As parents, we all know the risks of giving our children freedom to make their own choices. Some parents are fortunate enough to make those decisions regarding how many boundaries to create. Others not so much, leaving their kids to choose their friends and often a destructive lifestyle. But if God is sovereign, and He is, we have to trust that every Christian journey is unique. Moreover, every Christian journey almost always requires adversity. As the verse goes in Romans 5:3-4 “but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”
So is the early formation of Ryan Beck, who grew up in a single-parent home in a low income neighborhood in southern California, and with friends who were as wayward and directionless as he was. He started selling drugs and landed in jail. It was in jail, of all places, where he found Christians who encouraged him to pick up his cross. His experience there is so emblematic of Jesus’ words in 2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
As a self-admitted Calvinist, Ryan wouldn’t have had it any other way though he understands now how blessed he was to also have an unrelenting Nanna who helped lead him to Christ. Fast forward, he bumped into a school acquaintance, Steve Gatena, who had also been raised by a single mom and a grandmother who also influenced Steve’s Christian walk. Steve, Ryan and a couple other friends would soon start Pray.com, which today is one of the fastest-growing and largest faith apps in the country with seven million users. It’s backed by some of the most august VC firms, Founders Fund, TPG and Kleiner Perkins.
In our conversation, we talk about Ryan’s Christian journey, how Pray.com is supporting churches and non-profits and why there’s a Christian revival underway.
You can learn more about Ryan here. Or follow Pray.com on X: https://x.com/pray
Interview coverage:
1:15 - Do you see a Christian revival in the tech community?
3:26 - Why politics is a big part of the Christian revival happening today.
4:40 - How has Pray.com influenced its venture capitalist investors?
7:00 - The story of Solomon hiring more than just Israelites.
8:21 - About Ryan’s faith journey starting with Calvin College.
11:00 - How did Ryan come to know God?
12:32 - What happens when 12-13 yr old boys are left to their own devices and how Ryan landed in jail.
17:30 - How he kept his support structure post-jail. Pro-active prayer goes a long way.
20:00 – The importance of proactively going to church and seeking out the right friends.
21:25 - Philosophy and computer science.
23:15 - How a record of jail time led Ryan to work for non-profits.
25:00 - The reunion with Steve Gatena and the start of Pray.com.
30:53 - How churches use Pray.com and how churches and non-profits are able to find new donors on Pray.com.
32:51 - Palantir and AI solutions.
37:03 - What’s in store for Pray.com.
38:15 - How Pray.com differentiates itself from other apps - Bible.com, Hallow, Gather, etc.
41:39 - How is Ryan’s Jesus time and the importance of marrying a God-centered woman.
