Petra at 50: Come and Join Us (1977)

Worthwhile

In celebration of Petra turning fifty years old in 2022, here at mattprivett.com I am going album by album through their discography and reflecting on the role their music has played in my life. Today my focus is Petra’s sophomore effort, 1977’s Come and Join Us.

The Backstory

Petra waited three years before releasing their second album. In the intervening years the band went through minor changes. Bill Glover resigned from the band and was replaced by several others. However, when it was time for the second album to be recorded, Petra ended up hiring Glover as a studio musician.

Notably, Petra didn’t have a true lead singer for their first album. That would not change with this album; however, Hartman didn’t believe his vocals were right for where the band was going (he was right, no offense to Hartman). Thus, a number of guest vocalists were brought in to strengthen the voice of the record. Among them was Steve Camp, who would go on to record several CCM albums from the 1980s into the 2000s. Here’s my favorite. Another guest would turn out to be someone who would become synonymous with Petra for years to come, former e band vocalist Greg X. Volz. 

One of the songs Volz featured on was “God Gave Rock and Roll to You,” a cover of a song previously released by Argent. Petra had to seek permission to use the song and, importantly, change the lyrics. In 2022 the song might not seem like a big deal, but in 1977 the song was provocative, to say the least. Ambassador Artist Agency president Wes Order said, “It was the boldest statement anyone in Christian music had made until that time. This was a radical notion, especially in the minds of the leaders of conservative churches.” Indeed, opposition from churches would mark much of the next ten years of Petra’s ministry.

The process of recording the album was not exactly smooth either. Hartman wanted to name the album God Gave Rock and Roll to You, but Myrrh records rebuffed that idea and went instead with the name of another of the album’s tracks, Come and Join Us. Myrrh also scuffed a song Hartman wanted included, “Killing My Old Man,” about the Pauline idea of putting the death the old self. However, it was deemed too controversial, though it would later be included on Never Say Die.

Album Overview

Petra grew up on this album a little bit. The sound is definitely more refined and polished than their initial effort. Bob Hartman was a young Christian when writing the lyrics for the first album. They are innocent in a sense and highly evangelistic. There is still an evangelistic bent to songs on Come and Join Us, particularly “Ask Him In,” but there are deeper subjects tackled as well. The confrontational lyrics stand out, but so does the mood of the music. This is an edgier record not just in lyrics, but in being harder rock. There are improved vocals, but some of the guitar and drum work is just stellar. Petra was really starting to come into their own as a rock band. Though Hartman has publicly lamented the compromises Petra had to make on this album, there is a growing confidence that comes across in the music. 

For reasons passing understanding, the song arrangement on the CD version of the album, which is the same order you find on online services like iTunes and Spotify, is different from the original order on the vinyl. The song order on the vinyl is better and makes more sense thematically, which I’ll get to below. I will be addressing songs in the order on the vinyl.

My Origin Story

I was born in 1976, so my exposure to Petra didn’t really start until I was in the youth group in 1988 and going into 1989. Thus, I was baptized in the John Schlitt era. It wasn’t until the summer of 1991 I was exposed to Come and Join Us. It also happened to be the summer that Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey came out, a film featuring a version of “God Gave Rock and Roll to You” by KISS. I was at a friend’s apartment and he had some of the older Petra albums, including Come and Join Us. He played me Petra’s version of the song and, I have to admit, I didn’t like it. I’ll talk more about how I feel about it now below, but my musical sensibilities were, shall we say, not quite as refined at age fifteen as they are now. 

As for the rest of the album, it’s one of those I bought in 2000–01, like the debut album, as I was trying to complete my collection of Petra albums. Upon listening to it for the first time, in comparing it to other stuff by Petra, I wasn’t impressed, and did not listen to the album very much for the next ten or eleven years. My opinion of the album began to change when I began to write about Petra on my former web site ten years ago when the band was forty years old. It seems, as my review below will attest, that with time my opinion of this album continues to change – for the better.

