Growing in faith while waiting for a test score

So... it has been a LONG time since my last blog post. Many things have been taking my time along with hours of avoiding the computer. The last two years have consisted of endless hours researching journal articles, writing papers, and responding to discussion posts on the classroom forum. Life as a Master's student in an online program has been... frustrating. So much has happened in the past two years and the ending is turning out to be very anti-climactic. Now that I have finished student teaching and am about to graduate I am finding myself now thinking about the long road ahead of paying off several years of loans and facing current financial hardship that has come as a result of only working 12 hours a week because of always being in the classroom.

Today was supposed to be the wonderful end I have been waiting for, completing my final PRAXIS test. Once the test was completed I was supposed to feel free and glad. However, reality was far from the truth. I finished the test a minute before the timer ran out. During the test I had marked several questions to review but there was only time to quickly fill in an answer for the questions I had no idea how to respond to. By the end I was frantically typing the sort essay questions in so that I had complete answers but I do not know if my answers were really quality answers.

I love teaching and feel that I use best practices. In the classroom it doesn't matter what the technique you are using is called, you just use it. I am trying to prevent myself from ranting about the test because I am faced with a huge question, "How do I find peace in the Lord through a time such as this?" A time where I find myself in waiting, knowing that the Lord is in control of all things. Having faith that He even do little things like allow me to pass a test. I have 20 days of waiting ahead of me. Instead of thinking of this as a time a misery and anguish, I can find peace in things I have  no control over. Now that I am done with the test, I have no control over the score that is assigned to my test. I have no control over how several evaluators score my essays. All I can do is give praise to God for every moment in my day.

I am sure I will be thinking about it but will I find myself waiting patiently or will I find myself watching the clock. Please pray with me that I will be able to have my eyes fixed on God. I pray that for you. No matter the situation, God is in control. I pray that you are able to let go of worry and anxiety in order to except the peace found in the Lord.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  ~Philippians 4:6-7

How Things Change

So I am really not sure what was going on the last time I have posted but A LOT has changed! I started grad school in order to become a high school teacher. WOW!! That is one carrier I never thought I would be pursuing. Unfortunately, ever since starting school again, my health and fitness has been put on the back burner. I did take up running and have improved greatly. I remember the days when I couldn't even run a half a block. Things have changed. I have been doing a lot of growing lately. God has opened my eyes to my sinful ways. Never for a moment think you have arrived in any way. That is the point when god will smack you in the face with a healthy dose of His reality. People will never arrive at a point where there is no more growing left to do. Over the next couple of weeks, I will discuss a lot of what God is doing for me. I will talk about my "one-word" in which I am focusing my year on. Something that always gets me going is the topic of having a "calling". This is another subject I will be talking about. There are so many things on my mind that I would love to share with everyone. I am not an authority of anything but I always pray that God give me wisdom and the words to speak when they need to be spoken. Have a very blessed week!

Update

I have been taking a break from blogging. This was a chance for me to really look at myself and what I wanted in my life. There has been some big changes. First off, I started a Masters degree in Secondary Education and I am starting a new job working as a high school special education parapro. In the side of my health and fitness, I have lost 15 pounds and gained a bunch of muscle. I know this is a very brief post but I wanted you to know that I have been busy but I will be posting more details about what has been going on and some knew things I have learned. Hope you are all excited because I am excited to share! Have a fantasic weekend!

A Sedentary Lifestyle: Not Just Bad For Your Time

So this has been something on my mind for some time now. I realize just how much I sit. Whether it is in front of the TV or not, I figure that I spend at least 50% of my waking time on my bottom. This bothers me. For some reason I justified it by saying "If I work out it doesn't matter if I sit." Really? How could I think that. What brings me to sharing about these thoughts is an article in Women's Health that I recently ran across. The article is called The Risks of a Sedentary Lifestyle: Stand Up for Your Health.

This article talks about the affects sitting has on your body: your sleep,your butt, your blood sugar, and even your brain and lungs. This article is the last straw. I need to do something about this. The article even gave some really good advise: stand and move around 10 minutes for every waking hour. This is a great way to get started moving around.

Here are a few other ways I came up with that will help you avoid sitting in your every day life:

• Instead of working at your computer at a desk with your desk chair try working at a counter and have a stool that you can us when you want to sit. 
• Limit your time sitting in front of the TV or get rid of your TV all together. 
• Do a cleaning sweep of your home everyday. You get up moving around and your house stays cleaner. 

If you have any other ideas or comments on staying up and moving around please write below or email me at ashley.trennepohl@gmail.com. Thanks for reading!

Renovating Blog: New Look/New Direction

As you may have noticed, I have changed my blog a little. I am starting to learn what is important to me. I have recently been convicted about how I spend my time. In more recent months my faith has been put on the back burner to other things. I had relied on other people to keep me going in my faith. Hardly taking responsibility. Obligation kept me going. After my student ministry internship I turned away from God leading my every-day life and looked at myself. I have felt convicted about all the time watching tv and doing pretty much nothing. So this is my confession: I have been slothful and I know this is not pleasing to the Lord.

Proverbs 31 has been on my mind a lot lately. Here are the verses:

¹⁰A wife of noble character who can find?

    She is worth far more than rubies.

¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her

    and lacks nothing of value.

¹² She brings him good, not harm,

    all the days of her life.

¹³ She selects wool and flax

    and works with eager hands.

¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,

    bringing her food from afar.

¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night;

    she provides food for her family

    and portions for her female servants.

¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;

    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;

    her arms are strong for her tasks.

¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,

    and her lamp does not go out at night.

¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff

    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor

    and extends her hands to the needy.

²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;

    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

²² She makes coverings for her bed;

    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,

    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,

    and supplies the merchants with sashes.

²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;

    she can laugh at the days to come.

²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,

    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

Now if you are like me, you might feel guilty for not being those things or envious of this women being described  You might know someone who fits this description. I have wanted to be this women and when I realize that I am not I feel like I have failed. When I look around my home and see that my dishes are pilling up and that the laundry needs to get done, the bathroom needs to be cleaned, and there is stuff all over the place. I feel drained. For some reason I thought I would become the best homemaker the moment I got married. This hasn't been the case. 

So for those of you who feel the same way, I know that their is an answer. It may not be the one we were expecting but I know there is an answer out there. Please join me in this journey of realizing our true potential.

For those who have been interested in my fitness posts I will still be doing those. I will also be adding some other blogs about my interests in crafts, cooking, baking, organizing  and so on.  

Love you all and thank you for the support!