As The Leader Grows with Ken Joslin

Walker Hayes | From Backyard Games to a Faith-Filled Life

• Ken Joslin

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When Walker Hayes and his family turned a simple backyard pastime into a poignant lesson on life's unrelenting challenges and the beauty in persistence, I knew we had to capture this journey for all to hear. Together, Walker and I explore how his family's trick shot challenge became a metaphor for the dedication required in marriage, parenting, and living a life of faith. As the casual excitement of their daily ritual faded, they were left with the raw essence of commitment—a theme that resonates deeply with anyone striving to maintain passion and purpose through life's monotonous stretches.

I've walked the rocky path from atheism and alcoholism to a life filled with faith, and it's the unexpected acts of kindness along the way that have illuminated my darkest nights. My story is one of transformation, ignited by the generosity of a stranger who saw through my struggle. In this episode, I recount how community and simple loving actions carved a new path for me, and how, when faced with immense loss, faith provided a foundation for healing. We discuss the power in finding redemption and the solace that can be born from grief, as well as the unexpected projects that emerge as beacons of hope in trying times.

At the crossroads of fame and personal conviction, I've discovered the humbling truth that real success is rooted in authenticity and the values we hold dear. This episode is a reflection on the peculiar dance between the spotlight and the quiet, steadfast duty to one's own beliefs. We share stories from an NBA weekend that brought joy to my family and reveal the profound connections we've made with notable figures, all while staying true to our faith. Moreover, we offer a sneak peek at upcoming works, including a new song set to release in April that promises to marry an uplifting melody with a powerful message. Join us for a conversation that celebrates the divine presence in every aspect of life, from the mundane to the magnificent.

Welcome to the ATLG podcast I am your host Ken Joslin, former pastor turned coach & host of CREATE, the #1 Faith-based Entrepreneur conference in America. My mission is to help faith-based entrepreneurs become the best version of themselves by growing in our Core 5: Faith, Health, Relationships, Business & Finances. You can get more information as well as join our FREE Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/676347099851525

If you enjoyed the podcast, come join our FREE GSD Community of hundreds of entrepreneurs & a ton of FREE Content including CREATE Conference recordings with Ken, John Maxwell, Gary Brecka, Ed Mylett & more. growstackdrive.com/free

Speaker 1:

Hey guys, welcome to. As the leader grows. I am your host, ken Jocelyn, we're going to cut it quick. I've got my good friend Walker Hayes on. We just finished at history. I'm live with, I don't know, six or 700 people that hopped on this IG live. We're going to jump right into it. Did you're known for a ton of things, a lot of things. One of the things you're like I don't know if that's good or bad.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1:

One of the things that you and I talked about this morning is your family trick shots. Yeah, man, let's take. I'd love to jump in and talk a little bit about where the idea came from and some of the lessons that you and your wife and your kids have learned along the way.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I mean, the idea started off just cause, you know, a couple of times a week, my boys and I would just go outside and do something crazy. If it was like putting a bottle on the roof and knocking it off with a football and landing it in a trash. Can you know? And we were. You know, we're inspired by the, the dude perfect people. But I think one reason why dude perfect is so successful is that that's just what people do in life. You know, you're sitting at a table and you're like, oh, I'm going to stack these creams up and see if I can balance them. You know, and that's that's the type of people my, my kids and me and Lenny, we're very, we're very competitive and we tend to make a game out of everything. And so I, just on a whim, man, I didn't even know what we were biting off. I was like, you know, let's do a trick shot every day and, honestly, for two or three months it was very easy. It came naturally.

Speaker 2:

We were in a season where I wasn't traveling much and they came easy and we never ran out of ideas. You know, we had so many ideas we could never, we could never run out of them. But now, bro, we're two, we're two 76 trick shots in a row. Again, I don't know if I've ever done anything that many days in a row in my life. I can't think of one thing that I have truly never not done for one day in this long of a span. And it is testing us. I mean we are. We are down to the wire. We've got about 90 left and I'm all. We're almost quitting, you know, because we cannot. It's so hard to think of something new. You know, we, they're pain.

Speaker 1:

That was my question. That was my question this morning. Is I do? Where do you keep coming up with the ideas?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, well, that's that is the biggest hurdle every single day, and and it's challenging us, which you know, I'm having to be the dad who you know how dad is talking to your kids. You know they haven't been around earth very long and this is what a perfect lesson, you know, is to go. What do you want to do right now? Well, I want to give up, be a lot easier, just to quit now. Because why? Because it's hard, come out without the ideas and you go. Well, they're not all done. You know there are things we can come up with. It just a little more difficult, you know, at this time.

Speaker 2:

And so what has happened is something that was incredibly fun and awesome and easy. That we love has become challenging. Which man can I mean? Marriage, having kids, any job, nobody. You know that whole like do what you love and you never work. That's. That's such a funny statement to me, because I trust me, I had. I do not want another job, but I can't stand my job sometimes, you know. And so my kids are learning valuable, valuable lessons, and it's been an incredible metaphor that, honestly, I stumbled into accidentally. I didn't know it would teach us this much and I didn't know it would become this hard, which, again, that's everything that matters. I mean, that's that's walking with Jesus. You know, the moment you, you step into Jesus arms, it's this blissful, newlywed ride of Christ experience and you confess and you and you and you repent, and it just you feel like you're walking on clouds and then you want to just shout out to everybody, you see, the name of Jesus and then a couple months, you know you're like wow, where'd that feeling go?

