Ambition or Family? You're asking the WRONG question | ft. Ruslan KD
Lights On with Carl Lentz
B-Side
4.8 • 797 Ratings
🗓️ 4 May 2026
⏱️ 69 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Want to submit questions? Email us at hello@carlandlaura.com
This episode explores the tension between "be the light of the world" and "live a quiet life" - and why both can coexist in the same calling. Carl sits down with Ruslan Alkhouri, the Armenian refugee turned seven-figure media entrepreneur, about faithfulness before platform, godly ambition versus worldly fame, and why implementation always beats information.
The conversation covers twenty years of faithful local service that nobody saw, how God breathed on Ruslan's YouTube platform during the pandemic, and the controversial topic of wealth in ministry. You'll hear why your assignment is seasonal but your purpose is constant, and why you can't change people no matter how hard you try.
If you're wrestling with how to build something meaningful without losing your soul, or wondering whether your current season of faithfulness will ever lead to breakthrough, this conversation was made for you.
Follow Carl at: instagram.com/carllentz
Follow Laura at: instagram.com/lauralentz
Follow Ruslan at: instagram.com/ruslankd
Supported by Wonder Project https://www.thewonderproject.com/
Supported by God Behind Bars https://www.godbehindbars.com/
Supported by Policy Genius https://www.policygenius.com/
Supported by Better Help https://www.betterhelp.com/
Chapters:
0:00 – Intro Highlights
0:56 – Meet the Guest: Ruslan
1:41 – From Armenian Refugee to Gangster Culture
4:35 – Finding Faith & Surrendering His Life
5:18 – 20 Years of Serving Quietly Before the Platform
7:30 – Shifting Away from Call-Out Culture
9:30 – Wonder Project (Sponsor)
10:35 – Getting Under Healthy Leadership at Rhythm Church
13:05 – Did He Feel Behind? The Engine of Godly Ambition
21:03 – God Behind Bars (Sponsor)
21:35 – Who Is This Book For?
29:39 – Policy Genius (Sponsor)
30:49 – Ambition Is Evil… Or Is It?
32:08 – The Comparison Trap & Social Media Lies
34:18 – "Live a Quiet Life" – The Most Misused Scripture
36:32 – The State of Culture: Distrust in Institutions
43:00 – Purpose Is Constant, Assignment Is Seasonal
45:31 – Small Habits Build Great Men
46:41 – BetterHelp (Sponsor)
47:41 – What You Do ≠ Who You Are
51:05 – Talent Stacking: Nothing Is Wasted
53:03 – Biblical Financial Literacy & The Missing Conversation
58:30 – Generosity Is a State of Mind
1:03:34 – Closing: The Book & Final Words
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This episode of the Lights on podcast is sponsored by Better Help. If you are anything like me, |
| 0:07.7 | there are things that sit in the background of your life, thoughts, pressures, things you |
| 0:12.0 | haven't fully worked through yet. If you're human, you know what I'm talking about. In May, |
| 0:16.5 | being Mental Health Awareness Month, it's a really good moment to just pause and ask yourself, |
| 0:21.2 | how am I actually doing? What if you could feel a little bit lighter in this season? You don't have |
| 0:28.3 | to figure everything out on your own, but having somebody to talk through who's there to listen and |
| 0:32.6 | support you and give you angles maybe you have not considered can change how you move through things |
| 0:36.9 | in this life. |
| 0:37.7 | So you don't have to be on this journey alone. Find support and have somebody with you in therapy. |
| 0:43.7 | Sign up and get 10% off at betterhelp.com slash lights on. That's betterhelp.com slash lights on. |
| 0:53.0 | You never know. Maybe there's something for you in this season that you can work |
| 0:57.5 | out that can create more peace in your life and the lives of those around you therapy is an |
| 1:03.9 | important part of finding that piece so check it out today betterhelp.com slash lights on this episode of the lights on podcast is sponsored by |
| 1:15.0 | better help if you are anything like me there are things that sit in the background of your |
| 1:20.8 | life thoughts pressures things you haven't fully worked through yet if you're human you know |
| 1:25.3 | what i'm talking about and In May, being Mental Health |
| 1:28.1 | Awareness Month, it's a really good moment to just pause and ask yourself, how am I actually doing? |
| 1:34.4 | What if you could feel a little bit lighter in this season? You don't have to figure everything out |
| 1:39.9 | on your own, but having somebody to talk through who's there to listen and support you and |
| 1:43.9 | give you angles maybe you have not considered can change how you move through things in this life. |
| 1:48.4 | So you don't have to be on this journey alone. |
| 1:50.9 | Find support and have somebody with you in therapy. |
... |
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