About the Johnsons.
March 29, 2019 was the day our lives changed forever. That was the day we got our unborn son’s diagnosis of severe congenital hydrocephalus, which means fluid on the brain. At the time, we were told the chance of Oliver’s survival was slim to none, and that if he did survive, his quality of life and cognitive ability would be severely limited.
Fast forward 5 years and we have a miracle boy, 3 additional diagnoses, and a hard but good road as parents to a son with disabilities.
In the early days of our son’s diagnosis, Jamie wrote a blog as an avenue to express all that she was feeling and processing, and as a way to keep our friends and families up to date on all things Oliver.
In one blog post, Jamie wrote about how the journey we were on felt like we had been washed out to sea, barely able to keep our heads above water, wishing desperately for some relief from our water filled lungs and weary hearts. And when we would reach the end of ourselves, the Lord would wash us up on shore and give us respite, dry us in the warm sun, and remind us that He was in control and he would carry us through the waves that were sure to come again. We started to call those days of peace “Shore Days.”
Our prayer for each of you landing on this site, navigating your own hard roads of disability, is that you would also experience a multitude of “Shore Days.” As Jay and Katherine Wolf often say (some of our favorite people forging a path ahead for disability), “this is a GoodHard road.” We could not experience the good without the hard. And there is so much good. But the hard days feel like many, and the isolation feels like it may swallow you whole. So we pray this space and our ministry would bridge that gap for you…that you would allow us to stand with you, support you, encourage you, and offer you days on the shore when you feel like you are being beaten down by the waves.
Jamie & Stephen
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Jamie Johnson
Jamie has spent the last 10+ years building non-profit social enterprises to support, train, and — most importantly — disciple and care for women who are survivors of abuse, homelessness, addiction, and human trafficking. When she started her first work, Prodigal Pottery, she never imagined how God would use her to impact over 275 women with handmade pottery products in stores in all 50 states. She currently works at The WellHouse where she is the Director of Shopwell — a line of handmade jewelry and gifts made by women who are survivors of human trafficking.
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Stephen Johnson
Stephen spent over a decade in pastoral ministry in Texas, Alabama, and Tennessee. While finishing a Master’s in Biblical and Theological Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary, he served as a Student Pastor, Tech and Media Pastor, Church Planter, and Pastor. Recently, he served at Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School as the Associate Director of the Thriving Pastors Initiative where he resourced hundreds of ministry leaders and dozens of churches. Currently, Stephen designs audio-visual systems for churches with Redwire Audio Visual.