Album Information

  • Released: 1977
  • Album Length: 35:37
  • Label: Myrrh
  • The Band: Bob Hartman (guitar, vocals), Greg Hough (guitar, vocals), John DeGroff (bass)
  • Guest Musicians: Bill Glover (drums, percussion), Steve McElyea (keyboards), Steve Mergen (percussion), Allen C. Hornung (percussion), Steve Pfeiffer (percussion), Cowbell Bob (percussion), Houghie I (percussion), Steve Camp (percussion, guest vocals), Greg X. Volz (guest vocals), Karen Morrison (guest vocals), Austin Roberts (guest vocals)
  • Producer: Austin Roberts
  • Recording:
    • Terry Jamison (engineer)
    • Allen C. Hornung, Bill Olszewski (assistant engineers)
    • Arrangements by Petra
    • Recorded at Golden Voice Studios – South Pekin, IL
    • Mastered by Lanky Linstrot, ABC Records – Los Angeles, CA
  • Songs written by Bob Hartman unless noted below.

Track-by-Track

  1. “God Gave Rock and Roll to You” (5:37) – As stated above, this song is original to Argent, but Petra sought and received permission to use the song and change the words. Of all versions of this song, including the later version Petra did on 1985’s Beat the System, this version is my favorite. It opens with a two minute instrumental which builds to the chorus: “God gave rock and roll to you.” That, in and of itself, was a controversial statement in Christian circles in the 1980s. Nevertheless, just as Petra opened their first album with a statement song, “Walkin’ in the Light,” declaring themselves a Christian rock band, here they are doubling down and saying, “And it’s of God!” The song also delivers a challenge: “You can learn to dance, or you can be a square. You can let the music take you anywhere. But where will you be when the music’s gone?” The song takes that challenge and turns evangelistic when Greg X. Volz sings, “If you love the sound, then don’t forget the source.” This is a great opener and, so many years later, a thoroughly underrated song.

2. “Holy Ghost Power” (2:28) – In today’s “modern worship” era the majority of the songs seem to deal with our feelings rather than exalting the Lord, and there are plenty of songs which mention the Holy Spirit, even if they do so ambiguously. In the 1970s songs about the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost as it were (in KJV language more common to the time), were not as common. This song starts with a guitar riff, then gets a little bit funky, with the bass really carrying the groove. Lyrically, the song speaks about everybody’s talking about power, in a human sense, but it’s the power of the Holy Spirit that really counts: “Holy Ghost power’s gonna fill you today, Holy Ghost power’s gonna take you away, Holy Ghost power’s gonna fill you within, Holy Ghost power’s gonna save you from sin.”

3. “Woman Don’t You Know” (3:41) – This one was written by Hartman and Greg Hough, with Greg X. Volz once again on lead vocal. The song also seems longer than it actually is because of a lengthly instrumental portion, including extensive drums. Lyrically, the songs evoke the feeling of Proverbs 5, 6, and 7, which all include warnings regarding sexual sin and falling under the influence of an evil, enticing woman. To be sure, this song is edgy and if it were released today I’m guessing Petra would get a lot of pushback for it, but that’s how it goes when you truly bring biblical themes to the forefront. I really like this song. Consider the final verse: “I told you about salvation, but you don’t seem to want no part. You’ve been trying to take me, you’ve been trying to steal my heart. Woman don’t you know, I ain’t gonna have no part.” Now consider Proverbs 7:24–25: “So now, my sons, listen to me, and pay attention to the words of my mouth. Do not let your heart go astray into her ways, do not wander into her pathways.” It’s a much-needed message today, just as it was then. Extra points for drum solo and guitar riffs, slight deduction for the computer-generated noises during the instrumental portion. 

