Radical Obedience

Countdown...

2009-06-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

it's officially less than one day until I leave for the beautiful, exotic, historic Greece! I couldn't have been more blessed than I already am and here I now get the opportunity to experience God in one incredible way, serving God and missionary kids. As much as I'm scared, nervous, anxious and worried about all the "what if's", I have to put it all aside and simply be excited for the adventure that God has ahead of me. And who knows...maybe I'll be like that girl in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and find me a "Costas" :)
Here are just a few pictures of Greece and the things I hope to see and experience...

The "Crew"

2009-04-19T21:49:00.000-07:00

What an amazingly fun Sunday!!! Today was my day out on the town with my fabulous Live Wire (5th-6th graders) kids. It was an amazing time of just hanging out, being real and simply doing life as we would with any group of friends. I think the neatest thing about this group is that they are so real and honest, but yet so fun and willing to learn and grow. I'm excited to see what happens in our future outings and the growth we have as a group. But here are a few memories of our fun-filled day...

We started with lunch at the always fantastic In-N-Out...

Then off to the bowling alley for some fun...these are my girls, Lindsey, Julia & Ariel

Here are my boys....Dominic & David

A little group pose...

My favorite of the day...the whole "Crew"

And to finish the day off...you gotta have some ice cream!

The question now is...what will our next outing be and where? :)

Psalm 142:5b

2009-04-16T11:06:00.000-07:00

so it's been forever (and i apologize for the few of you who actually read this) and i feel it's time to catch up.

job: still teaching 4th grade and loving it all the more with each new day. i'm finally on Easter vacation for this week, which i was initally all excited for, but now that it's here i'm missing my students and want to just get back to my daily routine. i realized i do extremely well when i have a routine. as for teaching next year, i'm still hoping the school i'm at reaches enough enrollment for me to have a job there next year, but if not, then my summer will be spent looking along with everyone else in california for a teaching job. so pray for me!

ministry: over the past few months i've realized that as much as i desire a relationship, it seems God may have other plans for me. if i were in a relationship, much of my time would be devoted to that ministry. but since i'm not, God has given me a new desire to switch focuses of what i should be devoting my time too. let me explain: in the beginning of january i started to read the Bible all the way through...in 365 days I'll have read the Bible in chronological order. so far i've read for everyday. so, we get to a point in the reading where moses has died and joshua has died too. it says that the future generations forget all they have learned and started the rebellion against God. how retarded right? i mean, here they have all the commands God has already given them, 2 amazing leaders who've taught them everything God has spoken to them and yet the generation forgets? so my mission, excuse me, my ministry is to focus on the generation(s)after me. what am i doing to prepare the next generation to become future youth group worship leaders, the next spiritual cheerleaders for their friends and so forth? sure i serve every sunday and wednesday at church, i teach at a christian school...but what am i really doing? so i've been praying about it and thinking it's time to start investing myself in those who understand what ministry is. so i've found 7 key 5th-6th graders at church that i'm going to start investing in. we're gonna do life together, have fun together and just allow God to grow us up into who He wants us to be. i'm so excited for this new journey and our first outing is this sunday after church...so i'll be sure to update you with how this new ministry is going for me! :)

life in general: other than that, things seem to be ok. not horrible and not super fantastic, but ok. oh, another exciting thing, i get the privilege of coaching soccer thru Immanuel Baptist Church. teaching kids to appreciate hard work, teamwork and learn self-esteem is the emphasis of this league. i get to coach 7th-8th graders (not my typical choice of age group...but i'm working with it) and i'm actually realizing what a blessing it is to serve kids through sports. and the only other update in life is my Greece trip quickly approaching. i leave in exactly 62 days!! i have a majority of my supoort raised and i'm starting to recognize how much of a blessing this is and how much God is going to use me.

i guess that's my life these days. i'm still learning, still growing, still struggling, still striving to be radically obedient. i love my life and all that God has given me...and a verse that i'm holding close to my heart is Psalm 142:5b and it says "you (God) are all i really want in life."

