart is aching.

Joni Eareckson Tada

[walkswithmyfather]

[wisdomfish]

God must not be at work

Many Christians don’t see God in their trials. If no miracles are happening—or at least the floods aren’t receding or the cancer’s not in remission—God must not be at work. “Those ten plagues on Egypt, now that was God up to something.” ~ Joni Eareckson Tada

I like it when the wind shifts They say it's the movement of the Spirit Still small voice, ya'll hear it? Remember that time I saw that leaf fall I was positive it was God's call Wait for it, listen close Ya'll missed it? I cite Gideon, Samson, Paul Elijah saw the clouds split And know that God did it And does it still Still, his presence feels like chills Right, and if I'm honest it doesn't happen often Something must be wrong It's boring when my life is more like the book of Ruth than Exodus I've never seen the partin' Of an ocean Or a cloud by day or pillar by night Just a normal everyday working of life Where things that suck royally Is evidence of His royalty Scratch your temple So deep it's simple Silly us, ignore the plain We prefer a riddle Dying to see a miracle While holding God's diary Looking for signs

~ Beautiful Eulogy, Symbols and Signs

[tabernacleheart]

Faith in small things has repercussions that ripple all the way out. In a huge, dark room a little match can light up the place.

Joni Eareckson Tada

[avaantares]

Okay but THIS is the sort of thing that makes me go absolutely feral when AI art proponents start whining, "But AI is the only way disabled people can make art! If you oppose using AI to generate art, you're discriminating against people with disabilities!"

Abso-freakin'-lutely not.

Artists with disabilities of all types have been making art for as long as art has existed. There's the beautiful example above, which shows Paul Smith's creative repurposing of a typewriter to make pictures -- really excellent ones, just on a visual/technical level, even aside from the inherent complexity of his technique.

Then there's my go-to example, Joni Eareckson Tada, who was paralyzed from the neck down when she was 17 and learned to do absolutely phenomenal art by holding pencils and brushes in her teeth:

Here are a few of her works:

Most people couldn't produce art like this with full control of both hands, and she did these WITH HER TEETH.

Which is why whenever I hear someone make the "AI is the only way disabled people can make art" argument, I have the urge to tell that person to shut up and stop disrespecting these (and countless other) tremendously talented disabled artists.

[empowerment-chronicles]

Reasons to Attend Global Leadership Summit (GLS) 2024: A recap of GLS 2023 Special and What to Expect This Year

Global Leadership Network: Growing Leaders and Providing Leadership Growth for a Higher Purpose Since 1992, the Global Leadership Network has inspired, challenged, and equipped leaders to become the sort of individuals who will positively impact their respective organizations, communities, and countries. Today, the Global Leadership Network continues to be a readily available resource providing…

[duking-out-life]

Secrets Of Hope That Bring Rest to the Soul

Hope brings power, control and peace to our daily life. Learn how to have more of this precious ingredient in your life.

This post may contain affiliate links where I am paid a small commission from purchases made through the link. My last post was about love in the “Faith, Hope, and Love trilogy from the book of Corinthians. This week I want to talk about hope. In the movie Shawshank Redemption, Morgan Freeman’s character proclaimed that “Hope is a very dangerous thing.” The Word of God, however, says something…

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

"The Christian faith is meant to be lived moment by moment. It isn't some broad, general outline--it's a long walk with a real Person. Details count: passing thoughts, small sacrifices, a few encouraging words, little acts of kindness, brief victories over nagging sins." - Joni Eareckson Tada

[preacherman316]

Psalm 73

In a 2003 Parade Magazine column, Ask Marilyn, Marilyn vos Savant gave an interesting perspective on contentment. A reader was bothered that her neighbor’s yard looked better than her own. So, she did something unusual. She walked over to her neighbor’s house to look at her own yard. When she did, the grass in her yard looked greener. “Why does this occur?” the reader asked Continue reading…

[tasiaadams18art]

Watch "Joni Eareckson Tada on Art" on YouTube

Joni Eareckson Tada

is a great artist. She's very talented.

[hiswordsarekisses]

“We must never forget that we all live in houses richly stocked with goods we did not produce; we drink from wells we did not dig and eat from vineyards we did not plant. These are God’s extraordinary gifts, but they come with a warning: “When you have eaten your fill in this land, be careful not to forget the Lord, who rescued you from slavery” (Deuteronomy 6:11–12). There’s noth­ing wrong with “milk and honey,” but it can be a little like Valium, making you forget God.”

~ Joni Eareckson Tada

That’s why the Lord gives lean times and hard afflictions. As Brother Lawrence wrote, “Make immediately a holy and firm resolution never more willfully to forget Him.”

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,” Psalm‬ ‭103‬:‭2‬

“and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬-‭12‬

[egglygreg]

Sorry just crying over the fact that Joni Eareckson Tada's husband started lifting weights when they first met so that he could lift her in and out of her wheelchair, and on their first date emptied her leg bag:

"The couple from Agoura Hill, Calif., now married 31 years, laughs that he had to change her leg bag on their first date at the movies, emptying the urine outside behind a tree."

"People wondered: Here is an able bodied man and disabled woman. What is the attraction, why did they fall in love?" he said. "Those who know her know she has a beautiful heart and is beautiful on the outside. I fell in love with her."

At the time, he was working as a teacher and coach at a technical school.

"The kids couldn't figure out why I was working out so hard," he said. "But if I took her out, I had to do it myself, lift her in and out of the chair -- like curling 180 pounds." [Though, she hardly weighs that much, he added.]

Lord, get me a man like this 😭

[wellthatsclever]

"Suffering is like a little splash-over of hell, reminding us of what Christ rescued us from—like a tiny taste of what life could be like for all of eternity, were it not for God’s graciousness."

-Joni Eareckson Tada

[awideplace]

But this king stepped from the merriment of his palace, abandoned the cheery fireplace and the spread table, resigned his luxuries and lands, and set out to perish for his citizens.

Joni Eareckson Tada