Brandon's Story
Brandon is not a newcomer to tattoos. He got his first soon after he turned 18. The tattoo is on his left bicep and it is of piano keys and flames with the initials “UJ.” Brandon says he got the initials for his Uncle Jamie soon after he passed away and that he had a great influence on Brandon’s life. Directly underneath the initials is the Scripture reference of Psalm 118:17, which reads, “I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.” (NIV)

Brandon also has a Celtic Trinity knot on his left arm, and in the middle of the knot is a cross. Though the design is not what Brandon initially wanted, he thought it looked cool so he stuck with it.

He also has a sizeable tattoo on his right side. He says the tattoo is of the design of an album cover of his favorite band, Brand New. The design says “fight off your demons" several times.

And lastly, Brandon has a half sleeve on his right arm. This tattoo represents God and His Word. The tattoo begins with a banner at the top which reads, “in the beginning”—the first words of the Bible. And at the bottom is a banner with “the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all, Amen.”—the closing words of the Bible. Brandon says that his mom actually gave him the idea for what the banners should say.

Then, in between the banners, there is a ship on Brandon’s bicep, along with an anchor. He says he likes these images because both the ship and the anchor were symbols of Christianity during the early church. These symbols were found on the walls of the catacombs where Christians gathered during times of persecution in the first centuries of the church’s existence. And on the inside of Brandon’s bicep is a lighthouse, which he says represents God being the light to the ship.

Along with the tattoos he already has, Brandon says he has plans to get more. First, he says he is going to finish his left half sleeve with tattoos for his family. These will be in color. Then he has also thought about maybe getting one on his upper back sometime down the road.

Thanks for reading those stories behind the ink. I would love to hear from you if you have any questions, comments or suggestions. Thanks again!