November 12, 2025 • 67 mins
Country artist Walker Hayes joins Brooke Taylor and Pastor Mark Evans on The Upload to share the powerful story of how he went from skeptic to believer. For years, Walker’s wife Lainey lived out her faith while he stood on the sidelines, unconvinced. But after meeting a man named Craig—a friend whose radical generosity challenged everything Walker thought he knew about love and grace—his heart began to soften.
Then, tragedy struck. During the birth of their daughter, Lainey suffered severe complications, and their baby girl was stillborn. Walker calls that heartbreaking moment the event that “made the knee bow.” What followed was a transformation that changed not only his faith, but his family, his music, and his purpose.
Walker opens up about grief, grace, and the relentless love of a God who met him in the middle of his pain—and never let go.
🎧 Listen now and be inspired by Walker’s powerful testimony of loss, love, and redemption.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, y'all, this is Walker Hayes. The worst pain I
ever felt. It's the most valuable thing I think I'll
probably have on this earth. Don't give me another billboard
with a Jesus thing about if you are, where are
you going today? If you die? You know, like, yeah,
I know the verse, you know, it looks creepy. It's
probably a cult, you know, And I was like, we
should tell somebody where we are before that kidnap us.
(00:21):
It isn't God funny that the greeter dude got me.
God wanted the world to hear about zema. It's like
a wind dude, that what's the hope? You know? If
you can't be saved from yourself, we're screwed. And this
is the upload. This is a new Yeah, it's a
(00:42):
new thing.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
This is a new thing.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Where where where did this come from?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
We want to have conversations about not just the person
on the stage, but are on the stage. So we're
excited to have a conversation with you about because I mean,
your story is insane.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
It's nuts. Yeah, it's hard to uh podcast it up,
you know. Honestly, I talked to so many people and
I always feel like I just gave him the kind
of the nuggets, the sound bites, you know, but then
new ones pop up sometimes and and I love telling
it though, I mean, my story's crazy.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Testimonies in general, people need to hear it because and
no matter how many times you tell it, it doesn't
get old.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
It does. Yeah, it's interesting. That's a great point because, uh,
you know my one of my best friends, Craig, I
mean I could hear his. I mean he says all
the time and honestly, boring is not the work. But
like he didn't have like a car crash or a
drinking problem, you know, he he His is a cool testimony.
But like I'm always am like here he goes again,
(01:44):
and in two minutes, I'm like tearing up, you know,
and I'm like, I don't know, it's kind of a.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
It's like the scripture, like the Bible every time and
like David and glythe here we go again. Yeah, you
know it's yeah, but when Paul says, Timothy old scriptures
of God brings I think about that about our testimonies,
you know, in your story my store, our story is
like could it be the same way it's God breathe
that it's not because it's intent isn't just to understand
(02:11):
a principle, but also to tether to a heart that's fluid,
Like each person's different, so every time it's going to
land differently by the Holy Spirit, it's God breathed. And
so I think that's fascinating that it can take on
different forms because it's meant for other hearts and everyone's
got a different lock or like shape, or like where
(02:31):
they're at right now. And so I love that, bro,
And I think that's even just more confirmation for me.
Speaker 4 (02:37):
It's like, this is a God's story.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
This is just a you know, Wincy Spider climbed up
the water spout kind of story. This is a God
breathes story. And we were just talking about the things
that you've just on a top line level, and I
was listening to a song on the way here about
I drove past my local bar and slowed down a little.
I think it's a song you wrote recently, and I
(03:01):
was just like that hit me on a different level
right now where I'm at, just like that is something
personal for me. I think a lot of people have
felt that you drove past the liquor store and you
just like looked a bit longer, and I just think
it's that freedom reminder that I was meant to hear
that in that moment. Yeah, and so tell us a
(03:24):
little bit, give us open up the story. We've set
the tone that God breathed testimony.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Walker Hayes is on the podcast.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
By the way, everybody Man Glory helped. I mean, I'll
do I'll do my best. I grew up in church,
didn't like it. Always was getting in trouble and it
was always kind of associated with that. You know. I
was a pretty crazy kid, last of nine. My dad
was an ex music minister, gone to selling real estate.
(03:54):
Like he had made zero dollars his whole life until
he was like forty one, and then he started selling
real estate and he just got hooked. You know. We
were in church, dude, Sunday morning, Sunday night. We had
a key to the blasted place. I mean it was like, yeah,
mom was decorating it all the time, you know. But
my earliest memories of church was this old lady that
(04:14):
used to keep me while my parents had choir practice.
When my mom and dad would pick me up, I
would see her whisper like he was running or he
was like whatever, and dude, going home was the worst.
You know. My mom would like get dad's belt and
beat me in circles, you know, And it was like, dude,
I was just running, you know, what's the deal. But
(04:35):
I couldn't stand Church. I mean it just I know.
I enjoyed the friendships. Drank my first zeema with high
school buddies when I was thirteenth. Church buddies. You know,
we were at a playground hanging out after what I
woh okay Australian showing God wanted the world to hear
(04:56):
about zema. It's like a wine dude, you old so you.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
Know, I mean, I'm like thirty seven myself.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
It was like it's kind of like hard Seltzer before
Seltzer was a wild thing, like kind of wine.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Scvibe.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
It's like not an thing.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
It's an alcohol. Maybe it is sprite, yeah, basically, and
you could put a jolly rancher in it and it
would like flavor. So anyway, I found I found so
so I early on in childhood, I developed a hatred
for anything church, and I developed a a crutch on
(05:35):
on alcohol early because honestly, it's a very serious night
when I when I drank that zema. I know this
sounds hilarious, but there was a girl there that I
was nervous to talk to and just shy. Kid. You know,
I'm thirteen, I'm kind of like still growing, you know,
and and I don't know how to talk to girls.
(05:56):
I know how to be stupid, but you know, I
drank that zema and I went from I'm not going
to talk to that girl to Hey, what's up? How
are you tonight?
Speaker 4 (06:06):
You know?
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Oh yeah, And I was like, dude, I got charisma,
you know. I was like, this is crazy. And I
mean immediately, you know, every weekend, every party, any nervous situation,
any talent show, any high school play. I mean I
leaned on alcohol to perform. Even showed up at some
(06:31):
soccer games with the buzz ran some cross country did
awesome with a little buzz, you know, from the night
before carried over. But so I started leaning on alcohol.
My wife and I we moved to Nashville. Fast forward
a little bit, or this will literally get like six
hours long. I married Laney in two thousand and four.
(06:53):
We came to Nashville, started doing the songwriting thing. My
goal was to write songs that famous people saying I
got a couple of record deals. Those felt good, you know,
it felt good for people to like me. But then
I would get dropped and so kind of getting beat up.
Meanwhile at home, we're kind of getting used to the
(07:15):
disdain is a strong word, but like the distance between
here and Mobile just got further, you know, as far
as friends and family, because we weren't making a lot
of sense. We were having kids all the time. I mean,
every time we called home, we were pregnant. But I
never had anything to write home about as far as
(07:37):
music or career wise. So definitely kind of kind of
began to feel like a loser there, still drinking. Lady's
a believer, always has been. She and I never really
thought about that. You know, she knew I would have
said I was an atheist. She was cool with that,
you know. She wasn't like she prayed lot for me
(08:00):
and would I would go with her to a church occasionally.
Didn't like want to. I wasn't like, oh, let's go,
you know, but I was like, hey, you know, this
is your thing, you do my thing, you know. But
then we had kids, and then we would start arguing
a little bit more, it became a little tougher for
us to coexist like that. You know, she would you
do the Noah's ark and I'd be like, I don't
(08:22):
know if there was an arc, you know, you know,
and I would try to be respectful. But there's also
this kind of resentment that happens, and you've got your own, yeah,
like little passive aggressive stuff and the like steak on
the plate of my testimony is kind of evolves two things.
One a friend named Craig, and then two the loss
(08:44):
of our seventh child. So I met Craig about twelve
years ago. I was working at Costco and just doing
that to just make some money and kind of support
the fan, you know, the family we had. We need clothes,
we need food, et cetera. I had just gotten dropped
by Capitol Records and we were down to one car
(09:05):
because I had a van with it was like an
endorsement deal, and I hid the fact that I got
dropped from that dealership. But they eventually found out that
I was no longer assigned Nashville Recording Artists, and they
kind of repossessed the van. They came and took it,
and so we were in this where we just had
(09:26):
a Honda and I had a job. I mean, I
was grateful, you know. And We're still in Nashville doing
the thing. But I'm at Costco and Lanny gets invited
to this church and she gets invited by a woman
named Laura, Laura's Craig's wife. Didn't know Craig at the time.
I didn't just didn't want to go to this church,
you know. And Lanny knows why. Lanny knows every reason why.
(09:47):
She's very nice. She wasn't like, oh, we didn't fight
about it that night. I just was like, do we
have you know, I said. I even said, hey, I
thought we were done with this, like let's find a
community think, you know, like I I thought it was
over and I didn't have to deal with that. And
she drove me to this church on a Saturday night
and I had a good Saturday night, had a good
(10:10):
buzz I was having during football season, and I remember
sitting in the passenger seat saying, Hey, this place looks creepy.
It's probably a cult, you know. And I was like,
we should tell somebody where we are before they kidnap us.
And even she laughed, She was like, that is funny.
Because this place is dark and it is scary, and
it's out in the middle of nowhere and it wasn't
(10:31):
well lit up. So we walk in. I had a
really routine thing, like, look, we're we're like fifteen years
in the Nashville Okay, I've been asked one billion times
what do you do while I'm a singer songwriter? Have
you written anything? We know?
Speaker 3 (10:46):
No?
Speaker 1 (10:46):
And then it just it's like crickets. Yeah, yeah, it's
such a weird. So what I would do is always
hold the baby, because if you hold the youngest and
they're asleep, you're just like just sleep, you know, don't
so you don't get you don't have to do the thing. Yeah,
And so I walk in and I walk in and
(11:07):
I'm hold I think I'm holding Locksley at the time,
she was our fifth And we walk in and man,
Craig just he doesn't care. He's just like so loud
he and and just dude, I'm glad you're here.
Speaker 5 (11:23):
You came in.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
I mean that's exactly what he sounds like. I mean,
just huge eyes. He is elated, he's beside himself, and uh.
And he told me later he says, you know, you
ask a lot of people to come, but nobody does,
which I found interesting. I was like, yeah, I guess
that is true. Like you ask a lot of people
to come to a Bible study or church or whatever
(11:45):
and they're like sure, you know, and and probably the
majority of a response you never see those people again
or they don't bring it up. But he just he swears,
He's like, I just was genuinely jacked that I asked
you to come and you showed up. And but I thought, dude,
just he's a greeter, you know, he's just a really
(12:06):
enthusiastic greet He's jacked about his job, and he's been
waiting on this forever, you know. So it's tiny church
and he's glad we're there, and we we we started
hanging with Craig. Okay, so everything I've told you, Laney
and I, we we have both isolated ourselves from society generally.
(12:28):
We're weird family. You know, we're pretty young looking, you know,
but kids everywhere we walk, everybody you know, turns in,
every restaurant we walk in, walking into this church, the
whole place turned around. Every car we get out of,
it's like, oh my god, the kids just continue, you know,
and we we were just in our on our own
little bubble, and we were used to people being like
(12:50):
those people are crazy, and especially with our families, you know,
they just didn't understand what we were doing. It just
didn't make sense to them. So when a guy like Craig,
who's totally opposite of me, he's somewhere today in a
pair of nice khakis selling something and he looks like
(13:11):
the guy, You're like, dude, I want to be a
family like that guy. He's probably driving a cool car.
You know, his wife has their stuff together, their house
is clean, he's he's in a different land. So to
see a guy like that never stop knocking on my door.
I honestly, after a couple of years, I vividly remember
(13:32):
a conversation with my wife that I that I look
back on and I'm like, man, that's a special thing.
But I remember leaving their house one night, which was
it looked way different than our you know, and they did.
They came to our house, but they fed us a lot,
and uh, you know, Laura will make cookies and like
we could eat everything we wanted. You know, they knew
(13:54):
we had a big family, and they knew I ate
a lot.
Speaker 4 (13:56):
It just was.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
The food was plentiful at their house, and I remember
leaving one night and I was, I was kind of
you know, I was a little tipsy, and I remember
saying to Laney, I remember the intersection where I was at,
and I said, why in the world do they love
us so much? And when I look back on that statement,
I know it's like you really not a lot of
(14:19):
people on life on earth, on your on your little
tiny existence here. That's kind of like a I mean,
that's like a that's a diamond, Like that's a who
gets to say that once in their life? Like whoever
just stops and can think of one person beside your
mom and go, dude, I don't get it. Why does
(14:43):
the dude? Why why I don't understand? And the reason
we don't understand, I don't think is because I don't
do that either, Like I have I have, I have
expectations for people where I go. I don't know if
you're a little bit this now, could you maybe get
out of my little lit area because I don't know
if I want you run my kid. You know, you
(15:05):
drink a lot, you got long hair, you're kind of weird.
You work at Costco. Your songs are kind of like
not amazing, but you wrote another one today, you know,
like I just wasn't used to that. And by the way,
I think that it's it's it's it's interesting now. I
didn't know this then, but when I asked that question,
(15:26):
that's kind of what I think of of of Christ,
well of God every day. You know, Yeah, why do you?
