Juliana Elizabeth Travis

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!           Today is the day of family and food and presents! But while we enjoy those things, we must also remember the reason for the season: Jesus! So while you enjoy your Christmas don't forget Jesus's birthday.  Christmas wouldn't be the same without Christ! Check out this video:

          Hey guys! Christmas is right around the corner, and if you're like me, you haven't done any shopping. These are a few DIY gifts that take very few supplies and absolutely no time! 1. DIY Coffee Mug What you need: White coffee mug Sharpies Stickers Oven Instructions:      Take the white mug and put however many stickers you  want on it. You can do letters or shapes or whatever kind of stickers you want. Next, take the sharpies and make dots around the stickers. When you have finished the dots, take the sticker off. Put the finished mug in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes to keep the ink from washing off. Ta-da! 2. Crayon Canvas Art What you need Crayons Glue Canvas Blow dryer Instructions:       Glue the crayons to the canvas (preferably close to the top but doesn't necessarily have to be.) When the glue is dry, take the blow dryer of high and melt the crayons so they will run down the canvas. Be careful, the crayon wa

          Today is the day of giving thanks-- it's  Thanksgiving ! Thanksgiving is a time when we get together with our families and eat turkey and dressing, but sometimes we miss the big point of the holiday. Giving Thanks.                       Thanksgiving is more than just food. We are blessed with so many things  that God has given us and we should thank him for all of those things. We have so many things to be thankful for such as our families, friends, churches, and countries. No matter how bad your life may seem at the time, without these simple things, life would be a lot harder. We should thank God for the gifts He has given us, even if it doesn't seem like much to us.            Gratitude is an important thing for us to look into as Christians. William Ward said, "Gratitude can transform common days into  thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings." Gratitude helps us to see what is there instead of wha

          ISIS is a popular topic in today's news. Over 170,000 deaths have been recorded and they aren't finished yet. People all over the world are worried and scared. Here's how we should respond to ISIS as Christians. -They are proof of the devil's work.           ISIS is driven by the devil's power. They represent lost individuals who have been tricked into believing a lie. Satan's power mixed with the evil nature of humans can create the worst situations imaginable. -They will get what they deserve.           God knows everyone's motives and actions, and He will give each person what they deserve. Psalm 28:4 says, "Repay them for their deeds and for they evil work; repay them for what their hands have done and bring back on them what they deserve." -What we can do as Christians.           As Christians, we can use our Bibles to fight back. I read an article  about an ISIS trainer who turned to the Bible because he was "sick of k

        I've decided to start a campaign to raise money for a charity!! I had been looking for a charity to support for a while, but none of them really stuck out to me as the one I wanted to choose. As I was looking one day,  the song Oceans by Hillsong UNITED was running through  my head. I came across The Water Project and started reading about it. And I knew immediately that was the charity I had been looking for!         Water plays a huge role in each our lives. Water affects our health, education, and many other things. Nearly 1 billion people across the planet do not have access to clean, safe water. We don’t realize how lucky we are to have clean water in our homes and cities.  Watch the video and check out their website to learn more: thewaterproject.org      My goal is to raise $60,000 which will sponsor 5 entire projects.  If you would like to donate  click here to donate through my GoFundMe page  or give donation money or checks to me personally.

            If you read my last post, you would know that I did a social media fast for the last 7 days.  Click here to read that post.  I gave three reasons for my fasting-  Distraction, Trash, and Drama. So here is my update on how this past week went:                          The first few days  were a little difficult. I had spent so much time on social media before that I wasn't really sure what to do when I was bored and couldn't check it. I began finding other things to do such as planning new blog posts and reading the bible more. There were many times when I would think of something and in my head say "Man, I want to tweet that!" but I never once gave in to it.              As the week went on, the urge to log in to my social media got less intense. I've seen so many things happen this week that I normally wouldn't because I would've been studying my social media.                       Yes, I will be logging back into my social media. No, I w

