Shane Barnard knows about love; the love a church leader has for his flock, the love a husband has for his wife (singer/songwriter Bethany Dillon) and now, the love a father has for his child.
It was through the eyes of love that this half of the popular duo Shane & Shane starting writing the title track of their October 2011 release, The One You Need (Compare Prices). What started out as a poignant letter from the soon-to-be dad to his first child, Lucy, a week before she was born, became an anthem for parents everywhere.
I wish that I could be your everything
Be the one to give you all the things you need
Sometimes I’m gonna let you down
But there’s Someone if you just believe
Be your hero like He’s always been for me
Darling, Jesus is the one you need
Shane explained the heart behind the music by saying, "It’s the first desperate feeling of, 'I want my girl to know Jesus.' And that’s really what it boils down to. You do the best you can, parent the best you can to one chief end, that this new soul would find and love Jesus Christ."
Bernard goes even deeper as he talks about love in this exclusive interview.
Question: - Love is such an overused word in our society, the meaning seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle. What is your definition of love?
Shane B: - I agree! I "love" my wife. I "love" my phone. I "love" my dog. What in the world is "love?" It is defined. "GOD IS LOVE (1 John 4:8)." And "by this we KNOW LOVE, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers (1 John 3:16)." So, God is love, and to love is to lay down our lives. To love is to show people "LOVE" - Who is Jesus, who laid down His life for us.
Question: - How does the love that Jesus has for you impact you in your daily life?
Shane B: - "We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19)." His sacrificial love has EVERYTHING to do with my daily life. I WILL always fail day to day if not for His love and mercy poured out on me, holding me up, holding me together. I can only love, in the truest sense of the word, because Christ first loved me.
Question: - What is the worst thing you've forgiven in the name of love? The biggest sacrifice you've made for it?
Shane B: - I just teased my wife Beth that I was going to answer this question about her. The reality is, though I do have to forgive her, she is the furthest thing from the answer to this question. I would say the person who has done me the most wrong in my life; the one who has degraded me, robbed me, tore me down the most is me. This may sound like a crazy answer, but in my case it is true. I am the worst of sinners and to try to understand that I am forgiven, is, well, almost impossible. "Who will save me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 7:24-25)."
Question: - Obviously, your love of Christ is something you share in your music and in your church. How do you share His love with those you meet in places like the grocery store? (Think in action and in deed since breaking out into song, preaching or suddenly praying for some stranger would probably get you thrown out in this age of political correctness.)
Shane B: - I really hope that a day doesn't come when political correctness stops us from praying for someone in the grocery store! There have been many times that a good deed (which is good, and required, and our faith is dead without it) has actually led my wife and I to some good ole grocery store preaching and praying to the Glory of God.
Question: - God loves us so much, He sent His only son to pay the price for our sins. You're now a dad ... Could you do it? (Not like Abraham when God told him to sacrifice Isaac, but just because you knew it was the only way to give mankind a chance at salvation)
Shane B: - WOW! That's a pretty packed question! I think if I put myself in the place of God even in an interview, many puppies would die tonight! I don't think it is possible to follow the thought of this question. God is God. He is not like man. Death in His eyes is very different than death in mine. Jesus is sitting right now at the right hand of His Father on an eternal throne in the same perfect communion that has always been. I am a man. I am sitting at a small desk not next to my Father who died four years ago. I am sinful, so is my daughter. So many things that make it hard to put myself in those shoes… But I am very grateful that He willingly sent His Son to die for me and you!