Why do you love us? This month? You know? Will
we ever? I don't really know if we'll ever under
you know, I mean you can learn a lot from
scripture and you can you can embrace God's love, but
you can't. I don't think you can really like, there's
not an end to it, like it's an it's an
(15:47):
eternal love that you'll never really like get to a
it is this why you know? And you'll go, oh,
I get it, I see why you. But so Craig's
loving on me and I eventually quit drinking. It was miraculous.
Just woke up one day at I was thirty five,
woke up and I thought it was gonna die. I
(16:09):
truly just thought, Hey, if I do this again today,
it's over. One day turned two to turn into a week,
week turned into a month. That was insane and then
I told you the loss of our daughter. Incredible experience,
very very sad. Obviously, worst day of my entire life.
My career actually had a little like, you know, after
(16:32):
I met Craig, I had a little little I called
a hit. It's called you broke up with me. And honestly,
I'm not a believer then, but I'm like, okay, dude,
you know everybody's gonna know, you know, And and yeah,
it was a little arrogant moment for me. You know,
I was like, dude, Shazam's you know, is started feeling
good and we kind of get on this like path
(16:54):
where bills are paid and we're like, dude, more kids
bringing on, you know, and Lanny's pregnant with our seventh
at the time, and you know, still kind of hanging
with Craig and stuff and enjoying the fruits of success,
embracing it. You know. I was supposed to sing on
the CMT Awards, and I was like, man, finally do
(17:16):
I get some TV time? And I was just gonna
crush it. And Lanny goes into labor. It was June sixth,
and we lose the baby. She carried Oakley longer than
any child we've ever had. So we were just we
were very overconfident. We were just like, dude, we know
how I could deliver this kid, you know, and then
she goes into labor and life just stopped. I mean
(17:40):
life just I mean it hurt. That's the only way,
you know, I think. I think everything up until my
life ever that I'd ever spent, a heartbreak, a loss
of a grandparent, a dreams being crushed, those paled in
comparison to the emptiness of being in the room. You know,
(18:03):
when the doctor comes in and says, hey, you know,
we we uh delivered your baby. It's a girl, and
you know that's supposed to be a congratulatory and it
was like and we tried to resuscitate and we couldn't.
And I'm you know, I'm like mathing those you know words,
and I'm thinking, honestly, I mean, this sounds crazy. But
(18:25):
my thoughts were, what do you do with the dead?
Like I was like, do you hold do you hold
a dead baby? Do you take a picture of a
dead baby? Do you meet your dead baby without the
mom of the dead. But you know, and I'm dead
baby sounds weird, but that's just all I does. All
I was doing that day was what are you supposed
to do? Do you? I was like, do you bury
(18:47):
a dead baby? What do you do? You name a
dead kid? You know? I these were all just these
weird and then the doctor came in and said, your
wife is still bleeding. We're gonna try to stop it.
And then I'm and then then I go to doomsday,
where I selfishly I'm not I mean, I'm not thinking
about how Lanney feels. I'm not thinking about how my
(19:08):
kids will feel. I'm thinking about what does a dude do,
who's an artist with a C minus career do without
a wife and and but with six kids. You know,
I'm just like, oh goodness. And I'm not saying, oh
my Lord, because I don't believe the Lord exists, you know,
(19:29):
at this time. And so we we get through that Lanny.
They eventually get Lanny's bleeding to stop, which the doctor says,
She's like, I literally wrote down I don't know how,
you know, that's kind of miraculous. And then the day
we buried Oakley was a it was a day I'll
never forget, but it was when you know, I think
(19:52):
I kind of described it the other day. This was
a helpful way of me articulating. Is that because my
vocabulary is not incredible, but it's it's it's almost like,
at this point in life, my knee was like I
feel that it might have been beginning to bow to
maybe not like praise God, but maybe to like yell
(20:14):
at something up there, if that makes any sense. And uh,
the day we buried Oakley, I remember the service was
such a mixture of confusion and emotions because I hated
God that I wouldn't have said existed, and Laney. Out
(20:35):
of respect for Laney, I had Craig and Laura do
to be there and do somewhat of a service. Now, yeah,
we we You know, there's a box, it goes in
the ground. Me and my sons put dirt on it.
And again, mind you, even when I'm telling this story,
it's all my this, my that, my that. When after
(20:57):
that service, I can't explain just I was just furious,
just so furious at religion, at the heat, at my sobriety,
my job felt so stupid. Any consoling effort from anyone
(21:21):
it did the opposite. It made me, even like Lanny's parents,
anything they said, I wanted to pick them up and
just throw them as far as I could. I just
I felt like so angry, and so I was just
gonna go nuts. And so I got in my car.
I just left my house, went to downtown Franklin and
(21:45):
opened my door to go into a bar, and my
wallet wasn't in the door, and so I shut the
door drove back to my house. And when I got
to the house, I can see this too clear. I
wish I could forget this and have come to this
in a different way. But I looked into the mirror
the window of our door, and on a yellow couch
(22:07):
that we had is my wife, my best friend, the
one human who will not allow me to push her away.
I mean, I can just be pressing as hard as
I can and all of my fury and flaws, and
she will not allow me to push her away, or
if I do, she'll just come knock on the door,
(22:29):
you know. And so there she is, all by herself
on the day she buried her daughter. And I don't
know where my kids are. And I was just gonna
take a heap of problems and just dump them on
(22:50):
the chaotic mess that we were already buried in. I mean,
we just you know what I'm saying, and for the
first time I needed a savior. I didn't say it
or like read a Bible that night, but I just
I just kind of was like, honestly, I was like
(23:12):
looking in the mirror, going, man, that's gross. That's gross.
And honestly, you got a lot of people when that's happening, saying, hey,
you have a right to feel this way. Hey, I
don't blame you for this, but I'm looking in the
mirror going that's nasty. And that is who I am.
(23:34):
Left to my own devices, and then I just dwelled
on that for many many months. I remember beginning to
have conversations with Lanny saying I'm sorry, actually she found
me an AA meeting that night, and it was insane.
It saved. That was a life saving meeting. But on
the next few months, I eventually got back on the
(23:55):
road and it was not a satisfying endeavor, you know,
it's life was really and that now I embraced that dim.
I'm like, that's exciting, like there's something else, But at
that point it was kind of a sad dim, like
an empty dim. Not I wouldn't say suicidal, but why
am I what am I doing dim And I would
(24:16):
ask Lannie. I would I would beg her, hey, please, Lany,
please give me an example of someone who is renewed
on this earth because of the Son, because of the Messiah,
the Son of God, you know, almost in like in
a serious way. But but I'm not like saying it
(24:39):
in the most respectful way, but I am communicating it
to my wife. And she would say one night, she said,
what about Paul. You know, She's like, Paul was killing people,
you know, and the dude turned like literally one eighty
on the road to Damask, you know. And I was like,
(24:59):
I mean in the manual, you know. I was like,
it doesn't that doesn't count. It's not the same, you know.
You can't just be like, hey, well there's this book,
you know, I know, there's the book I'm talking I'm
talking about like real life. And she recommended a book
that a friend gave her, and I recommend this book
to anybody. It's called Secrets of an Unlikely Convert and
(25:21):
it's about a girl, a woman named Rosario Butterfield, and
her testimony is bonkers. But in the weirdest way, our
testimonies were literally the same. My need just hadn't hit
the ground yet, you know what I mean. Like and
and she she she dealt with the same, the hypocrisy thing,
(25:43):
you know. She she talks about driving to a church
and feeling a bulletin and having anxiety and leaving, you know,
and and but she talks about a friend and I
think her friend was named Ken, so he's basically Craig,
you know. And uh, in anyway, I mean, it's crazy.
They're they're they're like word for word, except she just surrendered,
(26:05):
you know, and she was she's different. I mean there's
the difference, and it's like she's one way and now
it's different. And so the next day I came in
on a bus, snuck in a bookstore on in Cool Springs.
I bought a Bible and just devoured it. I mean,
(26:25):
just ate it up, read it in anew like you
were saying, it's kind of like liquid. It's new, It's
like it's a life it it Uh you know. I
used to be told growing up as a hero, there
to be a Dan, you know, But when I read it,
I was like, no, Daniel's an idiot, you know, like
they're all these people. It's about humans being humans, God
(26:48):
taking stone hearts, making them flesh and new and seeing redemption.
And then they made mess up again, and then Peter
denies Christ. But then Peter starts the chart, you know,
and it's like it's just us constantly God making amazing
stuff that's that's meant for evil, making it good. And
(27:09):
and again back to the me seeing myself clearly for
once in my life, I wasn't, hey man, this really hurt.
That childhood thing really broke me. Hey I need this.
It was it was no, no, no, no no. I don't
need rescuing from like monsters under the bed or hurricanes
or I don't need a hit song. I don't need
(27:30):
somebody to get me. I need somebody to put me
in like a heavenly straight jacket and make sure I
don't screw it all up. I need, I need, I
need rescued from this right here. This this dude, that's that.
This is the worst, you know, everything else, whatever, but
(27:52):
it's you know, it's that I I I need help
from me, and and that is what happened on the cross,
you know, And it's like, other than that, what's the hope,
you know, if you can't be saved from yourself, we're screwed,
you know, we just are. It's just and so yeah,
(28:12):
I met. I actually had dinner with Craig. Told lady first,
I had dinner with Craig and was like, bro, I believe,
I believe at all. I want to give my life
to Christ. He wants my heart. I want him to
have it. And we were joyed. We cried, pray. He
went to the bathroom, got on his knees and just
you know, praised God. And we've been walking together, you know,
(28:36):
with Lord. You know, since he's about it. He's a brother,
like a real real life brother, you know, and I
think I'm blessed. That's rare. You know, that's really rare
to me. Relationships are super valuable, and relationships like that
with Craig. I mean I didn't have one of those,
(28:57):
and I'm not sure I ever expected to have one
of those in my life again, the last of nine kids.
Unfortunately I don't. I'm not that way with my own blood.
You know, I wish I was. But you know, it'd
be weird if I called one of them. Maybe I
need to clean that up, you know, have some you know,
mercy on somebody and then me. But yeah, me, and
(29:17):
Craig We're just we're great and and it changed my life, man,
I mean yeah, just and that was only Look, dude,
I mean I'm a five year old believer. So I'm
still in like vacation Bible school. I mean I'm learning,
I am, dude. I'm still learning every day. And just
when I think, just when I get on that lofty
like brow, you know, I'm like, who.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
But I think it's so cool how you take your
story of literal bottom of the pit broken.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
Like I'm over here in tears thinking about I have
two little girls, and like, what one little small thing
that could have happened to change that?
Speaker 1 (29:56):
And I know.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
How honest and raw you a are about those feelings
in that room of how you weren't thinking of anybody else,
you were thinking of me.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
Gross. Yeah, it's not.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
Though, I feel like that's the human reaction.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
And there's people in the world that are dealing with
something similar or the exact same thing that are like
you know, I'm gross. Yeah, And your story and the
redemption behind it is going to change and probably has
changed so many people's lives. So I just want to
say from this side looking in, I'm just grateful that
(30:30):
you're willing to be open and share such hard things.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
Yeah, well thanks, No, I mean honestly that you're gonna
make me cry. But yeah, the I don't know how
to I mean again, I actually, honestly, man, I'm so
captivated by by the Lord. You know, as soon as
I met Jesus, there was a lot of like what
(30:55):
do I do now? What's different? You know, it was like, oh,
you know, honestly, it kind of released me from the
slavery of music, the slavery of performance in general. It
did it is set those changes for and I was like, well,
what do we do it? You know, I was like,
(31:15):
where are we going? God? You want to go to Rwanda?
Speaker 5 (31:17):
Wait?
Speaker 1 (31:18):
You know I want to do which is funny, and
that's a human of me going, let's do something sexy, man,
Let's go to like the d R and build houses
or what you know. And then I was and then
I was like, well, I don't I'm not going anywhere,
like I'm still you know, I'm still right here. But
fancy like you know, came along and I was like, well,
(31:39):
I guess you want me to think about Applebee? You know,
I even I even I even did like a I
even audited a seminary class for like a week and
was like, dude, maybe maybe I'm a preacher.
Speaker 5 (31:51):
Bro.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
Yeah, And I was like, I was like, I don't
really like to read that much, you know, but when
fancy like comes along, you know that that's been a burden.
I mean, it's amazing burden. But it's nothing compared to
that losing Oakley. And and in the weirdest way, I
(32:13):
don't know how to describe it, but the worst, the
worst pain I ever felt. It's my It's the it's
the most valuable thing I will I think I'll probably
have on this earth unless so, you know, God forbid
another circumstance crush like that. I pray, I don't, you know.
(32:35):
But in the weirdest way, if you were like, hey,
you're going to have and grab one thing, I'm I mean,
I'm leaving Nashville, I'm leaving my house. I mean, no offense, kids,
and why, but I'm leaving that. I'm bringing that. I'm
bringing what made the knee bow. Yeah, because because that's
(32:57):
where I needed to get, you know, That's that's where
I was born to be, is both knees down, face
down in front of the Messiah, you know, and so yeah,
I know that doesn't I think there's a lot of
people probably hear that and they're like, this dude is insane.
But I don't know. I think Lanny would feel the same.
(33:20):
She'd be like, peace walk. I'm grabbing that moment because
that's when we knew our savior. I mean, that's that's
that's that's where we met him.
