Mike Pike walked in the footsteps of Jesus and his life was no longer the same.  After two pilgrimages to the Holy Land, Pike strolled through the same topography where many of the spiritual giants of Scripture once traversed.  As a result, Pike was so inspired that he wanted to re-live these stories by singing through the events of the Bible chronologically. "Walk Through the Pages" is Pike's third album and it's also his most ambitious effort to date.  With 807,361 words, 1,189 chapters and 31,173 verses, it is a challenge to set the entire storyline of the Bible to music for a single disc.  Just like the recent made for television "Bible" series, only a select highlight of God's redemptive story here is represented.  Musically, Pike is not the first artist to try to re-tell the Bible's narrative in an album.  Nichole Nordeman attempted the same endeavor in her award-wining "The Story" a couple of years ago with the help of Darlene Zschech, Michael W. Smith, Chris Tomlin, Amy Grant and many others.  While Nordeman's project was aimed at the Christian pop market, Pike has cranked up the twang factor for the country- gospel aficionados. 

The Old Testament is surveyed via the first five cuts.  The title cut and album opener "Walk Through the Pages" is an apology for this project.  Pike aptly explains why redemption was needed, how God brought it about, and what that means for us all brilliantly done within the time space of a song.  Credit must be given to Pike's dad James for penning the song's lyrics.  "Cool of the Day" sets the story of the Bible rolling with how Adam broke the heart of God by rebelling against God.  But Pike doesn't leave the story frozen in time.  Rather, he explains how sin continues to affect us as Adam's descendants.  All of this is done in a lilting country tune that flows gorgeously in melody.  "I Am" and "Gonna Take And Leave It" both continue on the Biblical plot with the former dealing with God's revelation to Abraham, Moses and David while the latter deals with the account of Daniel and his powerful prayer life.  Of note here is "Gonna Take It Leave It" here Pike goes all traditional by doing the much beloved Southern four-part harmony except that he does it alone by singing all parts himself.  "Wake Up Call" continues the Old Testament with a dabble into the Minor Prophets as Jonah gets the lead on this jumping piano only jazzy romp that is fetching.

The New Testament opens with "Hope Has Hands."  Not the best song on the disc, but it shows that Pike can do a contemporary country number that rivals with the best of the Brad Paisleys and Blake Sheltons yet not give up on a Christ centered message.  Most interesting is the snappy guitar-driven propulsive "Pigs Flew," taken from a lesser known story in Mark 5 where Jesus delivered a demon-possessed man and sent the demons to a herd of pigs.  Challenging us that there is nothing impossible for Jesus to do, here Pike donned his bass vocal and shows us that he has a vocal range that can go as deep as a low A.  In a mostly upbeat record, it's good to hear the ballad "Did He Hear Me Cry."  Pike teams with Belinda Stutzman-Davis on a song based on the many cries of the downtrodden and the ill that begged for Jesus' attention both in our Lord's earthly ministry as well as now.  Prepare for your tear ducts to open as Stutzman-Davis, taking the role of the crowd, trades lines with Pike who takes the role of Jesus bringing out the pulse of Jesus in such moving ways.  While the cynosure of the Bible's epic story culminates in penultimate track "The Tomb is Empty."  "The Tomb is Empty" is a mid-tempo exposition of the Risen Christ and how he changes our lives backed with a majestically sounding string-laden backing.

"He Is" ends the album on a grand finale as textures of strings and horns together with Pike's soaring tenor proclaim the greatness of Jesus right through all the books of the Bible and how he is the story of the Bible.  On the whole, Pike gives us a fair, insightful and adequate tour along the pages of the Bible, though Paul and the other New Testament letters are conspicuously missing.  But with only 12 tracks the onus of blame cannot be Pike's.  However, one would wish that Pike and his producer Tommy Cooper would have given us a few more piano ballads as Pike has a gift of moving hearts when he croons.  Nevertheless, this is a noteworthy record-we as Christians need to know our Bibles and we need to present the storyline of the Scriptures when we evangelize.  "Walk Through the Pages" is an essential guide in this regard, and the catchy tunes certainly make the task of getting to know the Bible even easier.