Best night ever.

This is totally how God works.
I find it funny how the best “witness” to my brother, (even though I hate that term) is someone who is not a Christian...

So, my brother and I have been hanging out more regularly lately, really in these last 4-6 months since he has started calling me.

I’m having the relationship with him I have always wanted with him.

Now instead of me always calling and wanting to do something, if 2-3 weeks go by and we haven’t hung out or talked or texted, he starts asking what’s up.

And he’s been in a period where he’s really wanting to find his place.

Today, I texted to see if he wanted to grab lunch. He doesn’t text back till after 4 or so and says, maybe dinner.

He’s very non-committal. I didn’t really know what that meant and texted back, yeah when/where.

Don’t hear from him so I start considering my other options. Jenni wasn’t going to be back from St. Louis till late. Some of my friends were going to a wheelchair basketball game with Nia and Chris, Thai food before with Leah and Banana. Nothing really grabbed me.

After dance I ended up going to the post office and went to my secret Starbucks to read for a few minutes, just picked up C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves again.

I texted Chip to see if he wanted to grab dinner at The Berg. Then two minutes later my brother calls me back. He wanted to see if I was still free. Of course, yeah. And I was just thinking, I’d go eat with my brother since I knew he’d probably have plans later and then I can catch up with Chip later in the night. Then, I’m thinking, wait, since I overbooked and now have plans with both, let’s just ALL go eat.

My brother was like, are you serious? I don’t want to be the third wheel. And I’m like, dude, he is one of my best guy friends and he’s got a girlfriend, you are NOT gonna be the third wheel!

Keep in mind, I have been wanting the two of them to connect since I first met Chip.

And it just totally happened that they have a lot more in common than I thought, they have mutual friends, nearly the same major and the biggest thing is, Chip totally gets where my brother is at and is able to speak to him from a completely different place, it is beautiful.

Chip brought up how he hadn’t seen Drage in a couple weeks or so and then mentioned to my brother, he doesn’t go to church but hangs out with a few peeps like me and the pastor. And then my brother kinda warms up a little more.

Chip mentions some more about the Tough Questions group that he leads with some other students and John Drage and explains what it is… all of the language he was using, like it’s a place where different people of different views can come and respectfully listen to other people’s views on how the world works, on spirituality, etc.

And my brother starts chiming in.

THEN, we get our food and start talking about something else and inside I’m already glad they got to talk about that stuff and was thinking in the car my brother would think I put chip up to this, but especially Chip not being a Christian, my brother could see I wasn’t trying to get him in some “little club” or trying to convert him or anything, so then he switches subjects and brings it back to Chip.

So when did you stop going to church?
You could tell he was really responding to Chip and wanted to know more.

I could not believe it.

And they have more in common than I thought.

And it was cool to see my brother in that context.

I was the one more uptight than anything on inside secretly worrying my brother wouldn’t connect. He’s not that outgoing, but the minute Chip got in the car I could tell my brother liked him.

Lord, you are amazing.

And my brother was asking from a place of utter curiosity and wanting to know. Little did he know that a lot of Chip’s reasons and frustrations with Christianity and the Church were the same things my brothers has felt for a long time but never had the courage to voice.

It was AWESOME!

I just kinda wished I wasn’t there for a minute so they could just talk, but it was so cool to see my brother really respond to Chip.

I am just still so taken aback.

The person who has probably had the biggest influence and really awakened my brother was a non-Christian.

This should come as no surprise though. And I loved how Chip could explain his journey, there was no bitterness towards the Church or Christians, but he was just simply offering the love and acceptance he offers and allowing my brother permission to feel how he was feeling for once.

I feel like I saw a completely other side of my brother, but in a good way. To see the wheels turning and to hear him interact with one of his peers about real issues, since the only times I’ve been around my brother and guys his age were guys he played soccer or football with over the years.

It was amazing.

All I can do is give thanks to God.

I came home and got to just relay the whole story to Jenni.

A-mazing.

And I’m learning I have a lot to learn about how to be in relationship with people. Like outside of planning coffee dates or meeting up for lunch or dinner or having someone over for tea. Because I am a very structured person and I am always afraid of people getting tired of me, I am very scheduled when it comes to seeing the people I want to see just friends, cause obviously with mentoring relationships or support appts. schedule meetings works best. But I am learning how to just let relationships breathe and evolve and how to just hang out, even with girls I've mentored/mentoring. And my brother was like what are you doing this weekend. And he's really reaching out to mom. He goes to "check" on her about once a week and talks to her. She's so lonely he said... God is really doing something. I still can't see it and don't have to be able to, but it is AWESOME!

My roommates who both grew up in big families are teaching me just from living, what it means to live in community… especially Jenni’s sisters and her, seeing them interact and how they are completely home with one another has really given me a lot of insight to true community.

I’ve been really challenged over the last year or so to learn how to love without an agenda.

The other day in one of my bible studies, we watched a Nooma video on loving people. Rob Bell is amazing, I love what he has to say about loving people and loving Jesus.

I am learning that I have learned so much and have so much to learn about this from my friends who are outside of the Church. They are teaching me how to love regardless and free of agenda. Jesus make me into one who loves freely and loves as you love.