Poiema

This is my Story... My name is Julia Seal, but my friends call me Julie. I have been a Christian since December 29, 1976. My conversion was pretty dramatic. I was an angry, suicidal teenager who was spinning out of control. My mother couldn't handle me anymore, so she put me on a bus headed for a Christian camp. Shawn Morrow, the youth pastor, was the first person I could remember who treated me with kindness and respect. He introduced me to Jesus Christ and I received Him as my personal savior. I was so amazed that the Creator of the Universe loved me! On that day, I was changed. I can't explain it, except to say that God took my broken heart and gave me a brand new heart! When I got home, my mother and I went to church as often as we could. She bought me a Bible, and I spent a lot of time with the youth group and Pastor Shawn. I remember sitting next to him as he lead worship, just listening to him sing to the Lord. It was as though his voice went right to the throne of God! It was then that I knew that this was what I wanted to do with my life. I sang for the first time that Easter, and Shawn played the guitar for me as I sang quot;Psalm 5.quot; After that, I bought a guitar and Pastor Shawn's wife (her name was also Shawn) gave me lessons. From that moment on, I was hooked! If anyone had told me then, when I was 15, that I would become a singer/songwriter, I wouldn't have believed it. It's amazing that God not only reached out to me, but also gave me more than I ever asked for. I can't imagine not being able to sing or write, because it is as natural to me as breathing. These are God-given abilities... I didn't earn them and I don't deserve them. Isn't God wonderful? The truth is, I shouldn't be able to sing at all! I was born with a quot;cleft palate.quot; I had a remarkable surgeon, and most people don't notice it. I have no speech impediment. In fact, I have never even been to speech therapy. The uniqueness of my voice is because of the way I was born. One of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 139:14, quot;I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.quot; God made me this way for a special purpose, and I believe I owe it to Him to share what He has done. My music is a result of God's work in my life as He carried me through circumstances that would have been unbearable without His loving hand. The most difficult trial of all was losing my daughter, Nicole Laurise. Nicole was born on October 16, 1986. On that day, I found out that my birth defect was hereditary. She had five surgeries before she was two years old, but she was an incredibly happy child. We had a bond that I couldn't understand. I couldn't imagine living without her. But in addition to being a new mother, I was also a battered wife. Nicole's father said that if I told anyone about the abuse that he would take Nicole from me, and he was true to his word. I was told by an officer of the court that my daughter would be taken away from both of us and put in a foster home if I didn't sign the papers. Due to her need for medical care, I didn't believe this was an option. I believed that her father loved her, and that growing up with one parent was better than no parents. And I still had visitation rights, so I signed the papers. It wasn't long before I lost visitation rights, too. I had to learn to let go and trust that God would care for my daughter. The last day I saw her was Christmas Day, 1989. As I drove her home, I cried the entire time. She held my hand and said, quot;Don