Speaker 3 (33:30):
Yeah, it's so powerful, man, I am so real. And
I think, just like you were saying, it's the.
Speaker 4 (33:37):
Paul, like your wife saying, there's Paul.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
Look at Paul.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
I see Paul in you, bro, Like I see the
boasting of the thorn, of the struggle, of the weakness,
the pain, the like his grace. Everything that you're saying,
your story, your life points to his grace, like dude,
And that's beautiful. And I think it's not only just
(34:02):
beautiful and potent, it's real for all of us. Doesn't
matter if you're a preacher, a singer, costco man I
used to work at Big w which is an.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
Australian Australian Australian costco. It's exactly what Big Dubs Manna Dubs.
Speaker 3 (34:19):
Before Big Dubs and elves and were like popular, so
it was kind of like ahead of its time. But
that was my story and I remember like going out
and dude, I just I think back to everybody can
relate to weakness, but everyone wants to hide it. Everyone
can relate to pain, but everyone wants to just talk
(34:40):
about the good times and pulses. I'll boast in my
weakness because in my weakness He's strong. And that when
we look like I just love and that when you're
telling your story, you're like, man, I was, I was
at this place.
Speaker 4 (34:55):
You've got to understand.
Speaker 3 (34:56):
It's the highs, but the lows are where the grace
of God changed my life. I'll take the I'll take
like I'm grateful for the highs. I'm grateful for the mountaintops,
but the valleys where the fruit grows, where the life
change happened, where I met Jesus on my knees like that, bro,
that'll you are a preacher, my friend. You preached with
(35:16):
the testimony of Jesus's grace through your life. And I
think back as I'm listening to your story, the moment
where you were in the car pre all this, I'm
assuming I'm I'm you can help me maybe where it
was in the timeline. But when you said to your wife,
why does this guy love me so much? Where was
that in the timeline of just that awakening to God?
Speaker 1 (35:39):
That was prior, That was prior to losing you know, Oakley.
I mean I was. I was drunk that night. I
mean I remember I was riding in the passenger's seat,
so Lannie was driving us home from their neighborhood in Franklin.
So I mean that was yeah, you know again it
took me a good heart minute, you know, to get there.
(36:03):
But that I agree with you that there's a song
called Craig and in that you can hear that song
and you can go. I mean I even hear it,
and I'm like bro an atheist wrote that, like that
dude's heart's kind of soft, like he's he's one. He's
thinking he's confused. Yeah, he's confused by the supernatural love
(36:25):
of Christ. You know I was, And that, like you said,
I'll never forget asking that question because I was be
prior to this. In meeting Craig, I was a very
like don't let them see your inquisitive side of it,
(36:46):
you know, stand up, stand up against this movement, you know,
you know what I'm saying. And so for me to
like slip up and go, I don't get it. Why
why is he? Why can he love me like that?
Like I was like, what's the catch? What's gonna happen?
(37:07):
You know?
Speaker 2 (37:08):
And how how cool too of God to just be like,
I'm gonna give you a craig so I can explain
my love in a very tangible way for you to
open your eyes to it.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
Really, you know, when like like when I like when
I just make eye contact with like one of my
sons and we're both like thinking an inside joke and
I just walk up to him and like I just
kind of like hug him, and I'm just like and
he laughs. That's what I feel like God does to
(37:40):
me when someone like you reminds me. Because remember this
all started well, I hate church, I hate church people,
I hate anything. I hate, I hate life way, I
hate you know what I mean. It was just, oh,
my Lord, don't say the church.
Speaker 5 (37:55):
What please?
Speaker 1 (37:55):
Don't don't don't give me another billboard with a Jesus
thing about or where are you going today? If you die?
Speaker 4 (38:02):
You know?
Speaker 1 (38:02):
Like I mean, it was like, yeah, I know the
verse you know, it was like and and it isn't
God funny that the greeter dude got me. You know,
it's like it's so funny. It's like that humors me
in the weirdest way. You know. It's like, of all people,
it's this by vocational preacher guy named Craig who gave
(38:26):
us a Chrysler. You know. It's like it's it's it's awesome.
But so Craig adopted me basically, and that's that's what
God does through Christ. You know, that's how we get
in the fam. And you know, when you adopt somebody,
you know everything, you know them and you love them,
and when they slam the door, you know why, and
(38:46):
that's why you go knock. You know, you just love him.
And that's what Craig. I think. I probably try to
push Craig away, you know, and he didn't go anywhere.
That's hard. That's hard to do that. Again, That's why
it's so rare. Like you we're all talking this, but
I'm sure we could all think of people where we're like,
we feel God going that dude needs love, but we're like,
(39:08):
I know, but like have you smelled his breath or
you're like Oh man, he's pretty annoying, you know, you
know what I mean, And that's humanity, that's but Craig
didn't do that, Like it's the weirdest uh. And Craig
didn't do that to everybody. He's not like some type
of angel, you know. That's another thing. But he knew
me and he loved me, and that was so rare.
(39:29):
I never I never tasted that down here.
Speaker 3 (39:33):
That's so it's by that kind of love. Jesus says
that you'll know that you're might decide. And I think
that we all have an appointment set by God to
love people in a way that's not transactional, conditional, that
breaks through. Even though this is what I find it
hard to believe, Like I'll do it as long as
(39:55):
that people like yeah, yeah, yeah, But as soon as
you're like now, I'm like okay, respectfully, like fair enough,
Like I got places to be anyway, I tried. God,
I ticked the box. But for like, it's deeply confronting
and encouraging at the same time. It doesn't make me
feel bad or it stirs me up. Bro to know
that Crey like encouraged me deeply that he didn't even
(40:18):
see the seeds of fruit in you, or the signs
of fruit. In fact, the signs the signs of fruit.
It was kind of like resistance, it was. And that's
so I look at things where I feel resistance right
now in my own life with loving people, and I'm like,
where can I press in a little bit more, and
not out of trying to even outcome focus, but just
(40:38):
out of like the overflow of.
Speaker 4 (40:43):
God.
Speaker 3 (40:43):
This is something you've called me to do, regardless to
keep that appointment to love people well, regardless of whether
I'm feeling it reciprocating. The chemistry is there that's deeply challenging,
and I think potent that that is the backbonus, the seed.
Speaker 1 (40:57):
That one encouraging thing about March some of me that
I try to express to any believers who will listen,
is I just don't think anybody knew, you know, as
much as my wife knows me and as much as
Craig knew me, you just don't know. You don't know
how close the Lord's hand in their hand is. You
(41:20):
just really don't. And you might it might be on
the one yard line, but it doesn't seem like that,
you know. And so there's that that causes me to
think of a few people that I just genuine that
I just do love and honestly, I forget I'm I'm
with them in life and I'm doing life with them
and I'm not. I'm not. Hey, would you like to
(41:40):
read some scripture with me today? You know? But I'm
but I'm I'm. The initial intent was, man, I would
love I would love to see their new believer, like
what what does this do look like? When he found Jesus?
Like I just want to see that day so bad.
But you never know, you just don't know what that
(42:03):
when it's going to happen.
Speaker 2 (42:04):
But yeah, are there people in your life that you
feel like you can be a Craig two or maybe
that you feel like you're that for them?
Speaker 1 (42:11):
Ah, when honestly it is a very emotional thing for me,
Like for instance, maybe some of my kids friends when
I coach basketball, and that'll make that'll make me chear up. Man,
(42:33):
when you see a kid h and they're meeting Jesus
and you're forgetting to like be all about the hoops,
you know, and you're you know, you're working on their
defensive stance, but you see like growth, like you see
a man you see a boy and a young man
meeting Christ. That's that's pretty insane, especially in a in
(42:57):
a great just such gratitude to go. Guy, that's cool
that I that I'm just I'm here to witness it,
you know what I mean that it something kind of
went down in my house or you know, dude, meet
and greets. I know this sounds like cheesy and transactional
or whatever, but when I you know, when somebody walks
(43:19):
up with the glad you're here book and they say,
you know, they say, I'm twenty seven days sober, you know,
and I you know, I was a lot like you
and I walked in church the other day. Yeah, I'm like, bro,
I'll see you in heaven. Man. That's crazy. That's insanity.
Speaker 4 (43:44):
You know.
Speaker 1 (43:44):
There's the there's the like we've dealt a lot. How
do I say this, Like we've given people cars, but
it doesn't feel it feels a little like, hey, we
gave somebody a car, you know, but I do think
of them and go, I'm so glad. I'm so glad
(44:05):
they have a clean car, you know, because I know
what it's like to have that burden lifted, and so
I love things like that. But yeah, man, anytime I
see you, I just told you a part of my story.
You can only imagine when I see God doing good
works through me, my wife, my kids, my family, I'm
(44:28):
really humbled. I'm really like, man, I didn't see this coming.
I didn't expect this, like it would have been enough.
It's amazing.
Speaker 2 (44:38):
I feel like I just want to encourage you too,
because I feel like when you were talking about the
meet and greets, are like, I know this sounds weird,
this might sound transactional, but like, how cool that God
trusted you, Yeah, the walker who was drinking himself to
death working at Costco. Yeah, hating him and being very
vocal about it. He trusted you to lead people to Christ.
Speaker 1 (45:02):
Yeah that is yeah, Yeah, that amazing. I mean what
a tall Yeah that does it get any like, I mean,
that's that's that's the amazing. Part of the process is
definitely watching that happen. And also, you guys need to
talk to Craig Man. Craig, Craig, Craig, this is insane.
I did not know this about the song till till
(45:24):
we wrote the book. Glad You're here, but Craig, this
is this astounds me. It kind of breaks my heart
for for ministers and believers in general.
Speaker 5 (45:33):
But Craig had just begged the Lord that day, pleaded
with the Lord, cried out to the Lord, H what.
Speaker 1 (45:46):
Impact am I having? Like? And then that night my
wife actually sent the Craig song because I was like,
I don't know, man, it's weird to write a song
about a dude and send it like he's gonna freak
out when he was email and I wrote a song
called Craig, you know, and she sent it to him
and in his despair, I mean, he was on a
(46:06):
date with his wife, pouring out his inadequacy, and she said,
I think we need to listen to this, and crag
and the song Craig came on in the car, which
is basically saying, man, I don't know anything about this dude,
but I know he knows. I know he might know Jesus.
And so that was cool, Like that was a whole
(46:27):
nother that was like another testimony going on at the
same time that I didn't even know. And of course
Craig's got to be going, God, you're using an atheist
to love on me. This is balker, you know. And
he details it, you know, way better than me. But yo,
see it, man, just again the miracle that I mean,
(46:49):
imagine how Paul must have felt like he got to
start the whole freaking sh bang. You know, that's crazy.
What a turn of events, you know, like that's insane.
But yeah, that's that's such a to me. That's like
a a reoccurring completion of the testimonial sentence. Somehow. It's like,
(47:11):
bam see, I told you, bam see, I told you.
Know what I mean, just to see those around you
just falling in love with Jesus's it's it's insane.
Speaker 2 (47:22):
Yeah, And I feel like going back to you saying,
you know, kids, basketball teams, these kids, Yeah, you've got
six kids. Yeah, when it comes to you being a
leader in your home, you know, leading them to Jesus.
And what is something you want your kids to learn
from your faith and your faith journey and and just
where you are, like, what are you what are you
(47:43):
hoping your kids take away from that?
Speaker 1 (47:45):
Just sheer dependency, that's it. I don't, I don't. I
don't want them to like I don't want them to.
I just want them to rely on Jesus and him alone.
That's it. Nothing, you know, I think my kids have
to I noted as they get older, you know, they're
where am I gonna go? What am I gonna do?
(48:06):
What am wena do for a job? Will it be successful?
Will I not? Will I find a girlfriend? Will I find?
You know? And it's like, that's just seek first the
Kingdom of God and his righteousness and everything else. You're good, dude,
Like you're good, trust me. But then they watch me
(48:26):
and I I the Hey, I struggle with that too. Man.
I see a see a dollar bill run by it,
I'm like, hold on, wait, I need that, you know,
or you know, I see some affirmation to be to
be had, and I'm like, dude, I gotta post for
y'all today, you know. And and and I fight, you know,
I get it. I'm I'm me. But I just want them,
(48:49):
I hope when I die, I just want them to, man,
be the coolest thing. If they were like, man, he
really really wanted to love Jesus with everything he had.
You know, that'd be sick, you know if my kids
would say that. But that's that's kind of what I'm
(49:09):
trying to teach him, because the other way just doesn't
work out that great, you know, it just doesn't you know, God,
God has a way and the truth and a light
and it's Jesus. And that is the you know, as
much as I don't want to be a teacher or
a coach all the time, it's like, would you like
(49:32):
to thrive in ways bigger than your career blowing up,
or in ways bigger than your you mattering to the masses.
Here's Jesus. Just do that. Just he wants your heart,
let him have it.
Speaker 3 (49:49):
I think there's so many people wrestling with purpose, like
wrestling with restlessness. Yeah, like what's the point, here's this place.
When I get here, I'll be happy I'm doing this
so and I think even drinking and anything we use
(50:12):
to kind of like just just for a little bit
while I'm wrestling until I get to the point where
I don't need this anymore. And that's the trap.
Speaker 4 (50:19):
And what I hear in your story.