4. “Sally” (4:28) – Written also by Greg Hough, “Sally” takes the theme of “Woman Don’t You Know” and paints a picture of that woman, named Sally, a girl who used to be happy and used to act like a Christian. After all, “Everywhere that Sally went, the lamb was sure to go.” But things weren’t as they seemed because Sally has apparently abandoned the faith. In fact, she’s been seen on the other side of town smoking weed and drinking and fooling around. How about those lyrics for 1977 contemporary Christian music? It’s no wonder this album made Myrrh Records nervous. Nevertheless, the crux of the song lyrically is “Why would she want to run away from God and all His love, and go back in that world and live so hard and rough?” Ultimately the perspective of the songwriter is, from his vantage point, he’s almost relieved she’s not around right now because it appears she was the type of woman who enticed him in a Proverbs 5–7 sort of way. The song’s lyrics could have been sharper in the final verse, but I like the message of the song, the guitar work, and the funky groove. It’s worth a noting that the outro to this song has what appears to be an allusion to Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady.” If so, it’s not the last time we will hear a little bit of Jimi Hendrix in Petra.

5. “Come and Join Us” (4:40) – Side one closes with the title track, and I just love this song. The guitar work is absolutely superb, with a great intro and solo later on. The drums aren’t half bad either. Hartman singing lead, the lyrics feel like a callback to the songs from the first album, as they are very evangelistic. They also show Hartman’s growth as a lyricist, as there is a style here of biblical references, imagery, and theology that would characterize much of his writing in the years to come. For example, “We are like stones built together in a wall, made up of whosoever the Master Builder calls. We are not worthy but together we are strong, built on the Rock of Ages, the wall is almost done. Come and join us in the sunlight. . . Come and drink from the well that will never run dry.”

Check out this live version from 1978 in which Hartman is not singing lead. Plus, stick around for some material that would appear on their next album, Washes Whiter Than.

6. “Where Can I Go” (3:53) – Hartman had to have been reading Psalm 139 when he wrote this one. It starts with a guitar riff that repeats before breaking into some drums. The sound reminds me personally of Grand Funk Railroad, and it works. Lyrically, the song is about the love of God which pursues (haunts) the sinner, all while the one singing recognizes his unworthiness. At one point Hartman seems to be drawing on lyrics of other popular rock songs: “I could climb the golden stairway to heaven, I could catch the crowded highway to hell.” Of course, Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway” was several years old by this point. AC/DC’s hit was still a couple of years away. In any event, this is just a straight up good rock song.

7. “Without You I Would Surely Die” (4:28) – Written by Greg Hough, this one starts with more great guitar riffs and drums. Just a running theme for this album. The song itself is written from the perspective of a man who knows he’s all kinds of mixed up and helpless without the intervening lovingkindness of God. He writes, “Sometimes I feel like I’m all mixed up inside sometimes I feel like I wanna go run and hide. But then You put Your arms around me and I feel Your sweet love surround me. Then I know just where I’m going.” And the chorus: “You keep my head on my shoulders. I’m well adjusted inside. You are my love, You are my only life, without You I would surely die.” A knowledge of our own lack of sufficiency before God, without Christ, would do us all good.

8. “Ask Him In” (3:32) – On the CD version this is the second song, and I just have no idea why someone decided that was a good idea, because this was clearly written to be the last full song on the album. If the first seven songs have been the sermon, this song is absolutely the invitation hymn, and now it’s time to respond. So Hartman sings, “Now that you’ve heard the music, where do you go from here? You see music only takes you to the place where you’re ready to hear. We could sing and tell you we love you, and you could say it wasn’t true. But how can you say that about a man who died for you?” Petra has always recognized that Christian music is only good inasmuch as it glorifies God and points the listener to God the Son, Jesus Christ. Musically this is just a simple ballad, but I love the point of this song and it’s right place on the album.

9. “God Gave Rock and Roll to You (Reprise)” (2:52) – This one starts with children singing the chorus and slowly builds to where you hear very clearly the voice of Greg X. Volz and others. Then you hear the guitar riff, then the drums, and as this all repeats it slowly begins to fade. A fitting way to end the album.

Ranking the Albums

  1. Come and Join Us
  2. Petra

The #Petra50

Ok. Here we go. Where do the songs of Come and Join Us fit into the Petra50, my fifty favorite Petra songs of all time? Keep in mind this listen will evolve as we move from album to album, with songs eventually falling off the list, not because they aren’t great, but because Petra has so much music to consider. I won’t bother putting every song in the list.

