Teen Rescue - Interview with Dave Peightal

We are interviewing Dave Peightal at his home in Glenwood, Arkansas. Although Pegtop was really the name of the band Dave was in, started after Teen Rescue, many think his name is Dave Pegtop. Rick and Dave met back in the mid to late 1980s at Sunshine Festival over 30 years ago. Dave was in the Cutting Edge band at the time and they were introduced and shortly thereafter Dave began to travel with the RLS band. 

When Rick thinks back at the impact Dave had in the band, he remembers what was happening on stage was so evident. But what he saw when you were with the group and the band, Rick always saw this incredible gentle spirit that would be sitting there with whoever. Dave just ministered so beautifully to people. There was peace that was in the vehicle while they were traveling. Rick especially noticed it when Dave was not with us. He would ask to himself, why is there some contention today. And one of the reasons was -- Dave is not here. Rick thanks God for the season He gave him to have Dave present with Teen Rescue and in the band because Dave went on to start the band, Pegtop. 

Dave wrote several songs that RLS used. One specific one that was one of Rick’s favorites was “I Believe in You." Also, Rick remembers particularly the song, "Everything I Own." It was a song also covered by artist, Jason Gray. Dave states that a lot of the songs we wrote during the time he wrote that song were written during a very difficult time in his life. The songs were Psalm-like in that they came out of depression and oppression with intense honesty. Dave’s songs came from real life experience and they were songs that others could relate to who were going through similar situations. 

Dave was contemplating and being discouraged that his Christian walk had not progressed further than it had been. He was evaluating how he had spent his time. Realizing that most of the time we spend as humans is on things that do not really matter and he wished he had spent more time on things that matter.  The song goes on to compare what Jesus has done and how He gave everything He owned. That is the hope that we have. Dave says the song was written out of despair and it is one of the few songs that still touches him when he sings it so he still plays it everyone once in a while. 

Rick asks Dave who he remembers from the days with Teen Rescue. Dave says that if it hadn’t been for RLS, Pegtop would never have been started. All the people he played with came from the RLS band: Wes T., Terry S., Ben C., and eventually Matt P. The team was knocking off new songs while they were traveling. Rick would be listening from the front of the van thinking how cool it was. Dave says that Rick put people in positions where they found themselves in Christ. Everyone in Pegtop were people that Rick had in one way or another challenged to get out and do things for Jesus. Others Dave remembers are Cindy T., Eric H., and Dwight L. 

Rick said Dave’s time with Teen Rescue was invaluable and amazing and the years that followed. And here we are today, God is still working things in and through us. Our journey isn’t over, not even close. Dave says it is an exciting time because things are happening. When people put their trust in the Father and walk in obedience, He promises to protect us. We need to learn to listen and obey that voice and walk in it. We do not need to be afraid. When we trust the Father completely, there is no fear.  

Rick replies that the bible says that those who follow Christ did not love their life even unto death. And that is spoke of about how do we defeat Satan and overcome evil? How do we overcome the accuser of the brethren? By the blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony and that we did not even love our life even unto death. And that is what we call a radical life!!

Transcript

We are interviewing Dave Peightal at his home in Glenwood, Arkansas. Although Pegtop was really the name of the band Dave was in, started after Teen Rescue, many think his name is Dave Pegtop. Rick and Dave met back in the mid to late 1980s at Sunshine Festival over 30 years ago. Dave was in the Cutting Edge band at the time and they were introduced and shortly thereafter Dave began to travel with the RLS band. He had a job but was able to take off work and do many schools with Teen Rescue. Rick and Dave both remember that RLS hardly ever rehearsed. The performances were the rehearsals. 

Although Rick has written a few songs, he doesn’t think of himself as a song writer but Dave definitely is and wrote several songs that RLS used. One specific one that was one of Rick’s favorites was “I Believe in You.” Dave never felt he was a gifted musician like many other artists who don’t have to practice to be good so he remembers practicing the RLS songs on a train to Seattle. Dave felt that if he was representing God that he should always give his best so he still practices every day. 

Dave shares some highlights of the Teen Rescue assemblies and come back concerts. He remembers that the songs and testimonies drew in the attention of the kids and many were very affected, touched deeply, and seeds were planted. Music is a powerful gift of God. After band members shared their testimonies in the workshops in the classrooms, the kids would line up to ask more questions because they were dealing with the same issues. Since the message in the day was regarding the dangers of drugs and alcohol and teen pregnancy etc., the kids were invited back in the evening to hear about how they needed Jesus and Dave remembers just about all the kids coming back and maybe even more. It was powerful and the Holy Spirit was present. Many kids were so affected that they wanted to travel with the band.

