Celebrating a Milestone
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and it is a very special week here at Joni and Friends. And I am so excited, because this week we are celebrating – Da–da–da–da-Da, drumroll please – 10,000 radio programs! Can you believe it?! Never did I imagine, years ago when we began in 1982, that I’d make it to 10,000 programs. Oh, no way! But here we are. And to help me celebrate is my very good friend, and producer of the “Joni and Friends” radio program, also the leader of Ambassador Agency – one of the largest Christian media associations in the country – Jim Sanders. Hi, Jim, thanks for joining me.
JIM: Oh, Joni. It’s such a joy to be here, and I can’t believe we’ve made the 10,000 program mark.
JONI: You know what? You are such a good producer; you’re a great editor. You will stop me mid-sentence and say…
JIM: Are you sure you want to say that?
JONI: Sure I do.
JIM: Actually, what I want to do, Joni, is I want to play for you a little piece from the very beginning, way back these decades ago, of Joni and Friends. I want to let you hear what you sounded like back then. So, take a listen.
JONI: Okay.
JONI: (audio clip) We can agree with the world, and I can agree with that young, angry kid in a wheelchair that God is not fair, at least from our earthly point-of-view. But looking at it from an eternal, heavenly and biblical perspective.
JIM: Okay, so what do you think, Joni?
JONI: Oh, my goodness, I sound so young, Jim!
JIM: You were young. We were all a lot younger then actually.
JONI: Let me think. I was 32, 31 years old…
JIM: Wow.
JONI: …when it started. But your dad, Al Sanders, approached me the summer before we started radio recording, and he asked me if I’d like to be on radio. And I just couldn’t believe it, because you remember where I was, don’t you?
JIM: I do. You were flat on your back.
JONI: I was in bed, dealing with pressure sores. And your dad came up to my house into the bedroom and sat next to me and cast this vision that I had a message for radio. Wow.
JIM: Joni, I want to ask you what a lot of people have asked me. I’m sure many of our friends listening wondered about as well – where do you come up with all these amazing insights?
JONI: Well, I like to sing my way through my own suffering. And one of my favorite songs is (singing) “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord.” And I’ve been praying that for what, the 38 years we’ve been on the radio. Jesus, open my eyes that I can see and hear the things you want me to learn. So, Jim, my hands don’t work. I can’t take notes when my pastor preaches. I can’t scribble notes when I’m listening to a sermon, or even sometimes when I’m reading a book, I don’t have the capability. So, over time I’ve developed this, I don’t know, it’s a gift of memorization. I hear something, and quickly I’ll repeat that phrase in my head. I’m asking God to open the eyes of my heart. Let me see the hope to which you’ve called me, the glorious riches which are mine, and the incomparably great power that you’ve given me. And it’s all over; it’s all around me, Jesus. Help me see it; help me learn it. And help me ingrain it into my life so I can pass it on.
JIM: I don’t think our listening friends, Joni, realize how this happens. And that is – I’m sitting in the control room; we’re separated by glass. You have around you, like Moses did, a team holding up your arms, figuratively anyway. Wiping your nose and helping you get a sip of tea. It’s really a rather amazing team around you.
JONI: It is. It’s these two girls, Catherine Cobb and Rainey Floreen. And if I have to cough, they’re there to squeeze my abdomen. If I’m singing, they get on their knees and sit behind me and squeeze my midriff and help me hit the high notes.
JIM: Well, Joni, 10,000 programs, 10,000 messages, 10,000 scripts, ideas. That’s a huge milestone. And I just want to say thank you. Thank you from me personally, for all of us listening to you every day, for your insights that are both encouraging and uplifting.
JONI: That’s precious to my heart.