Photo #4

2009-02-02T16:58:00.000-08:00

Tina tagged me with the fun blog of randomness :)

The Rules: 1. Go to where you store your digital photos and open the 4th folder

2. Post the 4th picture in that folder

3. Explain the picture

4. Tag 4 people

Well, this photo I hold very near and dear to my heart. Everyone, this is my 4th grade class! I really could not have asked for a better first class my first year teaching. I'm pretty sure they are that type of class that I'll remember every name, quirk, personality and so forth when I'm 60 telling my grandkids about my life as a youngster. :)

I love my students and I love the smiles, laughs, frustrations and growth they bring me everyday. I not only get to teach them, but they in turn teach me everyday of how I can be a better Miss Knight. I guess this might be a good time to explain life right now. You see when I went to Cal Baptist, I planned on becoming a Children's Director for a church or even work full-time in the camping ministry. When I graduated I saw myself no where else but one of those 2 jobs. Fortunately, in God's great plan, he gave me this job of being a 4th grade teacher. I never thought to be a teacher. But I can say without a doubt that this is exactly what God wants me to do. I love kids and being with them, teaching them, serving them, loving them and just being a big kid with them. I know that as of now, I can't see myself doing anything else but teaching! So this is a small glimpse into my life as Miss Knight, 4th Grade teacher! :)

Christmas 2008

2008-12-26T19:22:00.000-08:00

Well, it seems like Christmas has come and gone quicker than I had anticipated or wanted. Fortunately, as a family, we got to have our Christmas picture taken before the craziness of the holiday season actually begun. Here is the Knight/Milbrandt Christmas photo of 2008! Seeing the changes of where we were were as a family last Christmas and to where God has brought us, with many different changes, I look forward to seeing where God leads us individually and as a family for the new year of 2009!

Merry Christmas from the Knights & Milbrandts

And this is perhaps one of the best sibling pictures we have taken in a while, so I thought I would post the picture of my beautiful, amazing sister Sarah and my almost high school graduate, handsome brother Zak.

Another great part of my Christmas 2008, was having the opportunity to hang out with some amazing people that I love like family! So random info you should know about me is that I love throwing and hosting parties. I don't care who it's for or what it's for, I just like being a hostess and have friends together fellowshipping. It's in my nature to just have fun. So I got together with my good friend Daniel, and we decided back in October that we would throw and start an annual "Baby Jesus' Birthday Extravaganza" (yes, we really called it that) party for our friends we worked with at our summer camp, Alpine. The night was great. We wish more were able to come, but then again, there's always next year. It was great to have a "mini" reunion for us all to come together, fellowship with one another, encourage each other in where God has each of us in our lives, and to ultimately have fun! :) Here are a few pictures of the night....

Top Row: Ali, Dylan, Brodie, Allie & Daniel
Middle Row: Blake, Stefene, Tommy & me
Bottom Row: Kimmy, Britani, Deya

Me & Stefene! :)

And look who joined the party...Erica!!!

Christmas Survey

2008-12-01T17:27:00.000-08:00

So I must dedicate this post to my friend Tina who did this herself on her blog about how there are 25 questions for the 25 days til' Christmas. I enjoyed reading hers and thought it's been too long since I've posted, therefore I'll do something fun to get me back in the swing of things. So thanks Tina for having this fun little survey...miss ya girl! :)

