“In my end of the world, ‘mission has imitated life’. In July 2006, I ventured into the unknown. What I found defines who I am. I now possess the very essence of my Father, a God that has provided me strength, courage, independence and freedom. My Creator, the Master Potter reinvented me!”

Julie Thomas resides in Franklin, TN. With the day job of a banking manager providing her income, she has turned her free time into a ministry in which she provides service to mankind. This remains a huge calling indeed for one so small in stature but, so large in  vision! Julie started Life Road Ministries as an answer to “what next Lord?!”. Having worked with a myriad of organizations to serve the homeless, battered woman, disrupted families, and orphaned children over the years. Julie knew that she could not just be a passerby and sit back and watch. A passion developed deep with in her to “do”. Coming from a family background that had struggled to make it, Julie knew full well, the circumstances that arise when people are not connected to help. Many individuals that she has come in contact with aren’t looking for a “hand out”, they are just hoping for a “hand up”.

Julie Thomas is one of four children born to an Iranian father and an American mother. With stories that abound from having to escape from Iran with her mother as a young child, being placed in foster care, and finding herself “homeless” at many intervals, Julie Thomas has lived life extraordinarily. Her youth molded into adulthood with confusion, feeling alone, and a passion to fill a plethora of “empty spaces” that lay within her. Addictions, abuse, emotional and physical trauma, along with a lack of wanting to live left Julie in a state of “hopelessness” and overwhelming moments of fear. With this background fresh in your mind, let’s fast-forward to the moment of hope. Julie Thomas is a survivor. Not the kind that just dwells on what was, but one that knows what can be. Now an accomplished painter, a banker and a minister of hope, Julie Thomas has worn the t-shirt and knows the fit. She can truly say, “been there, done that, here is what I found”.

With a renewed passion to serve mankind at large, a focus on the hurting, the lost, and angry, Julie founded Life Road Ministries, an avenue to serve, teach, and lead. To make a difference, not just a mark.