Dave felt that Rick’s ministry wasn’t just to the kids but also to the musicians and those traveling with the band. Rick discipled them and gave them an outlet for ministry. If they wanted to devote their lives to Christ then there is work to do and Rick provided an avenue to do it. One of Rick’s methods was to make people get up and talk as a requirement of service in the band and then they discovered they were pretty good preachers when it might have taken years to find out their gifting. Rick said there were many times when they would go back to a school and the principal would say, “now you still have that one guy with you, right, could we hear more from him?” The young adults were thrown into the water to see if they could swim and they did. It was a way that Rick discipled in a strong influential way.

Rick says he wishes he would have known then of the impact of the little things they were doing that added up and then he would have done more of those things because when you are out there doing the work, we are always looking for the next big thing. When really the next big thing is what Jesus did on the cross 2000 years ago. That is always the big thing and everything we do after the fact is that we are called by Him to be His disciples, to love others, to preach the gospel, and to raise up disciples. He reflects that maybe he didn’t know those little things because that was his walk, his journey that he was on. He just didn’t notice sometimes because they were moving so fast and had to do one school after the other. 

Rick said the last school he did was number 615. And he never knew after doing one school year if there would be another school. There was never something in front of him telling him this is what you would be doing for the next 15 years. 

When Rick thinks back at the impact Dave had in the band, he remembers what was happening on stage was so evident. But what he saw when you were with the group and the band, Rick always saw this incredible gentle spirit that would be sitting there with whoever. Dave just ministered so beautifully to people. There was peace that was in the vehicle while they were traveling. Rick especially noticed it when Dave was not with us. He would ask to himself, why is there some contention today. And one of the reasons was Dave is not here. Rick thanks God for the season He gave him to have Dave present with Teen Rescue and in the band because Dave went on to start the band, Pegtop. Whenever Rick needed some joy or encouragement brought to him, he would go and see a Pegtop performance and to see the response of the people. Although he often times would take his youth groups to see the best Christian rock groups, he would go to see Dave Peightal on guitar, Terry Steinmeyer on drums, and Matt Patrick on bass. 

Dave has written many beautiful songs over the years and has a stack of CDs recorded. Rick remembers particularly the song, Everything I Own. He quotes those lyrics often times over the years. It was a song also covered by artist, Jason Gray. Dave states that a lot of the songs we wrote during the time he wrote that song were written during a very difficult time in his life when he was going through his divorce and he was taking care of his children in a tent out in Wisconsin. The songs were like Psalm-like in that they came out of depression and oppression. They were songs written like David with intense honesty. Dave had some criticism being told that Christian songs were to have happy endings. Yet David wrote with complete honesty and God has them recorded in the bible. The bible never covers up the flaws of its heroes. Dave’s songs came from real life experience and they were songs that others could relate to who were going through similar situations. 

Dave was contemplating and being discouraged that his Christian walk had not progressed further than it had been. He was evaluating how he had spent his time. Realizing that most of the time we spend as humans is on things that do not really matter and he wished he had spent more time on things that matter. Here are the lyrics:

What would I give to be pure in heart, to be pure in flesh and bone?

What would I give to be pure in heart? I’d give everything I own.

I’d rid my whole house of its demons of lust

And open the windows of trust

And out of those windows all fear would have flown, I’d give everything I own.

What would I give for the words of God to come tumbling from the throne?

What would I give for the words of God? I’d give everything I own.

I’d open my head and they’d roll right in

I’d open my mouth and they’d roll out again.

They uproot the weeds of the deeds I have sown, I’d give everything I own.

What would I give for my children’s strength on the day they stand alone?

What would I give for their strength to stand firm? I’d give everything I own.

I’ve waisted my life accomplishing things, ignoring the giver of wings.

Lord, teach them to fly to the foot of your throne. I’d give everything I own.

Then the song goes on to compare what Jesus has done and how He gave everything He owned. That is the hope that we have. Dave says the song was written out of despair and it is one of the few songs that still touches him when he sings it so he still plays it everyone once in a while. Rick says every time he hears it, it brings all that is within him to come to the top. His eyes just well up and he cries because that is what every father and mother wants for their children. Knowing that one day we are all going to stand before the Father and we want them to be found in Him.  There is nothing more important.