          I have decided to fast from social media for a week. Starting at  midnight tonight, October 4, I will not use Twitter or Instagram until Sunday, October 13. Here are 3 reasons why I made this decision: 1. Distraction           One thing I've realized is that spending more time looking through my feed on Instagram and Twitter has given me less time to study the Bible and blog. Being too involved with social media can take away your focus from the more important things such as your family, friends, and faith. 2. Trash           Trash is a big part of social media. No, not trash like you throw in a trash can. Trash as in trashy words, trashy pictures, trashy attitudes. Constantly seeing and reading these types of posts actually impacts the type of lifestyle you live and the types of things you post on your accounts. 3. Drama           Drama. This one pretty much speaks for itself. Social media, especially Twitter, is always full of the latest gossip. I have noticed

          Finding time to read and study the Word is  very difficult when you're busy. We are often caught up in our busy schedules and the thought of growing closer to God does not even cross our mind. Here's some ways to add some devotions into your day: 1. Before School or Work            Getting up an extra 5 minutes earlier will not kill you. Take a few minutes to read the bible or a devotional in the mornings while you are getting ready or eat breakfast. 2. During Your Lunch Break           For me, this is the best time of day to sit down and focus of my relationship with God. I almost always take time to open up my Bible app and read the daily verse or a short devotional. You can do this while you eat which makes it even better! 3. Before You Go To Sleep           I'm usually pretty tired at this point, but if you are busy all day, this is the best time for you. Curl up in bed with your Bible or phone app and spend some quality time with God. Maybe you'l

        Every year students all over the world go back-to-s chool shopping. Since I decided to expand my blog to cover more topics and school is just around the corner, I decided to write a back-to-school blog. I didn't want to do a typical back-to-school haul, so I'm doing things you wish you had while at school. Here are a few things you wouldn't normally add to your shopping list, but are definitely some essentials. (Well they  are for me anyway) 1. Some kind of lip product.         Whether you're a boy or a girl, your lips get dry. Chapstick, lip balm, lip gloss, lipstick... whatever your choice is. Just make sure you have some in your bag! 2. If you wear makeup...                  An essentials for every girl who wears makeup is oil blotting sheets. Even if you don't think your face gets oily, it does. You need them! Another essential is powder to touch up your makeup throughout the day. Blot first, powder second! 3. Ponytail holders and b

       I think it's time for a best friend appreciation post. I am so thankful to have two of the most amazing  people as my friends. Mady and Alyssa are honestly my most favorite people in the whole world.         If it wasn't for these two, I wouldn't be the person I am today. These girls have showed me what true friendship is. No matter what the situation, we always find a way to make it better and come out stronger every time.  It's so easy to talk to them. Whether it's advice or rants, we always leave the conversation feeling so much better than we did when it began. We've been with each other through the smiles and the tears, the laughs and the fears. I know they will always be there for me, and I will do the same for them. It's so easy to talk to them. Whether it's advice or rants, we always leave the conversation feeling so much better than we did when it began.        Here's to all the memories we've made and the ones that have yet to

My first vlog is up!! Check it out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB9dfjfzsrg&spfreload=10

      GUYSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!! I FINALLY GOT MY VLOGS FROM YOUTH 2015 UPLOADED!! HERE THEY ARE: Day 1 somehow got deleted, I have no idea what happened.  Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Hope you enjoy them! Thanks for  watching!

        These 4 statements are a few that are constantly being questioned.  Many people struggle with believing that these are facts. The reality is, every single one of the statements are true.         Even when it feels like no one loves you, I can promise you one person does. And that person is God. God is love, and God is in you, so how could you not be loved? You are loved more than you will ever know by someone who died to know you. What greater love than that?          "But God demonstrates His own love for us: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8         You might feel like you're not important. You might feel like no one cares about you. God loves you and thinks you are important. He  cares more about you in a minute than anyone could in a lifetime. God has a plan for you to do great things and spread  His word. Long before you told God, "I'll go," He had already chosen you. He thinks you are extremely impo

