Brandon Heath: 'Faith Hope Love Repeat'

Brandon Heath, a Christian music fan favorite, is filling a new role these days: Dad.

Just in time for Christmas, Brandon and his wife, Siebe, became first-time parents when daughter Palmer Brown was born on Dec. 15, 2017.

Before the big day, Heath released another gift into the world -- his sixth studio album, Faith Hope Love Repeat.

The five-time Grammy-nominated artist spoke with CBN.com about his new album, becoming a dad, and what God's been teaching him lately. Here are excerpts from that conversation:

Hannah Goodwyn: "Whole Heart" … what's the story behind that one?

Brandon Heath: I wrote "Whole Heart" because I kept seeing the phrase "trust me with your whole heart," you know, "Love the Lord with all your heart, your mind, your strength." I thought, this should be a song; and I wanted it to be an up-tempo, fun song. I think God, not requests, but demands all of us. He sees us like a puzzle, and you can't put the puzzle back together without all the pieces. Yeah, I had fun writing that one.

Goodwyn: That can be a very vulnerable thing. We can sing "I give you my whole heart" kind of songs, but to really do it. That's another thing entirely, isn't it?

Heath: Yeah. "Whole" means everything, so nothing is left out. A lot of us are not used to that, a lot of us are not used to relinquishing embarrassment or shame, or even things that we celebrate, things we take a lot of pride in. We don't give the Lord credit for that stuff sometimes. We don't entrust Him with those difficult things. I think that's what is important. He wants every part of us.

Goodwyn: Do you find that gets easier to do?

Heath: No. I think it might be the opposite. I know that sounds terrible, but the older we get and the more successful we are or the more that we can provide for ourselves. Sometimes, we forget to relinquish things because we just want to protect ourselves. Sometimes, the older we are the harder it is to do that. When I was a new believer, it was easy to just turn everything over to the Lord and feel like the new creation I was. So maybe it was just time that I got a reminder about it.

Goodwyn: "Someone Like Me"... what thoughts came to mind when you were writing that song?

Heath: I don't want to say it wrote itself, but there was no premeditated theme. I just love the idea, or honestly, the reality that God used such unlikely people throughout the Bible. Somebody just asked me a few days ago, 'Who would you most say that you're like in the Bible?/ I thought of Joseph, who got thrown in a well and his brothers picked on him. That was me. I didn't get thrown in well, but I definitely was an unlikely character. God just chose to do things through me; and I want people to know that God can use anybody.

I love the line in the song, 'He works miracles through cynicals.' He breaks all the rules. What's the other line? … 'He makes ministers out of prisoners.' I've met a lot of people who have been incarcerated and end up being strong people of faith. God uses unlikely people, even 'someone like me'. That's the big hook on the song. He uses unlikely people and I am an example of that.

Goodwyn: What do you think about when you look back on your younger self learning to play guitar, to write songs, and where you're at today?

Heath: I see the journey. I was made fun of quite a bit when I was in middle school. Middle school was hard. I was just a little overzealous, so I was an easy target for kids, I think. But if I could have told that kid, 'You know, hey, just get through middle school. You'll be fine.' Because high school was awesome for me. That's when I started singing and figuring out who I was. I just wish I could have told that kid, 'Hey, it's going to be awesome'. Because it has been amazing. So yeah, I'm proud of that kid.

Goodwyn: Faith, Hope, Love, Repeat... most people know that's a biblical reference. How does your latest album dive into these foundations of our faith?

Heath: Fear is definitely something I struggle with. And I think it's the absence of those three things: faith, hope, and love. The song is really just advice for my little one... I wanted her to know that those three things are paramount in life. I wanted to write a song that sounded like a lullaby.

It's going to be an amazing opportunity to really understand how much God loves us by just being a father, knowing how much I love my daughter. I'm really excited about that. If I can impart anything to her at all, it's those three tenants, faith, hope, and love. And it'll be from me practicing it in my own life.