Order Glad You’re Here
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Craig Cooper is a gifted storyteller and Bible teacher. For over twenty years, he has spoken at numerous churches, men’s retreats, college campuses, and various gatherings. He has traveled across North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia with a desire to see and serve the world. An encourager at heart, Craig‘s passion is to help people perceive the gifts of God in their lives and deploy them for Jesus’ glory. Having served as one of the founding pastors of Redeeming Grace Church in Franklin, Tennessee, Craig now resides in the greater Nashville area with his amazing wife, Laura, and their four kids as next-door neighbors to the Hayes family. You can follow Craig on Instagram @craigallencooper and for more information or for speaking inquiries, please visit craigallencooper.com.
WALKER HAYES is a Grammy nominated singer/songwriter originally from Mobile, Alabama, signed to Monument Records. Throughout his career, he has released multi-Platinum singles Fancy Like and You Broke Up With Me, performed on national television with Good Morning America, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and The TODAY Show, and has been written about in the LA Times, Esquire, Billboard and Rolling Stone. His single Craig -- a song about a neighbor who reached out to Hayes in a time of need -- was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2018 AIMP Nashville Awards and prompted Hayes to start the Be a Craig Fund to help other families during their own times of need. A new version of the track featuring MercyMe is on Hayes' newest album Country Stuff the Album. The song inspired this book.
"An incredible story of friendship, faith, the love of Jesus and the sovereign hand of God, Glad You're Here is a book that will bring tears to your eyes and breath to your lungs and make you see and love your neighbors just a little different—and maybe a lot better."
- Annie F. Downs, New York Times Bestselling Author of That Sounds Fun
"Walker Hayes is captivating... I knew it the first time he came on the TODAY SHOW. But that brilliance on the screen was only a tiny fraction of who he really is. The real stuff is on the pages of this book ...Both Walker and Craig are lit from inside... that light is splashed on each and every page. You will feel it and be inspired!”
- Hoda Kotb, Co-anchor, NBC News’ TODAY and co-host, TODAY with Hoda & Jenna
"The first time I heard the song “Craig” was a few years before I had the privilege of meeting Walker. The song stopped me in my tracks. I’d never heard a song capture how the church is supposed to be, and It came from a man who didn't know Jesus at the time. Well, Walker does know Jesus now, thanks to the Lord using his friend Craig, and has an incredible story to tell.”
- Bart Millard, Lead singer of MercyMe and writer of the book and song I Can Only Imagine
“This is a story of seeming contradictions: unbelieving musician and pastor, beer and Bibles, failure and success, the loss of a child and the welcome of a Father. Walker and Craig’s friendship began with an invitation and grew as it wove two families together across Nashville bars, basketball courts and baseball fields, hospital rooms, and sanctuaries, turning each of these places into a holy space where Jesus was at work. Reading this book, I hear Walker and Craig say, “You are welcome here,” and I’m reminded of the healing, restoration, and deep belonging that can result when we love and serve with reckless generosity.”
- Peter Greer, President & CEO of HOPE International
“I love this book so much. The honesty, the rawness, the storyline — it’s written vulnerably and beautifully, and it all just points to the goodness of Jesus!”
- Steve Fee, Songwriter / Producer, Nashville, TN
“In Glad You’re Here, Craig and Walker refuse to be trite. They tell their stories honestly, giving us full view of the joys and the heartaches accompanying the surprising friendship of a pastor and a country music star. Their account will leave you heartened and challenged to pursue the authentic faith and unvarnished friendship they’ve discovered together. This book is a delight to read!”
- Chris Horst, co-author of Rooting for Rivals
“Meet Walker (country singer-songwriter) and Craig. They tell a story of how the gospel transforms people through the gift of friendship. Their writing is clear, transparent and engaging, inspiring hope for what can happen as God makes us better witnesses in a broken world. This is a captivating book that will be of help to anyone wise enough to pick it up!”
- Dave Harvey (D-Min) – President of Great Commission Collective, author of The Plurality Principle and I Still Do
“One of the greatest gifts God has given to you and me is the gift of friendship. Walker and Craig invite all of us into the depths of what Christ centered friendship is all about in this powerful book. I found myself crying on one page and hysterically laughing on the next! My only complaint is the book had to end!”
- Brian Clarke, Pastor, Cross Point Church