        I just got back today from Orlando, Florida, a.k.a. the place that changed my life for the better . Youth 2015 is a nation wide Methodist convention for youth. We spent the last few days surrounded by over 4,000 people growing in our relationship with Jesus Christ and learning many things we need to know as Christians.          The theme for Y15 was GO>>ON . As Christians, we are disciples. God is calling us to do  something no eye has seen and no ear has heard. WE CAN'T STAY HERE! We must keep going. Don't let where you are now keep you from where God wants you to be.          We covered many very important topics in the few days we were at Y15 . There are many more that I can blog about and if you'd like to hear them, let me know and I will post. This experience is truly a blessing from God and I can't thank Him enough for allowing me to go and learn and go on to spread His word. This was a life changing experience and I'm never going back to

        82% of the world has faith . 1/3 of that faith is Christianity. 32% of all the people in the world are Christians. But when it  comes down to testing their faith, how many of them will fight for what they believe in?         When someone asks a questions about your beliefs, are you brave enough to openly talk about your faith? Many Christians would turn down the opportunity to spread the word. The question is why would we as God's children turn that down when He clearly says to spread His Word?          The truth is we are ashamed . Here's why: 1. We don't know our Bibles.         You may be thinking, "Oh, I know my Bible pretty well. I have lots of verses memorized, etc, etc..." Truth is, most of us have not read the entire Bible. We haven't deeply studied it. We don't know what most of it means. We don't know the full extent of God's Word. We're confused, which makes us feel ashamed. 2. We forget that God is working.        

           I saw this tweet the other day that said, "You can never gain cold , you can only have the  absence  of heat . It made me think that maybe hatred   doesn't exist , and it's only the  absence of love ." So if this is true, darkness is just the absence of light . So technically,  darkness is  nonexistent .          John 1:5 says,  "The  light  shines in the  darkness , and the  darkness   can never extinguish it ."  If all of this is true, how can darkness overtake the light of Christ?          One way I think of it is you can turn on and off a light , but you  can't flip a switch and turn on and off the darkness . When you turn off the lights , it gets dark . Which similarly applies to our spiritual light . When you turn away from God , your flame burns out and darkness takes it over . But when you turn to God , your fire burns bright . Keep your light shining brightly and keep your life set on God.         "Turn your face

        Last year, one of my teachers and I were talking about our faith. She told me that she used to believe in God, but when things took a turn for the worst, she lost faith. She said she didn't understand how such a great and powerful God could let something so horrible happen to her. I've realized this is why a lot of people don't believe anymore.         I've actually been wanting to write about this topic for a while, and as I was scrolling through Pinterest, I found some pretty neat scriptures about this. So I'm going to write about them now.         So where is God in a tragedy? Psalm 23 says "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing . He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for in His name's sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil , for You are with me , Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. " This chapter is very im

        Wow. I meant to put this up a long time ago, but I've been so so busy that I haven't had much time to write. As most of you know, I gave up makeup for Lent. Over 40 days without makeup!!! To me, Lent is about losing bad habits and begining good ones. You're probably thinking how is makeup a bad habit? Well here's my story.         Makeup is something used to make you look prettier. Which can be a good thing, if thought of in a good way. Many girls in today's society use makeup as a "cover up". Girls feel they are not pretty enough, hate the way they look, or don't like a certain flaw they have. Makeup is used as a way to cover your flaws for the world to see until you get home and uncover reality. Society has stuck this idea of beauty in our heads. Tall, Skinny, Pretty Face, Pretty Hair, Pretty Clothes. Females practically kill themselves daily trying to reach this idea of "perfection".          What I want to know is who decide th

     If you follow me on Twitter (@ninjagymnast18), then you know that I am doing the 100 Happy Days challenge.  100happydays.com  The point of this challenge is to appreciate the things in life that make you happy and realize that even on your worst days, there is always something good.       And, for me, that's exactly what this challenge has done. I am currently on Day 33 and I am honestly loving the outlook it has given me. No matter how bad my day seems, there is ALWAYS something to be happy about.       I think it's good for people to realize the good in their life because a lot of it is things we take for granted, such as a roof over our head, an education, and simple things such as food, clothing, and clean water. We are very lucky to live the way we do.       There are two things that keep us from being happy: living in the past and observing others.  Living  in the past can drag you down. What's behind you  doesn't   matter, the future is what needs to be f