Speaker 3 (50:22):
Is this divine purpose like this you're not talking about
even like what you could. We could be talking about
a lot of things right now, we're talking about new songs,
we'd be talking about this the highest moment we could
be talking about, But you're talking about Jesus purpose. And
I love so much that out of all of the
bull's eyes, we could be focusing on this seek first
(50:45):
the Kingdom of God, loving others. I just want to
say that it's inspiring that I think that you've found
the antidote to the restlessness. Not the fact that we
don't wrestle, not the fact that we don't feel and
the struggle, but like, what is that? And as you've
been as we kind of how would we wrap that
(51:06):
up to a bulls someone who's feeling restless and struggling
with purpose?
Speaker 4 (51:10):
What would you say to them right now?
Speaker 1 (51:13):
Mmm? Well, I try to put myself. I try to
go backwards when you ask that question and imagine me, Yeah,
pre you know, christ, I probably wouldn't be listening to
this podcast, but I think. I mean, the first two
(51:35):
words that come to mine are just he knows you're
not alone. And that's not that is whit? What a true?
I mean, you hit the nail on the head. That's
every that's every kid, that's everybody I know is driving
around in their car today just going what do I do?
(51:58):
And usually usually whatever we're doing is just a coping mechanism.
I try to some days, I try to look back
on my day and go what wasn't a coping mechanism,
And sadly, as a bond servant of Jesus Christ, I
can't think of one thing that wasn't just to cope.
Even my family. I hang out with my family just
(52:21):
to not be bored, you know, I don't know, or
to feel good, you know. And so yeah, I would
just say he knows and he loves you so good.
Speaker 2 (52:31):
I'm just curious to know with Earlier in our conversation
you were talking about how you basically stopped chasing this
like performance. Yeah, you know, music is a plus. Yeah,
it's not the life anymore, right, Yeah, So your perspective
on how you're making music and what you're saying, or
even if it does well or if it doesn't, your
(52:53):
perspective now being on the other side of you know,
atheist like all the way on this side to where
you are now, your approach to music and how different
it is, you know, having a relationship with Christ.
Speaker 1 (53:04):
Yeah, I honestly, Laura Craig's wife, we were just at
McAllister's the other day and we were we were talking
about what you're saying, and I agree she she gets
full credit for this and I'd heard this kind of
concept from a pastor. I forget who said it, but
(53:28):
he does this awesome sermon called like drinking orange Juice
to the Glory of God, and I always thought it
was kind of corny, but anyway, well, basically the concept
is like I see music now as it's kind of
like it's what God did when he made the earth,
(53:50):
Like he he just was like, Papa, how about this,
you know? And he was like, He's just like the
greatest artist ever, you know, just building the earth and
this eating people want to do. When I look in
your face and I hear your voice from Australia, I'm
just like, God, You're You're crazy, dude. You've made this guy,
you know? And and uh and not not only like
(54:11):
your physical you, but like your life like what what
you what your soul has in it? And you too,
you know and and uh and so I kind of
see that as now. I try I attempt to see
all those things and to do those things in my
job as worship. Like when I'm when I'm when I'm
(54:33):
writing a song, I I it's a it's I'm God's
still there, like we're still hanging and I'm like, what
a line. You know, it's cool that those words existed
and you can put them in this order and then
they ride, you know, and you're like, but they were
sitting there for eternity and now they're laying here and
you know, we just did that doe and and uh,
(54:54):
you know, look do I go in some days and
life is just a nine to five And I'm just like,
oh man, but no, I mean, I kind of it's
it's what's crazy, is it released me from the bondage
of that performance. But the fact that I get to
do that became more beautiful than ever and is now
(55:18):
you know, but it's a more freeing process. It's like,
you know, we my my, my team and I we
beg the Lord to get us out the way, like
let us not take one moment, you know that that
we get to paint with notes and words. And I'm
with a band that I've been with twelve years and
(55:39):
we've watched each other's kids grow up and some have
had cancer and some have survived. And we're up there
in tight pants, acting stupid, and it's like and it's
just worse. It's like it's like there's a sense of
gratitude while we're doing it all and it it's all
from God and it's all for God, and we mix
(56:00):
it up. You know, people cheer and you're like, I'm
a pretty good dancer, you know, but it's like wha,
well nah, you know, and and so yeah, it's more
you know my music, and I think you know, yeah,
I think you can. I think you can hear when
any song I write, Man, I'm just having a blast.
(56:21):
Like whether it's like dead serious and makes you want
to cry or call your dad, or whether it's just funny.
I mean, I'm I'm I've had more fun as a
believer making music than I ever had before. And I
think it's I think it's because I've been able to
see it and just to value creativity in general. I
(56:44):
am such a believer that every human is creative, even
the ones that say they're not. And I think that
is that's one of my favorite characteristics about God in general,
is He's just the creator. You know.
Speaker 2 (57:00):
I feel like there's one thing I'd take away from
your testimony. It's just the tangible joy that God is
allowed me to feel. Yes, because before talking about everything
you're going through, what you're feeling day to day, it's
just like, like you said, it's just like another day
we're here. Why is that person so nice? Why do
they like me? And now you're just like on fire,
like this is fun, like you're allowed to have fun.
(57:22):
You have so much joy and you're just lighter.
Speaker 1 (57:25):
Yeah, I mean, I think, honestly, just people. Man, It's
it's like, you know, we don't I think sadly humans.
Don't you stop for a second and be like, dude,
this cup of coffee, I mean, okay from a bean
that's brown and rewanda, you know, and this guy brought
(57:49):
it here and now this guy served it to me
and I just gave him a piece of paper that's green,
and you know, like life's kind of crazy, like just
the normal stuff. It's pretty amazing. And we don't we're
just like o, hum, you know whatever. Competition man, Like
we you know again going back to the I love
(58:11):
coaching basketball, but that's crazy, dude, that we get out
there and sweat comes from our poores and we feel like,
you know, and then we're like, dude, good game. You know.
It's just there's a lot of beautiful things that just
happen on a daily basis that aren't like We didn't
get a Grammy, you know or whatever, but it's pretty
(58:31):
amazing that that's how we relate with one another. And
there's lessons in sports and we have taste buds and
I don't know, like Uber drivers, for instance, imagine how
many people they meet every day. That's insane from everywhere.
Speaker 4 (58:46):
All O.
Speaker 1 (58:47):
You and I probably had the same Uber driver. That
blows I know you know.
Speaker 3 (58:54):
Yeah, have you met James James?
Speaker 1 (58:57):
Now you get close with me and James's.
Speaker 3 (59:01):
But even the fact that you, like you say, there's
so much beauty, so much intentionality when you're looking and
you have eyes to see purpose.
Speaker 4 (59:08):
Yeah, eyes of purpose. Bro. You oose that I'm making
random noises right now.
Speaker 3 (59:14):
I'm just my mouth is just like trained to make
random noises.
Speaker 1 (59:18):
We just crazy. What is a laugh now?
Speaker 4 (59:21):
I'm just like.
Speaker 1 (59:23):
Laugh laugh laughter, dude. Yeah, isn't it crazy when something
cracks you up. You're like like you're you're like you're
like a bagpipe. That's like and it's just that's just
what he means in the horn section. Dude, even sad,
like it's crazy, get you sad and literally your eyes
(59:45):
just like rain, just like a dark sky. I'm seriously, that's.
Speaker 2 (59:51):
So true, and I love it. It's almost like that
childlike faith that people talk about all the time. You're
just like in awe of everything and how much sweeter
life as that way.
Speaker 1 (01:00:01):
It's amazing, it's insane.
Speaker 4 (01:00:03):
My prayer is just.
Speaker 3 (01:00:07):
The old walkers that are out there, the old marks
and old brooks that are out there listening, or even
people we know them, that we can reach out and
be the craigs. I just think, like, God, infuse me
with the beauty the eyes of purpose. Infuse me with
eyes like you're talking about to see, you know. I'm like,
(01:00:27):
so I'm worried about the creases and the curtain and things,
and I'm just like, but I missed the beauty of
language in my uber conversation.
Speaker 1 (01:00:35):
Yeah, like you know. And I think.
Speaker 4 (01:00:39):
God give me eyes to see, you know.
Speaker 3 (01:00:41):
And I think that's when Jesus praised that of like
really praise for people like ears to hear and eyes
to see, and that I wouldn't miss it, that I
wouldn't just just wander through life and miss chasing this
shadow of this idea that I that I think will
do it for me. That a lot of it. I've
(01:01:03):
got four kids, and I'm thinking about the dinner that
I've got to go and this stuff and the other thing.
I'm just like, I'm so excited now to taste and
smell whatever it is on the table, like and so
I really love So it's so refreshing, Bro to hear
your perspective and just to see your humility and the
purpose and the purpose that's behind it. And look not perfection,
(01:01:30):
but man, I can there's so much that I can
see beyond if I can just have eyes a purpose
and that I get so caught up in a little
tiny thing. So man, it's inspiring your inspiration, and I'm
excited for the seeds.
Speaker 4 (01:01:45):
Of this conversation.
Speaker 2 (01:01:47):
Same before we end, I want to know if there's
something specific for you family member, anybody that we can
pray for you guys.
Speaker 1 (01:01:54):
About man, you know, yeah, I'm gonna shoot that list
is long, but uh, one thing that's constantly on my mind.
I have a sister who takes care of my mom.
She's angelic that that she does. That my mom is
is in good health. But since my dad died, the
(01:02:16):
family is we're separated. You know, that's a thing, Like
you pray for Waila, that's my sister, and she's she's
just doing such a good job and pray for my
mom and uh, that's a good one. And then yeah,
there is I'm trying to think Leela is very I
(01:02:38):
hope she wouldn't mind me saying that she could. She
could got some anxiety, and you know, I think there's
a real loud world saying figure it out. What are
you gonna do? How are you gonna how are you
gonna matter? You know? Uh, you know, and I just
I don't know. I just want her to just can't
(01:02:59):
just hey, just you're good. You know, God wants you somewhere.
You'll go there, trust me, stick you in a whale,
spit you out on the beach.
Speaker 4 (01:03:08):
Bro.
Speaker 1 (01:03:09):
Yeah, It's like, I mean, can we escape that reality? No?
You know, so I'm like, dude, enjoy enjoy today, look
at today, you know. But yeah, man, I mean I
think I think my my family we could use a
lot of prayer. It's funny. As vulnerable as I love
(01:03:31):
to communicate and continue to like pre I just love,
I'm just like, hey, man, let's just lay it all
out there, because it's way less exhausting than like hiding it.
You know, I'm not that good with my own family,
and so I could we could all use a healthy
(01:03:52):
dose of that.
Speaker 2 (01:03:53):
So, yeah, when you say you're not good with your family,
you mean like your relationships.
Speaker 1 (01:03:58):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's uh, it's funny like I would.
I mean, I don't even really know y'all that well.
But if you're like, hey, what are you struggling with?
You'll be like, dude, sorry I asked, you know, but
I'm not my family and I are not like that.
You know, it's a it's not which is weird. Maybe
(01:04:19):
I'm a complete over correction, you know.
Speaker 2 (01:04:23):
But yeah, listen, I just want to just speak to
you first. I can say you're not You're not You're
not alone. Yeah, why is I have I have six
there's six kids in our family. There's five siblings. I'm
the second oldest, so I'm on the top of that.
It varies day by day. We don't all get along
at the same time ever, So broken families, especially when
(01:04:47):
it comes to like different personalities and you know, religion, politics,
all the things.
Speaker 1 (01:04:53):
It's hard todays is very like, that's crazy.
Speaker 2 (01:04:56):
So I would just if I can encourage you, it's
you're not weird, It's not abnormal to not have those
close knit relationships. But God can restore it and I
believe that.
Speaker 1 (01:05:07):
So yeah, ye not seeing that, Yeah, that's there I do.
On the other side, with with some of Laney's family,
it's just God all over. I mean there there's some
there's some redemption and some relationships that y'all if I
told you like me and Lanny's dad, it's insane. Uh
(01:05:29):
where we are now, I mean it's crazy. And it's
not just because I got famous or something, you know,
it's it's it's some real stuff. Yeah. So I know, yeah,
I can, I can attest it, can it can happen,
But yeah, families. Family is weird.
Speaker 2 (01:05:46):
Family is weird, but thankfully we all have each other.
Speaker 1 (01:05:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:05:50):
All right, Well I'm gonna pray us out if that's cool.
All right, Dear havingly Father, Lord, just thank you for
Walker's heart, thank you for his vulnerability to share his testimony. God,
and we just we boldly pray and ask for restoration
for his family today. Lord, we pray over his sister
taking care of his mom, Lord, that you would just
equip her with every tool that she needs to continue
(01:06:13):
to do that. Lord, we pray healing over his mom.
We pray just the word restoration all over his family, spouses, siblings, cousins,
everything that their family's going through. Lord, we just pray
restoration over it. And God, I just boldly pray over
Walker's kids, Lord, that you would just raise them up
(01:06:33):
to just be vessels for you, that you would just
allow them to not just be Walker Hayes's kids, Lord,
but they would have their own identities, and that they
would just be bold in every aspect of their life. God.
And I pray over Walker, and we pray for Craig
and Laura. We pray over Laney and Walker. God. We
(01:06:54):
just we ask that you continue to bless their friendship,
bless their marriages. That it's very a parent that everything
Walker touches is because of you. Lord, and we just
ask that you bless it and you continue to bless
him and his family through it. Lord. And we just
thank you for everybody listening right now, Lord, the atheist
that might be listening that is inspired by Walker's story. Lord,
(01:07:14):
we just pray over them and there in their heart
that they would know you.
