Ex-Petra man John Schlitt planning Christmas album

VETERAN rocker John Schlitt is planning to record a Christmas album. Schlitt, who has never recorded any Christmas music either during his 20 year stint as lead singer with Petra nor as a solo artist, says he has been feeling "a very strong tug" to make a seasonal record. Said Schlitt, "This past Christmas, I felt regretful about my minimal participation with holiday music, and at the same time, I felt a very strong tug on my heart to 'get in the Christmas spirit,' musically. To me, Christmas music is really seasonal praise music; it zeroes in on the event that heralded Christ's physical presence on earth. We glorify God all year long with our praises and with our worship, but Christmas is the time we focus specifically on the birth of Jesus Christ and what his coming to this world means for us. We celebrate his birth; the whole world acknowledges Christmas as a special time." Schlitt is hoping to fund the album through Kickstarter.