So when we think about Come and Join Us, I’m going to say “Holy Ghost Power,” “Sally,” “Without You I Would Surely Die,” “Ask Him In,” and the reprise of the opening track won’t make it on the final list, so I’ll stick to the other songs, and here is where the list now stands (previous rank in parentheses)…

  1. “Come and Join Us” – As stated above, this song was a sign of great things to come. 
  2. “God Gave Rock and Roll to You” – A bold statement for the times and a great song to boot.
  3. “Woman Don’t You Know” – I love the edginess and the rock of this song. Might be higher if not for the computer noises. 
  4. “Where Can I Go” – Grand Funk Railroad is kind of overlooked today but fifty years ago they were huge and this sounds like them, and I like it.
  5. “Walkin’ in the Light” (1)
  6. “Get Back to the Bible” (2)
  7. “Lucas McGraw” (3)
  8. “Backslidin’ Blues” (4)

Parting Thought

This album didn’t sell well, and as a result Myrrh Records dropped Petra from the label and left Bob Hartman and company wondering if there should even be a Petra. Thank God they decided to press on. I wonder if Myrrh didn’t promote this album because they were so worried about the potential controversy. To be sure, Petra pushes 1977’s Christian culture envelope with Come and Join Us. Petra would change, but they would press on.

Nevertheless, I think this is a great album. No disrespect to the first album, as if you read that post you know I like it more now than I used to, but despite Hartman’s compromises in the making of Come and Join Us, this album is a step up in every way. This album will have a greater place in my rotation going forward. I regret not appreciating it more when I was younger. I have no idea where this will wind up when I’m done with these rankings, but I know this is an underrated, under appreciated gem, and I encourage you to listen to it – right here.

Next up will be 1979’s Washes Whiter Than, which features Petra’s first radio success. Come and join me for that one.

Petra at 50: PETRA (1974)

Worthwhile

In celebration of Petra turning fifty years old in 2022, and reflecting on the role their music has played in my life, I begin going album by album with a look at their 1974 self-titled debut, Petra.

The Backstory

Left to right: Greg Hough , John DeGroff, Bob Hartman, and Bill Glover

In the throes of the Jesus Movement of the early 70s, a reaction to moral decay, drugs, music, and more of the late 60s, Bob Hartman was saved while attending Kent State University, the site of the infamous shooting of protestors in the spring of 1970. Hartman, a guitarist, met John DeGroff, a bass player, and they formed the band Dove. It didn’t last long. Both ended up moving to Fort Wayne, Indiana, to attend the Christian Training Center. But there they would met Greg Hough, like Hartman, a guitarist, and a drummer by the name of Bill Glover. Together, they would form a band they called Petra.

They didn’t have big dreams of playing huge venues. They simply wanted to spread the word of God to their peers through their brand of music, which in an of itself was different. Rock music was, by and large, not the province of evangelical Christianity in the early 1970s, or any brand of Christianity. Many churches were very much anti-rock, and many preached that it was the tool of the devil. Opposition to Petra from Christian circles is something that would not go away for nearly two decades. Still, Petra sought to use the medium to proclaim gospel truth.

After playing at various Midwest locales, including a Christian coffee house called The Adam’s Apple, Petra was noticed by Craig Paino of Myrrh Records. The label’s founder, Billy Ray Hearn, signed the band and agreed to produced their debut album, recorded in a small southern Iilinois studio with a sub-$1000 budget, which would simply be called Petra.

Album Overview

The debut album is different because, with this and the follow up album, Petra didn’t have a lead singer. That meant Bob Hartman sang lead on most songs, with Greg Hough handling a couple of them. Hartman has a very unique singing voice and he does a decent enough job, but it is easy to see why, on later albums, someone else would be the front man.

This album is less about the voice anyway. It’s more about the idea, and that idea is a rock album with a Christian message. As I’ll speak more about below, this is a very evangelistic album. Musically, you hear a lot of dual guitars, which were more common then than they are now. It was the early 1970s and it sounds like it. You hear shadows of the styles of other more prominent secular rock bands of the age, as well as in the lyrics, some of which seems to be a direct response to lyrics of other songs.

