Juliana Elizabeth Travis

“Be a Proverbs 31 Woman” is a sentence that I have used as a basis for my day to day life for the past couple years. I chose this statement because Proverbs 31 gives a wonderful example of the Christian woman’s characteristics and how I should live as a Christian girl. I don't always follow it perfectly, but it is a standard that I have set for myself. The most valuable characteristic in my opinion is her faith. Verse 30 says that she “fears the Lord,” which shows her reverence of God. She serves the Lord with everything she does, with her heart, mind, and soul, and seeks to follow His will for her life. The virtuous woman cares about her health and beauty. She knows her worth (verse 10) and cares for her body. She has an inner beauty that comes only from Christ. Verse 25 says, “She is clothed in strength and dignity and can laugh at the days to come.” This is exactly how I want to be clothed — with God’s strength and unafraid of what will come tomorrow. She uses h...

          Have you ever felt like you've sunk? Hit rock bottom, failed, or gotten stuck?            What happens if a boat isn’t built with the correct materials? It sinks. What happens if its load is too heavy? It sinks. What happens if it gets a crack or hole in it? It sinks.            Just like a boat can sink, our lives can sink too. If our strength isn't found in Jesus Christ, we can't have the correct materials to stay afloat. God is the sole provider of everything that we need to live joyful, fulfilling lives. Without God in us, we don't have the tools and resources to keep our boats from sinking.            Our lives can easily become overwhelmed with stress, anxiety, and other problems that weigh us down. You have to be cautious about how these things are pulling your life. Is your stress chained to your ankle like an anchor pulling you down? Take a s...

Ephesians 6:10-17  “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace . In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith , with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit , which is the word of God.”   ...

          Every day we have things to thank God for giving us. Here are a list of five things to be grateful for when you need something to bring joy to your life or just to be thankful for in general. 1. A ll things work together for our good. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” -Romans 8:28 2. We are loved. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins”  -1 John 4:10 3. We are never alone. “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”   -Matthew 28:20 4. We have peace in the midst of chaos. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”  -Philippians 4:7 5. We have a place held for us in Heaven. "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, t...

          The smell of turkey and pumpkin pie and the sound of voices fill the house.  A day full of family, friends, and good food. Crowding around the TV to watch the parades and the football games. Happy Thanksgiving!           Thanksgiving is more than just a day to be thankful for the family and friends we have, but a year long practice of giving thanks to God for all He has done in our lives. The roots of thanksgiving date back to before creation and leads up all the way to the present day. And the center of thanksgiving isn't the food, but the gratitude.           God created us with the purpose to honor Him with our lives. When Satan tricked Adam and Eve in the garden, this created unthankfulness in humanity. We often fail to be thankful in our every day lives, and we take for granted the things that God has specifically placed in our lives. We don't take the time to give thanks to ...

          You feel sad. You feel alone. You feel hopeless. You struggle to make it through the next day. You feel unimportant and unworthy. You feel like you are drowning in a sea of sorrow and  shame.  You wonder if you will ever feel happy again.            Satan tricks you into thinking that you are not good enough leading you to a depressed state of mind. He tells you that you are behind and  you will never be successful. Eventually, you fall so deep into this pit of depression that you see no light, no way out, and you start to feel numb.  You wish you could change it, but see no hope in trying.  You don't see a point in living another day.            But God gave you this mountain to show others that it can be moved. Whatever struggle is causing your depression, it will be overcome when you let Christ consume your mind. He will show you what...

          It is so calming to know that in all of our troubles, God is there to comfort us. No matter how bad the situation gets, God never leaves us. He never gives up on us. He sticks with us till the end. And He calls us to spread His comfort and love with those around us.           This week has been devastating for many families in Texas, including some that I know personally. Now is the time for us to pray for those who lost their lives, who lost loved ones, who lost their homes, their schools, their work places, and their churches due to Hurricane Harvey, and to pass on the comfort that God has given us to those who are affected by the storm.           Knowing that God gives us comfort in the midst of trouble makes each day a little easier. Spread God's love and comfort today. #Pray4Houston 

           Most of our bitterness and anger towards others is rooted in our inability to be unconditionally amazed at Christ's love for us in our sin.  You may say "Oh my bitterness is because of this person or this thing or this situation," but the solution is not to fix the other thing. The solution is to fix yourself-- to gain a heart that is overflowingly thankful for grace from Christ and that spills over with grace towards others.  Here are 4 steps to overcome the bitterness of life and replace it with joy and contentment: 1.  Focus on the good in your life           In my last post "Focus on the Good" , I wrote about how we are sometimes surrounded by the darkness of sin, in this case bitterness. When we take our eyes off the bitterness, we are able to see God's goodness and love all around us. Instead of being bound by bitterness, run to God's truth. Replace the bitterness with contentment in every si...

            This past year has been a rough, heavy load for me.  I had controversy with my best friend, went through a tough break up, prayed for recovery of the people closest to me, lost loved ones, and struggled with my own emotional stability.  Over the past few months, a key phrase that I have spoken over my life continuously is "Focus on the Good."            About 6 months ago, I fell into a depressed state where I just couldn't find a reason to be happy.  I overthought everything, I skipped meals, I laid awake in bed at night wondering where everything went so wrong. I got to a point where I didn't really want to wake up and struggle through the next day. I wish I could tell you that things have changed and I am better now, and while some things have gotten better, I am still in the pit of depression. I struggle with insecurity and I let my negative thoughts and the unkind words of o...

