The God I Love

'Memory means everything to me,' writes Tada. In this tender, beautifully written memoir, she reflects with vivid detail on the idyllic Maryland childhood that shaped her Christian faith and the 1967 diving accident that left her a quadriplegic but showed her that 'there are more important things in life than walking.' As the youngest of four girls, Tada idolized her father and namesake, Johnny, who instilled in her a daredevil sense of adventure and shaped her view of God. When as a teenager she drifted from faith, she prayed that God would turn her around. Tada believes the accident she had at age 17 was God's response: 'It wasn't some flip-of-the-coin in the cosmos, some turn in the universe's roulette wheel. It was part of God's plan---for me.' She shares how her experiences with suffering have given her a platform to encourage others with disabilities through her speaking, writing, artwork and the organization she founded to aid the disabled, 'Joni and Friends.' Intermixed with humorous stories about her friends, marriage and professional triumphs are vulnerable glimpses of her dips into depression, anger and frustration over infertility. But, almost 36 years after 'the dive,' Tada has learned that 'true wisdom is found in trusting God when you can't figure things out.' Christian readers should appreciate this mature, absorbing reminiscence of a remarkable life. (Aug.) -- Publisher's Weekly

The Silver Medallion award-winning memoir by Joni Eareckson Tada that captures her heart and thoughts by portraying her walk with God in the events, dialogues, memories, images, and scenes of her life.A little girl on a big horse, cantering across a spring-green pasture…wide-eyed children gathered `round a beach fire, listening to a father’s stories of the high seas… an expansive, you-can-see-forever view from the top of Pike’s Peak…Another view from a Stryker frame, where an active young woman learns she will never walk again… Heading down a church aisle to marry the man she loves…looking into the eyes of a child in a wheelchair, and seeing the family God has prepared for a loving heart…sitting by the pool of Bethesda, reflecting on the miracle of healing God has performed in her heart…The God I Love brings to life these and many other moments. It offers an eternal perspective from a woman in a wheelchair who affirms that the God she knows and loves is the center, the peacemaker, the passport to adventure, the joy ride, and the answer to her deepest longings.Raised in an active, adventurous family, Joni Eareckson Tada worked hard and played hard to keep up with her older sisters and athletic father—until one day a diving accident left her a quadriplegic. But the tragedy that could have ended her life was in reality the beginning of an amazing, constantly unfolding story of grace that has touched the lives of millions worldwide and brought Joni unexpected joy and fulfillment. In this book, Joni unveils the God whom she has found to be faithful through over thirty years as a paralytic. This is not the story of a woman who has all the answers or who is very different from you. Joni struggles with the same fears, questions, and heartaches we all have in common. But as the weeks and months turn into years, and the years into decades, she meets her Savior at every turn. In this book, you’ll discover that he is there for you as well, no matter what your circumstance or situation may be.Written with beauty, feeling, and amazing honesty, The God I Love captures the heart and soul of one woman’s powerful, deeply personal journey of hope. It is...