Speaker 1 (01:07:19):
God.
Speaker 2 (01:07:19):
We just thank you for these platforms to be able
to talk to you and about you and give you
all of the glory through it. Lord, so thank you
for the upload, thank you for the people behind the cameras,
everybody that helps it happen. God, just thank you for
all of it. In Jesus name, we pray.
Speaker 1 (01:07:36):
Amen. Amen, Amen who
Hey, y'all, this is Walker Hayes. The worst pain I
ever felt. It's the most valuable thing I think I'll
probably have on this earth. Don't give me another billboard
with a Jesus thing about if you are, where are
you going today? If you die? You know, like, yeah,
I know the verse, you know, it looks creepy. It's
probably a cult, you know, And I was like, we
should tell somebody where we are before that kidnap us.
(00:21):
It isn't God funny that the greeter dude got me.
God wanted the world to hear about zema. It's like
a wind dude, that what's the hope? You know? If
you can't be saved from yourself, we're screwed. And this
is the upload. This is a new Yeah, it's a
(00:42):
new thing.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
This is a new thing.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Where where where did this come from?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
We want to have conversations about not just the person
on the stage, but are on the stage. So we're
excited to have a conversation with you about because I mean,
your story is insane.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
It's nuts. Yeah, it's hard to uh podcast it up,
you know. Honestly, I talked to so many people and
I always feel like I just gave him the kind
of the nuggets, the sound bites, you know, but then
new ones pop up sometimes and and I love telling
it though, I mean, my story's crazy.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Testimonies in general, people need to hear it because and
no matter how many times you tell it, it doesn't
get old.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
It does. Yeah, it's interesting. That's a great point because, uh,
you know my one of my best friends, Craig, I
mean I could hear his. I mean he says all
the time and honestly, boring is not the work. But
like he didn't have like a car crash or a
drinking problem, you know, he he His is a cool testimony.
But like I'm always am like here he goes again,
(01:44):
and in two minutes, I'm like tearing up, you know,
and I'm like, I don't know, it's kind of a.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
It's like the scripture, like the Bible every time and
like David and glythe here we go again. Yeah, you
know it's yeah, but when Paul says, Timothy old scriptures
of God brings I think about that about our testimonies,
you know, in your story my store, our story is
like could it be the same way it's God breathe
that it's not because it's intent isn't just to understand
(02:11):
a principle, but also to tether to a heart that's fluid,
Like each person's different, so every time it's going to
land differently by the Holy Spirit, it's God breathed. And
so I think that's fascinating that it can take on
different forms because it's meant for other hearts and everyone's
got a different lock or like shape, or like where
(02:31):
they're at right now. And so I love that, bro,
And I think that's even just more confirmation for me.
Speaker 4 (02:37):
It's like, this is a God's story.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
This is just a you know, Wincy Spider climbed up
the water spout kind of story. This is a God
breathes story. And we were just talking about the things
that you've just on a top line level, and I
was listening to a song on the way here about
I drove past my local bar and slowed down a little.
I think it's a song you wrote recently, and I
(03:01):
was just like that hit me on a different level
right now where I'm at, just like that is something
personal for me. I think a lot of people have
felt that you drove past the liquor store and you
just like looked a bit longer, and I just think
it's that freedom reminder that I was meant to hear
that in that moment. Yeah, and so tell us a
(03:24):
little bit, give us open up the story. We've set
the tone that God breathed testimony.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Walker Hayes is on the podcast.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
By the way, everybody Man Glory helped. I mean, I'll
do I'll do my best. I grew up in church,
didn't like it. Always was getting in trouble and it
was always kind of associated with that. You know. I
was a pretty crazy kid, last of nine. My dad
was an ex music minister, gone to selling real estate.
(03:54):
Like he had made zero dollars his whole life until
he was like forty one, and then he started selling
real estate and he just got hooked. You know. We
were in church, dude, Sunday morning, Sunday night. We had
a key to the blasted place. I mean it was like, yeah,
mom was decorating it all the time, you know. But
my earliest memories of church was this old lady that
(04:14):
used to keep me while my parents had choir practice.
When my mom and dad would pick me up, I
would see her whisper like he was running or he
was like whatever, and dude, going home was the worst.
You know. My mom would like get dad's belt and
beat me in circles, you know, And it was like, dude,
I was just running, you know, what's the deal. But
(04:35):
I couldn't stand Church. I mean it just I know.
I enjoyed the friendships. Drank my first zeema with high
school buddies when I was thirteenth. Church buddies. You know,
we were at a playground hanging out after what I
woh okay Australian showing God wanted the world to hear
(04:56):
about zema. It's like a wine dude, you old so you.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
Know, I mean, I'm like thirty seven myself.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
It was like it's kind of like hard Seltzer before
Seltzer was a wild thing, like kind of wine.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Scvibe.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
It's like not an thing.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
It's an alcohol. Maybe it is sprite, yeah, basically, and
you could put a jolly rancher in it and it
would like flavor. So anyway, I found I found so
so I early on in childhood, I developed a hatred
for anything church, and I developed a a crutch on
(05:35):
on alcohol early because honestly, it's a very serious night
when I when I drank that zema. I know this
sounds hilarious, but there was a girl there that I
was nervous to talk to and just shy. Kid. You know,
I'm thirteen, I'm kind of like still growing, you know,
and and I don't know how to talk to girls.
(05:56):
I know how to be stupid, but you know, I
drank that zema and I went from I'm not going
to talk to that girl to Hey, what's up? How
are you tonight?
Speaker 4 (06:06):
You know?
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Oh yeah, And I was like, dude, I got charisma,
you know. I was like, this is crazy. And I
mean immediately, you know, every weekend, every party, any nervous situation,
any talent show, any high school play. I mean I
leaned on alcohol to perform. Even showed up at some
(06:31):
soccer games with the buzz ran some cross country did
awesome with a little buzz, you know, from the night
before carried over. But so I started leaning on alcohol.
My wife and I we moved to Nashville. Fast forward
a little bit, or this will literally get like six
hours long. I married Laney in two thousand and four.
(06:53):
We came to Nashville, started doing the songwriting thing. My
goal was to write songs that famous people saying I
got a couple of record deals. Those felt good, you know,
it felt good for people to like me. But then
I would get dropped and so kind of getting beat up.
Meanwhile at home, we're kind of getting used to the
(07:15):
disdain is a strong word, but like the distance between
here and Mobile just got further, you know, as far
as friends and family, because we weren't making a lot
of sense. We were having kids all the time. I mean,
every time we called home, we were pregnant. But I
never had anything to write home about as far as
(07:37):
music or career wise. So definitely kind of kind of
began to feel like a loser there, still drinking. Lady's
a believer, always has been. She and I never really
thought about that. You know, she knew I would have
said I was an atheist. She was cool with that,
you know. She wasn't like she prayed lot for me
(08:00):
and would I would go with her to a church occasionally.
Didn't like want to. I wasn't like, oh, let's go,
you know, but I was like, hey, you know, this
is your thing, you do my thing, you know. But
then we had kids, and then we would start arguing
a little bit more, it became a little tougher for
us to coexist like that. You know, she would you
do the Noah's ark and I'd be like, I don't
(08:22):
know if there was an arc, you know, you know,
and I would try to be respectful. But there's also
this kind of resentment that happens, and you've got your own, yeah,
like little passive aggressive stuff and the like steak on
the plate of my testimony is kind of evolves two things.
One a friend named Craig, and then two the loss
(08:44):
of our seventh child. So I met Craig about twelve
years ago. I was working at Costco and just doing
that to just make some money and kind of support
the fan, you know, the family we had. We need clothes,
we need food, et cetera. I had just gotten dropped
by Capitol Records and we were down to one car
(09:05):
because I had a van with it was like an
endorsement deal, and I hid the fact that I got
dropped from that dealership. But they eventually found out that
I was no longer assigned Nashville Recording Artists, and they
kind of repossessed the van. They came and took it,
and so we were in this where we just had
(09:26):
a Honda and I had a job. I mean, I
was grateful, you know. And We're still in Nashville doing
the thing. But I'm at Costco and Lanny gets invited
to this church and she gets invited by a woman
named Laura, Laura's Craig's wife. Didn't know Craig at the time.
I didn't just didn't want to go to this church,
you know. And Lanny knows why. Lanny knows every reason why.
(09:47):
She's very nice. She wasn't like, oh, we didn't fight
about it that night. I just was like, do we
have you know, I said. I even said, hey, I
thought we were done with this, like let's find a
community think, you know, like I I thought it was
over and I didn't have to deal with that. And
she drove me to this church on a Saturday night
and I had a good Saturday night, had a good
(10:10):
buzz I was having during football season, and I remember
sitting in the passenger seat saying, Hey, this place looks creepy.
It's probably a cult, you know. And I was like,
we should tell somebody where we are before they kidnap us.
And even she laughed, She was like, that is funny.
Because this place is dark and it is scary, and
it's out in the middle of nowhere and it wasn't
(10:31):
well lit up. So we walk in. I had a
really routine thing, like, look, we're we're like fifteen years
in the Nashville Okay, I've been asked one billion times
what do you do while I'm a singer songwriter? Have
you written anything? We know?
Speaker 3 (10:46):
No?
Speaker 1 (10:46):
And then it just it's like crickets. Yeah, yeah, it's
such a weird. So what I would do is always
hold the baby, because if you hold the youngest and
they're asleep, you're just like just sleep, you know, don't
so you don't get you don't have to do the thing. Yeah,
And so I walk in and I walk in and
(11:07):
I'm hold I think I'm holding Locksley at the time,
she was our fifth And we walk in and man,
Craig just he doesn't care. He's just like so loud
he and and just dude, I'm glad you're here.
Speaker 5 (11:23):
You came in.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
I mean that's exactly what he sounds like. I mean,
just huge eyes. He is elated, he's beside himself, and uh.
And he told me later he says, you know, you
ask a lot of people to come, but nobody does,
which I found interesting. I was like, yeah, I guess
that is true. Like you ask a lot of people
to come to a Bible study or church or whatever
(11:45):
and they're like sure, you know, and and probably the
majority of a response you never see those people again
or they don't bring it up. But he just he swears,
He's like, I just was genuinely jacked that I asked
you to come and you showed up. And but I thought, dude,
just he's a greeter, you know, he's just a really
(12:06):
enthusiastic greet He's jacked about his job, and he's been
waiting on this forever, you know. So it's tiny church
and he's glad we're there, and we we we started
hanging with Craig. Okay, so everything I've told you, Laney
and I, we we have both isolated ourselves from society generally.
(12:28):
We're weird family. You know, we're pretty young looking, you know,
but kids everywhere we walk, everybody you know, turns in,
every restaurant we walk in, walking into this church, the
whole place turned around. Every car we get out of,
it's like, oh my god, the kids just continue, you know,
and we we were just in our on our own
little bubble, and we were used to people being like
(12:50):
those people are crazy, and especially with our families, you know,
they just didn't understand what we were doing. It just
didn't make sense to them. So when a guy like Craig,
who's totally opposite of me, he's somewhere today in a
pair of nice khakis selling something and he looks like
(13:11):
the guy, You're like, dude, I want to be a
family like that guy. He's probably driving a cool car.
You know, his wife has their stuff together, their house
is clean, he's he's in a different land. So to
see a guy like that never stop knocking on my door.
I honestly, after a couple of years, I vividly remember
(13:32):
a conversation with my wife that I that I look
back on and I'm like, man, that's a special thing.
But I remember leaving their house one night, which was
it looked way different than our you know, and they did.
They came to our house, but they fed us a lot,
and uh, you know, Laura will make cookies and like
we could eat everything we wanted. You know, they knew
(13:54):
we had a big family, and they knew I ate
a lot.
Speaker 4 (13:56):
It just was.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
The food was plentiful at their house, and I remember
leaving one night and I was, I was kind of
you know, I was a little tipsy, and I remember
saying to Laney, I remember the intersection where I was at,
and I said, why in the world do they love
us so much? And when I look back on that statement,
I know it's like you really not a lot of
(14:19):
people on life on earth, on your on your little
tiny existence here. That's kind of like a I mean,
that's like a that's a diamond, Like that's a who
gets to say that once in their life? Like whoever
just stops and can think of one person beside your
mom and go, dude, I don't get it. Why does
(14:43):
the dude? Why why I don't understand? And the reason
we don't understand, I don't think is because I don't
do that either, Like I have I have, I have
expectations for people where I go. I don't know if
you're a little bit this now, could you maybe get
out of my little lit area because I don't know
if I want you run my kid. You know, you
(15:05):
drink a lot, you got long hair, you're kind of weird.
You work at Costco. Your songs are kind of like
not amazing, but you wrote another one today, you know,
like I just wasn't used to that. And by the way,
I think that it's it's it's it's interesting now. I
didn't know this then, but when I asked that question,
(15:26):
that's kind of what I think of of of Christ,
well of God every day. You know, Yeah, why do you?
Why do you love us? This month? You know? Will
we ever? I don't really know if we'll ever under
you know, I mean you can learn a lot from
scripture and you can you can embrace God's love, but
you can't. I don't think you can really like, there's
not an end to it, like it's an it's an
(15:47):
eternal love that you'll never really like get to a
it is this why you know? And you'll go, oh,
I get it, I see why you. But so Craig's
loving on me and I eventually quit drinking. It was miraculous.
