Today we’d like to introduce you to David Ashley.
Hi David, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
If you asked me years ago where God would take me, I probably would not have imagined sitting here talking about being called the “Pastor of Pump.” But looking back, I can see that God was putting the pieces together long before I ever understood the picture.
For most of my life, the muscles were not evidence of strength. They were armor. I built my body because I was trying to hide the man underneath it.
I have always had a passion for strength. I love training. I love the discipline of the weight room. I love seeing someone push past what they thought they couldn’t do. There is something powerful about watching a young man learn that strength is not just about how much weight you can move — it is about discipline, perseverance, character, and learning how to overcome.
But somewhere along the way, God showed me something deeper: You can build a strong body and still have a weak soul.
I grew up in a Christian home in Phoenix, Arizona. My parents graduated from Bible college, worked as educators, and served as youth pastors. We were in church every time the doors opened—Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday evening. I knew the language. I knew the songs. I knew how to carry a Bible and give the right answers.
When I was seven years old, I prayed the “sinner’s prayer” and was baptized. From that point forward, everybody assumed I was a Christian—including me. I was a good kid. I made good grades, stayed out of trouble, and excelled in football, basketball, and track. I did not drink or party. I looked like the kind of young man every Christian parent wanted their daughter to bring home. But looking like a Christian and belonging to Christ are not the same thing.
I had knowledge about God, but I did not know Him. I wanted Jesus to save me, but I had no intention of surrendering to Him as Lord. I wanted the benefits of Christianity without bowing the knee to the King of kings. I knew how to perform. I knew how to impress people. I knew how to check every religious box. But underneath all of that “goodness” was pride, lust, hypocrisy, and rebellion. I was not a Christian man growing in holiness. I was a Pharisee building a reputation.
Athletics came naturally to me, and after high school I received opportunities to play college football. I eventually earned a walk-on position at one of Arizona’s largest universities. But when I realized that I would have to sit on the bench, wait my turn, and work harder than I had ever worked before, I quit. That decision exposed something in me that would follow me for years: I loved success, but I did not love submission.
You can look tough on the outside and still be broken on the inside.
I moved home and began working in the fitness industry. Personal training became my career, and bodybuilding became my identity. I learned how to transform the human body. I understood training, nutrition, discipline, strength, and endurance. The irony is that while I was helping other people become physically stronger, my own spiritual life was collapsing.
I used to say that I wanted women to desire me and men to fear me. That sounds ugly because it was ugly. I built my body to feed my pride and cover my insecurity. The larger I became physically, the easier it was to keep people from seeing how weak I really was. The gym became my sanctuary, my body became my idol, and attention became my reward.
You can be able to lift heavy weight but not be able to carry the weight of responsibility, leadership, and faith.
That is where the mission of Pastor of Pump came from. It was never about creating a fitness brand. It was never about standing in a gym yelling motivational quotes. It was about using the platform God gave me to point people to something greater than themselves. And His name is Jesus.
The truth is, the world does not just need stronger bodies. It needs stronger men. Men who know Christ. Men who lead. Men who take responsibility. Men who are willing to stand for truth even when it costs them something.
That is what I want to see raised up — biblical men.
Not perfect men. Not men pretending they have it all together. But men who understand that their strength comes from Christ.
My saying has always been:
“True strength is found at the foot of the Cross.”
Because that is where everything changes.
The world teaches men to find their identity in what they accomplish, what they own, how they look, or how people see them. But the Gospel tells us our identity is found in Jesus Christ.
The strongest thing a man can do is humble himself before God.
I have spent years coaching athletes, teaching students, and investing in young men. My role has never just been about helping them get stronger physically. The weight room is just the doorway. The real work is the heart.
That is why I call it full-contact discipleship.
Not just hand-to-hand. But Heart-to-heart.
Because discipleship is not just passing information. It is walking alongside people. It is challenging them, encouraging them, correcting them, and pointing them to Christ.
I was blessed to have a mentor. A former NFL turned personal trainer, turned Pastor who did not pat me on the back. He confronted me with the truth of the gospel: “Dave you profess. But you do not possess.” That was not the message I wanted. It was the message I desperately needed.
You see I had spent my entire life building myself up. God had to bring me down.
That was the moment I surrendered to King Jesus. Not merely accepting Him as a helpful Savior, but bowing before Him as Lord. I stopped negotiating. I stopped pretending. I went all in.
I have seen young men come into the weight room lacking confidence, lacking direction, and sometimes lacking a strong example of what manhood looks like. And one of the greatest privileges of my life has been reminding them that God created them for a purpose.
