It was an adventure.worthy of Desert Rat magazine. It was Scott, Julianne and Cowboy's (Julianne's miniature Dachshund) perfect afternoon. Scott's 1977 4x4 roared them up and down the desert arroyos while they filled the hot California air with shouts of excitement. Every time the Desert Buggy tried to go airborne, Cowboy hung on for dear life and barked enthusiastically.
Then something broke. From far off the highway, all desert vistas looked the same, and Cowboy was no help. Scott tinkered with the motor and then finally told his sister, Julianne, that he'd have to go for help. That was when she remembered her cell phone. Several calls later, they had located a willing tow truck company and directed them to a landmark Scott thought he could find. That left Julianne and Cowboy waiting alone, "somewhere" in the desert.
Scott walked "forever" through the desert, found the tow truck climbed in and directed the driver back to Julianne. But the Desert Buggy wasn't where he remembered it. And it wasn't over by "that rock" either. ~ Or over by that clump of cactus. Or the arroyo. And it was getting dark... Scott was lost, while Julianne and imagined the worst and prayed for rescue.
Julianne Morris's life has been filled with adventures. "I just know God is walking with me every step. He's holding my hand, even when I make mistakes and am lost," she says. "I try to exude love, kindness, peace and be Christlike every day but sometimes I strike out. At other times I hit a double and sometimes I even smash a home run. But, however well I do, I am doing it in God's strength."
You may remember Morris as Amy Wilson, the troubled school girl she played for two years on the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless. Or maybe you see her and think of the key role she played in the Adventuress of Sinbad. However, you see her at her best on Days Of Our Lives. There you will meet her as Greta,and you'll be amazed at how this young actress brings sparkling beauty, talent and soul to every script.
Greta is a mixed up swamp girl. On each episode of Days of our Lives, she moves from
loving and trusting to erratically angry or moody. She shouts loudly, dresses Julianne as
Greta "down and dirty," and brings a fiery intensity to to the show. She is a
mess, but she is also a charmer you can't help but love. Five days a week, Morris a
graduate of Central Florida's West Orange High School, brings Greta the Swamp Girl to life
with the smooth dexterity of an acting professional. Soap Opera Magazine recently honored
Morris as the Star of the Week and critics regularly applaud her skill at showing such a
wide vanity of passions so credibly Both Soap Opera Weekly and Soap Opera magazine
have named Morris one of the "50 Most Beautiful people in day time:" Greta
makes me cry and shout at the time," one viewer says. "Julianne Morris
has brought a whole new energy to the show. I love her!" But Morris is much more than
just a beautiful, talented actress. She is one of those special people whose life is far
larger than the characters she plays on TV. Morris is a Christian whose heart beats in
time with the needs of those around her. 'I have always been close to God," Morris
says, "and my faith in Him gives me a strong backbone." "Way back when I
was five years old," Morris remembers, "I decided I wanted to ask Jesus into my
heart. We were driving down a highway when I told m mother what I wanted to do. She pulled
right over to the side of the road where we knelt down on the grass and she helped me pray
the prayer of acceptance. Since then, my life has been an adventure with God." Ask
Morris what is most important, and she immediately talks about her family. "Mom is a
constant prayer warrior for me. No matter whether it is 4:00 a.m., midnight or noon, she
is always praying for me. In fact, I believe the prayers of my parents have placed a hedge
of safety around me; a hedge that makes it easier for
me to represent God each day. Dad is my Godly encyclopedia, with "just the
right text" for any situation. And my brother, Scott, is my example for daily Godly
Christian living. They show me how to combine walking with Christ and walking in the
world." As a young woman, Julianne traveled with her parents to India to work in a
children's orphanage. More recently, she led a group of teens who built a preschool in
Belize. 'I loved doing the Belize work," she smiles, "It gave me a peace
and happiness beyond anything else I have done. We just reached out and put a hug on
them!" Morris is "absolutely passionate" about the art of acting and is a
big fan of Audrey Hepburn. "I like the way she was able to excel in her career and
still keep her personal values primary. I like how she is remembered for her work with
UNICEF, almost as much as for her acting."
Join Morris on the set of Days of our Lives, and you'll often find other cast members coming to her to share a prayer or talk about challenges in their lives. Join Morris at her weekly Bible study class and you'll probably get included on the group's softball team. Join Morris as she talks with fans and you'll hear her encouraging girls and guys to "lean on God" for strength and wisdom. Join Morris in Belize and you'll get to wield a pick, pound nails, or lay blocks. Join Morris on your TV and you'll see a dedicated actor excelling and hear the critics applauding. "God has people everywhere," says Morris. "There are many naysayers who want to pass a quick judgment on what happens in soaps, but God has placed me in Hollywood and is using me every day. He is proud of what I'm doing and shows me how to open the door of my heart to my co-workers. I listen, pray, visit and let Him shine His light brightly in the midst of darkness. It's Like the Biblical Queen Esther, Julianne Morris is living true to her script. God has given her a mission and challenged her to be bold for Him. He is her personal spiritual coach. "Keep God in the center of your life," says Morris. "Keep focused on Him. Spend time each day in the Bible. Expect challenges, but also expect God to bring solutions. Don't beat yourself up when you fail, but keep your eyes on Him. And pray. Pray. Pray. Pray. He will keep you bold for Him." By the way, Scott asked God for some special directional assistance out in the California desert and found Julianne and Cowboy, "over the next ridge," just before sunset!
It is not our desire to support or encourage soap operas. It is our desire, to reach the lost for the Lord.