Just woke up one day at I was thirty five,
woke up and I thought it was gonna die. I
(16:09):
truly just thought, Hey, if I do this again today,
it's over. One day turned two to turn into a week,
week turned into a month. That was insane and then
I told you the loss of our daughter. Incredible experience,
very very sad. Obviously, worst day of my entire life.
My career actually had a little like, you know, after
(16:32):
I met Craig, I had a little little I called
a hit. It's called you broke up with me. And honestly,
I'm not a believer then, but I'm like, okay, dude,
you know everybody's gonna know, you know, And and yeah,
it was a little arrogant moment for me. You know,
I was like, dude, Shazam's you know, is started feeling
good and we kind of get on this like path
(16:54):
where bills are paid and we're like, dude, more kids
bringing on, you know, and Lanny's pregnant with our seventh
at the time, and you know, still kind of hanging
with Craig and stuff and enjoying the fruits of success,
embracing it. You know. I was supposed to sing on
the CMT Awards, and I was like, man, finally do
(17:16):
I get some TV time? And I was just gonna
crush it. And Lanny goes into labor. It was June sixth,
and we lose the baby. She carried Oakley longer than
any child we've ever had. So we were just we
were very overconfident. We were just like, dude, we know
how I could deliver this kid, you know, and then
she goes into labor and life just stopped. I mean
(17:40):
life just I mean it hurt. That's the only way,
you know, I think. I think everything up until my
life ever that I'd ever spent, a heartbreak, a loss
of a grandparent, a dreams being crushed, those paled in
comparison to the emptiness of being in the room. You know,
(18:03):
when the doctor comes in and says, hey, you know,
we we uh delivered your baby. It's a girl, and
you know that's supposed to be a congratulatory and it
was like and we tried to resuscitate and we couldn't.
And I'm you know, I'm like mathing those you know words,
and I'm thinking, honestly, I mean, this sounds crazy. But
(18:25):
my thoughts were, what do you do with the dead?
Like I was like, do you hold do you hold
a dead baby? Do you take a picture of a
dead baby? Do you meet your dead baby without the
mom of the dead. But you know, and I'm dead
baby sounds weird, but that's just all I does. All
I was doing that day was what are you supposed
to do? Do you? I was like, do you bury
(18:47):
a dead baby? What do you do? You name a
dead kid? You know? I these were all just these
weird and then the doctor came in and said, your
wife is still bleeding. We're gonna try to stop it.
And then I'm and then then I go to doomsday,
where I selfishly I'm not I mean, I'm not thinking
about how Lanney feels. I'm not thinking about how my
(19:08):
kids will feel. I'm thinking about what does a dude do,
who's an artist with a C minus career do without
a wife and and but with six kids. You know,
I'm just like, oh goodness. And I'm not saying, oh
my Lord, because I don't believe the Lord exists, you know,
(19:29):
at this time. And so we we get through that Lanny.
They eventually get Lanny's bleeding to stop, which the doctor says,
She's like, I literally wrote down I don't know how,
you know, that's kind of miraculous. And then the day
we buried Oakley was a it was a day I'll
never forget, but it was when you know, I think
(19:52):
I kind of described it the other day. This was
a helpful way of me articulating. Is that because my
vocabulary is not incredible, but it's it's it's almost like,
at this point in life, my knee was like I
feel that it might have been beginning to bow to
maybe not like praise God, but maybe to like yell
(20:14):
at something up there, if that makes any sense. And uh,
the day we buried Oakley, I remember the service was
such a mixture of confusion and emotions because I hated
God that I wouldn't have said existed, and Laney. Out
(20:35):
of respect for Laney, I had Craig and Laura do
to be there and do somewhat of a service. Now, yeah,
we we You know, there's a box, it goes in
the ground. Me and my sons put dirt on it.
And again, mind you, even when I'm telling this story,
it's all my this, my that, my that. When after
(20:57):
that service, I can't explain just I was just furious,
just so furious at religion, at the heat, at my sobriety,
my job felt so stupid. Any consoling effort from anyone
(21:21):
it did the opposite. It made me, even like Lanny's parents,
anything they said, I wanted to pick them up and
just throw them as far as I could. I just
I felt like so angry, and so I was just
gonna go nuts. And so I got in my car.
I just left my house, went to downtown Franklin and
(21:45):
opened my door to go into a bar, and my
wallet wasn't in the door, and so I shut the
door drove back to my house. And when I got
to the house, I can see this too clear. I
wish I could forget this and have come to this
in a different way. But I looked into the mirror
the window of our door, and on a yellow couch
(22:07):
that we had is my wife, my best friend, the
one human who will not allow me to push her away.
I mean, I can just be pressing as hard as
I can and all of my fury and flaws, and
she will not allow me to push her away, or
if I do, she'll just come knock on the door,
(22:29):
you know. And so there she is, all by herself
on the day she buried her daughter. And I don't
know where my kids are. And I was just gonna
take a heap of problems and just dump them on
(22:50):
the chaotic mess that we were already buried in. I mean,
we just you know what I'm saying, and for the
first time I needed a savior. I didn't say it
or like read a Bible that night, but I just
I just kind of was like, honestly, I was like
(23:12):
looking in the mirror, going, man, that's gross. That's gross.
And honestly, you got a lot of people when that's happening, saying, hey,
you have a right to feel this way. Hey, I
don't blame you for this, but I'm looking in the
mirror going that's nasty. And that is who I am.
(23:34):
Left to my own devices, and then I just dwelled
on that for many many months. I remember beginning to
have conversations with Lanny saying I'm sorry, actually she found
me an AA meeting that night, and it was insane.
It saved. That was a life saving meeting. But on
the next few months, I eventually got back on the
(23:55):
road and it was not a satisfying endeavor, you know,
it's life was really and that now I embraced that dim.
I'm like, that's exciting, like there's something else, But at
that point it was kind of a sad dim, like
an empty dim. Not I wouldn't say suicidal, but why
am I what am I doing dim And I would
(24:16):
ask Lannie. I would I would beg her, hey, please, Lany,
please give me an example of someone who is renewed
on this earth because of the Son, because of the Messiah,
the Son of God, you know, almost in like in
a serious way. But but I'm not like saying it
(24:39):
in the most respectful way, but I am communicating it
to my wife. And she would say one night, she said,
what about Paul. You know, She's like, Paul was killing people,
you know, and the dude turned like literally one eighty
on the road to Damask, you know. And I was like,
(24:59):
I mean in the manual, you know. I was like,
it doesn't that doesn't count. It's not the same, you know.
You can't just be like, hey, well there's this book,
you know, I know, there's the book I'm talking I'm
talking about like real life. And she recommended a book
that a friend gave her, and I recommend this book
to anybody. It's called Secrets of an Unlikely Convert and
(25:21):
it's about a girl, a woman named Rosario Butterfield, and
her testimony is bonkers. But in the weirdest way, our
testimonies were literally the same. My need just hadn't hit
the ground yet, you know what I mean. Like and
and she she she dealt with the same, the hypocrisy thing,
(25:43):
you know. She she talks about driving to a church
and feeling a bulletin and having anxiety and leaving, you know,
and and but she talks about a friend and I
think her friend was named Ken, so he's basically Craig,
you know. And uh, in anyway, I mean, it's crazy.
They're they're they're like word for word, except she just surrendered,
(26:05):
you know, and she was she's different. I mean there's
the difference, and it's like she's one way and now
it's different. And so the next day I came in
on a bus, snuck in a bookstore on in Cool Springs.
I bought a Bible and just devoured it. I mean,
(26:25):
just ate it up, read it in anew like you
were saying, it's kind of like liquid. It's new, It's
like it's a life it it Uh you know. I
used to be told growing up as a hero, there
to be a Dan, you know, But when I read it,
I was like, no, Daniel's an idiot, you know, like
they're all these people. It's about humans being humans, God
(26:48):
taking stone hearts, making them flesh and new and seeing redemption.
And then they made mess up again, and then Peter
denies Christ. But then Peter starts the chart, you know,
and it's like it's just us constantly God making amazing
stuff that's that's meant for evil, making it good. And
(27:09):
and again back to the me seeing myself clearly for
once in my life, I wasn't, hey man, this really hurt.
That childhood thing really broke me. Hey I need this.
It was it was no, no, no, no no. I don't
need rescuing from like monsters under the bed or hurricanes
or I don't need a hit song. I don't need
(27:30):
somebody to get me. I need somebody to put me
in like a heavenly straight jacket and make sure I
don't screw it all up. I need, I need, I
need rescued from this right here. This this dude, that's that.
This is the worst, you know, everything else, whatever, but
(27:52):
it's you know, it's that I I I need help
from me, and and that is what happened on the cross,
you know, And it's like, other than that, what's the hope,
you know, if you can't be saved from yourself, we're screwed,
you know, we just are. It's just and so yeah,
(28:12):
I met. I actually had dinner with Craig. Told lady first,
I had dinner with Craig and was like, bro, I believe,
I believe at all. I want to give my life
to Christ. He wants my heart. I want him to
have it. And we were joyed. We cried, pray. He
went to the bathroom, got on his knees and just
you know, praised God. And we've been walking together, you know,
(28:36):
with Lord. You know, since he's about it. He's a brother,
like a real real life brother, you know, and I
think I'm blessed. That's rare. You know, that's really rare
to me. Relationships are super valuable, and relationships like that
with Craig. I mean I didn't have one of those,
(28:57):
and I'm not sure I ever expected to have one
of those in my life again, the last of nine kids.
Unfortunately I don't. I'm not that way with my own blood.
You know, I wish I was. But you know, it'd
be weird if I called one of them. Maybe I
need to clean that up, you know, have some you know,
mercy on somebody and then me. But yeah, me, and
(29:17):
Craig We're just we're great and and it changed my life, man,
I mean yeah, just and that was only Look, dude,
I mean I'm a five year old believer. So I'm
still in like vacation Bible school. I mean I'm learning,
I am, dude. I'm still learning every day. And just
when I think, just when I get on that lofty
like brow, you know, I'm like, who.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
But I think it's so cool how you take your
story of literal bottom of the pit broken.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
Like I'm over here in tears thinking about I have
two little girls, and like, what one little small thing
that could have happened to change that?
Speaker 1 (29:56):
And I know.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
How honest and raw you a are about those feelings
in that room of how you weren't thinking of anybody else,
you were thinking of me.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
Gross. Yeah, it's not.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
Though, I feel like that's the human reaction.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
And there's people in the world that are dealing with
something similar or the exact same thing that are like
you know, I'm gross. Yeah, And your story and the
redemption behind it is going to change and probably has
changed so many people's lives. So I just want to
say from this side looking in, I'm just grateful that
(30:30):
you're willing to be open and share such hard things.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
Yeah, well thanks, No, I mean honestly that you're gonna
make me cry. But yeah, the I don't know how
to I mean again, I actually, honestly, man, I'm so
captivated by by the Lord. You know, as soon as
I met Jesus, there was a lot of like what
(30:55):
do I do now? What's different? You know, it was like, oh,
you know, honestly, it kind of released me from the
slavery of music, the slavery of performance in general. It
did it is set those changes for and I was like, well,
what do we do it? You know, I was like,
(31:15):
where are we going? God? You want to go to Rwanda?
Speaker 5 (31:17):
Wait?
Speaker 1 (31:18):
You know I want to do which is funny, and
that's a human of me going, let's do something sexy, man,
Let's go to like the d R and build houses
or what you know. And then I was and then
I was like, well, I don't I'm not going anywhere,
like I'm still you know, I'm still right here. But
fancy like you know, came along and I was like, well,
(31:39):
I guess you want me to think about Applebee? You know,
I even I even I even did like a I
even audited a seminary class for like a week and
was like, dude, maybe maybe I'm a preacher.
Speaker 5 (31:51):
Bro.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
Yeah, And I was like, I was like, I don't
really like to read that much, you know, but when
fancy like comes along, you know that that's been a burden.
I mean, it's amazing burden. But it's nothing compared to
that losing Oakley. And and in the weirdest way, I
(32:13):
don't know how to describe it, but the worst, the
worst pain I ever felt. It's my It's the it's
the most valuable thing I will I think I'll probably
have on this earth unless so, you know, God forbid
another circumstance crush like that. I pray, I don't, you know.
(32:35):
But in the weirdest way, if you were like, hey,
you're going to have and grab one thing, I'm I mean,
I'm leaving Nashville, I'm leaving my house. I mean, no offense, kids,
and why, but I'm leaving that. I'm bringing that. I'm
bringing what made the knee bow. Yeah, because because that's
(32:57):
where I needed to get, you know, That's that's where
I was born to be, is both knees down, face
down in front of the Messiah, you know, and so yeah,
I know that doesn't I think there's a lot of
people probably hear that and they're like, this dude is insane.
But I don't know. I think Lanny would feel the same.
(33:20):
She'd be like, peace walk. I'm grabbing that moment because
that's when we knew our savior. I mean, that's that's
that's that's where we met him.
Speaker 3 (33:30):
Yeah, it's so powerful, man, I am so real. And
I think, just like you were saying, it's the.
Speaker 4 (33:37):
Paul, like your wife saying, there's Paul.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
Look at Paul.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
I see Paul in you, bro, Like I see the
boasting of the thorn, of the struggle, of the weakness,
the pain, the like his grace. Everything that you're saying,
your story, your life points to his grace, like dude,
And that's beautiful. And I think it's not only just
(34:02):
beautiful and potent, it's real for all of us. Doesn't
matter if you're a preacher, a singer, costco man I
used to work at Big w which is an.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
Australian Australian Australian costco. It's exactly what Big Dubs Manna Dubs.
