Episode 357 - The Life-Changing Power of Friendship with Craig Cooper

The Nothing Is Wasted Podcast

Davey Blackburn and Aubrey Sampson

Religion & Spirituality:christianity, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.9 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 26 December 2024

⏱️ 64 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

How can hospitality and kindness be a conduit for life-transforming change? What can happen when we open our hearts and homes to those in need of hope?Craig Cooper was a church planting pastor when his path crossed with a struggling Nashville musician named Walker Hayes. Walker was a self-proclaimed atheist and an alcoholic who lost a record deal and was struggling to make ends meet. Craig and his whole family welcomed Walker and his family into their lives. Loving them well, showing up when they needed a friend, and helping them as needs came up in life. It was through their friendship that God began to soften Walker's heart towards the gospel. He would eventually quit drinking and said yes to Jesus, forever changing his life. After his life changed internally, he also experienced an outward shift as he got a record deal and a hit country song called "Fancy Like." Craig and Walker chronicled their unique and pivotal friendship in their book called Glad You're Here: Two Unlikely Friends Breaking Bread and Fences. In this episode, Davey and Craig discuss the importance of walking with people through the highs and lows, how Scripture can help us in the valley, and why grace through friendship is so significant in a generation facing an epidemic of loneliness. If you've ever wondered how you can be a conduit of God's grace to those right next door, this conversation will encourage you to step outside your comfort zone and open your home and heart to those in your life who need it most. Website: https://www.craigallencooper.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craigallencooper/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/craigallencooper Book: Glad You're Here: Two Unlikely Friends Breaking Bread and Fenceshttps://a.co/d/hMjcYl9 Overflowing Mercies: 100 Meditations on the Tender Heart of Godhttps://a.co/d/1AbIu30 Church and Ministry Leaders: Join us for The Healing Leader Roundtable on March 6, 2025 in Indianapolis. Bring your whole team and get equipped with a holistic approach to healing your church — from the leadership to the lay people.: www.nothingiswasted.com/roundtable Are you reeling from the hurt caused by those within the four walls of a church? Our masterclass, When People Fail: Healing From Church Hurt with Natalie Runion, will help you find healing after hurt: nothingiswasted.com/masterclass Join us in meeting people in their pain and providing a pathway through by giving to Nothing is Wasted: www.nothingiswasted.com/donate

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey guys, Davey here. Before we dive into this conversation, I just want to let everyone know that
0:04.3	nothing is wasted is coming to Indianapolis, which is such a weird thing to say because we're stationed here.
0:10.9	We're headquartered here in Indianapolis. But what I mean by that is we're hosting the Healing Leader
0:14.9	Roundtable for the first time in Indianapolis this March, March 6th. Now, the Healing Leader Roundtable
0:20.3	is a one-day event for pastors, ministry leaders, lay leaders, counselors, therapists, non-profit leaders, where we dive deeper into how to create environments where people can heal, environments that are biblically centered, spirit-filled, and trauma-informed. We think all three of those components are critical. You see, we found ourselves
0:39.6	at a critical time in church history, anxiety, depression, mental and health, it's at an all-time high.
0:46.4	An unaddressed pain and trauma has the potential to paralyze the Big C church and its leaders more than
0:51.1	anything else. And I'm telling you, we see it all over as we're working
0:54.7	with churches, as we're working with ministry leaders, the enemy is doing everything he can to
0:58.8	leverage pain and trauma against the church. I mean, how many times have you seen people in your
1:04.6	congregation or organization begin to get on mission and move into their purpose? And then something
1:09.7	happens in their life, knocks them off course.
1:13.2	We'd love to invite you, if you're a pastor, a ministry leader, counselor, non-profit leader,
1:18.3	and your entire team to a one-day roundtable event designed to equip you with a holistic
1:23.6	approach to healing your organization, all the way from the leadership to the lay
1:27.9	people. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the pressing needs in your congregation or the emotional
1:32.5	toll that it takes on you personally, we'd love to have you join us for this special event.
1:37.2	You can find out more information and register it. Nothing is Wasted.com slash roundtable.
1:41.7	Again, nothing is wasted.com slash roundtable, but jump on this quick because there's an early bird rate that ends in the middle of February.
1:48.1	Nothing is Wasted.com slash roundtable.
1:49.7	Now, if you're not a ministry leader, I know we've got a lot of you guys podcast listeners
1:52.8	here in Indianapolis, if you're not a ministry leader, but you would love your leadership
	...

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