From gang life at age 11 to reaching millions on YouTube — Ruslan KD sits down with Greg Laurie to talk about the long road home.
Born in Azerbaijan, ethnically Armenian, and raised by a single mom in San Diego, Ruslan’s story starts with a botched break-in, a cop next door, and a Black Baptist church that told an 11-year-old kid God would use him one day. They were right.
In this conversation:
How Ruslan finally surrendered to Christ at a Miles McPherson crusade
• The 3 pillars of biblical manhood: priest, provider, protector
• Why Gen Z is the most Jesus-curious generation — and what they need from boomers
• The difference between selfish ambition and godly ambition (from his new book)
• Why every pastor should have a podcast
• Financial literacy, communism vs. capitalism, and what the church keeps missing
• The verse Ruslan returns to when life gets loud
Whether you’re a young man trying to figure out what a godly life looks like, or an older believer wondering how to reach the next generation — this one’s worth your time.
Grab Ruslan’s book Godly Ambition wherever books are sold.
Timestamps
00:22 Meet Ruslan: rapper, apologist, YouTuber
01:37 From Baku to a Vegas gang at age 11
04:24 Community service leads him to church
07:10 Wrestling with Jesus vs. Jehovah’s Witnesses
09:54 Why the gospel finally clicked
14:14 What "godly ambition" actually means
18:33 The three pillars: priest, provider, protector
26:11 Communism, socialism, and taxing the rich
29:26 Gen Z: the walking paradox
36:39 Why open your home to a stranger
39:41 What’s fueling the church growth boom
50:17 Teaching young people how to think
54:00 If you had 2 minutes with a million Gen Z kids
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