My brother is pretty legite.

As I sit in JP Java in the beautiful city of Austin, I find myself 110% more relaxed than I have ever been in the last 12 months of life. This is the perfect escape. Not only do I get to rock this amazing city with a breath of freedom and independence, but get to spend time with family and friends that I absolutely love!
I realized how much I adore my family yesterday as we celebrated my brother and future sister-in-law's graduation. Brandon and I have always been pretty close in the fact that we hardly ever fight unlike the typical sibling dynamic, but it runs much deeper than that. The more I tell my story, the more it becomes apparent of Brandon's influence in my life. I cannot cannot count the number of times I heard people talk about his character with awe and give him an incredible amount of respect for being a pillar of internal strength and faith. Also, walking by his room my entire life and seeing him reading the Word or another type of literature that challenges his heart to dig deeper for the messy and beautiful love of God has inspired me to want more. To stand firmer. To desire a new level of intimacy with the Lord. To transform the lives of those around me without saying a word. I can honestly say he has been the most influential believer in my life.
If you have never met my brother, I hope that you one day have the utmost blessing to do so. He does not come in a loud, spotlight, outgoing kind of package. A funny/witty comment here and there or one word statements (which I now realize where I picked that up from) that make me laugh even when I think it's the most ridiculous thing ever covered by a quieter personality makes our time so enjoyable. But more than his humor, he has a heart that explodes with patience, love, and understanding. This guy's faith can move mountains. Some of my most memorable moments with him have been simply standing next to him as he worships the Lord with a raw, simple, and transparent posture and heart. Brandon leads through quiet obedience that captures attention and respect- it is one of the most beautiful images of Christ I have ever seen.
One time a friend of mine was trying to make a decision about the right choice to make and asked someone else in the room: what would Brandon do? Sounds a lot like the whole WWJD thing. Freaking awesome. That is what we long for- to represent Christ. This particular person did not know the Lord, but knew Brandon; so if people can't ask themselves what Jesus would do, then heck ask what Brandon would do- because Brandon is an ambassador and representation of Christ. They will eventually realize that it's not actually Brandon, it is something inside of him that provides endless/unconditional love through him. That is beautiful.
I could go on and on and on about Brandon and never truly capture his character and love for the Lord, so I apologize for those who don't know him and for those who do- not being able to do him justice.
I am so excited to see what this next year holds for him!! I have complete trust in his future knowing that it's not going to look normal or maybe even "successful" by the world's standards... but he is going to change lives by looking people straight in the eye and washing their feet with the love of God. He is going to lead a beautiful family to bring greater glory to God starting a week from Monday- whoop!! So I urge all of you to pray for protection over their marriage and their time in Egypt over the next year- they are going to do big things.