Enjoy!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I love to wrap presents! :)
2. Real tree or Artificial? Fake all the way
3. When do you put up the tree? Right after Thanksgiving (like that Saturday)
4. When do you take the tree down? Usually around New Years'
5. Do you like eggnog? No
6. Favorite gift received as a child? ...uh...
7. Hardest person to buy for? My dad
8. Easiest person to buy for? My nephews...they are happy with any present these days
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes...like 3
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, although my parents usually send the family photo out, but maybe I'll take single portraits of myself and send them to my friends...who knows? :)
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? This red snowflake moo-moo thing from my grandma
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? ...uh...
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Black Friday (yes I'm the type to get up at 4am to shop for good deals!)
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My mom's homemade Italian lasagna
16. Lights on the tree? Heck yeah, but just the clear ones, no colored lights or anything like that
17. Favorite Christmas song? The First Noel & The Christmas Song
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Uh...Prancer, Dasher, Rudolph, Blitzen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Vixen...wait, how many are there again?
20. Angel on the treetop, star or…? Angel...I mean it was the angel that started it all right? :)
21. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? I've done both...but I prefer Christmas day
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Forgetting the real significance for celebrating the day at all...
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? My mom does a redish/cranberry, gold, clear thing that I love! So I'll probably carry on the tradition...
24. What do you want for Christmas this year? ...?????
25. Most favorite Christmas Tradition? My parents have done this as long as I can remember and I know it's by far my favorite thing...we have this stocking that says "Jesus" on it. And each December as an individual we must think of something we are giving to Jesus in the upcoming year. On Christmas day we share as a family our gifts to Jesus, do a devotional and then end in prayer before we start opening presents. But even more than that, my parents also took the same three gifts that were given to Jesus (gold, frankencense, & myrrh) and apply it to us for our gifts (gold being something of value to us, the frankencense being something that helps us in our spiritual life and myrrh being something to adorn our bodies with). These traditions are values I hope to someday continue on with my family.

October 17th-19th

2008-10-18T14:40:00.001-07:00

So this weekend wasn't anything special...but the fact that I did spent some time with some favorite people of mine makes it worth writing about! Being a teacher and working with women over the age of 40, it's hard to find social time with people my age. Fortunately I've been blessed with an incredible family that support me and some great friends who intentionally make the effort to spend time with me. Most of my weekends are spent at home doing nothing in particular but relaxing after a hard week of teaching. But this weekend has been quite the opposite, for which I am so thankful. This post is dedicated to the people and things that made my weekend quite amazing and fun!

As with every weekend, I get to spend time with my family! And as much as I'm biased, I think they are the absolute best and have been an amazing support system for me. They help me forget my worries and love me for me, even on my cranky days. Simply put-they are my highlight everyday I spend with them!

Knight/Milbrandt Christmas Photo 2007

This next individual is someone who I've known for almost 9 years now and think she is simply great and fantastic! Krystal and I got the privilege to share dinner together on Friday night at Panera (and for us that's rare because we have such different schedules.) But I love the time I get to spend with her, especially when we spend 3 hours talking about the past, the future, about anything and everything!

Krystal & Me at Disneyland this summer :)

This morning I got the honor of sharing some coffee with this next individual. I appreciate the time I get with my friends and count it a blessing when we get to catch up and just hang out. Today Daniel and I got to spend 2 hours together just talking about life (past and present) and even got excited enough to plan a Christmas party for our friends. I'm definitely grateful for him and the friendship we've had over the past 2 1/2 years...

Daniel & I this summer at Alpine

And finally, what is a weekend without football?! :) Those of you who know me, know that I dedicate my Saturday's to watching football, especially USC. They are perhaps the greatest college football team ever and I just love them! I enjoy watching them play and how they show the world what real football is all about. Fight on Trojans!!

September Sacramento Trip

2008-09-29T18:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, so not this past weekend, but the weekend before that (the 19th-21st), my family and I made a trip up to Sacramento to celebrate my great-uncle's 50th Wedding Anniversary. It's a definite rarity to find couples that can reach an anniversary of 50 years or more. Having parents who have been married for almost 30 years and see other godly couples live a life honoring to God through their marriage, I'm that much more encouraged that whenever I "tie the knot" that I too could one day attain a life honored to God through my own marriage. Anyway, to make a long story short, here are a few pictures of that weekend that my family took to remember the event. And since I love pictures (taking them and being in them), my family went along with me and cooperated in capturing this special occasion! :)

The three girls-Sarah, Mom & me

Mom & Zak

Dad & his little girls

The amazing Knight kids :)

