Daniel Stratman
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada telling you about my friend Daniel.
I met Daniel Stratman back in the mid-1990’s when he was just a young teenager. At the age of 11, Daniel incurred a knee injury playing baseball. When he went into the hospital for corrective surgery, he suffered there a worse injury – it involved a terrible error with anesthesia that left him brain-injured and partially paralyzed. The Stratman family was devastated and his parents did all they could to help Daniel find the best treatment possible. So they came to Southern California to a more specialized clinic. While in California, they visited the office of Joni and Friends where I had a chance to meet this incredible little boy, Daniel. He had the best smile, and this kid was dressed like he had just stepped out of a Brooks Brothers department store! I fell in love.
Over the years, the Stratman family has been close to Joni and Friends, and in fact, Daniel’s mother Sue is a key volunteer with our Joni and Friends team in Arizona. This family has been to countless Family Retreats. His parents tell me that our retreats are a place where the whole family (not just Daniel) can enjoy fun, fellowship, and great times around God’s Word. Over the years, Daniel continued physical therapy, and he eventually graduated from Emmaus College. Daniel is now in his early 30’s, loving the Lord and being a great cheerleader for Joni and Friends. He prays for our ministry and even donates to our cause.
I think of Daniel whenever I suffer a mishap, or my disability encroaches. Because I have that young man who cannot hardly speak and can barely walk, I have his testimony to inspire my heart. Not long ago, Sue Stratman sent me a sweet photo of Daniel listening to the Bible with his headphones on. His mother happily told me that he listens for hours to the Bible. Oh, my goodness, what an example of Colossians 3:16 where it says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Whenever my enthusiasm for my daily Bible reading begins to wane, God brings Daniel to mind. And hey, I’ve posted a wonderful photo of him listening to the Bible on his headphones; you just have to see it on my radio page at joniandfriends.org.
Now you may say, “Joni, it’s great that Daniel loves Christ and loves the Word, it’s great that he’s a champion when it comes to helping other special-needs families like his, but is it worth all that he’s suffered?” Well, that’s a hard question. I guess when any of us goes through a life-altering injury, we have to wonder: “God, aren’t you asking a bit too much?” Well, just what does God ask of us, whether we are injured or not? Deuteronomy 10:12 sums it up neatly: “What does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Friend, all God asks for is everything. Is “everything” too much? Well, think about what God has given you. He didn’t hold back anything. In fact, He gave His own precious Son. And Daniel would say it’s worth it all.
Thankfully, Daniel had great mentors in his life, and it’s why I’m offering today the booklet “Go Make Disciples”. It’s yours to download at joniradio.org. Learn how you too can be a friend to someone like Daniel and make a real difference. Oh, don’t forget to stop by joniradio.org because you really have to see this kid’s smile and his obvious love for the Word of God. Thank you, Daniel Stratman. You are still my hero!
© Joni and Friends