My Origin Story

I didn’t come across this album until my Petra fandom was more than a decade old. When I was 24 in 2000–01 I ordered a bunch of older Petra albums I just hadn’t gotten around to adding to my collection yet. Most of those albums had songs included on compilations I was already familiar with, but I’d never heard anything from Petra, so it was a fresh listen to me. At the time I wasn’t impressed because I was comparing it to a Petra sound I grew up on and loved more. However, as you’ll read, as time has passed I’ve come to appreciate this debut album much more.

Album Information

  • Released: 1974
  • Album Length: 34:04
  • Producer: Billy Ray Hearn
  • The Band: Bob Hartman (guitar, banjo, vocals), Greg Hough (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Bill Glover (drums, percussion), John DeGroff (bass)
  • Songs written by Bob Hartman unless noted below.

Track-by-Track

1. “Walkin’ in the Light” (3:17) – Bob Hartman comes right out on the opening track and lays out the fact that Petra is a rock band, and an unapologetically Christian rock band at that. A sweet dual guitar riff opens the song, and the first lyrics of a Petra song are, “I’m rockin’ with the Rock / Rollin’ on the road that takes me to the King.” So right away they are identifying themselves with Jesus Christ, then follow with, “I’ve been up and down your city / And I wish you could see all the love you need.” So not only do the members of Petra know Jesus, they want you to know Him too. The song reflects a style of the times, as well as lyrics: “Walkin’ in the light every day and night, livin’ in the Spirit is really out of sight.” The song features an extensive dual guitar solo, which Bill Glover’s drums complement nicely. Then, after another go at the chorus, the instrumental continues for an extended outdo. This is probably my favorite song on the album, as it’s a great opening track which lays out just who Petra is and what they are about.

2. “Mountains and Valleys” (2:49) – Next up comes a dramatic shift to a ballad. The message is that when you fall down you have to pick yourself up because the Lord will always give you another try, and it’s those times when you fall you realize how high the peak is with Jesus. This song is just kind of there to me.

3. “Lucas McGraw” (3:24) – This is the most unique song on the album, a real novelty in which Hartman breaks out the banjo and Hough the mandolin. It’s a bluegrassy song sung from the perspective of a couple of hillbillies who are talking about one of their old running mates who isn’t coming around anymore. Why? Because apparently he’s found Jesus and his life has changed as a result. In the end they ask, “Ya know we’ve all been wonderin’ / If what you got just might be real. And all the while we’re laughin’ / Is it really God, is it really God / Is it really God you feel?” The style is a bit silly, but it’s a good song.

4. “Wake Up” (3:40) – This song feels different and for good reason. It’s written by Greg Hough and he sings the lead. The lyrics speak to the need of a person just living their live to “wake up” because there is coming a time you’ll need to be, and you don’t know the time. I like the groove in this song.

5. “Backslidin’ Blues” (4:31) – Hartman writes and sings what is essentially a prayer in the form of a Christian blues song. He’s one who sees he’s been down the wrong load and the’s too tired to carry the heavy load. Satan’s marking him and he can’t take it no more. This might be the most famous song from this album. It was apparently a favorite of those early concerts and it’s not hard to see why. I love the guitar runs in this one.

6. “Get Back to the Bible” (2:22) – Another dual guitar riff to open this one, and it rocks! This song is short, simple, and to the point. Get back to the Bible! Boom! I get the feeling Hartman may have written this in direct response to George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord” (1971) when he sings, “‘Hare Krishna’ may be fun to say but it ain’t gonna get you to heaven.” This song calls the listener to return to the standard he or she may be tempted to depart for lesser things. Another great guitar solo here as well.

7. “Gonna Fly Away” (4:55) – The longest song on the album, in length at least, is essentially about the rapture — Christ returning to meet His own in the air, a reference to 1 Thessalonians 4:17ff. And true to Hartman’s lyrical form, he gets evangelistic: “Where you gonna be when the trumpet blows? All that’s left of me is gonna be my clothes / I’d really like to see
You flyin’ next to me.” As is common with this album, this track also has a pretty cool instrumental outro.