Speaker 1:

Where did it go?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you know, and so and so, yeah, I mean, it's been an incredible, incredible lesson for us all. But but, most of all, you know, I think the memories, they're going to be priceless and and I've, I've loved it. I mean, again, it has driven us crazy, but I've loved it. I'm looking forward to being done. We'll celebrate this together, you know forever.

Speaker 1:

There was a couple of things you said earlier. When we were doing that Instagram live, that I was like one was. At first you used to celebrate because it was awesome. Now you celebrate because you're done for the day.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah, yeah, it's funny. Everybody loves our reactions the most. You know that's the, that's the resounding responses. Man, I love y'all's reactions and your, your, your son scream is so funny. And I'm telling you, man, when we scream now it is to God for being done.

Speaker 1:

We are only only 80 more days.

Speaker 2:

It's like it's like we got through the day and we were done, because some of them, some of them take hours, man, and I mean when, when it, you know, when that ball hits the rim of the cup and doesn't go in on the 500 tried, the defeat is real. I mean we hit our knees and we're like, oh how, we're not going to get that close for a long time. You know that's crazy. So I mean there, there are times where we are literally sitting there praying, lord, please let us go to bed. Like this is this is taking longer than we ever thought and and it does man, it it dry, it really walks us to that line of of giving up, which I think is awesome, because that is to me that's where you're going to get in line, that's just what. Like that's where the growth comes from. Growth comes from, oh, my goodness, it's just like the gym, like you're not going to build muscle unless you get in there and you start putting resistance against the muscle.

Speaker 2:

It's got to hurt, right? Yeah, I tell my son I've been working out my son, chapel and I. I tell him that every day, what you just said, you know you, you got to get to that line of I can't do another rep or else you're going to be the same tomorrow you know, but yeah, yeah, it's been, it's been a challenge.

Speaker 1:

The other thing you said was your 10 year old came up with one recent.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah, because it was late and she just came up.

Speaker 1:

She came up with the trick shot and everything she didn't have to.

Speaker 2:

She did it all and honestly, I I got emotional man. I mean I was. I flew in last night. I think I got to my hotel around 11. And I'm fine. I honestly I hit the gym when I got here is awesome hotel at this awesome hotel with a cool gym.

Speaker 2:

And I was in the gym and I was like trying to look around and I did, like what can I do? You know that's challenge. I tried over and over between sets or whatever, and my wife sent me a video and it was loxley and she's 10 years old and she designed the trick shot. She got Chapel, my son, the video and you could see the determination in her eyes. You know, and look, hey, between us, it's not the heart, it wasn't the right, it wasn't like the most challenging shot, but the fact that she took the initiative, invented it, taped all this stuff together and wrong, she, I mean she rung a tiny cup, you know, with this little mousetrap invention and I mean I was like now that's a girl, that's a little girl taking care of the fam right there. I mean she, she did. She knows this is the routine, she knew we needed one and she knocked it out. She got it done.

Speaker 2:

And I'm telling you, man, at 1130, you know, when I've had a long that I've been traveling without them, I'm kind of blue, you know, I'm down and and that comes in and I just I teared up a little bit. I was like this is why this is why we did this. I didn't even know it was, but this is why I think this is why we did this. You know, is to, to, to, so we can lean on each other and that even my little girl, you know, could help that out. You know, get this trick shot. It broke my heart.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, but those are the great, those are the best moments.

Speaker 2:

Indeed yes.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you know, I told you. You know, three weeks ago, yesterday, my oldest daughter had my first grandbaby. Yeah, you want to talk about a proud moment? You wait till that moment gets here. You're holding that grandbaby and the the midwife walked in and she goes well, you must be Holly's dad. And she was like. I was like, yeah, I'm her, I'm her dad. She's like well, how is it holding your first grandchild? And I said what's weird? It feels like holding her all over again, except she's laying in the bed right there. Yeah, and she's the one that just had this one.

Speaker 1:

It's, it's just an unbelievable father feeling for your daughter. And now here you are holding this child, and it's the same kind of kind of man my kid did that.

Speaker 2:

I know my kid did that. I tell my, I tell all my kids, I pray to God. I just, I just want to see that once. I mean I do, I want, I give anything to see my son or my daughter have a kid, because I won't be able to you're gonna be.

Speaker 1:

You're gonna be ruined, bro. I'm just telling you right now you will, you're gonna be right just thinking about it.

Speaker 2:

I mean I'm, I do. I tell my daughter I'm like man. Today I'm holding the kid looking at you, and this year I mean I don't know what I'll do.

Speaker 1:

Same with my sons.

Speaker 2:

There's, yeah, the same with my, my son Chapel. I'm like God, if I ever see him hold his own doubt. It feels like just something clicks, then almost you know. It's like two Legos just go boom and you're like, there it is. You know now, now you get it.

Speaker 1:

So I walked in a couple weeks ago and also our weekend to my good friend, dave Meltzer, had an event. I spoke at the night before with Dominique and Meta World Peace and some of those guys, and the next day I walk into the podcast studio and you're recording a podcast and so I knew who you were and we had we had not met and I saw you doing the podcast and I'm in the back of the room talking to some of the other guys and I hear Jesus, I hear you start to you sharing your faith journey and I'm like hang on, hang on a minute, guys. I got to. I want to pay attention to this, so I'm gonna do.