     I'm sure all of you have seen #TheDress, "Is it white and gold or blue and black?!",  and call me crazy, but that's actually my example for this blog. Just a few minutes ago I was doing my daily scroll through Pinterest and came across a quote.           Some people see the dress as blue and black, while others see it as white and gold. This is a lot like how people see other people. One person might see you as a sweet, kind, loving person, but another might see you as hateful, rude, and deceiving. Think about the way you feel about your best friend versus the way you think of your enemy. Big difference, right? Someone who doesn't care much about you is definitely going to have different ides toward you than someone who cares about you and loves you. DON'T LET THE NEGATIVE FEELINGS AND IDEAS DEFINE YOU!!!          We live in a world where we are constantly being judged. Every minute of every day there is someone out there judging you. DON'

     One of my favorite times of the year has arrived. Lent season. Don't ask me why its one of my favorites, it just is. There's something truly amazing about struggling to do more of something or to not doing something and spend more time with God.      Last year I gave up all drinks except water. I will admit at first I really hated drinking water, but now it has become part of my daily life and I really don't drink much of anything else.      This year I want to take it further. I want to give up more and do more. I want these things to become habit and carry out with me even after Lent is over. I want them to be part of my daily life.      One goal I made for 2015 is to learn to love myself more for who I am and to be what I want, not what others want or what others think of me. One thing on my list of Giving Up For Lent is makeup. No matter how bad a pimple I have or how bad my dark circles look (because anyone who knows me also knows they are like black holes), I

Take a glass plate.  Drop it on the ground.  It shatters.  Beat it with a hammer.  Hundreds of pieces.  Pick up the pieces.  Now put it back together.  You can't, can you?      Trust. By dictionary definition, trust is the belief that someone or something is reliable, good, honest, effective, etc . Building trust with someone for the first time isn't really all that hard... but once it breaks, it's one of the hardest things ever to get back. Today, trust is practically nonexistent. You think someone will keep a secret, but then they go around showing people your messages and telling everything you've said. People you thought were your bestfriends are suddenly going behind your back spreading things you didn't necessarily want people to know about. You lose friends, you lose relationships. Everything changes. TRUST BREAKS.       The plate represents the trust between two people. It's really hard to mend what's been broken. In any situ

     **By request** My first year as a Charmer has been a great experience! I was asked what the daily life of a Charmer is like, so let's start from the beginning.       Football season consisted of 3 hour after school practices in the hot sun. Sounds horrible right? It honestly wasn't that bad though, as long as you had a big jug of ice water! We got some very pretty tan lines from our workout clothes and boots. Haha.       The practices were not dreadful. I will admit there were some days that were so hot you thought you were going to die, but no matter how bad it got, it all payed off on Friday nights.       Being under those  Friday night  lights is a feeling I can't even put into words. Cheering and dancing in the stands is SO fun. But NOTHING can compare to being on the field at halftime. You just have to experience it to understand how great it is. I can't even explain.       After football is over, competition preparations begin. You begin after school

Good morning from the clouds! I am currently flying to New York City with my drill team! So exciting! Here's a picture of my current view:      Let's take it back to the beginning. The VERY beginning. You know like, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters."      It's hard to believe that the earth used to be a dark, empty place. The beautiful place we see now, once did not exist. God said "Let there be light, let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water, let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear, let the land produce vegetation, let there be lights in the sky to separate the day from the night and to give light to the earth, let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth, let the land produce living creatures, and

           This quote has been in my favorites for a very long time. It means a lot to me. I’ve had people tell me multiple times that I have made an impact in their life. But I don't think it really hit me until I started blogging.       Many people have told me they love my blog. A TBH (To Be Honest) I received from one of my close friends on Instagram really hit home with me for the quote above. I thought I’d share it with you, so here are the parts that stood out to me: “Your blog posts are inspiring and I hope you never quit doing them because they have inspired me in ways that you have no idea… I love how positive you are and the different outlook you have on life now with a blog.”      I honestly LOVE that people find my blogs to be inspiring. That was actually one of my goals when I decided to start. I want to change people’s lives. Bringing others to God is a big thing I want to do. I saw blogging as an opportunity for that. I didn’t expect as many people