2008 Woodie Awards
Newsong, Barfield highlight Missions conference concert
Issue date: 10/6/05 Section: News
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Online Editor
Hot lights, billowing fog and cheering students overtook Turner Chapel when recording artists Newsong and Warren Barfield performed a free concert as a part of Global Missions week.
Global Missions Week is an annual event to make students aware of the needs of the world outside of college.
"I think we are so self-centered. I am so self-centered that I hate myself some days," said Barfield. "You know, I am just like, 'why is it all about me all the time?' I just want to tell people that there is so much more to life than just trying to get a nicer house or a nicer car. I feel like sometimes that is the only thing we're striving for.
"You know, we're wearing ourselves out, we're growing old and feeble and stressing ourselves out to achieve some material wealth while it's going to die when we die," he said. "It is just going to be a bunch of junk in our garage. I just really feel like my generation wants something more than that, wants something more than just a retirement plan."
"We want to invest in people's lives and we want to feed the hungry and starving in Africa. We want to give a few dollars that can help some kid that might die of AIDS," said Barfield. "You know, we can help him. We can do something that matters instead of just trying to get a new car or stereo or something that is just going to be broken in a year.
"I'm trying to flame that fire. I think it's in us. I think it is in me to want to be more, and I think it is in my generation and college folk," he said. I just want to flame it in others. Let's be others-centered instead of being so vain all the time."
Barfield, along with his bassist and drummer, opened the concert. He sang a number of songs from his self-titled album, as well as a few songs off of his upcoming album being released in the spring. With an acoustic coffee shop sound, Barfield performed his own works and also led the audience in praise songs.
"When I was 15, I got saved. I grew up in church and I guess tried to live right many, many times because my dad would whoop me if I didn't live right. I don't know, it's just Jesus became real to me and I wanted to know if it was real, so I really started seeking faith and that whole thing. I was a shy kid and didn't do much and I had a guitar and you know because I was like this person who just got saved and wanted to tell the world about what you know because you know it all. The only way I could do was to write songs about it. And that is why I did it. I started writing songs because I was nervous to just talk but I could hide behind my guitar and sort of witness to people and it just grew. I sang at school and people would ask me to sing at churches. One thing led to another, and when I was 18, I just decided to go on the road," said Barfield.
Barfield traveled from gig to gig between the ages of 18 and 23 years old.
"I would go live on the road for three or four months at a time and just go play shows wherever I could play shows at and go home for a couple of days and then go do it again. I would sleep in my car. I would sleep in youth pastor's houses, or wherever I could find a place to sleep, and just travel. I was a kid with no responsibilities, a guitar and a message I wanted to tell the world about. One thing led to another and I am still doing it," said Barfield.
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