Speaker 1:

Walked up right where they had the sound engineer at right behind him and I listened to the rest of the interview and dude, I was dude, I was thrilled just listening to you share your story about coming to faith and alcoholism and did I love for you to take just a couple of minutes. You know I host the number one faith based on your conference in the country. I spent half the last 25 years and full time vocational ministry pastoring and planting churches. I'd love man, walk us through that faith journey for you and what that looked like.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, well, shoot, I mean before I even. It's a message that I love to share. I'm not a youth pastor or pastor by any means. I always want to be careful with sharing my message and just let everybody know, listen that I cannot boast or brag about anything of myself. It's all Jesus Christ, it is the Holy Spirit. Right now that I am ever on any stage or on any microphone talking about Jesus, I would have been the last candidate that you would have ever thought would stand up and try to share him or his love or introduce anybody to him.

Speaker 2:

But yeah, man, I was an atheist, alcoholic eight years ago, aspiring singer-songwriter with six kids, working at Costco. I was a well-studied atheist so I thought I'm not going to say I mean, to me nobody's well-studied Right, you know, life is so short you can literally read books from the time you come out and the doctor hands you an encyclopedia. I think we'd all still be idiots by the time we're a hundred. We just can't know everything we want to know. But yeah, man, my father was a music minister and I saw a lot of stuff behind the scenes of church. So that spectacle was not a spectacle to me.

Speaker 2:

I couldn't wait to get out of that and my wife and I argued about it a lot. We didn't have a lot of money, so that was our only argument was like what are we going to teach our kids? And we were on cruise control. I got to admit I was really accustomed to failure. Music business was beating me up but I was okay. I was working at Costco to feed our kids barely and playing shows and stuff. I've been drinking since I was 13. I hid it very well. I was a functional alcoholic.

Speaker 1:

What was the moment for you, Walker, that kind of where you was it the alcohol kind of got you like moving towards faith, or was it?

Speaker 2:

No, no, no, it was a.

Speaker 1:

I don't want to have this as a part of my life anymore.

Speaker 2:

No man, it was a guy named. Honestly, it was a guy named Craig. I mean, that is kind of a layup of a story that God's given me to tell. And my wife dragged me to a church called Ruthieman Grace one night and I honestly didn't want to go. I thought we were done with like the whole church shopping phase and honestly still I'm not so comfortable in a corporate church setting. But Laney dragged me to this church. I was hammered. It was a Saturday they met on Saturdays, which made me even more angry. And I walked in this church and this guy named Craig shook the ever-loving crap out of my hand and said dude, I'm glad you're here and I remember him.

Speaker 2:

I remember vividly shaking this guy's hand and at this moment in our life look, we're six kids deep, we got one car, I'm working at Costco, we have no money, nobody has any reason to associate with me and I'm used to it and honestly, my whole family is. We're not this beautiful American family that we're actually the scum. I mean dad doesn't make sense. Kids everywhere, having more kids. All we do is get pregnant and make $0 and achieve no dreams and in the meantime homeboy is an alcoholic who stocks produce at Costco. So we're no, no one. We were not. We were accustomed to people not wanting to associate with us.

Speaker 2:

Now, with that being said, then there's this guy named Craig, and Craig is check to check. He's not a, he's not a rich guy, but him and his family they're completely the opposite of me and my family, yet they are drawn to us like magnets, like this unexplainable desire to associate not associate with us, but join us in this mess that we have created of our lives. You know, Craig shows up at shows. He's a lot first, first to be their last to leave. He feeds us, him and his wife cook for us and buy this over. They join us at our house, which is not not a place that you want to entertain people. You know what I'm saying. You know Craig, craig, craig and his wife basically we're the lepers and Craig and his wife wrap their arms around us, I love it and it's alarming.

Speaker 2:

I mean, to Lainey and I both. Lainey's a believer, I'm not a believer and we're both. There were moments where we would leave Craig and Laura's house and I would. I would, I would, in a drunken stupor, look over at her and and, as an atheist, I would go why do they love us so much? If what I mean honestly looking back that question, I wish everybody that I met would leave me and go. Why does that dude love me so much? That'd be awesome. But Craig and Laura, you know they had that gift and you know they walked with us through a faith. Craig gave us a cart that you know.

Speaker 2:

I have a song called Craig and it's about him showing up at one of my son's baseball games in his own minivan with the title and the keys to it. And again, man, what an embarrassing moment for a man. You know, I never, I, never. It's not like I was 16 going hey, man, when I'm 36, I want to need a vehicle because I can't afford one to carry all my kids around it, you know. And so Craig shows up one night and he basically fights me to give me the car because I'm so proud, so embarrassed, so, so ashamed to need help that I refuse. I keep saying no man, I'm not, I'm not taking this, this assistant, you know. And finally my daughter in the parking lot says, dad, just take the car. And I, honestly, I'm ashamed. I'm sure I said, oh, we'll give it back, or, you know, I just kind of shrugged it off as if he wasn't really helping me because I didn't need it, you know.