8. “I’m Not Ashamed” (3:03) – This is another Greg Hough offering, and as with “Wake Up,” you can kind of tell it’s different. There’s a kind of jazzy/bluesy shuffle to this one, but also more of those dual guitars which feature so much on this album.

9. “Storm Comin’ (4:31) – This is another song with Jesus’ return as a major theme: “I’m just waiting for the day when Jesus will come and take me by the hand / There’s no need to worry, He’s gonna take me to the promise land. I hope you’ll be there too / Jesus is waiting for you.” Hartman writes from a pre-tribulation rapture, pre-millennial perspective, which I agree with. The timing makes me wonder, though, how heavily Hartman was influenced by Hal Lindsey’s The Late Great Planet Earth, which came out in 1970. He writes evangelistically with an expectation of Jesus’ return.

10. “Parting Thought” (1:32) – Not really a song so much as it is, well, a parting thought. “Here’s a song sung with you in mind / Maybe it will make you think about Him one more time / And if you can, please try to understand / Jesus is yours for the asking.” And that’s it… a summing up of what this album has been all about lyrically.

Ranking the Albums

  1. Petra 

There’s nothing else to rank yet. Where will this album rank when it has competition?

The #Petra50

Now it’s time to start a playlist of my fifty favorite Petra songs of all time. This list will evolve as this series progresses, and things that are on the list may/will eventually fall out of the list. I’m not going to waste time putting songs on this list I know won’t be there in the end. I’ll stick with stuff I really like, and then we’ll see where they end up in the end. So here we go…

  1. “Walkin’ in the Light” – A great opening statement. Love the guitars. The drums complement well. This song is Petra.
  2. “Get Back to the Bible”
  3. “Lucas McGraw”
  4. “Backslidin’ Blues”

Parting Thought

The constant theme of this album is “Are you ready? Where will you be when the time comes? What’s gonna happen to you? Jesus is coming back. What then?” I love the evangelistic zeal of this album coupled with its expectation of Christ. Plus, it rocks… a lot more than I remember. It’d been a while since I had listened to this before I gave it a few listens in preparation of writing this. In the future I expect I’ll listen to it much more. This was a solid debut album. You can listen to it here.

We’ll stop there for now. Next up, we fast forward three years for Petra’s sophomore effort, Come and Join Us. So come back and join me for that one.

 

Petra at 50: An introduction

Worthwhile

I grew up memorizing Billy Joel’s “An Innocent Man” album in my mom’s car on trips to the beach. I used to pretend I was Joe Elliott and put on Def Leppard “concerts” in our living room. David Foster era Chicago was the soundtrack of the months following the big breakup of my life, and later I discovered the incomparable Terry Kath, Robert Lamm, Danny Seraphine, and those horns.

I love music, and Billy Joel, Def Leppard, and Chicago are all among my very favorites. But none of them are number one.

That spot is forever reserved for Petra.

For those too young to know or just not in the know, Petra was and sometimes still is the greatest and most influential Christian rock band of all time. They practically created the genre, and for a young teenager who believed in Jesus and was eager to find good music that proclaimed the same message he believed, Petra was, quite literally, a God-send. 

Petra ranks very highly on the soundtrack of my life, and this year they turn 50. Formed in 1972 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Petra, officially retired but still getting together from time to time, is entering its sixth decade of music and ministry.

To celebrate, and just because I want to, in 2022 I’m going to go through their discography –– album by album. I will review each album, track by track, and share some personal reflections along the way, along with a few clips. And, as is my way, I’ll rank the albums and create a list of my top 50 (for 50 years) Petra tracks.

I did something along these lines, to a lesser extent, ten years ago on my old blog, but for a number of reasons I want to do it again, and better.

If you are a Petra fan, I hope you’ll keep up and enjoy it, and feel free to share your thoughts as I plod along. If you are new to Petra, perhaps what I share will provoke you to leap down into the glorious rabbit hole.

The series will start in a day or two, as I review the 1974 self-titled debut album, Petra.

