Jim Coleman---Guitar and vocals

                      Bass---Pops Popwell

                      Piano and Hammond B-3 organ---Chuck Leavell

                      Harmonica---Terry McMillan

                      Pedal Steel Guitar---John Hughey

                      Percussion---Terry McMillan

                      Drums---J.D. Blair, Nioshi Jackson, Raymond Massey

                      Backup singers---Angie Primm, Melinda Doolittle, Gale West

1.      King of Zion- Zion is mentioned in the Bible over 250 times.  It is said to be the place where Jesus will return to establish his Kingdom on Earth.  Originally, Zion was settled by King David and is described as being on a mountain, Mount Moriah.  Zion grew and became the City of David and eventually grew into what is now Jerusalem.  With the second coming, Jesus will be at Zion and will be the King of Zion. This is declared in Psalm 2: "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion."

2.        Angels- the Bible makes many references to angels.  These are celestial beings who though unseen have an influence on our Earthly lives.  They are gifts from heaven that lead us in our lives to the truth if we have the consciousness to be receptive to their direction. 

3.        Road To Glory- What is God's greatest glory?  Is it the creation?  Probably not since only a few chapters of the scripture are devoted to it.  The majority of the Bible is devoted to the redemption of Man.  The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed and the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed, and, almost the entire Bible is concerned with God's redemption of the sins of man.   These 66 books written over hundreds of years by over 40 different authors tell the story of God's flawless plan.  The "Road To Glory" refers to man's attempt to reach that higher ground in a relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and savior.  In Proverbs 12:28 it says that "in the way of righteousness is life, along that path is immortality."  And, in Colossians 3:5 it says "When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with him in glory."  The "Road To Glory" describes the spiritual path we all must take to have a redeeming relationship with Christ.

4.        Jesus of Bethlehem- The story of Jesus is now over 2,000 years old.  This song talks about his birth and childhood and the impact he has had on mankind.  As a 12-year-old boy Jesus went to Jerusalem and astonished the teachers in the temple with his wisdom and understanding.  This is mentioned in Luke, chapter 2.  Who at the time would have imagined that this young boy would have such a profound impact on the lives of so many millions of people?  This song discusses the great sacrifice of Jesus' death for the sins of the world.

5.        The Narrow Door- in the gospel of Luke, chapter 13, verses 23-24.  Jesus is asked if only a few will be saved and he replies that many will try to enter through the narrow door, but, only a few will be able to do so.  This is also mentioned in Matthew, chapter 7, verses 13-14.  The reference here is similar to that in Matthew 19: 23, Mark 10:24 and Luke 18:24 where Jesus says,  "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God."  It is faith in Christ and not your riches or self pride that are important.  You have to strip these things away to enter through the narrow door.

6.        Jesus In The Mazzaroth- the Hebrew term for the Zodiac is "mazzaroth" and this is mentioned in the Old Testament in the book of Job, chapter 38:32.  The science of astronomy is thought to have originated with Seth, the son of Adam.  It is interesting that all of the signs of the Zodiac are named essentially the same in all ancient cultures, including the Egyptian, Caldean, Babylonian, Chinese and many others.  What is now understood is that the signs of the Zodiac are prophecy for the coming of Christ, beginning with his virgin birth in Virgo and ending with his triumphant return as the Lion of Judah in Leo.  All of the signs are mentioned, individually, in the Bible and point to the fact that God knew from the beginning that mankind would sin and need a redeemer in Jesus Christ.  This song is about the fact that the story of Jesus and his sacrifice is depicted in the stars in the heavens.  As David says in Psalms 19, "The heavens declare the glory of God."

7.        Revelation- The next song refers solely to the book of Revelation and the unveiling of the seven seals found on the scroll given by God to the worthy lamb, Jesus Christ, to foretell His second coming and the end of sinful life on Earth.  This message was revealed to John who became the "revelator" of things to come. As stated in Revelation, chapter 21:1, "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away."  When Jesus returns "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorry, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."  Where are we today in the unfolding of this prophecy?

8.        The Gospels- The first four books of the New Testament are known as the Gospels.  They were each written to a different group of people and each had a different perspective on the life of Jesus although the stories told about the life of Jesus are very similar in each account.  The gospel of Matthew was written to the Jew and describes Jesus as the Messiah.  The Gospel of Mark was actually the Gospel of Peter as told to Mark and is directed to the Romans, describing Jesus as the suffering servant of mankind.  Luke's Gospel is directed to the Greek gentiles and calls Jesus the Son of man.  Finally, the Gospel of John is directed to the new Christian church, calling Jesus the Son of God.  These are not our only accounts of the life of Jesus, but they are the ones known to most Christians and non-Christians.  This song, "The Gospels" is a group of writings depicting the life of our Savior

9.        Backslider- this song has a message for all of us who may think we are doing God's will when in fact, we are "backsliding" and falling short of God's plan for our lives.   The references in the lyrics here are first to Genesis, chapter 12, where God tells Abram to leave his home and go to Canaan land.  In disobedience to God, Abram takes his whole family and later leaves the land God has called him to, going to Egypt because of a famine.  Abram lies to the Pharaoh and gets in a lot of trouble for his disobedience.  Next, the story of the prodigal son taken from Luke 15:11-22 tells the story of a son who was a backslider in terms of his loyalty to his family and his own self-centeredness.   Finally, Peter's denial of Jesus three times on the night of his arrest and betrayal in Mark 14:30.  We are all backsliders in God's eyes, but we are forgiven.  And, the grace of God is not partial forgiveness it is total and complete.

10.     Forty Days- This song is about the forty days in the wilderness that Satan tempted Jesus.  It follows the story from Matthew, chapter 4, Mark, chapter 1, and, Luke, chapter 4.  There is no mention of this in the Gospel of John.  Satan in the wilderness tempts Jesus and he resists temptation by quoting from the Bible three times.  In our own lives we, too, can resist temptation by relying on our knowledge of scripture, particularly the teachings of Jesus Christ..  This forty-day fast by Jesus is the origin of Lent, coming just before our celebration of the resurrection of Jesus at Easter.  This is a time when we sacrifice in remembrance of the sacrifice that Jesus made.