Speaker 3 (34:19):
Before Big Dubs and elves and were like popular, so
it was kind of like ahead of its time. But
that was my story and I remember like going out
and dude, I just I think back to everybody can
relate to weakness, but everyone wants to hide it. Everyone
can relate to pain, but everyone wants to just talk
(34:40):
about the good times and pulses. I'll boast in my
weakness because in my weakness He's strong. And that when
we look like I just love and that when you're
telling your story, you're like, man, I was, I was
at this place.
Speaker 4 (34:55):
You've got to understand.
Speaker 3 (34:56):
It's the highs, but the lows are where the grace
of God changed my life. I'll take the I'll take
like I'm grateful for the highs. I'm grateful for the mountaintops,
but the valleys where the fruit grows, where the life
change happened, where I met Jesus on my knees like that, bro,
that'll you are a preacher, my friend. You preached with
(35:16):
the testimony of Jesus's grace through your life. And I
think back as I'm listening to your story, the moment
where you were in the car pre all this, I'm
assuming I'm I'm you can help me maybe where it
was in the timeline. But when you said to your wife,
why does this guy love me so much? Where was
that in the timeline of just that awakening to God?
Speaker 1 (35:39):
That was prior, That was prior to losing you know, Oakley.
I mean I was. I was drunk that night. I
mean I remember I was riding in the passenger's seat,
so Lannie was driving us home from their neighborhood in Franklin.
So I mean that was yeah, you know again it
took me a good heart minute, you know, to get there.
(36:03):
But that I agree with you that there's a song
called Craig and in that you can hear that song
and you can go. I mean I even hear it,
and I'm like bro an atheist wrote that, like that
dude's heart's kind of soft, like he's he's one. He's
thinking he's confused. Yeah, he's confused by the supernatural love
(36:25):
of Christ. You know I was, And that, like you said,
I'll never forget asking that question because I was be
prior to this. In meeting Craig, I was a very
like don't let them see your inquisitive side of it,
(36:46):
you know, stand up, stand up against this movement, you know,
you know what I'm saying. And so for me to
like slip up and go, I don't get it. Why
why is he? Why can he love me like that?
Like I was like, what's the catch? What's gonna happen?
(37:07):
You know?
Speaker 2 (37:08):
And how how cool too of God to just be like,
I'm gonna give you a craig so I can explain
my love in a very tangible way for you to
open your eyes to it.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
Really, you know, when like like when I like when
I just make eye contact with like one of my
sons and we're both like thinking an inside joke and
I just walk up to him and like I just
kind of like hug him, and I'm just like and
he laughs. That's what I feel like God does to
(37:40):
me when someone like you reminds me. Because remember this
all started well, I hate church, I hate church people,
I hate anything. I hate, I hate life way, I
hate you know what I mean. It was just, oh,
my Lord, don't say the church.
Speaker 5 (37:55):
What please?
Speaker 1 (37:55):
Don't don't don't give me another billboard with a Jesus
thing about or where are you going today? If you die?
Speaker 4 (38:02):
You know?
Speaker 1 (38:02):
Like I mean, it was like, yeah, I know the
verse you know, it was like and and it isn't
God funny that the greeter dude got me. You know,
it's like it's so funny. It's like that humors me
in the weirdest way. You know. It's like, of all people,
it's this by vocational preacher guy named Craig who gave
(38:26):
us a Chrysler. You know. It's like it's it's it's awesome.
But so Craig adopted me basically, and that's that's what
God does through Christ. You know, that's how we get
in the fam. And you know, when you adopt somebody,
you know everything, you know them and you love them,
and when they slam the door, you know why, and
(38:46):
that's why you go knock. You know, you just love him.
And that's what Craig. I think. I probably try to
push Craig away, you know, and he didn't go anywhere.
That's hard. That's hard to do that. Again, That's why
it's so rare. Like you we're all talking this, but
I'm sure we could all think of people where we're like,
we feel God going that dude needs love, but we're like,
(39:08):
I know, but like have you smelled his breath or
you're like Oh man, he's pretty annoying, you know, you
know what I mean, And that's humanity, that's but Craig
didn't do that, Like it's the weirdest uh. And Craig
didn't do that to everybody. He's not like some type
of angel, you know. That's another thing. But he knew
me and he loved me, and that was so rare.
(39:29):
I never I never tasted that down here.
Speaker 3 (39:33):
That's so it's by that kind of love. Jesus says
that you'll know that you're might decide. And I think
that we all have an appointment set by God to
love people in a way that's not transactional, conditional, that
breaks through. Even though this is what I find it
hard to believe, Like I'll do it as long as
(39:55):
that people like yeah, yeah, yeah, But as soon as
you're like now, I'm like okay, respectfully, like fair enough,
Like I got places to be anyway, I tried. God,
I ticked the box. But for like, it's deeply confronting
and encouraging at the same time. It doesn't make me
feel bad or it stirs me up. Bro to know
that Crey like encouraged me deeply that he didn't even
(40:18):
see the seeds of fruit in you, or the signs
of fruit. In fact, the signs the signs of fruit.
It was kind of like resistance, it was. And that's
so I look at things where I feel resistance right
now in my own life with loving people, and I'm like,
where can I press in a little bit more, and
not out of trying to even outcome focus, but just
(40:38):
out of like the overflow of.
Speaker 4 (40:43):
God.
Speaker 3 (40:43):
This is something you've called me to do, regardless to
keep that appointment to love people well, regardless of whether
I'm feeling it reciprocating. The chemistry is there that's deeply challenging,
and I think potent that that is the backbonus, the seed.
Speaker 1 (40:57):
That one encouraging thing about March some of me that
I try to express to any believers who will listen,
is I just don't think anybody knew, you know, as
much as my wife knows me and as much as
Craig knew me, you just don't know. You don't know
how close the Lord's hand in their hand is. You
(41:20):
just really don't. And you might it might be on
the one yard line, but it doesn't seem like that,
you know. And so there's that that causes me to
think of a few people that I just genuine that
I just do love and honestly, I forget I'm I'm
with them in life and I'm doing life with them
and I'm not. I'm not. Hey, would you like to
(41:40):
read some scripture with me today? You know? But I'm
but I'm I'm. The initial intent was, man, I would
love I would love to see their new believer, like
what what does this do look like? When he found Jesus?
Like I just want to see that day so bad.
But you never know, you just don't know what that
(42:03):
when it's going to happen.
Speaker 2 (42:04):
But yeah, are there people in your life that you
feel like you can be a Craig two or maybe
that you feel like you're that for them?
Speaker 1 (42:11):
Ah, when honestly it is a very emotional thing for me,
Like for instance, maybe some of my kids friends when
I coach basketball, and that'll make that'll make me chear up. Man,
(42:33):
when you see a kid h and they're meeting Jesus
and you're forgetting to like be all about the hoops,
you know, and you're you know, you're working on their
defensive stance, but you see like growth, like you see
a man you see a boy and a young man
meeting Christ. That's that's pretty insane, especially in a in
(42:57):
a great just such gratitude to go. Guy, that's cool
that I that I'm just I'm here to witness it,
you know what I mean that it something kind of
went down in my house or you know, dude, meet
and greets. I know this sounds like cheesy and transactional
or whatever, but when I you know, when somebody walks
(43:19):
up with the glad you're here book and they say,
you know, they say, I'm twenty seven days sober, you know,
and I you know, I was a lot like you
and I walked in church the other day. Yeah, I'm like, bro,
I'll see you in heaven. Man. That's crazy. That's insanity.
Speaker 4 (43:44):
You know.
Speaker 1 (43:44):
There's the there's the like we've dealt a lot. How
do I say this, Like we've given people cars, but
it doesn't feel it feels a little like, hey, we
gave somebody a car, you know, but I do think
of them and go, I'm so glad. I'm so glad
(44:05):
they have a clean car, you know, because I know
what it's like to have that burden lifted, and so
I love things like that. But yeah, man, anytime I
see you, I just told you a part of my story.
You can only imagine when I see God doing good
works through me, my wife, my kids, my family, I'm
(44:28):
really humbled. I'm really like, man, I didn't see this coming.
I didn't expect this, like it would have been enough.
It's amazing.
Speaker 2 (44:38):
I feel like I just want to encourage you too,
because I feel like when you were talking about the
meet and greets, are like, I know this sounds weird,
this might sound transactional, but like, how cool that God
trusted you, Yeah, the walker who was drinking himself to
death working at Costco. Yeah, hating him and being very
vocal about it. He trusted you to lead people to Christ.
Speaker 1 (45:02):
Yeah that is yeah, Yeah, that amazing. I mean what
a tall Yeah that does it get any like, I mean,
that's that's that's the amazing. Part of the process is
definitely watching that happen. And also, you guys need to
talk to Craig Man. Craig, Craig, Craig, this is insane.
I did not know this about the song till till
(45:24):
we wrote the book. Glad You're here, but Craig, this
is this astounds me. It kind of breaks my heart
for for ministers and believers in general.
Speaker 5 (45:33):
But Craig had just begged the Lord that day, pleaded
with the Lord, cried out to the Lord, H what.
Speaker 1 (45:46):
Impact am I having? Like? And then that night my
wife actually sent the Craig song because I was like,
I don't know, man, it's weird to write a song
about a dude and send it like he's gonna freak
out when he was email and I wrote a song
called Craig, you know, and she sent it to him
and in his despair, I mean, he was on a
(46:06):
date with his wife, pouring out his inadequacy, and she said,
I think we need to listen to this, and crag
and the song Craig came on in the car, which
is basically saying, man, I don't know anything about this dude,
but I know he knows. I know he might know Jesus.
And so that was cool, Like that was a whole
(46:27):
nother that was like another testimony going on at the
same time that I didn't even know. And of course
Craig's got to be going, God, you're using an atheist
to love on me. This is balker, you know. And
he details it, you know, way better than me. But yo,
see it, man, just again the miracle that I mean,
(46:49):
imagine how Paul must have felt like he got to
start the whole freaking sh bang. You know, that's crazy.
What a turn of events, you know, like that's insane.
But yeah, that's that's such a to me. That's like
a a reoccurring completion of the testimonial sentence. Somehow. It's like,
(47:11):
bam see, I told you, bam see, I told you.
Know what I mean, just to see those around you
just falling in love with Jesus's it's it's insane.
Speaker 2 (47:22):
Yeah, And I feel like going back to you saying,
you know, kids, basketball teams, these kids, Yeah, you've got
six kids. Yeah, when it comes to you being a
leader in your home, you know, leading them to Jesus.
And what is something you want your kids to learn
from your faith and your faith journey and and just
where you are, like, what are you what are you
(47:43):
hoping your kids take away from that?
Speaker 1 (47:45):
Just sheer dependency, that's it. I don't, I don't. I
don't want them to like I don't want them to.
I just want them to rely on Jesus and him alone.
That's it. Nothing, you know, I think my kids have
to I noted as they get older, you know, they're
where am I gonna go? What am I gonna do?
(48:06):
What am wena do for a job? Will it be successful?
Will I not? Will I find a girlfriend? Will I find?
You know? And it's like, that's just seek first the
Kingdom of God and his righteousness and everything else. You're good, dude,
Like you're good, trust me. But then they watch me
(48:26):
and I I the Hey, I struggle with that too. Man.
I see a see a dollar bill run by it,
I'm like, hold on, wait, I need that, you know,
or you know, I see some affirmation to be to
be had, and I'm like, dude, I gotta post for
y'all today, you know. And and and I fight, you know,
I get it. I'm I'm me. But I just want them,
(48:49):
I hope when I die, I just want them to, man,
be the coolest thing. If they were like, man, he
really really wanted to love Jesus with everything he had.
You know, that'd be sick, you know if my kids
would say that. But that's that's kind of what I'm
(49:09):
trying to teach him, because the other way just doesn't
work out that great, you know, it just doesn't you know, God,
God has a way and the truth and a light
and it's Jesus. And that is the you know, as
much as I don't want to be a teacher or
a coach all the time, it's like, would you like
(49:32):
to thrive in ways bigger than your career blowing up,
or in ways bigger than your you mattering to the masses.
Here's Jesus. Just do that. Just he wants your heart,
let him have it.
Speaker 3 (49:49):
I think there's so many people wrestling with purpose, like
wrestling with restlessness. Yeah, like what's the point, here's this place.
When I get here, I'll be happy I'm doing this
so and I think even drinking and anything we use
(50:12):
to kind of like just just for a little bit
while I'm wrestling until I get to the point where
I don't need this anymore. And that's the trap.
Speaker 4 (50:19):
And what I hear in your story.
Speaker 3 (50:22):
Is this divine purpose like this you're not talking about
even like what you could. We could be talking about
a lot of things right now, we're talking about new songs,
we'd be talking about this the highest moment we could
be talking about, But you're talking about Jesus purpose. And
I love so much that out of all of the
bull's eyes, we could be focusing on this seek first
(50:45):
the Kingdom of God, loving others. I just want to
say that it's inspiring that I think that you've found
the antidote to the restlessness. Not the fact that we
don't wrestle, not the fact that we don't feel and
the struggle, but like, what is that? And as you've
been as we kind of how would we wrap that
(51:06):
up to a bulls someone who's feeling restless and struggling
with purpose?