           You're insecure. You feel ugly. You feel like your body is not perfect, your face is not perfect, your hair isn't perfect. You feel unworthy and unimportant.  You feel unwanted. You feel completely alone.  You feel like no matter what you do,  you will never be good enough for anything or anyone.           That is a list of lies placed in your mind from the devil. The devil is trying to crush you and overtime you believe his lies he rejoices because he is pulling you away from God. The devil may have tiny victories over your life, but he will NEVER win. And you may say "I'm not worthy of God," but honey, God loves you and God is there for you no matter what. He created you as His child and He's not giving up on you.            When you ask God to step in, He will crush the devil and his evil lies and fill you with the truth, His truth. Yo...

About a year and a half ago, I set a goal to raise $60,000 to donate to build water wells in Africa through The Water Project. Along the way, we have sold tshirts, collected change, and hosted The Water Games. As of today, we have raised over $2,000.   To continue to move towards our goal, I am selling another tshirt. This tshirt is white with blue, teal, and orange print. On the front it says “Water For Africa” and on the back it says “Give Water, Unlock Potential” with The Water Project logo. Youth sizes S-L are available for $15 and Adult sizes S-4XL are available for $20. Contact me for more information on how to order a shirt at  julianaelizabethtravis@gmail.com . Another fundraiser will be happening this summer. “You’ve Got Whales” will take place during July and August . People like you will pay a fee to have 3-6 inflatable whales like the one in the picture placed in a friend’s yard. There will be optional Whale insurance to protect your yard from the...

          Lent is a 40 day long fast which starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter.  The 40 days  represents the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness resisting temptation from the devil.  To learn more about Lent and the Methodist beliefs, click here .           As Ash Wednesday approached, I thought a lot about what I wanted to give up for Lent this year.  I honestly could not think of  anything to give up.  I spent a lot of time thinking about things in my life that distract me from God that I needed to get rid of.  Number one on my list was my phone.  I debated for days on this one... should I really give up my phone for a month and a half?  I made a list of things that I do on my  phone that are a distraction-- texting, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and a few games.  I often find myself scrolling through my  social medi...

          Sometimes it seems like we have unrealistic ideas about what a relationship with God consists of.  Many people see it as "Oh, I'm saved now, my sins are forgiven, I have a fresh start, I can do what I want and nothing bad will ever happen to me  again."  However, this statement is wrong in so many ways.            God says, "Come as you are. Bring your brokenness, your sin, your shame, your guilt... bring it all to Me and I will give you rest."  Sounds easy right? But God also says that it will not be easy. In order to follow Christ,  the Bible says, "We must deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Him."  We must give up everything to truly submit to His ways and this is extremely difficult.  God says in John 16:33, "I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation.  But take heart, I ha...

           In our world today, dating is a pretty common thing.  However, there is a difference between dating in a worldly way and in a Godly manner.  Below is a list of 10 guidelines for dating in a way acceptable in God's sight. Find your self worth in God before getting into a relationship. Don't date to feel good about yourself. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  -Matthew 6:21 Use your brain in all circumstances. "Those who walk in wisdom come through safely."  -Proverbs 26:26 The healthiest relationship are those in which the similarities far outweigh the differences. "Bad company ruins good morals."  -1 Corinthians 15:33 Take it slow. "Guide my steps as you promised; don't let sin control me." -Psalm 119:133 All  healthy relationships require good, solid, and well-defined boundaries. You...

           Today, in the process of making my own personal prayer box, I decided that it would be really neat to make a universal prayer box!          To access the prayer box, click this link:  http://ask.fm/julianaelizabethtravis   and type your prayer into the box where it says "Ask @julianaelizabethtravis." You can submit your prayer request anonymously or you can chose to show your name.  When I receive the request, I will share it on the profile so that others can prayer for you too! If you do not wish for your request to be shared, please say so when you send me the request.            I will be continually praying over the prayer requests that I  receive and hope that through this others will pray for you too.            While you are on the profile, if you have any topics you would like me to blog about, ...

          I've seen this quote many times and have never really understood the exact meaning behind it, and as I was scrolling through Pinterest today, it hit me.            In a hallway, there are usually many doors that open into different rooms. In this scenario, think of a hallway with two doors, one behind you and one in front of you. Both doors take you to different places in your life. The door  behind you is something from the past that you're still hanging on to, even if it's just by a single thread. The door in front of you goes into your future, however, it has not yet been opened for you. The hallway is representative of the testing place for God to see if  you are truly ready to follow Him.               Now here comes the true test: Will you wait for God to open the door to what he has greatly planned for your future, or will you turn back to t...

          Wow! I've been so busy with school and other activities that  I haven't blogged in almost two months... a HUGE topic of my blog today.             Before I get into my post, I wanted to  give a final update on the results of my Lenting. My giving up portion of Lent went very well. I had a few "mini Easters" along the way (which are totally acceptable) but overall I did a pretty good job with my fasting. Now that Lent is over and I have gone over 40 days resisting the urge to eat sugary, delicious desserts and candies, I actually do not have the desire to constantly eat these unhealthy things.            Now for the doing portion of Lent I did not do so well on. I was supposed to write a letter to someone who inspired me every day or every other day of Lent. I think I wrote a total of one letter the entire 40 days... Oops! I will most likely ...

          Today is Ash Wednesday and tomorrow I start my fasting for Lent! This year I am doing things a little differently. I am giving up desserts, candy, soda-- pretty much anything that has unhealthy sugar.            But this year I am adding a "doing" thing to my fast. Every other day of Lent, I will write a letter to someone who has impacted my life. I thought this was really neat because we never realize who really impacts us and who we impact ourselves until it is brought to our attention. I hope to be able to reach my goal of 20 letters for 20 people and hopefully even exceed my goal.            I am so excited to start Lent tomorrow! I hope you're participating, too! Click here to read last year's Lent blog. Click here to read last year's Lent results blog.