Speaker 2:

So we drive home that night and I look in my rear view and or my, you know, the middle mirror, in the windshield and for the first time in a long time, all my kids had a seatbelt, because we've been driving around in one car and every time a cop would come, my kids would dive down in the boardboard, you know hide, and I look and it really, you know, when I saw them all safe and buckled up, I just thought, man, my kids are safe because of Craig, you know my there and honestly, a lot of it was kind of stung. I was like, man, I've not been a great dad, you know I've. I've been driving around not being as concerned for my kids as I should be. What's, what's my problem? And they're, I love them.

Speaker 2:

You know, why would I? Why would I? Why would I do that? So a lot of realizations happen in there and really just a gratitude in my heart welled up like never before. You know, I'm the last of nine kids and I'm telling you, ken, if I called one of my brothers right this minute, I'm ashamed to say if I said, hey, brian, dude, I just want to call and say I love you, he would be like Walker definitely woke up and smoked a bong this morning.

Speaker 1:

You know he would he'd be like he'd be, like mom.

Speaker 2:

He'd call mom. He'd be like something wrong with?

Speaker 2:

Walker, I don't know what's going on. And she'd be like why? And he'd be like he told me he loved me. And then my mom would be like oh crap, you know he's in trouble, he's in jail, he's you know. They wouldn't know what was going on. So just just just basically saying to a guy hey man, I love you, thank you, you really rescued me as a difficult task. So I wrote this song called Craig, and the only way, man, the only hook I could think of to thank him was hey man, this guy in Jesus, but he might actually know the dude, he might actually know the Messiah, so tell me, so tell me real quick Walker.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

How important was that in you coming to faith, them caring for and loving you guys and not just caring for and loving you and doing dinners, but literally giving you his car so you can transport your kids.

Speaker 2:

Well, it was. You know it was about the van, but it wasn't. And I'm going to tell you this, I had just never. I mean, dude, just to give you some perspective.

Speaker 2:

my wife was a believer, and you know we have squabbles like we fight, we do, we get in arguments and I was at a point where I would look her in the face and everybody listening I do not love this about myself but I would look at her and go did your Jesus die for you so you could treat me like this, so you could argue with me Is that why Christ died for you? And look, I hate, I cringe when I tell you that story, but that's how doubtful I was that there was actual salvation, you know. And so when you meet a guy like Craig and there is Christ in him that you can't explain and I'm talking about coming from a very skeptical guy who has I mean, I'm talking about I knew I could quote you some scripture you know I mean it's not like it's Through all the history of church and dad being in ministry, yeah totally and so.

Speaker 2:

So for me to see Christ in a broken individual, it was alarming. It was like it was Damascus stuff. It was like wait, a second man. Christ really lives in a dude. You know what I mean.

Speaker 2:

Like me, and it was, and you can hear in the song, you can hear me kind of being frustrated, like I don't want to see it, but I see it, you know, and because I was the mister. Like Christians are hypocrites, you know, but I honestly so was I, so was I. I just was too busy calling Christians Christians need Christ too. I never thought of that, you know. But I'm telling you, his Christ in Craig, I mean, just blew my face off, just destroyed me, just punched me in the gut, and so that was when my heart began to soften. And now I did not dive into the word, I did not give my life, I did not surrender to Christ for several years after this. But this is where this is where the tide began to turn for me is with that relationship with Craig. I did not fall to my knees and just beg Christ to please live in me. You know, until you know, several events transpired after that, and you and I talked about it earlier. You know, we my, my career became.

Speaker 2:

It kind of got disastrous, man, I mean, when when we lost our seventh child she was a stillborn Lainey and I, lainey and I were pregnant. She was pregnant with our seventh and she carried. Actually my career was was kind of blooming. I guess she would say like things were beginning to look up. And you know, I had been signed by a record label and Lainey was pregnant and she went into labor on the day that I was.

Speaker 2:

I was supposed to sing on TV on the CMT Awards and it was a huge day for me and she, she went into labor at eight in the morning and basically, you know, things just went south. And then we got rushed to the hospital and I'm in this room by myself and the doctor is like hey, you know, it's a girl, we couldn't, she didn't make it, and you know, she said, he said, she said we tried to resuscitate, we couldn't, and Lainey's also bleeding and you know it's pretty bad, and so I'll give you an update, you know, and so that was literally the worst, you know worst day of my life.

Speaker 1:

What a shift from one of the biggest opportunities you have in your career, which you've worked for so hard to there. Were you already in your faith journey then? Did you already become a believer?

Speaker 2:

Where were you no, no, no, no. And honestly, I mean honestly, I mean just just to be 100% vulnerable here. I mean I look back on that day and I kind of like it, kind of I kind of cringe, thinking I just didn't even. I mean I was just a lonely room, you know. I mean I didn't even think to, I didn't even think to talk to God, you know I just I just sat there scared. You know I was like dude, I mean I honestly. I mean I was sitting in that room thinking I'm going to destroy our kids if I've got to be a single dad, what I was like where do I even start? What? What? How do you do that? I was like how do you go home to your kids and say mom and the baby's gone, it's just me and y'all from here on out?

