We all fall sometimes, but it’s those that get back up and try again that make the difference. – Gary Rivel
Peterson Githinji, alias Pitson had a terrible fall that made him ask God to kill him, not once but three times. God turned down his demands and instead redirected him to the purpose that has made him who he is today.
“I hit rock bottom, and while in that valley, I asked God to either take me away or remove me from the valley. I was not ready to continue living like that. If anyone lives in a valley like that for five years, they will never be able to speak hope or come out of it,” he states
Pitson Pen and Paper
When Pitson came out of the valley, a company was born – Pitson Pen and Paper! Out of the company, he has been able to write over 500 songs that other people have sung.
As he notes, through assigning the songs to gospel artists, some veterans, God was teaching him the power of ‘we’ that translates to humility.
“I have learnt that it is never really about us. If you make other people happy, you qualify to be happy. If you can make other people rich, you qualify to be rich. If you can give people healing, you deserve to live a full life,” Pitson says
According to him, when people abide by the principle of humanity first, they qualify to lead a good life, for through helping others, they are able to add value to their lives.
“Pitson Pen and Paper became a big name in Kenya, and when I was in that moment of enjoying money and fame, God did something else that confused me. He sent me to Karura Chapel where I had to submit to pastors whose names were not bigger than mine – who did not have as much money as I did and who lacked the musical prowess I have,” the gospel minister notes, adding that the pay was also not as desirable. He could make what he was being paid in one gig out there.
While serving as a pastor and music minister at Karura chapel, where he has managed to mentor voices that have become greater than his through Karura voices, Pitson says that apart from humility, he has learnt lessons about professionalism, accountability, service, transparency and how to run an organization.
To him, Karura Chapel was a necessary journey orchestrated by God, and he has never been any happier and full of peace as he is now.
Life principles
“The present-day Pitson by the grace of God is a wiser Pitson.” He says noting that the people going to interact with this content are lucky because they will not have to repeat the mistakes he made but learn from them.
He is on a journey of becoming, and over the years, he has developed principles, but as he says, they are not from his background.
“My background was not one that could bring out a strong person per se. It was in the time of Jesus that a question was asked; can anything good come out of Bethlehem? The same question can apply to my situation. Can anything good come out of Eastleigh?” he asks
Pitson notes that the things that happened to him while he grew up have to a larger extent, shaped him to become who he is today.
His principle number one is the love for God. According to him, His love for God can not compare to any other thing, so he does not say no to sin because he is tempted but because he loves God so much to allow anything to come and distract him.
“Secondly is love for family. I define family as mother, father and children. I am highly guided by what God created, ‘a man and a woman,’ and I define family like that,” he notes
He is also guided by the principle of becoming. To this, he believes that when you are born poor, you should not die poor. When you are born sick, you should not die sick – that things can happen in the middle and change the course of your sail.
Discipline is also another of his most important principles. He notes that it is vital for a Christian to pray, but that should not make them lack discipline to manage the things entrusted to them.
“Finally, I love and believe in people, for I fully understand that people are on a journey to a particular destination. I have to look at you in the gaze of where you are going and not where you are at right now,” Pitson notes
The songwriter like every other person pursuing success, has daily routines he abides by, to which he notes that people must be studied by their pain and not their gain. According to him, when you study people’s pain, you learn a lot and can grow.
So he wakes up, has a moment with God through prayer, performs daily positive affirmations, reads a chapter or two from a book and, listens to a life coach called Jim Ron, then gets to work.
“From Jim Ron, I have learnt the importance of never starting my day until I finish it on paper. I always, therefore, have daily schedules written down,” Pitson states
Who is a gospel artist?
Being a gospel singer and songwriter, Pitson defines a gospel artist as follows;
“A gospel artist can write music or produce it out of their relationship with God and not a moment. So if I sit in a moment and I hear a gospel tune, I am neither a gospel artist and neither is the song,” Pitson states
Part b of the composition of a gospel song, according to him, is that when people gather in the name of the Lord, they can comfortably sing that song.
He however notes that gospel artists are not limited to gospel songs. They can sing songs that have lessons as long as they stay in the will of God.
“Once in a while, I write patriotic songs. Over the Corona period, with other artists, we composed a song about Corona. We aimed to sensitize people to abide by the set safety measures. Other gospel artists can be inspired by love and write a song about that. It is not wrong. The most important thing is that you anchor yourself in God,” the gospel minister says
Commenting on the state of the gospel music industry in Kenya, Pitson says that, even though many hours of TV and radio have been lost and some gospel artists have transitioned to secular, he believes that God is raising a generation that will have ministers and not superstars.
According to him, that generation is here already. It is just that they have not been positioned well in the limelight.
Pitson’s Process of Writing Songs
In writing music, Pitson employs a concept called TCR. Think about the concept, create, then write. According to him, that is God’s model.
“So God thought, let us create man in our image, and He created man. Then what He did was recorded. So that is the model,” he notes
According to him, some gospel artists ask a producer for a session and while in the studio, start recording. As they record, they start questioning what they are doing.
“A doctor was asked, what is wrong with humanity today? And he answered that men do not think. We do not know how to think. We do not know how to enjoy the serenity of a calm atmosphere,” the music expert says
Every singer and songwriter according to Pitson therefore has to learn how to think on paper before they hit the studio.
Pitson’s favourite among the songs he has written is Pale Pale by Size 8 because it defines everyone’s journey. That they are not where they started and neither are they where they want to be but are where God wants them to be.
“My biggest regret is the lost friendships, chances, ideas, money and opportunities. On the brighter side, these are regrets that spearhead our growth,” he states
His advice to upcoming gospel artists is that they should not limit themselves in the word upcoming. Rather, they should see themselves as big gospel artists as they wait on God to announce them.
“When God announces you, you are announced. When the bible says there is no shadow of turning with thee, it means there is no time the Lord cannot bless you, whether young or old. There is probably a 55-year-old who wants to produce an album; do not think the Lord is a respecter of time. Go to the studio and produce,” Pitson says
Pitson is a great man and in his greatness, he is thinking of writing a book that will be a programme to guide people out of the addictions they are in.
“The book will have a 21-day challenge and basic steps that people can take to come out of strongholds. So if someone is in sexual addiction or drug abuse, they can read that book and come out of it. That is the book I would love to read. Not the one that only gives me knowledge and vocabulary. I want a book that people can read and be free.” He concludes