P.S. This series was inspired in part by a podcast I recently discovered, On Rock: A Retrospective, by Lindsay Hall and Dave Hall. I encourage you to check it out as they are doing much what I plan to do. Just a different medium.

 

Thank you, Rush.

Worthwhile

I’m sitting in bed, half past midnight, and this is my first real opportunity today, apart from a short acknowledgment on social media this afternoon, to contemplate the death of conservative talk radio legend Rush Limbaugh.

I first became aware of Rush in 1992, the same year I got my driver’s license, the same year as the Bush–Clinton–Perot campaign. I already had strong Republican, or better, conservative leanings. I can thank my mother for that. One of my most vivid childhood memories is going with her to East Mecklenburg High School to vote in the 1984 presidential election. She let me push the button or pull the lever or whatever for Ronald Reagan’s re-election. I was also already a Christian, grew up in a conservative Baptist church, and had strong convictions even then about the sanctity of human life (i.e., the evil of abortion). For that reason, as I was 15 and, that summer, 16 years old, I was rooting for George Bush to win re-election over Bill Clinton and Ross Perot, even if I couldn’t vote for two more years.

I could drive and I did, usually with my friends as passengers. A burgundy 1985 Honda Accord, affectionately hereafter known as the Bassmobile (for its lack thereof). But while most kids my age were discovering Nirvana and Pearl Jam, or indulging in Sir Mix-a-Lot, in my car, if it was 12:00–3:00 ET, the radio was on AM 1110 WBT, and Rush Limbaugh was on the air.

Rush was captivating because, at the time, he seemed to be the only person in the country with a national platform who was not only calling out the constant hypocrisy of then Governor Clinton and the Democratic Party, but he was defending this thing called conservatism which I also just so happened to affirm. It’s not like it became in the early 2000s onward, when talk radio became the dominant media for conservative voices and FOX News became known as the conservative news channel (though those days are coming to an end quickly). You had what today many call the Legacy Media… CBS, NBC, ABC, The New York Times, The Washington Post, etc. All dominated by voices on the left, as they are today. Rush, though, was different.

Rush’s gifts were that he didn’t tow the mainstream line, he shared your anger about the current states of affairs, he informed his audience of what was going on, he listened, he spoke, and he did it all in an entertaining way. He did it in such a way that helped me strengthen what were already my political convictions. Some people can and have written about how Rush changed their minds. I can’t say that, but he helped me think through things, and it was always good to know there was a voice out there sounding out a lot of what I was thinking. 

We knew this was coming. Rush’s deteriorating health was no secret. Still, the news of his death hit me hard, and my overwhelming feeling was one of thankfulness. I sure hope Rush knew the Lord Jesus. He spoke more about it in his final years and I hope his faith truly was in Christ. But even if not, God used him to play role in my life and the lives of millions of other listeners. 

So, though he can’t hear it or read it now, thank you, Rush. And to God be the glory!

Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. — Jude 5–7

Prudent verses for these days

Bible

The world is absolutely offended by anyone who will do scholarship under the lordship of Christ.

Important

“The world is absolutely offended by anyone who will do scholarship under the lordship of Christ.”I’ve had this clip of Dr. White in my YouTube favorites for some time because it really resonates with many of my own thoughts on the relationships between churches and seminaries, and Christian academia at large. This was 7-1/2 years ago and I thought it was self-evident then, but you can see the truthfulness of what he’s saying so much clearer even now.

Reversing course

Site

If you’ve known me for any amount of time you know I used to have a website called themattrix.com. I shut the site down after over 21 years in 2020 because I didn’t use it much anymore, didn’t wanna keep paying the hosting service I was using, and planned to use social media and free blogging services more.

The social media purge which has begun the year 2021, and the fact that the flow of information is so controlled by so very few oligarchs in Big Tech has convinced me to change my mind. Hence, welcome to mattprivett.com.

Truth be told, I have no idea how long this will even last. Hopefully, several years, maybe even until the Lord returns. In any event, I want a venue of my own in which I can publish if I so desire.

Click on the + at the bottom of the page to see the menu with more pages; and please, if you have come this far, bookmark my page, come back from time to time,and add my page to your RSS feed readers.