Speaker 2:

you know I and and so that was crazy, scary. And then a week later, man, you know, we we buried her. I was three years, sober at that time. I had I had woken up three years before and thought to myself this is, this is backtracking. But, ken, the way I quit drinking is, I woke up one Saturday and my body felt like it would die if I, if I did one more day. You know I had been, I had been drunk for four, five years in a row, and so I woke up one Saturday, I didn't have work at Costco and I and I literally just thought, if I do this today, I don't know what's wrong with my body, but I might just turn off. And so I, miraculously, I just stopped drinking. And it was crazy, it was a miracle.

Speaker 1:

And but yeah, so take me back real quick to this day, so you lose your daughter.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

And then tell me about Lainey. What was that process like from that point forward? How, when did you know she was going to be okay? How long did that process take?

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah, so she. So that day, that day, this, the doctor comes back probably about three hours into this waiting process, maybe two, and she looks me in the face and says I have no idea how the bleeding stopped, but it stopped, I mean. And she even she even reiterated on kind of a followup visit that there had been very few instances in her life as a doctor, you know, where she could not explain how something happened. You know it was kind of one of those and so but we buried, we buried Oakley a week later.

Speaker 2:

And I remember I remember coming home from that and I mean just was furious, and I don't know if like furious is the word, I think I was just overwhelmed with confusion and and it was all manifesting itself as anger. So I got in my Honda and I left the house and I drove to this bar in Franklin and I I remember looking in the mirror this is the dumbest thing I ever almost did but I remember looking in the, in the door and I saw three large guys and I was like I'm going to go in and I'm going to pick a fight with a. I'm going to, I'm going to have a few shots, maybe a couple of beers and I'm going to pick a fight with those guys and I'm going to go. I'm going to go until I'm either just every bone in my body is broken or I'm arrested or I killed. You know, I just I just was like I just wanted to take a sledgehammer to go out. You know, I just I don't know, I just was uncontrollably.

Speaker 1:

What happened to me. Tell me what happened.

Speaker 2:

Oh my gosh dude, I was down and my wallet wasn't in the door of my car and I was, so I turned around.

Speaker 2:

This bar is only like two miles from my house, so I turn around, I go back home and when I walk in I'm so ashamed but I walk in the house and Laney, you know the kids I can't remember if Laney's sister had taken them somewhere, you know, to distract them, or if they were just outside playing, but I'll walk in and Laney, no, my wife is by herself. The day I'm talking about, we had just filled the hole up with dirt at the cemetery and my wife is all by herself on the couch in the dark, you know, lights out by herself, and I just, man, I just broke, you know, I just, I just I couldn't believe myself. I couldn't believe that in that moment, this human that I love I mean I love, so I would say I love her so much and I did as much as I humanly can on earth love someone. But I was about to just go heat more stuff on her and my family just to, just to make me feel okay for 30 minutes, you know, I mean.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

I just I mean, I crumbled and I just basically crawled to her and we were both crying and she found me an AA meeting and I went to this AA meeting. I drove back the kind of the same way to the bar. I drove to this AA meeting that night and I remember sitting in that metal chair looking at my feet that my boots still had dirt on it from me and my sons shoveling the dirt over over Oakley's coffin at the cemetery and I remember the first dude stood up in this AA meeting and he said I swear to you. His first sentence was I was angry and man, I didn't talk to anybody that night. I didn't say anything because I still was just very, very mad.

Speaker 2:

But I think God said something to me that night and I went home and I remember I called Craig. Craig and Laura were the only people that held Oakley outside of us and Craig walked with me through that. But that was that moment, okay, ken, that was when I began to really see my reflection for what it was and how, and the level of the private, the level of I need. I need to say yeah yeah, yeah and again I re.

Speaker 2:

I reiterate it wasn't. It wasn't. I need Jesus to rescue me from this hurt. It wasn't I need Jesus to heal the pain of losing my kid. It was. I need Jesus to keep me from destroying me and everything that I love. You know, it's like I need a rescuer from myself.

Speaker 1:

So bad and uh so you walk through that, you walk through that process with Craig, with your wife, with Craig yeah come to faith yeah and then walk me through kind of coming to faith, and then you your career blow up yeah you know, honestly, I'm just gonna be super honest with everybody listening what I'm about to tell you.

Speaker 2:

This, this part of my story, I don't even care. I mean I'll leave this stuff behind so fast, I don't. I don't the the, the fame, the money yeah it's just all.

Speaker 2:

I don't know, man, I, you know, I, I, I, I constantly am like I don't know Lord, like what would you do all this for? But you know, when we, over COVID, I went 400 and something days without a show, and you know that's tough, that's tough on a band for me financially I was like, oh dang, you know, I was like I thought I was. You know, I thought things were going pretty good. Now they're not, you know, and uh, my friend Craig and I began writing this book and uh, it's called glad you're here. It's, it's just, it's just a. It's basically about our friendship and uh, and it truly is a gift from God, this friendship I have with, with Craig, and, um, it's amazing. But we start writing this book over COVID, honestly, because we're just bored.

Speaker 2:

And uh, man coming out of COVID, I'm not sure my team knew what to do, you know, and over COVID there were a lot of funny. I think people get a kick out of this, but over COVID I didn't have anything to post about. You know, there wasn't a lot of cool content. So, socially, it was just me and my pajamas, you know, and I grew a beard and and I think my team. My team was like I mean, it's doesn't look that cool. You know, he he's just kind of getting dad horrific over there and and I would kind of be like what am I? You know, what am I supposed to do? You know, there's I don't have any shows and we're not flying around on any jets or anything and coming out of COVID man, this is the funniest. It's the funniest thing.