Another song Dave did while traveling with Teen Rescue that was picked up on was, “I Believe in You.” Dave shares the story of how this song came to him. Dave shared the story in schools many many times. 

When he was 15 years old in Seattle, he went hiking to the summit of the Cascade mountains to find a lake that he’d located on a map, this was before GPS. He carried a rubber raft and camping gear and it was a strenuous hike and he barely made it. He finally found the glimmer of sun on the water at the top of the mountain and he praised God. He was trying to praise God all during his hike and teach himself to praise God even when things get difficult. But when he arrived, he was disappointed to find a very small pond that did not represent the size of the lake on the map. It didn’t look like a pond on the map and he is kind of mad at the map makers for their misrepresentation. He blew up his raft and attempted to fish any way. Then another hiker came by and they shared some time together. Before he left, he pointed north and told him that if he just walked a little bit further, he would find a bigger lake with better fishing possibilities. Dave was embarrassed that he had stopped short. The lake was just a few hundred yards away. The lake was big, light blue, glacier filled. It was so beautiful that he felt he had found where God lives. He ended up having a wonderful time fishing. It was a spiritual experience. The images from that experience are written in the song. He wasn’t quite there and needed to press on to the lake.

The moon shines on the water line, and it makes me thing of You. 

Venus and mars, all the trees and the stars make me think about you too. 

The wind and the waves are the sound effects as the coals fan into flame.

And I echo the word that my spirit heard as my lips rehearsed your name. 

I believe in You.

Rick asks Dave who he remembers from the days with Teen Rescue. Dave says that if it hadn’t been for RLS, Pegtop would never have been started. All the people he played with came from the RLS band: Wes Thomson, Terry Steinmeyer, Ben Curvin, and eventually Matt Patrick. The team was knocking off new songs while they were traveling. Rick would be listening from the front of the van thinking how cool it was. There were so many great connections made during that time. Dave repeats his statement that Rick put people in positions where they found themselves. Everyone in Pegtop were people that Rick had in one way or another challenged to get out and do things for Jesus. A lot of the band felt love for God. A lot felt devotion for Christ but not a lot of us know what to do with that.

Rick shares a story of how Matt Patrick heard Rick speak at a students against drunk driving conference and ended up inviting Rick to come to his school. He started to live radically for Jesus at his school and for standing up against drunk driving. At 15 years old, he arranged the entire outreach event with permission from the school. He called it BAD, bands against drugs. Rick had no idea that the point of contact he was dealing with at the school was a student. He had set up the finances, did all the advertising, and Rick thought he was working with the high school advisor. When Matt turned 18, Rick was 24, and he joined the band.

Others Dave remembers are Dwight L. The called him De White Boy. who went on to do a rap/DJ things in the schools. Dave watched Cindy Thompson go from a very shy girl playing her keyboards to pretty soon grabbing a guitar and writing songs and doing her own recording. She was such a bold speaker in her seminars. She took all the things in her life that were very troublesome and she’d share them with the girls. After a concert, Rick would be signing autographs but Cindy would have a line up of girls wanting more advice because they were going through the same things. Since all the band members really spilled their guts, the kids would be coming up four counseling. Dave remembers Eric Holmberg was very intelligent and could think circles around him. 

Rick said Dave’s time with Teen Rescue was invaluable and amazing and the years that followed. And here we are today, God is still working things in and through us. Our journey isn’t over, not even close. Rick personally believes we are living in a little bit of perilous days. We always live with that hope of His coming. Hoping that people of this earth will come to Christ and that there will be a great awakening and a great revival. There will be a surge of folks who will cry out to God.  

Dave says it is an exciting time because things are happening. When people put their trust in the Father and walk in obedience, He has promised to protect us. We will see the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives on a daily basis when our lives become perilous. We need to learn to listen and obey that voice and walk in it. We do not need to be afraid. What do we have to fear? They might kill me but that is just a ticket home. When we trust the Father completely, there is no fear.  

Rick replies that the bible says that those who follow Christ did not love their life even unto death. And that is spoke of about how do we defeat Satan and overcome evil? How do we overcome the accuser of the brethren? By the blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony and that we did not even love our life even unto death. And that is what we call a radical life!!