037: WHAT IF YOU ASKED JESUS YOURSELF? With Pastor Dash Wong

Dash Wong was born into paradise - but raised through hell.After a childhood marked by addiction, abuse, homelessness and abandonment, Dash found belonging as a Navy Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman. Special operations gave him purpose, identity and brotherhood - but it couldn’t answer the deepest questions created by his past.Then a Christian teammate gave him a simple challenge: stop relying on what other people say about God and ask Jesus directly if He is real.In this episode, Dash shares his extraordinary journey through military service, supernatural encounters, cancer, losing his identity, surviving a devastating construction accident and learning to forgive the parents who weren’t there.This isn’t simply a story about everything Dash survived. It’s about the God who was present through all of it - and how our testimony should always point beyond us to the King we carry.KEY TAKEAWAYS• You don’t have to take someone else’s word for who Jesus is—ask Him yourself.• God’s silence doesn’t necessarily mean God’s absence.• Your career, accomplishments and titles are things you’ve done—not who you are.• Following Jesus doesn’t promise an easy life; it gives suffering purpose.• Forgiveness can still hurt while being necessary.• Your testimony isn’t meant to elevate you—it’s meant to carry people toward Jesus.• People often encounter the gospel through how Christians live before they hear what Christians say.• What feels like the end of your service may be preparation for a greater assignment.CHAPTERS00:00 – A Bible carried through war05:35 – What a Navy SWCC actually does07:30 – Born in paradise, raised through hell17:40 – Homelessness, foster care and abandonment32:05 – “That’s my son”43:55 – The zero-option mentality55:55 – When military service becomes your identity58:25 – “Ask Jesus if He’s real”01:01:55 – The first lightning strike01:05:50 – Confronting God over his suffering01:09:20 – Finding peace for the first time01:13:10 – Loss, hatred and becoming a weapon01:17:20 – Cancer at peak physical condition01:28:40 – Selling everything and hitting the road01:30:40 – Breaking down in Aspen01:36:15 – Christianity as an insurance policy01:39:50 – The prodigal son changes everything01:44:10 – A life worth living through hardship01:46:15 – The donkey carrying the King01:48:10 – A greater kind of service01:55:30 – Choosing joy regardless of circumstances01:57:55 – Becoming the fifth Gospel02:06:20 – Reconciliation and the bitter cup of forgiveness02:14:55 – PTSD, adrenaline and losing your identity02:21:55 – Who are you without the title?02:25:45 – There is still hopeKEY TOPICSChristian testimony, Navy SWCC, special operations, childhood trauma, foster care, homelessness, spiritual warfare, encountering Jesus, faith and suffering, military transition, PTSD, identity, cancer survival, forgiveness, reconciliation, purpose, discipleship, Christian leadership and sharing the gospel.KEYWORDSDash Wong, CruciFit Podcast, Christian testimony, Navy SWCC testimony, special operations veteran, military faith story, ask Jesus if He is real, finding Jesus, childhood trauma survivor, foster care testimony, veteran PTSD, military transition, identity after the military, Christian forgiveness, faith through suffering, cancer survivor testimony, spiritual warfare, prodigal son, Christian podcast, Christian men, faith and disciplineCONTENT NOTEThis episode includes discussion of childhood abuse, addiction, sexual violence, suicide, combat trauma and serious injury.