Bryan Rucker

Bryan Rucker was raking in $60,000 a month selling illegal drugs. But he wasn’t happy — not with his lifestyle of drug addiction and violence. Thankfully, his life took a much-needed turn when he met Jesus and joined Duck Commander (founded by Phil Robertson and his family), which came with the opportunity to appear on the hit show Duck Dynasty.

Things were going better — or so it seemed. But when Bryan’s double life caught up with him, he ended up in jail for illegal drug possession, and he knew something had to change. Really change. That’s when he fully surrendered to Jesus, got sober and dedicated his life to sharing God’s gospel of hope and freedom with everyone he could.

Today, Bryan’s getting honest about his work as an addiction counselor and speaker, his favorite ways to rest and bond with his son, and the resources God has used to change his life.

QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT

There’s much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?

I was born and raised on the north side of Houston, Texas, in a low-income community. I never knew my father, and it was just my mom and grandmother in the house. These two women were very special to me.

When I was young, there was a Chinese restaurant not far from where we lived. Back in those days, you could go there and pay $5 for the biggest plate of chicken and rice you have ever seen in your life! Not only did they have the best eggrolls on earth, but some of my fondest memories as a kid included my grandmother and mom letting me sit on their laps and steer the car on the way there to eat.

As soon as we walked in, the workers knew who we were and greeted us. I loved being able to sit at a table and have a meal with the two women who I knew loved me unconditionally without a shadow of a doubt. We didn’t get many opportunities to do that back in those days, so when I travel back to Houston today, I make sure to go by that restaurant — partly for the memories and partly for the best General Tso’s chicken, fried rice and eggrolls in Texas!

Trust me, if there’s one thing I know about, it’s good food!

XBox controller and console — Max Andrey; Unsplash

QUESTION #2: REVEAL

We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So what are yours? What so-called “nonspiritual” activity (or activities) do you love engaging in, which also help you find essential spiritual renewal?

I’m sure a lot of people respond to this question with something really cool and interesting. For me, that won’t be the case.

Honestly, what I probably do the most to decompress and clear my mind is play Xbox. I’ve always enjoyed playing video games, but what it does for me today is it gives me a space where I don’t have to think about anything but the task at hand. Most of the time, that’s simply getting a better score on the game than my 13-year-old son, Noah.

We play all kinds of games, but most recently, it’s been games that we can play online together, and that has actually turned out to be a blessing. I recently got married, and Noah moved from Houston to live with my wife, Kayleigh, and me and to attend school here in West Monroe, L.A. That’s something I’ve prayed about for a long time.

However, before Noah moved here and Kayleigh and I said our “I do’s,” we would spend time bonding as a family by playing Xbox together. That was really special and made a way for us to all spend time together even while living separately. Also, it gave me plenty of opportunities to prove that when it comes to video games, no matter how old I get, Dad can still dominate.

QUESTION #3: CONFESS

Every superhero has a weakness. Every human, too. We’re just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite, and how do you hide it?

Throughout my life, I’ve dealt with so many struggles that felt like my kryptonite. Coming from a past of abandonment issues, selling drugs, being in a gang, incarceration and all the things that come with that lifestyle, I could type for hours about the things that I battle.

However, what I still battle every day and is a result of the trauma I’ve faced is learning to trust people. I’ve seen the things humans are capable of, and because of that, it’s difficult to remember that not all people are bad.

It’s forced me to be intentional with trusting Jesus and the people that he has put in my life. For a long time, I kept people at a distance because I didn’t want to allow myself to be hurt by someone I trusted.

What gives me peace is knowing that God is in control of every situation. I can know and trust that he does more than make bad people good — he makes dead people alive!

I may have seen what people are capable of, but I’ve also seen what God will do, and because of that, I’m called to love like Christ loves. I choose not to see people through the lens of my past hurts but to see them as Christ does instead.

QUESTION #4: FIRE UP

Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your current obsession? And why should it be ours?

Currently, I’m the director of Celebrate Recovery at White’s Ferry Road Church. We’ve been blessed to help so many people through that program. We get an average of 400 people suffering from hurts, habits and hang-ups every week.

Celebrate Recovery is the program that helped me begin to walk out an authentic relationship with Christ, so it’s something I will always be passionate about helping people find. Through that, we have The Awakening program, which is a transitional living program that allows men to find healing and discipleship. I’m so thankful that we have this available to give men a safe place to begin to try and put their lives back together.

I also work as an addiction counselor and get to guide people through their substance abuse issues to deal with their trauma. I absolutely love that God called me to do this. I never thought I would see myself doing any of this, but God’s plan is always better than mine.

I’ve pretty much just been doing whatever it is God calls me to for the past eight years, and it has given me an opportunity to be a part of some really cool stuff God is doing. Much like being a part of Duck Dynasty and having a platform to go and speak to others about Jesus. I’m obsessed with chasing after Jesus and doing what he has called me to do — and that’s tell people about him and try and make heaven crowded when we get there.

