"I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You." - Psalm 119

The glory of God is best revealed through His Word. When we begin to dig into the pages of the Bible, we will begin to see His glory revealed. Everything God has ever done, and everything He will forever do, He does with one intent: to reveal Himself and to receive honor and glory. All throughout the scriptures, we see the different attributes of a Holy God revealed to His people.


When it comes to sharing ideas, feelings and beliefs, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more potent vehicle than music. Needless to say when Mac Powell, the voice of Third Day and one of Christian music's top singer/songwriters, and David Nasser, one of the country's most passionate evangelists, decide to fuse music and scripture, the result is a truly special project. It is Glory Revealed: The Word of God in Worship.

The vision for the project began with Nasser, an Iranian born speaker/author, who, together with Powell, decided to produce a collection of songs taken directly from scripture. The pair wrote many of the songs and pulled the album together by calling on the artists including Michael W. Smith, Brian Littrell, David Crowder, Shane & Shane, and Casting Crown's Mark Hall, to contribute their talents to Glory Revealed.

The project's rootsy, Americana style has a sweet Southern flavor that showcases a different side of Powell's musical personality. On Glory Revealed, Third Day's hard-rocking frontman crafts a disc that veers into country music territory and even flirts ever so slightly with bluegrass by utilizing liberal doses of mandolin and fiddle.

The seeds for Glory Revealed were born out of the friendship between Powell and Nasser. "Mac and I actually met at a Billy Graham event," recalls Nasser. "They had just brought Third Day in to do their music and I was a speaker at that rally. After the event, we ended up having a meal together and just really bonded and began a friendship."

The two became good friends and stayed in touch, even taking their families on vacation together. So when Nasser called to talk about a book he was writing, Mac was intrigued. "It all kind of started with the Holy Spirit putting in my heart a passion to call a generation back to God's word," says Nasser. "We believe that God's word has in it great revelation and that God's glory is revealed through the Bible."

One of the primary goals of Glory Revealed is to have people hear the scripture in the songs and thereby make it part of the fabric of their lives. "What we really wanted from this album was to have songs that people could listen to and enjoy, but also have lyrics you could memorize easily," Powell says. "While we were making this record, I was playing a couple of songs for my family in the car and after about two or three times of hearing these songs, my little girl, Scout, who is seven-years-old, was singing these songs to me. This is scripture in her heart that she has learned just from singing songs a few times. So this is a powerful tool to be able to not only enjoy the music, but to have that scripture memorized."

Initially Powell was going to produce the album and leave the bulk of the songwriting to friends he and Nasser were recruiting, but shortly before they went in the studio, Powell felt a sudden rush of inspiration. "David sent me about eight or 10 scriptures and I wrote five songs in a matter of about two hours, which never happens," says Powell. "To me, it was very evident that the Lord was putting this together. It wasn't me trying to do this on my own."

1. He Will Rejoice (Zephaniah 3:17)    Trevor Morgan 2. By His Wounds (Isaiah 53:5)    Third Day's Mac Powell, Steven Curtis Chapman, Brian Littrell and Casting Crowns' Mark Hall 3. Waters Gone By (Job 11: 13-20)    Hyper Static Union's Shawn Lewis 4. To The Only God (Jude 24-25)    David Crowder and Shane & Shane 5. Glory Revealed (Isaiah 40: 3-5)    Candi Pearson-Shelton 6. Altar Of God (Psalm 43:4)    Josh Bates 7. Come, Worship The King (Jude 25)    Michael W. Smith with Shane & Shane 8. Who Is Like You (Exodus 15: 2, 11, 13)    Starfield's Tim Neufeld 9. Restore To Me (Psalm 51: 9-12)    Third Day's Mac Powell and Candi Pearson-Shelton 10. You Alone (Revelation 15:3-4 and Psalm 34:4-5)    Brian Littrell

Glory Revealed was a labor of love for all those involved. There's a deeply rooted sense of mission and unbridled passion that runs through every track. "By His Wounds" is a poignant look at Jesus' sacrifice that features Powell, Brian Littrell, Casting Crowns' Mark Hall and Steven Curtis Chapman. "To the Only God" is a powerful song written by Chris Tomlin and recorded by David Crowder and Shane & Shane. "David loves Shane and Shane," says Powell. "He used to tour with them and they are good friends. He said, could I do a duet with them?' and I said, Great!' We ended up recording David in the back of the bus."

Michael W. Smith shares, "I have always had a great respect for Mac Powell, as a friend, artist and producer. When he called me to invite me to record for Glory Revealed, I was humbled. It's a unique album I'm proud to have participated in."

Glory Revealed also includes heartfelt performances from Hyper Static Union's Shawn Lewis, Trevor Morgan, Josh Bates, Candi Pearson-Shelton and Tim Neufeld of Starfield. "We really wanted to use some new artists and some independent artists that maybe people don't know a lot about," says Powell. "We wanted to find artists we love and that have fresh new voices on the record."

Powell and Nasser are excited about Glory Revealed becoming a tour in the spring of 2007. "We're going to take it out on the road and play at some churches," Powell says. "We're very excited about not only playing this music together, but spending time with one another on the road. It's going to be a fun time."

Though they are looking forward to lots of fun with friends, there's a powerful sense of purpose that surrounds Glory Revealed. "We definitely want people to be encouraged by these lyrics, encouraged in their walk with God and their relationship with Him," says Powell. "These songs are very powerful and they come from what we consider the greatest book of all time--something that for thousands of years has changed lives and has brought people hope and faith. We hope that people will take from this a stronger understanding of their relationship with God and also a stronger understanding of the Bible. We want to be able to grab hold of it, learn it, let it change our lives, and then in turn let it change the lives of people around us."

Contact:
info@gloryrevealed.com