Radio Anniversary Interview
Hi, I’m Shauna Amick turning the tables, and interviewing Joni today!…because this month marks 37 years, Joni, you’ve been doing this program.
JONI: Oh my goodness!
SHAUNA: And given that your radio ministry started all those years ago, I think of Zechariah 4:10 which says, “Do not despise the days of small beginnings.” Oh, just how small was this radio ministry in the beginning?
JONI: Oh my goodness, Shauna, back in the early ‘80s, when the folks at Ambassador Agency asked if I’d be willing to record things in God’s word that I’d been learning, I was so doubtful. I mean, at the time, I was down in bed trying to heal a pressure sore, I was not the picture of a radio host. But, you know, the folks at Ambassador convinced me that if the real person can offer real encouragement out of real suffering, then it might help listeners going through real problems. So, I got started in radio in May of 1982. And talk about small beginnings, my recording studio was a converted coat closet. Really, truly. But for years, big insights were recorded in that teeny-weeny tiny little space… but when you offer small efforts to God, like you said from that verse from Zechariah, He always does large things with our labors. And now, 37 years later, I am still so honored to still be doing radio (however, from a space that’s a little more roomy than a closet, wouldn’t you agree?).
SHAUNA: I agree, oh my goodness. And Joni I know there are literally thousands of life-transformation stories that have all come about because of God’s faithfulness using you and your radio ministry. And I wonder… do you have a favorite?
JONI: Well, early on, I heard from a listener who had been bedridden for 15 years. Her name was Lisa; she had a strange form of Lyme’s disease that was totally debilitating. And her link to the outside world was Christian radio. That was it. And to Lisa, the best part of listening to radio was Joni and Friends. I mean, she’d been so removed from the world, even from Christian Fellowship, that she felt it was just her, God and her parents in that bedroom. But she told me that “Joni and Friends” was her lifeline. And I was speaking directly to her suffering and her loneliness. And you know, that’s what I love best about radio – it really touches the hearts of tens of thousands of folks who are dealing with terrible hardships every day. And to me, Shauna, it just feels so good to encourage them in Christ!
SHAUNA: Oh amen. How else does Joni and Friends radio impact the other things you do?
JONI: Oh, Shauna, you know very well that most of our volunteers who serve at our Family Retreats and on Wheels for the World trips… most of them are radio listeners. Volunteers hear about us and they become the backbone of our ministry and I’m able to tell listeners that, consider being the hands of Jesus to a family at one of our retreats, or serve as a seating mechanic working on wheelchairs on a Wheels outreach. Our ministry so depends on our listening friends who decide to roll up their sleeves, get involved with our work, and just make a difference for Christ!
SHAUNA: Oh, that’s right Joni, and I know that now this program is aired in 4 languages, 36 countries…
JONI: Oh, my goodness.
SHAWNA: … and here in the US, there are OVER 2300 broadcasts every single day. And so, I can’t even imagine what is next. What do you see the Lord doing next with your program?
JONI: Well, Shauna, far into the future, I’m hoping snippets of the more than 10,000 programs I’ve recorded will keep airing with the help of, well… friends like you. You know one day I see you sitting at this microphone and, like a chef, offering up to our listeners a smorgasbord of the biblical truths that I have recorded over the years.
SHAUNA: Well, that’s for the future. And now, we’re so glad you are here, recovered from cancer and your recent hospitalization, and are still happily recording all that you’re learning from God’s word. So friend, stay tuned to hear Joni next time on… Joni and Friends!
© Joni and Friends
Joni’s Health Updates
It has been Joni’s prayer that this new cancer challenge becomes a platform for showcasing how amazing God is. Stay up to date on Joni’s health and progress on the Joni and Friends blog.
