Warren Barfield: I've been singing since before I can remember. My entire family sang in church. My parents bought me a guitar when I was eight. I started trying to write songs and play and sing those songs when I was twelve. Once I started, it was all I wanted to do.

Warren: Three years passed between the time of my first record and Reach. The change in musical direction is a result of me getting older, learning and growing stronger from the journey of life, and hopefully becoming a better singer, songwriter, and musician.

Warren: The process of switching labels was an extremely stressful one for me. However, now that it is over and I am with Provident / Essential, I could not be more happy. I believe this record would not be as special as it is without the freedom that my label gave me. The label switch has revived my desire to stay in the music business.

Warren: I was out on tour with Third Day. It was around five o'clock in the morning down in Texas when my phone rang with the news that changed the world for me in many ways. I played the show that night with the heaviness on my heart that a great friend of the family, who had been like a sister to me, had died, while my older sister Rena was in critical condition in the hospital. The next day I left the tour to fly home to NC and stand face to face with the fact that this was not just some bad dream. This is life. I spent the night in the hospital room with my sister as she came in and out of consciousness from the peace of her rest to the horrific reality of pain from her broken body, the guilt of being the driver that night, and the death of the person who had been the closest to her for the past thirteen years. I am a person of reason. I pride myself on being able to analyze any situation and come up with an answer, a solution. But that night I had no answers. God made no sense to me. My heart still breaks to think of the loss of Carla, and to see my beautiful twenty-eight year old sister carry the guilt and pain as she limps through life on a leg that the doctors want to amputate.

Warren: What is helping me through this is my faith. I can't explain it in any twelve step program, it's just faith. I choose to believe that God has not forsaken my sister, and that He has a Kingdom building purpose for her life - one that I am seeing unfold more and more everyday through the work that Rena does. Not only in the way she gives and shows compassion to others in her everyday life, but also through her music ministry. She is an amazing singer and communicator who has a busy schedule traveling and sharing the hope of Christ. I also believe that Carla is with Christ. I believe that He has and will continue to comfort the family that she left behind. And, this is really important for people to understand this, remember that God's goal is not to build a kingdom here that makes sense to us, He is building something greater than what we can understand. I believe that God used the life and death of Carla to challenge an infinite amount of people to live for more than this world. I know it affected me in that way. I can't speak for everyone else, but as for me, I am a different person because of all that happened. What I learned through the life and death of Carla is now a part of the fingerprint that I leave on everything I touch. It is a huge inspiration behind the songs on this record, and through that and many other things God will use her life to challenge many others to live for the Kingdom of Heaven, not the fragile kingdoms of this world.

Warren: I would say to others going through some hard trial that rattles their very faith is, my heart breaks for you. It's not easy to live life sometimes. The last thing I would do is try to make you feel bad for doubting, or questioning. I watched my sister get so frustrated as people would tell her to just be strong. Sometimes you just don't want to "be strong" any more. I don't have any special insight, I've searched for answers to why life has to hurt so much at times, and I've found none. But, maybe it is so we can't "be strong" any more. Maybe things like this have to happen so that we can see how weak we are, how vulnerable and fragile life is, so that we have to come back to the basics of our faith where we choose to believe that He is the only one STRONG. Sorry for the long answers. I nearly wrote a whole record on the emotions wrapped around this topic. I could have just told you to listen to Reach, but I thought I would give it a try. You can find out more about Rena and her story at www.myspace.com/renahill

Warren: My advice is, don't allow yourself to feel alone. I'm gonna give you a little insight, every body in the world struggles with feelings of defeat or hopelessness. Most people just do a really good job of hiding their feelings, so those of us who are not so good at hiding wind up looking like there is something wrong with us. God is not offended by your honesty. Most of your "Christian" friends might be offended by it, but God is not. Go to Him with it, and I believe with all of my heart that he will take what seems to be a terrible thing, and use it for the good. It might take a lot longer than you want it to, but the wait will be worth it. I don't have any specific answers for you. All of our situations are the same, but different. What I know is that I experience feelings of defeat or hopelessness often, and God always uses it to bring me closer to Him. Trust me, I am absolutely nothing special, if He can do that for me, He can be there for you too.

Warren: I want to create music that is true to me - music that I can proudly hold up and say, "this is who I honestly am or hope to be." I believe that if I do that, then listeners will relate and be able to apply that to their own lives. I want to build a relationship with my listener. I want them to feel like they know me, like they would like to invite me to dinner with their family and I would fit in.

Warren: Singing "The Great Adventure" with Steven Curtis Chapman on the release date of my debut record.

My parents. They are both musicians and singers. They introduced me to music and encouraged me to do my best.

Warren: I will be going out this spring with Shawn McDonald and Alli Rogers. The summer and fall dates will be decided soon and up at www.warrenbarfield.com

Warren: Drums were my first instrument, but I can't play anymore. I played trombone in school band. I started playing guitar when I was eight. I've dabbled with several stringed instruments and piano, but guitar is the only instrument that I am comfortable with.

Warren: I want to do a tour of Europe. I don't necessarily have to perform there, I just want to see it.

Warren: I am married to a fantastic gal. Her name is Megan. We have a little girl named Lady Sophia. We call her Sophie. She is a three pound Yorky puppy.

Warren: Ben Taylor. (honestly, Reach)

Warren: A James Taylor biography. I'm also reading "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller, for the third time.

Warren: 1. My wife 2. A guitar 3. A boat, so I can still go out to eat and not miss any shows.

Warren: Psalm 57

Warren: Lately He's been stripping away some of my false securities to show me that I can't live for this world. I was not created for this world, so I shouldn't spend so much time trying to make myself comfortable here. He is challenging me to live for something more. I'm still learning what that means, but I think it is more about reaching out to others than it is reaching for the vain things I think I need.

Warren: A huge thank you to Jesusfreakhideout.com for sharing your audience with me. I hope all of your staff and your readers love the new record. I put my whole soul into it. Reach for more than the temporary things of this world.