Happy Easter weekend, y'all! I got to make a trip back home to my parents' house for the weekend. Originally we were all going to meet in Lawrence and do Easter there, but due to some last minutes flips of the script we all ended up in Moscow, which I'm hoppy about (stupid pun intended). Jace and I of course had to get in a little lift at the old high school weight room, where we determined how much more athletic I am now compared to high school. For the umpteenth time, praise God I was tall. We also got to hang out with some family who lives close by, which made for an awesome, fun-filled Saturday! Now if KU could win and get to the final four, it'd be a near-perfect day....
This week as I was pondering topics to write about, I kind of had a writer's block. Then on the drive home last night in between listening to podcasts and teaching Ella how to whip/nae nae (she's a natural), it hit me: Easter.
Easter is a broad topic, but how could I not proclaim the gospel on the weekend we set aside to formally celebrate it as a holiday? My drive back to Kansas found me on the road until the wee hours of the morning, but my thoughts were vivid and clear. Just like I was driving to my earthly "home", Jesus was slain on the cross so that eventually I can really go HOME.
This weekend is the actual turning point in history, in the present, and in the future. God sent His son, one precious son, and He in turn endured the most painful death a human could go through. All the sins of the world, ever, were abolished because He submitted to His Father's will to bear your sins, my sins, the sins of the literal world population. Then he lay dead in a tomb before rising from the dead. You guys, He was resurrected on the third day, and because of that I get to spend eternity in the best home, heaven.
Coming back to Kansas and spending time with family and friends is such a blessing, and I do enjoy it immensely. The joy I get from it though, is not even one iota of comparison to the joy, awe, wonder, shock, love, etcetera I will experience when the few short years I'm on this earth are through. That's what gets me going, not trivial earthly pleasures, people, places, or things. Heaven can't come soon enough, but while I'm here I get to tell y'all about Easter and what it means to our lives.
Does everyone go to heaven at the end of their lives? Nope. That'd be cool, but in Romans we see "those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified." I can only hope and pray to be an instrument He uses to open hearts and eyes.
Easter is more than bunnies and eggs. It's the only thing that matters. You and I and our eternal destination fully depend upon what happened on a blood-stained, wooden cross, and we are alive in Him because He overcame the grave and was resurrected.
If that doesn't humble you and cause you to fall on your face I don't know what will. Think about that in between your next handful of jelly beans.
PS what's your favorite Easter candy?
PPS on a scale from 1-10 how elated are you that Jesus died for your poor soul?
Twitter: @jen_being_jen
IG: @jenbeingjen
Hi spring breakers (hi Mom, on the couch 10 feet from me)! The title of this post is a little misleading, because I actually have no idea what spring break is anymore. It is definitely one of the very few things I miss about school! My parents still get one each year though, so they decided to vacay in north Texas this week, which has been nice. Ella is getting spoiled rotten, and I'm pretty sure she is now the favorite girl in the family. It's fine, I wouldn't dare try to compete with that cuteness.
I finished the Whole30 on Tuesday, and aside from the baby shower cake incident, I was about as compliant as I could have been, I think! It went really well. My measurements and overall body composition didn't change much, but I felt so much better! I really hope to stick to that type of eating the majority of the time now, just because I do know it's better for me to not consume so much processed junk. And if I'm disciplined and just decide "I don't eat something," then it's really not that hard to say no to the extra little treats that can be so tempting. I also just ate pizza and breadsticks for dinner, but it's Friday night, it was convenient, and I hadn't had it in a long time. I'll just have to make it a priority to keep track of when I will and won't allow myself to indulge! I think round 2 of the Whole30 will take place in June, between the RnR San Diego half marathon and my brother's wedding, because you know, pictures last forever. Stay posted for that, and seriously consider joining me! It wasn't even that bad.
Speaking of San Diego, half marathon training is nearly two weeks underway and is going well! I have done 8-week plans and 12-week plans in the past; this cycle I went with a 14-week plan written by Nike running. I am loving it so far, and would recommend it to anyone training! So many plans are just not doable for average runners, or busy people who have real jobs and don't run for a living. This plan is totally different! I am able to do every workout either outside or on the treadmill at the gym. I also like that it's not the same 4 workouts every single week. The track/speed/hill workouts are different every week, and although they're pretty stinking tough, I look forward to the variety of the runs. Lastly, I've also been enjoying the fact that I'm able to still lift heavy twice a week on this plan. I usually do a short run, then hit arms, legs, or back fairly hard. I'm learning more and more how important strength is in running (and life in general).
Last weekend, I ran the Panther City 5K in Fort Worth. It's been pretty rainy here, so the run next to the river was b-e-a-utiful. The river is full and the banks are so lush and green, it's like running in a movie during springtime. The course for this race got changed because of some overfilled levees, but it was still quite pretty and serene. It was windy on race morning and there were a few little, tough hills, but I ran my fastest pace in awhile, which was so encouraging! Ella even got to make the trip to cheer for me! I can't wait till her attention span allows her to run with me for a few miles.
In other news, KU won the Big XII tournament and is one win in to winning the national championship (a girl can dream). The Final Four is in Houston this year sooooo that would be a cool blog post, am I right? They need 5 more wins!
For those of you on spring break, I hope you enjoy it! Don't take it for granted, because there are people named Jenica who don't get a spring break. Boo-hoo. I've got some exciting stuff coming up this weekend and next week, so be sure to be on the lookout for the next blog! As always, thanks for hanging in to the end if you've made it this far. Ya'll are rockstars.
PS Taking a poll: will KU win the national championship? I say yes, of course.
PPS What's your favorite lift?