Speaker 4 (51:10):
What would you say to them right now?
Speaker 1 (51:13):
Mmm? Well, I try to put myself. I try to
go backwards when you ask that question and imagine me, Yeah,
pre you know, christ, I probably wouldn't be listening to
this podcast, but I think. I mean, the first two
(51:35):
words that come to mine are just he knows you're
not alone. And that's not that is whit? What a true?
I mean, you hit the nail on the head. That's
every that's every kid, that's everybody I know is driving
around in their car today just going what do I do?
(51:58):
And usually usually whatever we're doing is just a coping mechanism.
I try to some days, I try to look back
on my day and go what wasn't a coping mechanism,
And sadly, as a bond servant of Jesus Christ, I
can't think of one thing that wasn't just to cope.
Even my family. I hang out with my family just
(52:21):
to not be bored, you know, I don't know, or
to feel good, you know. And so yeah, I would
just say he knows and he loves you so good.
Speaker 2 (52:31):
I'm just curious to know with Earlier in our conversation
you were talking about how you basically stopped chasing this
like performance. Yeah, you know, music is a plus. Yeah,
it's not the life anymore, right, Yeah, So your perspective
on how you're making music and what you're saying, or
even if it does well or if it doesn't, your
(52:53):
perspective now being on the other side of you know,
atheist like all the way on this side to where
you are now, your approach to music and how different
it is, you know, having a relationship with Christ.
Speaker 1 (53:04):
Yeah, I honestly, Laura Craig's wife, we were just at
McAllister's the other day and we were we were talking
about what you're saying, and I agree she she gets
full credit for this and I'd heard this kind of
concept from a pastor. I forget who said it, but
(53:28):
he does this awesome sermon called like drinking orange Juice
to the Glory of God, and I always thought it
was kind of corny, but anyway, well, basically the concept
is like I see music now as it's kind of
like it's what God did when he made the earth,
(53:50):
Like he he just was like, Papa, how about this,
you know? And he was like, He's just like the
greatest artist ever, you know, just building the earth and
this eating people want to do. When I look in
your face and I hear your voice from Australia, I'm
just like, God, You're You're crazy, dude. You've made this guy,
you know? And and uh and not not only like
(54:11):
your physical you, but like your life like what what
you what your soul has in it? And you too,
you know and and uh and so I kind of
see that as now. I try I attempt to see
all those things and to do those things in my
job as worship. Like when I'm when I'm when I'm
(54:33):
writing a song, I I it's a it's I'm God's
still there, like we're still hanging and I'm like, what
a line. You know, it's cool that those words existed
and you can put them in this order and then
they ride, you know, and you're like, but they were
sitting there for eternity and now they're laying here and
you know, we just did that doe and and uh,
(54:54):
you know, look do I go in some days and
life is just a nine to five And I'm just like,
oh man, but no, I mean, I kind of it's
it's what's crazy, is it released me from the bondage
of that performance. But the fact that I get to
do that became more beautiful than ever and is now
(55:18):
you know, but it's a more freeing process. It's like,
you know, we my my, my team and I we
beg the Lord to get us out the way, like
let us not take one moment, you know that that
we get to paint with notes and words. And I'm
with a band that I've been with twelve years and
(55:39):
we've watched each other's kids grow up and some have
had cancer and some have survived. And we're up there
in tight pants, acting stupid, and it's like and it's
just worse. It's like it's like there's a sense of
gratitude while we're doing it all and it it's all
from God and it's all for God, and we mix
(56:00):
it up. You know, people cheer and you're like, I'm
a pretty good dancer, you know, but it's like wha,
well nah, you know, and and so yeah, it's more
you know my music, and I think you know, yeah,
I think you can. I think you can hear when
any song I write, Man, I'm just having a blast.
(56:21):
Like whether it's like dead serious and makes you want
to cry or call your dad, or whether it's just funny.
I mean, I'm I'm I've had more fun as a
believer making music than I ever had before. And I
think it's I think it's because I've been able to
see it and just to value creativity in general. I
(56:44):
am such a believer that every human is creative, even
the ones that say they're not. And I think that
is that's one of my favorite characteristics about God in general,
is He's just the creator. You know.
Speaker 2 (57:00):
I feel like there's one thing I'd take away from
your testimony. It's just the tangible joy that God is
allowed me to feel. Yes, because before talking about everything
you're going through, what you're feeling day to day, it's
just like, like you said, it's just like another day
we're here. Why is that person so nice? Why do
they like me? And now you're just like on fire,
like this is fun, like you're allowed to have fun.
(57:22):
You have so much joy and you're just lighter.
Speaker 1 (57:25):
Yeah, I mean, I think, honestly, just people. Man, It's
it's like, you know, we don't I think sadly humans.
Don't you stop for a second and be like, dude,
this cup of coffee, I mean, okay from a bean
that's brown and rewanda, you know, and this guy brought
(57:49):
it here and now this guy served it to me
and I just gave him a piece of paper that's green,
and you know, like life's kind of crazy, like just
the normal stuff. It's pretty amazing. And we don't we're
just like o, hum, you know whatever. Competition man, Like
we you know again going back to the I love
(58:11):
coaching basketball, but that's crazy, dude, that we get out
there and sweat comes from our poores and we feel like,
you know, and then we're like, dude, good game. You know.
It's just there's a lot of beautiful things that just
happen on a daily basis that aren't like We didn't
get a Grammy, you know or whatever, but it's pretty
(58:31):
amazing that that's how we relate with one another. And
there's lessons in sports and we have taste buds and
I don't know, like Uber drivers, for instance, imagine how
many people they meet every day. That's insane from everywhere.
Speaker 4 (58:46):
All O.
Speaker 1 (58:47):
You and I probably had the same Uber driver. That
blows I know you know.
Speaker 3 (58:54):
Yeah, have you met James James?
Speaker 1 (58:57):
Now you get close with me and James's.
Speaker 3 (59:01):
But even the fact that you, like you say, there's
so much beauty, so much intentionality when you're looking and
you have eyes to see purpose.
Speaker 4 (59:08):
Yeah, eyes of purpose. Bro. You oose that I'm making
random noises right now.
Speaker 3 (59:14):
I'm just my mouth is just like trained to make
random noises.
Speaker 1 (59:18):
We just crazy. What is a laugh now?
Speaker 4 (59:21):
I'm just like.
Speaker 1 (59:23):
Laugh laugh laughter, dude. Yeah, isn't it crazy when something
cracks you up. You're like like you're you're like you're
like a bagpipe. That's like and it's just that's just
what he means in the horn section. Dude, even sad,
like it's crazy, get you sad and literally your eyes
(59:45):
just like rain, just like a dark sky. I'm seriously, that's.
Speaker 2 (59:51):
So true, and I love it. It's almost like that
childlike faith that people talk about all the time. You're
just like in awe of everything and how much sweeter
life as that way.
Speaker 1 (01:00:01):
It's amazing, it's insane.
Speaker 4 (01:00:03):
My prayer is just.
Speaker 3 (01:00:07):
The old walkers that are out there, the old marks
and old brooks that are out there listening, or even
people we know them, that we can reach out and
be the craigs. I just think, like, God, infuse me
with the beauty the eyes of purpose. Infuse me with
eyes like you're talking about to see, you know. I'm like,
(01:00:27):
so I'm worried about the creases and the curtain and things,
and I'm just like, but I missed the beauty of
language in my uber conversation.
Speaker 1 (01:00:35):
Yeah, like you know. And I think.
Speaker 4 (01:00:39):
God give me eyes to see, you know.
Speaker 3 (01:00:41):
And I think that's when Jesus praised that of like
really praise for people like ears to hear and eyes
to see, and that I wouldn't miss it, that I
wouldn't just just wander through life and miss chasing this
shadow of this idea that I that I think will
do it for me. That a lot of it. I've
(01:01:03):
got four kids, and I'm thinking about the dinner that
I've got to go and this stuff and the other thing.
I'm just like, I'm so excited now to taste and
smell whatever it is on the table, like and so
I really love So it's so refreshing, Bro to hear
your perspective and just to see your humility and the
purpose and the purpose that's behind it. And look not perfection,
(01:01:30):
but man, I can there's so much that I can
see beyond if I can just have eyes a purpose
and that I get so caught up in a little
tiny thing. So man, it's inspiring your inspiration, and I'm
excited for the seeds.
Speaker 4 (01:01:45):
Of this conversation.
Speaker 2 (01:01:47):
Same before we end, I want to know if there's
something specific for you family member, anybody that we can
pray for you guys.
Speaker 1 (01:01:54):
About man, you know, yeah, I'm gonna shoot that list
is long, but uh, one thing that's constantly on my mind.
I have a sister who takes care of my mom.
She's angelic that that she does. That my mom is
is in good health. But since my dad died, the
(01:02:16):
family is we're separated. You know, that's a thing, Like
you pray for Waila, that's my sister, and she's she's
just doing such a good job and pray for my
mom and uh, that's a good one. And then yeah,
there is I'm trying to think Leela is very I
(01:02:38):
hope she wouldn't mind me saying that she could. She
could got some anxiety, and you know, I think there's
a real loud world saying figure it out. What are
you gonna do? How are you gonna how are you
gonna matter? You know? Uh, you know, and I just
I don't know. I just want her to just can't
(01:02:59):
just hey, just you're good. You know, God wants you somewhere.
You'll go there, trust me, stick you in a whale,
spit you out on the beach.
Speaker 4 (01:03:08):
Bro.
Speaker 1 (01:03:09):
Yeah, It's like, I mean, can we escape that reality? No?
You know, so I'm like, dude, enjoy enjoy today, look
at today, you know. But yeah, man, I mean I
think I think my my family we could use a
lot of prayer. It's funny. As vulnerable as I love
(01:03:31):
to communicate and continue to like pre I just love,
I'm just like, hey, man, let's just lay it all
out there, because it's way less exhausting than like hiding it.
You know, I'm not that good with my own family,
and so I could we could all use a healthy
(01:03:52):
dose of that.
Speaker 2 (01:03:53):
So, yeah, when you say you're not good with your family,
you mean like your relationships.
Speaker 1 (01:03:58):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's uh, it's funny like I would.
I mean, I don't even really know y'all that well.
But if you're like, hey, what are you struggling with?
You'll be like, dude, sorry I asked, you know, but
I'm not my family and I are not like that.
You know, it's a it's not which is weird. Maybe
(01:04:19):
I'm a complete over correction, you know.
Speaker 2 (01:04:23):
But yeah, listen, I just want to just speak to
you first. I can say you're not You're not You're
not alone. Yeah, why is I have I have six
there's six kids in our family. There's five siblings. I'm
the second oldest, so I'm on the top of that.
It varies day by day. We don't all get along
at the same time ever, So broken families, especially when
(01:04:47):
it comes to like different personalities and you know, religion, politics,
all the things.
Speaker 1 (01:04:53):
It's hard todays is very like, that's crazy.
Speaker 2 (01:04:56):
So I would just if I can encourage you, it's
you're not weird, It's not abnormal to not have those
close knit relationships. But God can restore it and I
believe that.
Speaker 1 (01:05:07):
So yeah, ye not seeing that, Yeah, that's there I do.
On the other side, with with some of Laney's family,
it's just God all over. I mean there there's some
there's some redemption and some relationships that y'all if I
told you like me and Lanny's dad, it's insane. Uh
(01:05:29):
where we are now, I mean it's crazy. And it's
not just because I got famous or something, you know,
it's it's it's some real stuff. Yeah. So I know, yeah,
I can, I can attest it, can it can happen,
But yeah, families. Family is weird.
Speaker 2 (01:05:46):
Family is weird, but thankfully we all have each other.
Speaker 1 (01:05:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:05:50):
All right, Well I'm gonna pray us out if that's cool.
All right, Dear havingly Father, Lord, just thank you for
Walker's heart, thank you for his vulnerability to share his testimony. God,
and we just we boldly pray and ask for restoration
for his family today. Lord, we pray over his sister
taking care of his mom, Lord, that you would just
equip her with every tool that she needs to continue
(01:06:13):
to do that. Lord, we pray healing over his mom.
We pray just the word restoration all over his family, spouses, siblings, cousins,
everything that their family's going through. Lord, we just pray
restoration over it. And God, I just boldly pray over
Walker's kids, Lord, that you would just raise them up
(01:06:33):
to just be vessels for you, that you would just
allow them to not just be Walker Hayes's kids, Lord,
but they would have their own identities, and that they
would just be bold in every aspect of their life. God.
And I pray over Walker, and we pray for Craig
and Laura. We pray over Laney and Walker. God. We
(01:06:54):
just we ask that you continue to bless their friendship,
bless their marriages. That it's very a parent that everything
Walker touches is because of you. Lord, and we just
ask that you bless it and you continue to bless
him and his family through it. Lord. And we just
thank you for everybody listening right now, Lord, the atheist
that might be listening that is inspired by Walker's story. Lord,
(01:07:14):
we just pray over them and there in their heart
that they would know you.
Speaker 1 (01:07:19):
God.
Speaker 2 (01:07:19):
We just thank you for these platforms to be able
to talk to you and about you and give you
all of the glory through it. Lord, so thank you
for the upload, thank you for the people behind the cameras,
everybody that helps it happen. God, just thank you for
all of it. In Jesus name, we pray.
Speaker 1 (01:07:36):
Amen. Amen, Amen who
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