T E
S
T I
M
O
N I
E
S
He’s the
God
of Another Chance
By Julienne Hodges
I was raised in Paulina, LA by my I’ve always been very attached to Christian when I was twenty. It
grandparents until my parents
my family. My mother opened up was supernatural and the Lord
finished college. My grandpara restaurant when I was twelve
Jesus changed my heart. I left my
ents were kind-hearted, simple, and it was a place that kept my
life of sinful pleasure and the
devout people and I loved them extended family bonded toLord gave me a new life, a Chrisvery much. When I was in secgether.
tian church family and a love for
ond grade I had to move to
Him and the body of Christ. He
LaPlace with my older brother
In my high school years I contin- even gave me a calling to teach in
and my parents. I didn’t want to ued to be an A student, but with a Christian school.
move and I would continue to go the rest of my schoolmates, I just
to my grandparents’ house every wanted to have fun, go to drink- In 1996, after teaching for two
chance I could get. My brother
ing parties and find a cute guy.
years, my poor self-image and a
and father picked on
deep depression overtook
me all the time and I
me. I stopped going to
“I wake up praising God
began to have a
church and some old
weight problem and an because He is worthy and I am friends set me up with my
inferiority complex. I
husband who was raised
nothing without Him.”
was told that I was fat
Christian. I jumped right
and ugly. Because of
into marriage. I soon disthis, I’ve always been very sensicovered that I had turned against
tive and plagued with self-hatred When I was nineteen and in col- “the organized church” which I so
and depression.
lege my parents split up. My dad deeply loved.
left and my mom was very broAs a child I excelled in school and ken. I threw myself into my sin- My mother did not attend my
loved learning. My parents
ful relationships and only cared
wedding because she had heard
worked a lot and they gave me
about myself. But my mother
rumors about him and because
lots of nice things and put me in found Jesus, and it greatly afhe was a divorced man.
Catholic schools.
fected me. I became a born-again