Twitter: @jen_being_jen
IG: @jenbeingjen
Happy hump day, readers (hi, MOM)! It's been SO rainy here this week. I am thankful it's not snow or ice, but man I miss the sunshine. Everyone down here always says, "just remember you said that when it's 100 degrees this summer", to which I respond "oh, I know; that's why I'm down here and I don't complain when it's hot". I live for sunshine and warm days.
As many of you remember, I started a Whole30 about 3 weeks ago, which means yes, FINALLY, I'm on the home stretch! YAY! I also have a confession: I'm kind of a Whole30 fraud. So the story goes, Saturday some ladies from work had a baby shower for a co-worker who's pregnant. Of course, there were all kinds of delicious snacks and treats to eat, which I avoided. I had some of the ham and lots of fruit off the fruit tray. Easy peasy. Then, the leftover cake was left at my house.
Disaster.
I had already planned to freeze a piece for next week when the Whole30 is over. So I was cutting the cake up into different pieces to freeze and take to others who hadn't made it to the shower. I got some icing on my finger and the rest was history. Ya'll don't even KNOW how much I love cake, much less homemade, delicious cake with perfectly buttery icing.
I may have had some of the cake. Or a significant amount. Whatever.
Did it derail the Whole30? Technically, yes. Did I just throw in the towel and completely quit? Heck no. I got back on track and I'm going to finish strong.
I have been struggling SO hard this week though, thanks to hormones (girls, you know what I'm talking about). I JUST WANT CHOCOLATE! I even have, like, 2 bags of "paleo" chocolate chips in the pantry, but I'm not gonna do it. No sir-ree. There is plenty of fruit in the fridge, and I've got some dried jackfruit in a pouch which is pretty sweet too. If you haven't had jackfruit before, you should seek it out and try some! It's similar to pineapple, I think.
Like I mentioned in my previous post, I feel way better and way more energized since I've begun eating this way. However, I can't wait to eat the frozen piece of leftover cake and have a donut or two. I'm trying to figure out moderation, something that's never come easy to my black & white, no gray area, self.
Thanks for reading my little vent session; I hope it provided a little laughter or entertainment! By next week's blog post, hopefully KU will have won the Big XII tournament and I'll be sharing about my 5K and time with my family! :)
PS What's your favorite healthy sweet treat?
PPS What's your favorite cake flavor?
Twitter: @jen_being_jen
IG: @jenbeingjen
Hello, March! Hi, Mom! How in the world is it already March? Here in Texas, it's still super warm but March has "come in like a lion", as the old adage goes. Sometimes I think God likes to remind me of home when I miss it, so He gives me 30 mph winds. I'm not that mad about it.
I don't have another race for a couple of weeks, and Ella is just growing, biting everything, and being adorable, so I wasn't sure what I wanted to write about this week. Then it dawned on me: it's the season of the 2 E's. Easter and elections. Stick with me here. You'll see how they're related soon enough.
I grew up in mostly non-denominational churches where Easter was a huge deal, as it is in most Christian churches. However, there was no Easter season; it was simply Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Occasionally I'd see friends or classmates walking around with soot on their foreheads on Ash Wednesday but didn't think twice about it. Then a couple of years ago I started to research Lent a little more. Through my research, I decided it is actually a pretty cool season to participate in and joined in.
Why do I celebrate Lent? Is it to get extra "points" or "level up" in Heaven? Is it to cancel out some of my sins and have God look at me in a better light? No, no, and no. None of it is about me, nor do I ever wish my salvation rested on my fallible human self. In celebrating Lent, one typically gives up something worldly or something that takes time away from Jesus. In addition, you typically add more Jesus to your life.
It's easy as a Christian (or at least for me) to fall into a rut, reading my bible, praying and going to church. These things are all extremely valuable in my daily walk, but any time I can get more of Jesus and less of the world and myself, I think it's pretty important to jump all over that opportunity. There is never enough Jesus in my life, and there is always too much Jenica. Jesus literally DIED on the cross; a painful, agonizing death that He in his human state felt every last bit of. And I think I'm too "busy" or forgetful to pray or memorize scripture? Yeesh. It's my hope that even after Easter is over, God will graciously keep me on the path toward Him.
So what does Easter have to do with the elections going on right now?
Lately, there have been posts all over social media about why one candidate should win and why the others are garbage. Blah, blah, blah. I also work with the public so there's a fair share of political conversation there too. The main issue I have with everyone debating over all of these candidates and their stances is this: Jesus gets no place in it. I hadn't really thought this way until recently, but it's so clear how selfish and just worldly we are in this country.
You see, we know from reading scripture that God's Will is purpose. We also know that He also has planned and thought out every moment of time from before Adam & Eve all the way through eternity. I get that there is confusion about elections and who runs the country by people who don't know God. But Christians getting bent out of shape? That baffles me. If you profess to know Christ and believe in His plan, I challenge You with this: chill out and let God run the world, because your imperfect human self is 100% incapable. Before you get angry about me being judgmental, please know I'm also speaking directly to my own brain here. I frequently get fired up about different issues (mostly sports, but occasionally politics) which just says to God, "look at how smart I am; why should I follow You?"
During this Easter season, I challenge you (and myself) to remember the power of Christ and His sacrifice. If He can die on a cross then raise again 3 days later, I'm pretty sure He's got this year's future president in His hands too, whether or not you or I like the outcome of the race. Keep this in mind: in the end, Jesus wins. And if you're saved by His grace, you win too. Heaven is going to be so much cooler than the U.S. And with that understatement of the year, I bid you adieu until next week.
PS Who are you voting for?
PPS If you have trouble believing or understanding this, why? And how can I explain?
Twitter: @jen_being_jen
IG: @jenbeingjen
