What happens when a boy grows up fatherless, afraid, and surrounded by violence — and then God interrupts his story?

This is Christian Rasmussen’s raw and unfiltered testimony of healing, identity, and manhood restored.

In This Podcast:

• Growing up in chaos without a father
• Abuse, poverty, fear & generational brokenness
• The moment God showed up
• How Christian learned to walk as a man of integrity
• Breaking cycles for his future family
• The gospel in the simplest possible form
• Real hope for every man who grew up without a dad

Gabriel Neves grew up with an alcoholic, abusive stepdad, ran with gangs, and hit rock bottom facing a life sentence in prison—until Jesus met him in a jail cell and rewrote his story. In this episode of Dudes Without Dads, he shares how God broke addiction, healed father wounds, restored his relationship with his dad, and turned him into a husband, father, and pastor.

What You’ll Learn:

• How growing up with an abusive, alcoholic father shaped Gabriel’s view of manhood and identity.
• The moment gang life, drugs, and violence led him to a near life sentence in prison.
• How a simple, persistent gospel witness (and a Bible in jail) sparked a radical heart transformation.
• The difference between condemnation and conviction—and how to hear God’s voice over shame.
• How God restored his relationship with the man who once terrorized his home.
• Practical advice for dads who never had a dad and feel terrified of repeating the cycle.
• Why healing from father wounds is possible through Jesus, community, and honest repentance.

What happens when a fatherless boy meets pornography at eight years old, grows up angry, addicted, and suicidal—then hears a stranger say, “The heavens are open over you, God has called you to ministry”?

In this vulnerable conversation, Seth Watkins shares his journey from fatherlessness, porn addiction, and depression to freedom in Jesus, healing from abandonment, and a new legacy as a husband, soon-to-be dad, and minister of the gospel.

You’ll hear about:

• Growing up without a dad and feeling like “a menace to society”
• How early porn exposure created cycles of shame, lust, and loneliness
• Homelessness, anger, and the social anxiety porn produced in his life
• The rock-bottom moment when he considered ending it all
• The phone call and church encounter that literally saved his life
• How a prophetic word unlocked his calling into ministry
• Practical tools Seth still uses: accountability, software, community, and counseling
• How he plans to father differently and break generational curses

🔗 Links & Next Steps

• 🌐 Learn more about Dudes Without Dads: https://www.dudeswithoutdadspodcast.com/
• 📩 Share Your Story or Apply to Be a Guest: https://www.dudeswithoutdadspodcast.com/contact/

If this episode encouraged you, send it to a man who grew up without a dad. We’re breaking chains together.

#dudeswithoutdads #fatherless #christianmen