“Bebo Norman is one of those people who encouraged me to be the one to sing my songs. That’s really where my foot got into the proverbial door,” Brandon explains.

Brandon stopped by Brioland while touring with Bebo and Aaron Shust. Keep reading to discover what he told us about songwriting and getting involved in your community.

Brio: How did your experience with Young Life influence your life?
Brandon: When I was 16, two girls invited me to come to a Young Life club that was meeting at our high school. I started hanging out with Young Life leaders in Nashville. Then I heard about a camp called Malibu in British Columbia. I flew into Seattle and headed about 100 miles north of Vancouver where Malibu was.

A leader walked with me the whole week. And I remember hearing about Jesus for the first time and knowing I needed to have Him in my life. It wasn’t a struggle at all for me. I was like, OK I gotta have it! I definitely wasn’t a sinless boy after that. I went through a rebellious phase. Satan seemed to attack me almost immediately when I first came to know the Lord. I thank the Lord He brought me through that.

What advice do you have for teens that are interested in songwriting?
I think that anybody can write a song. Don’t be afraid to create. If you want to take it to the next level and become a professional songwriter, pick your best three songs. Make a guitar/vocal recording of those three songs and get it out there. The next step is getting input from professionals who do it.

One last thing: If you’re going to do Christian music and Christian lyrics, make sure your songs are theologically and biblically sound. What is unique about our profession is that we have a platform, and what we’re singing about is not just fleeting stuff—it’s not make-believe. It’s about truth, and I think we need to get it right if we’re going to put it in people’s lives.

What‘s your hope as you speak to people through your songs?
I hope No. 1 that they have an encounter with God. I hope that they can relate to the songs the way I related to them. If it can evoke an emotion or a memory, that’s probably the ultimate goal of the songwriter.

Your song “I’m Not Who I Was” speaks of forgiveness. Can you share a story of how forgiveness led you to a sense of freedom?
There’s so much freedom in forgiveness. I think we lock ourselves in hurt. If you don’t forgive, you limit yourself to what God can do through you. When I met Jesus, I was captured by the forgiveness that He showed toward me by giving His life. It’s the most amazing expression of love that you can show somebody.

A life application in that song came from someone in my past where there was a lot of hurt. I grew up repressing that hurt and never faced it until I found a picture one day. I thought, You know what, this is something from my past that I really need to deal with right now. There are different parts of all of us that we can either leave nailed down to the ground, which keeps us from going out and loving other people, or we can choose to reconcile with the hurt.

How can teens allow the Lord to work right where they’re at?
I think what inspired my roommates and me was seeing how Jesus was among the poor a lot. I started to think and examine myself. How much do I hang out with non-Christians? I get into my own bubble where it’s comfortable and people share the same interests. Once I stepped out of that bubble by moving to east Nashville [a lower-income, high-crime area of town], I saw other cultures, other races, and I saw that God is everywhere. Go and volunteer at a homeless shelter. I think we need to be among the poor like Jesus, even the poor in spirit.

What’s one of the most rewarding experiences you’ve had since moving to east Nashville?
It was the seven guys who moved next door to me. We started a whole community on our block by having a Wednesday-night group. We all started serving our neighborhood together. I remember we were the only people on the block, but now you can’t find a parking spot. A brand new community is beginning.

Describe what true community looks like.
True community is being broken in front of each other and realizing how equally we need Jesus. Hearing what Jesus is doing in each other’s lives is so encouraging. Real community is serving together, being humble together, serving each other and being available. I think it’s providing for the needs of others, period.

What are you looking forward to in 2007?
I’m really looking forward to going out and playing more music. I love what I’m doing right now. I want to put a band together this year, too. My record is very band-oriented, so if I play out more, I think people will want to hear what’s on the record.

Brandon’s Favorites
Worship song: “In Christ Alone”
Pizza topping: pepperoni
Sport to watch on TV: tennis
Chain restaurant: Chick-fil-A
Ice cream flavor: old-fashioned vanilla
Book: Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Best Christmas gift: a power drill. “Every man needs to have a power drill.”
Worst Christmas gift: wool socks. “Wool makes me itch.”