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Glad You’re Here is a sweet story about how pastor Craig Cooper befriended country singer Walker Hayes. At the time, Walker was not a Christian and wanted nothing to do with Jesus or the church. He reluctantly attended church at his wife’s request. During that initial service, Craig greeted Walker and told him, “I’m glad you’re here.” Walker didn’t become a Christian that night but due to Craig’s authentic love, they began a friendship that God used to draw Walker to Jesus.
Glad You’re Here is a heartwarming story and a great encouragement for Christians to be faithful and present with the people God has placed in their lives. I first came across this book when Trillia Newbell, an acquisitions editor at Moody Publishers, shared about it on Instagram.
I first became familiar with Walker when his hit song Fancy Like went viral for its dance moves. Before that, he had written a song called Craig which speaks to Craig’s faithfulness and details how their friendship began. Much of the book focuses on how that friendship flourished and how it continues today as the Hayeses and Coopers are next-door neighbors.
The book details much of Walker’s life before Christ including his alcohol addiction. He was hard-hearted and by his own words, it doesn’t seem like he was easy to be around or befriend. Even so, Craig was there for him and continued to pursue friendship with him which encourages me to keep showing up for people even when they’re difficult.
Glad You’re Here also details the birth and death of Walker’s precious 7th child, a daughter named Oakleigh. I cried when I read the chapter about her and cried again when I read about how the Lord worked to heal Walker and his wife, Laney’s, hearts. Glad You’re Here is a really beautiful story of how God can use ordinary means like friendship to draw people to Himself. I enjoyed this book and if you’re a fan of Walker Hayes and want to know his story or simply gain an understanding of what biblical friendship looks like, I highly recommend Glad You’re Here.