Speaker 2:

But we went and visited my in-laws right as the world was kind of waking up, and on our way home from from Alabama I said kids, you know where y'all want to eat. Everybody gets mad. You know, if you say sonic, three people are happy, three people are mad. You say McDonald's, two people are excited. You know you can't please everybody and it's funny. I said y'all want to sit down, y'all want to, y'all want to eat a fancy meal, like, have a waitress and go to. You know, sit down, you want to go to Applebee's. And, dude, everybody lost their mind. You know they were like let's go and so we pulled off. I think it's around that's a miracle in and of itself.

Speaker 2:

Oh dude it's incredible.

Speaker 2:

Everybody's excited. Now, look, my wallet is like, ah, that's a, that's more. You know that's more expensive than Taco Bell. But you know, everybody was happy and, um, when I went in to write that Monday, I told my friend, I told my friends about that. I was like, dude, it's, it's funny, but that's fancy to us, you know, and I say my, my co-writer, josh Jenkins, um, we hadn't seen each other in a while because of COVID and man, I gotta tell you, we spent two or three hours just talking about how great God is and just it was. Honestly, we didn't even write for the first two to three hours, but eventually we got to write and then that was kind of the. The topic was like the fancy, like you know, fancy isn't that fancy for us.

Speaker 2:

And we wrote that song, man and um, my daughter and I, the week, the Friday it went out. We did a dance on the Sunday after it, two days after it, and that was it. I'm telling you, man, ken, I went from, my family, went from. Y'all are crazy. Who are y'all? What are you doing? You know to like nutso public, you know, I mean we went like on Thursday, before the song came out, we went to Chick-fil-A.

Speaker 2:

Nobody asked for an autograph. You know nothing and then, and then after that dance popped off, it was mayhem and it just, it just created this wave of, uh, you know, people going to my music, people doing the dance, um, and then, honestly, it was alarming. You know, I mean, I I don't think, I don't think people can understand when you, when you've been in Nashville from 2004 and you've written a thousand plus songs, and then this weird one, out of nowhere, you know, just all the sudden goes world freaking. Why?

Speaker 1:

I mean it is a, it's a mind bender, you know it's, it's like you know, when you you tell me this story, yeah, I think about all the times I've preached, all the sermons I've heard about if Jesus were gonna pick 12 guys, he never would have picked the 12 guys he picked. Yeah, and so I'm sitting here listening to you and I'm like, yeah, bro, that's just like God, he picks the dude that nobody else would have picked. Yeah, like he picks the dude that meets a guy who shows him Jesus, who gives him a van so he can see that man, maybe Jesus, maybe. I don't know if Jesus is real, but if he is, this dude knows him yeah like he, he it's.

Speaker 2:

It's so, god, to do exactly what he did, because you're not the dude they would have picked yeah, not at all, not at all, not, not, not in the lead, I mean, and it's and, and the um, yeah, man, and the impact crisis had you know what's, what's. What's the most amazing to me is is the impact that the Lord has had through my family, knowing how flawed we are, you know. Just, you know again, it's the fact that God uses me. It'll make me cry, you know, and I'm so glad, I'm just so glad, I'm so glad he does and he welcomes me, you know, into that story.

Speaker 1:

And I'm gonna share this with you real quick. I was. You said that I was about to do my first national youth leadership conference. I had several hundred youth pastors and senior pastors in the crown of the country come into my church in the Atlanta area. Three of my big mentors came in and I hosted the conference and we all spoke In. About two weeks before that I was in my auditorium. This was back in 2000 when student ministries didn't have their own. I had my own, 7,200 square feet. We had three 400 students coming every Wednesday night. I mean, we had one of the largest youth ministries in the country. And I'm laying in my auditorium, I'm on the stage and I'm worshiping.

Speaker 1:

One day and I said God, why me? And God said why not you? It's exactly what I'm telling you. I heard him as clear that day Walker's I did when I got saved on August 22nd 1993, or the day I called him to ministry, august October 15th of 1995. I said God, why me? And he goes why not you? And I'm telling you, bro, anytime you wonder why you.

Speaker 2:

God's saying why not you, why not man? Man, that's Goosebumps City right there.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, why not yeah?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I mean that's all laying in our field. We feel that collectively, together, I mean because we can see. We can see what a lot of people can't. We see the before and the after Jesus, and it's ridiculous. You know. Just, you know it gives you an opportunity.

Speaker 1:

Your platform gives you an opportunity to be able to share hope, to be able to see you see people in your life. Shoot. I've been where you're at, I promise you, I've been right where you're at and I know what the end of the story or the middle of the story can look like for you. And it gives you the opportunity to encourage people, and that's what you do, even when I heard you on that podcast a couple of weeks ago. The word encouragement literally means to add courage.

Speaker 1:

I tell people all the time. If you don't have enough courage, borrow some of mine, because I got enough for you, you don't have belief in yourself.