And our weekend adventure wouldn't be complete without an adorable picture of my 2 favorite guys-Eli & Micah :)

teacher update #1

2008-09-10T17:35:00.000-07:00

well, it's been a week and a day since i started teaching 4th grade. so let me update you with my kids, the struggles and the blessings of being a 4th grade teacher for the first time...

my kids:
i have 11 students who are incredible. it's interesting to see the different dynamics of the group. from my one super speedy student who finishes like 10 minutes after i assign classwork to my one student who takes 3 days to complete one assignment, with all the others in between. all are great, but some are a little more than what i'd like to handle some days. it's amazing to see that as i've never been a woman of patience, the fact that i love working with kids is still somewhat of an oxymoron. but, i guess that's why God puts that desire in my heart, to teach me the thing i need the most, patience with others as you love them :)

the struggles:
as some of the kids are a little more difficult than others, i struggle with my ability to teach them in a manner in which they understand the assignments. but then i know some are just slow workers, which causes me to become easily frustrated that they aren't where i think they should be academically. again, another area where i see God is using these kids to love them for who they are, their strengths and their weaknesses. the greatest thing God has used from our textbooks to teach me something came from our science reading the other day. reading about how God created us to be curious and to have the desire to help others, while recognizing that everything in creation is unique and an individual, i'm reminded of my that much is true of my students. God created each of those amazing children with their personalities, as different as they are, none being the same, but all the more reason to love them and to love God for making us all different and who He wanted us to be. so as frustrated as i've been, i've been learning the many blessings within those struggles...which lead me to,

the blessings:
i couldn't have asked for a better 1st class to teach. these kids have pure hearts with great intentions of making this year fun for me. they may keep me on my toes, but they sure do keep me laughing everyday. and if you know me at all, i love to laugh and to make others laugh. :) further than my kids, i've had the privilege of working with some of the greatest teachers ever! with their wisdom, guidance, love, care and nurturing qualities, i've been amazed at how God uses the simple things others do for me that make me appreciate them and God everyday. and beyond the kids and teachers, i couldn't asked for a better family or friends, who have supported me these past few weeks. from when i was completely nervous of my 1st day, to being scared of meeting the parents, or even questioning my ability to do this job, i wouldn't be as sane as i am now withouth them. it was especially nice when my family sent flowers, candy and gifts to me on the first day! :) the past few weeks have been great as they love and encourage me with words of affirmation, reminding me that God has blessed me with every ability to do this job and to do it well. and we can't forget all the prayers they said for me too. ;) so thanks to all of you who have encouraged, supported and prayed for me as i journey into this new season of my life...i truly do appreciate it and i don't know if i could say it enough, but thank you for who you are to me and the relationship we have!

so all in all, it's been an interesting 1st week for me, but i wouldn't have traded it for anything. sure it gets rough and to the point of wanting to pull my hair out, but at the end of the day i'm grateful for the opportunity to serve these kids and to ultimately serve my God, in helping these kids become who God wants them to be, while in the process of me becoming who God wants me to be :) funny how God uses me to teach them, but yet he uses those kids everyday to teach me!

tomorrow...

2008-09-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

this year has been full of so many changes and growth beyond what i was prepared for. ending a relationship, turning 23, graduating college, having a job right after college and then quitting it 2 months later, serving in children's ministry at a satellite church, returning back to our rialto campus to serve with the kids, and now this....teaching!

and tomorrow is the big day!!

it will be my first day of teaching 4th grade! and as excited as i may be for that day to finally get here, i'm scared and nervous of how i will do in this new setting of my life. there is always the pressure of measuring up to the previous teacher (who retired, but everyone loved) and the added pressure of the parent's expectations of me. i know God has put me in this position for a reason and i'm so incredibly blessed by this opportunity, but i still wonder and worry how i'll do.

if i've learned anything from what God has been teaching me within this past year, it's to be confident in who God made me to be and the gifts in which he's given me. i know full well that i'm more than capable to do this job. working as a volunteer in my church's children's ministry and having worked at a summer camp as a counselor, i know God has been training and preparing me for this amazing blessing of being able to teach kids everyday in a Christian environment. so why worry then? :)

i guess tomorrow will tell...but if i know anything at all, i'm gonna be myself and have fun, trusting that God is gonna use me tomorrow and everyday this year!