QUESTION #5: BOOST

Cashiers, CEOs, contractors, or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?

One thing I know for sure is that I don’t really deserve to be where I am, but because of Jesus and his sacrifice, I belong. The way that Jesus has saved me and given me grace that I don’t deserve motivates me to press on and do his will.

When I was 17 years old, I was arrested for shooting someone, and even though I didn’t believe in God at the time, I can look back and see how he saved me from that. If I’m being honest, there are a lot of things I’ve done in my life that, if I got what I truly deserved, I would be locked away for good. However, I am not there, and the only thing that makes any of that make sense to me is if there is a God and he has a plan for me.

As I walk through this life as a free man, having a family and being able to work a job, I know that it’s not because of anything I have done. So it gives me this fire to do what I’m doing — because I want God to be proud of how I take care of the things he has blessed me with.

QUESTION #6: inspire

Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied habits that open our hearts to the presence of God. So let us in. Which spiritual practice is working best for you right now?

I love reading the Word of God and searching for insights within it. I love letting it speak to me and then taking what I just learned into a message. I’ll get in my office, close the door, turn down the lights, put on some worship music and begin to study.

Whether it’s something specific for a lesson I’m preparing to give or it’s just to grow in my relationship with Jesus, I then begin to type what God has put on my heart and revealed to me. It feels like I’m alone with Jesus and he’s giving me something to share with others to tell them more about himself. It makes me feel like I’m living in my purpose as a believer.

It also helps me be more of a leader in my home. I then take what I learn and discuss it with my wife and son. We pray about it and they share how it impacts them. It helps me remain in his presence.

QUESTION #7: FOCUS

Looking backward, considering the full sweep of your unique faith journey and all you encountered along the way, what top-three resources stand out to you? What changed the game and changed your heart?

One of the first things that really opened my heart was watching a white chair film from iamsecond.com. I remember I was working in a concession stand at Duck Commander and had just begun to go to church. I had seen one of their videos, and it really opened my mind to the type of people Jesus uses.

I was blessed to be able to do a white chair film recently, and it made me feel like God was giving me some confirmation and bringing things full circle.

Another resource that stands out to me is the book “Fathered by God” by John Eldredge. I never knew my father, so reading that book really gave me some insight into how to be a godly man. It also taught me how to be a son of the Creator and has helped me professionally, personally and most of all, spiritually.

Lastly — and most importantly — the Bible! The Word of God has been the most impactful resource I’ve ever read. It not only gives me instruction and guidance but also leads me to a relationship with my Savior. Reading Romans 8:37-39 changed everything for me!

We all have things we cling to to survive (or even thrive) in tough times — times like these! Name one resource you’re savoring and/or finding indispensable in this current season, and tell us what it’s doing for you.

For me in this season, I love using the Logos Bible software. I use it to study because of all the different commentaries it has and because it helps me get a broader perspective on the culture and time period in which parts of the Bible were written.

Before, I would study the Word and then Google Scripture and spend so much time looking in multiple places for information. Since I started using Logos, I’ve appreciated how it puts all the information from different sources in one place. It really has been so valuable for me in just digging in deep and learning more about the Word. It helps me grow in my faith and better equips me for sharing. My pastor is the one who recommended it to me, and a lot of people think that it is only for someone who preaches. However, I’ve found it to be very useful for anyone who wants to just learn more.

QUESTION #8: dream

God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?

There are a couple of things that God is stirring inside me that I hope to see come about in the near future. One of those is helping other countries have Celebrate Recovery (CR). Our church has an amazing missions ministry called One Kingdom. They partner and do work in many countries around the world and most of them can benefit from having a CR. We hope to have our leaders travel to these countries and equip churches to begin to have Celebrate Recovery.

Another thing I would love to do is make safe places for victims of human trafficking to call home. Providing them with assistance and guidance on a journey to freedom from the pain they endured. This is still in the beginning stages, but it’s something I feel God has called me to do.

Lastly, I would like to be more intentional about speaking away from home. Prior to COVID, I was speaking regularly all over the country. Since the pandemic, that has halted, but in a way, that’s been a blessing because I was able to spend time pouring into the ministry here at home. However, lately, things have been going so well, and I feel a call to get back out and begin to go and share the hope that is in Jesus with people not in my community.

Bryan’s testimony is powerful and unique — but he’s certainly not the only one who has struggled with a past of gang involvement and drug addiction.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, around 19.7 million Americans battled substance abuse in 2017. And gang crimes make up as much as 48.9% of all violent crimes.

These statistics shouldn’t be mere numbers to us. Instead, they represent living souls, crafted in the image of God, living in a turmoil they were never created to experience.

Instead, God’s heart for each person who struggles with drug addiction, a lifestyle of violence or any other sin is redemption.

Is there anyone around you who’s hurting and who needs redemption, perhaps someone the world would say is too far gone? How can you show them Christ’s love this week?