Speaker 1:

Borrow some of mine, because I got some for you and that literally because of your authenticity and Laney and who you guys are, it opens people's hearts in their lives to be like. I mean, this couple just encouraged me. They just literally they let me borrow their belief in me until I can get enough momentum in my faith, in my health, in my relationships, in my business and finances to be able to get my own.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah. Well, man, I mean I go back to what you said, just the it's okay to not be okay. I mean that's to me, you know, the probably like the highlight of my testimony in me personally is when the Craig told me something that night. He gave me the car and he probably has no idea the impact this sentence had on me and honestly it's had on a lot of people. But he said, when he gave me that car, he said, hey, man, somebody did this for me once. Can I just do that for you? And man, I'm just like right now I have chills all over my spine because I mean that's sharing Christ, right, you know, I thought I was just sharing a car and it gave me permission. That sentence gave me permission to drive home that night in a gift, you know, because I'm not a gift receiver.

Speaker 1:

And honestly when you're a giver, it's hard to be a receiver sometimes.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, and well, I mean it, just it broke me, man, that sentence has stuck with me and you know, and that's the gospel, you know, it's just receiving, it's not like you said, it's not, god's not going. Hey, we do this little dance and then I'll put your picture on the frit you know, and that's hard. That's hard for us as humans to not live like that. We're performing for ourselves most of the time you know.

Speaker 1:

So you sober three years, lose your baby, come to faith. Your song pops off. Everybody in the world knows who you are. Your social media stuff's taken off. You get to do all these amazing things and then you wind up in ND two weeks ago I meet you. You get to go all-star weekend and you're in the three-point shooting contest and you're hanging out with all these guys and the first time you and I talked afterward, your first words to me were what am I doing here?

Speaker 1:

That's exactly what you tell me. You're like what am I doing here?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, I mean, that's constantly, that's constantly a thought of mine, you know, is, you know those names? You come out, you know, sitting in a room with Ron Arthes, you know, met a world peace, you know, I mean it's Eleni and I find ourselves in the most peculiar places talking to the craziest people and again, it's just that I don't know. You know that wasn't the end goal. You know I just want to take care of my family, you know. But we do. God puts us in some weird situations and relationships get to form with people that we just never, never would have suspected. But, man, I mean again, all the fame, stuff that's for the birds, man, I mean that's gonna come and go. You know, money, comfort in this world, whatever, you know, jesus is what my wife and I will admit that's what we would love to share, that's what we want to share more every day. You know, I want to want to share that. I can't even want to share it as much as I want to want it, if that makes any sense. But yeah, man, we do find ourselves.

Speaker 2:

I mean it is that NBA weekend, bro, that I mean for me personally. Look, there's a lot of cool things like the Grammys, whatever, I don't know. I just never. I just as a kid I wasn't like dude, I just want to get a Grammy, like I don't care man, I don't care about a plaque, I don't care about a trophy. Like I don't want stuff on my mantle anyway, I just want it. I want space because we got so many kids. But that NBA thing, man, I mean that was pretty sick. I mean I grew up a big NBA guy. I love basketball and I will. I bet, if you asked my kids and Lainey, that was one of the coolest things we've been a part of. Yeah, I mean.

Speaker 1:

You told me after that, because I asked. I said who were your favorite people? You met.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah, dude. So my coach. I mean I was a huge, I'm beginning to rap. Growing up I don't really know much about the scene now, but growing up, 50 Cent, lil Wayne, 50 Cent was my coach. Shannon Sharp, I mean I'm a big, you know, I love sports so hey, Shane.

Speaker 2:

Dude, insanity. You know, playing ball with Micah Parsons, we sat next to Common the Rapper. My kids this is hilarious they got to sit in our seats the night of the duck contest and they came up to me that night and they were like man, this old guy was just chilling with us and he just we just had so much fun talking to him and I was like man, who was that? And the next day they pointed him out. They were like that dude, dude, it was Bill Murray.

Speaker 2:

My kids were kicking it with Bill Murray. They didn't even know.

Speaker 1:

I had no idea who he was.

Speaker 2:

They were like man, he was the nicest old man, but man, two chains was hanging. Yeah, just, lainey and I, honestly we were sitting courtside going dude, we look like we work here. I feel like we were like. I feel like the security guards like who are these people? But man, it just. And here's the craziest thing I will say is that I have loved meeting famous people, like superstar people, and getting to know them on a deeper level, cause I'm not really I don't really small talk.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I mean, I'll go in and be like where's your kids, you know, and we'll and I, and then I'll hear their stories and they're amazing. I mean, every one of those people, God look, I don't know if they're believer or not, but God is working on those people, just like people who aren't famous, and it is. It is wild, you know, to me. I mean, I did a collab with Kesha and I think from the outside, we, as normal people, develop our opinions based on a visual or something they said on Twitter or whatever their reputation is. But I'm gonna tell you, man, God's working on Kesha and if Kesha, if you're listening, he is working on you, he loves you. But you know, it's really amazing to get close to these people who are incredibly gifted. The gifts, their gifts, only came from God.

Speaker 2:

And they know it, you know they look around and they see their journeys, their past, and they're just amazing to me. People show me God more than anything, and it's pretty incredible.

Speaker 1:

That's the way God designed it. Genesis 126 and 127, says we're creating this image. We're actually reflections, we're mirrors is what that scripture says. We just reflect God's character and his nature. And, dude, you do that well. I know you don't hear it a lot, I know you don't give yourself enough credit, but you do that well. You know your authenticity, bro, is like, is you can tell you're one of the real guys out there. And why you? Why not you? God puts you there because he knew that he could entrust you with the message of good news for the platform that he was gonna put you on.