Eli & Micah Milbrandt

2008-08-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

This post all about a tribute to 2 of the most important men in my life! My dad, my brother-in-law and brother have been such great godly men to respect and love. But for the past 3 years I've been blessed with 2 more incredible young men to love and adore. My nephews!!! Eli is almost 3 years old and Micah is a year and half. It's amazing to see how God has grown them into 2 completely different, fun, active little boys. Eli is hesitant, yet playful. Whereas Micah is gutsy, yet sweet. I love everything about those boys and would do anything for them. So this post is for them. I'm honored to be their "Tia Manda" and have such a great opportunity to watch them grow into young men of God. :)

Eli & Tia Manda

Micah & Tia Manda

Eli David

Micah Andrew

Eli-2 years old

Micah-1 1/2 years old

Eli on his way to the beach...

Micah at the LA County Fair 2007

Eli & Micah at the beach-2008

i've been tagged :)

2008-08-26T16:21:00.000-07:00

it's obviously been forever since i've blogged, but hopefully i'll be able to get back into the swing of things, starting with this survey/questionarie that janelle tagged me in...so here goes! :)

4 jobs i've had:
1. hallmark sales representative
2. tanning salon sales associate
3. community services assistant for the city of fontana
4. and currently, 4th grade teacher at san bernardino christian school :)

4 movies i've watched more than once:
1. the sandlot
2. dumb & dumber
3. how to lose a guy in 10 days
4. a walk to remember

4 places i've lived:
1. upland, ca
2. rialto, ca
3. riverside, ca
4. lake arrowhead/blue jay, ca

4 tv shows i watch:
1. F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
2. project runway
3. what i like about you
4. law & order-svu

4 places i've been:
1. texas
2. west virginia
3. mexico
4. arizona

4 people who e-mail regularly:
1. my sister
2. my mom
3. debbi goolsby (mentor)
4. ?

4 of my favorite foods:
1. bbq ribs
2. any form of cooked potatoes
3. in-n-out cheeseburgers
4. asparagus

4 places i'd like to visit:
1. italy
2. greece
3. caribbean
4. new york

4 things i'm looking forward to in the coming year:
1. my 1st day of teaching 4th grade (exactly one week from today) :)
2. mini vacation to sacramento to visit family
3. mini vacation to west virginia to visit grandparents
4. christmas

4 friends i am tagging:
1. iora (lauren)
2. tina
3. ?
4. ?

the end of the road...

2008-04-28T15:58:00.000-07:00

as of today, it was my last day of undergraduate classes at CBU. i can honestly say that some of my favorite memories came from my 4 years at CBU, whether as a freshman on 3D, to being an RA for 2 years and even commuting my last year. not only have i made some amazing lifetime friends, but i've also grown in my walk with God. i've had my up's and down's, but it was and is through these 4 years that God is uses my circumstances for his business of shaping me and molding me into a radically obedient woman of God. so here is a tribute to my 4 years of college life and some of the amazing friends i've made along the way...

FRESHMAN YEAR

3D-lanaya, wendy, brittany, kristy

SOPHOMORE YEAR

RA Staff 2005-2006

2B Gone Wild

powderpuff football-Go Crazies!

JUNIOR YEAR

RA Staff 2006-2007

apt 324-michelle, shannon & janelle

good friends-matt & tina

SENIOR YEAR

RD & a best friend-bethany

iora, michelle & janelle

my biggest blessings

2008-04-11T17:45:00.000-07:00

with starting a blog...i thought it be only appropriate that i mention and show some of my favorite people, whom i consider to be by far the biggest blessings in my life. from family to friends, these individuals have played a vital role in helping me become who i am today...

the parents

the sister, brother-in-law & nephews

the brother

and now for some good friends...

jimmy

krystal

bethany

janelle & michelle

dylan, tommy, kimmy, erica & brodie