Speaker 2:

Well, that's, that's humbling of you to say and man, I appreciate it and I appreciate I don't know, man, it's a, you know, I talked to a lot of people and I appreciate your, you know authenticity, your vulnerability. It's. I think more conversations like this need to be be had about the real stuff. Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Well, real quick before we get done.

Speaker 2:

I know, you got some new projects. You got some new projects dropping.

Speaker 1:

Talk about new album. Talk about what you've got going on right now.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so we're. I mean I'm actively working on. We have new music coming in April, a song called Same Drunk and it is it's one of my favorites kind of a bop, but it's got a great message and it partners with the launch of a non-alcoholic beer that it's actually called Fancy Like. It's gonna be a huge splash. I am so jacked about it. And then we have I'm working on an animated series for kids called Walker's Woods. That's pretty amazing. And then I'm gonna announce tour dates. Me and Craig are going to Rwanda in March. We go with a group called Hope International.

Speaker 1:

And I love what they do.

Speaker 2:

I'm passionate about it and folks can watch us. I'll obviously be like sharing from the trip and what we're doing. But man, god is good, he is, he's sovereign over all this stuff and really, man, more importantly, besides all that stuff, man, I'm just trying to be as best dad as I can and I'm always saying sorry to my wife and trying to figure out our stuff and just trying to love her unselfishly because she's freaking amazing and I don't know why she likes me, but I'm so glad she does.

Speaker 2:

But yeah man just trying to do that thing.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so you're gonna be in Nashville 24th of March, is that right?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think that's the Breedlin and Friends. Yeah, yeah, it is. Yeah, that's the. So what would that be?

Speaker 1:

like. Tell me what that looks like in Nashville.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah, so that'll be. I think that's at the Ramen which is always awesome.

Speaker 1:

I've been there one time and it was amazing. I saw. Tedesci Trucks. It was an unbelievable experience.

Speaker 2:

Right, yeah, the Ramen is. You can see anything there and it's good. That's fun for artists because you can have a bad night. But a bad night's a good one at the Ramen. But, yeah, man Breedlin, it's like Breedlin and Friends, so he's the headliner. But a lot of us who know Breedlin and have worked with him are going out just to sing a couple of songs and for a good cause. I don't know what the exact cause is, but it's Breedlin's benefit. So I'll be at that. So there'll be a lot of amazing artists that are a part of that.

Speaker 1:

But I'll just come in. Yeah, he's got an amazing.

Speaker 2:

An incredible lineup, yeah.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, best place to connect with you, walker.

Speaker 2:

Oh shoot, just. My Instagram is probably the most personal. That's really the only one that I actually run. I think they tweet for me every now and then, but I don't even know how to get in my Twitter. Or, and I do you know, everything that goes on the gram, goes on TikTok, so I'd say just come on over to the gram.

Speaker 2:

I hate it, man. There's so many. Man, I don't even know my Facebook login. I was getting made fun of for that the other day by a friend, so I probably need to get better at that.

Speaker 1:

Well, dude, I appreciate you. Dude, I love your heart. I'm excited about getting this podcast out. Just your heart, your message, dude, what God's doing in your heart and your life, and how you are unashamed about talking about man. What Jesus has done in your heart and your life, my friend.

Speaker 2:

I'm not man. Thanks, ken, thanks for having me, and let's do it again one day.

Speaker 1:

I can't. We got a hoop, bro. We got to get you down to Atlanta to go over to Pollux, to go over to David's house and hoops.

Speaker 2:

Oh man Pollux, he's the man dude. I love whatever he's doing right now.

Speaker 1:

He's been on it and him and Lindsey's in it. They're in a good spot right now, bro.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, but we picked up a. I had to train for the NBA thing. There's a where I live. They put together a like a little pickup game, so we're still doing that. So, yeah, you'll have to come out also if you ball.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, we got to play that in Nashville.

Speaker 2:

We're no, I'm in between Tallahoma and Winchester, but there's a school called Huntland out there and some alumni open the gym and we get after it. Man, a couple of players, brett and Dana Jackson. They played at UT. I mean it's competitive man. I wake up sore the next day.

Speaker 1:

But I'll train for next year Y'all my buddies with the Duke Tech Murray State, georgetown. Obviously, davey.

Speaker 2:

Peerless Price.

Speaker 1:

Smoltz plays on my men's league team. So yeah, our men's league team back in Atlanta a few years ago was legit.

Speaker 2:

Let's go.

Speaker 1:

So yeah.

Speaker 2:

We'll have to take a road trip, get in a weight game.

Speaker 1:

Go down to Bethlehem, georgia, right there, to Davey's, right outside of Athens, and hang out with the public and shoot at his new gym he just built a couple of years ago. Oh yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, it's nice, well, dude thanks for joining me, my friend.

Speaker 2:

Yes, sir, anytime man, y'all have a good one okay.

Speaker 1:

Guys, thank you for joining us on another episode of as the Leader Grows and my guest, the one and only Walker Hayes. What an amazing story. Go check him out over on his Instagram at Walker Hayes. If this podcast episode is at a value, do me a favor hit subscribe button. We'll see you next week on as the Leader Grows.