You were not created to drift. You were not created to chase comfort. You were created to know God, serve Him, and live with courage.
My background in exercise science gave me the tools to train the body. My theological education gave me the foundation to teach truth. But ultimately, it has always been about the same thing:
Helping people become who God created them to be.
I believe one of the greatest battles happening right now is the battle for the next generation of men. Culture is constantly telling young men who they should be, but too often it is a message of weakness, selfishness, passivity, cowardice and confusion.
The answer is not more hype. The answer is Christ. Jesus is not just a part of life. He is the foundation of life.
That means repentance without excuses. It means loving your wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. It means leading your children through example rather than demanding respect you have not earned. It means controlling your appetites, guarding your mind, disciplining your mouth, working hard, speaking truth, protecting the vulnerable, and taking responsibility for the damage your sin has caused.
Biblical manhood is not swagger. It is sacrifice. It is not domination. It is disciplined, Christlike leadership. It is knowing when to flip a table and when to wash feet.
As a strength and conditioning coach and Bible teacher, I have the privilege of working with young men during some of the most formative years of their lives. I want them to understand that their worth is not found in athletic ability, popularity, physical appearance, or applause.
The world will tell a young man to build his brand. I tell him to build his character.
The world tells him to follow his heart. Scripture tells him that his heart is deceitful and that he must follow Christ.
The world tells him to prove himself. The gospel tells him to deny himself, take up his cross, and follow the Savior who proved everything necessary on Calvary.
My ministry is direct because eternity is real. I do not believe men need more pats on the back. They need truth. They need faithful pastors, fathers, coaches, mentors, and brothers who will love them enough to confront them.
I needed a man who would look me in the eye and tell me I was lost. Had Pastor Darien been more concerned about hurting my feelings than telling me the truth, I might still be religious, impressive, and dead in my sin. That is why discipleship matters so much to me.
Every man needs a Paul—someone more mature who will teach and correct him.
Every man needs a Barnabas—a brother who loves him but is not impressed by him.
And every man needs a Timothy—someone into whose life he is pouring truth.
We were never meant to lift alone. In the gym, a spotter helps you carry a load that could crush you. He watches your form, pushes you past complacency, and steps in when you reach failure. Biblical brotherhood does the same thing. A godly brother does not merely tell you that you are doing great. Sometimes he gets in your face and tells you to straighten up, repent, and do one more repetition. That is love.
My life is proof that God can redeem wasted years, broken decisions, and deeply rooted pride. But redemption does not mean the consequences disappear. Some scars remain. Some relationships carry wounds. Some losses cannot be repaired on this side of eternity.
Grace does not make sin insignificant. Grace makes forgiveness possible.
I cannot change the man I was, but I can refuse to glorify him. I can tell the truth about what pride, lust, selfishness, and false religion produced in my life. And I can point people to the only One who had the power to raise a spiritually dead man and give him a new heart.
I am still a coach. I am still rough around the edges. I may sweat, spit, raise my voice, and tell a man something he does not want to hear.
But I know who the hero is. It is not the guy with the muscles. It is not the preacher with the degrees. It is not the coach with the program. The hero is Jesus Christ—the spotless Lamb of God, the Lion of Judah, the crucified and risen King.
Because the size of your arms does not matter nearly as much as the size of your surrender.
My prayer is simple: Whatever it takes, Lord, make me more like Jesus.
True strength is found at the foot of the Cross.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it has not been a smooth road. Honestly, I don’t think God ever promised us a smooth road. He promised to be with us on the road. Anything worth building is going to come with opposition. If you are trying to build something that points people to Christ, challenges culture, and calls men to a higher standard, you should expect there to be struggles along the way.
There have been seasons of divorce, doubt, frustration, failures and moments where I had to ask, “Lord, are You really in this?” There have been times where doors closed, people misunderstood the mission, and the vision was bigger than the resources in front of me.
But looking back, those moments were some of the most important moments because God was teaching me that this was never about me.
It was never about building the Pastor of Pump brand. It was never about getting recognition. It was never about people knowing my name. It has always been about making His name known.
One of the hardest things for me has been watching the battle for the hearts and minds of young men. I see a generation that is starving for purpose, starving for direction, and starving for men who will tell them the truth. It is frustrating because the world is loud. The world is constantly discipling our kids, and too many times the Church has been silent. This generation does not want to know if the Bible is real. They want to know if you are real, because if you say the God of the Bible changed your life…It will be noticeable. Our faith needs to be lived out. With Jesus it is all or nothing, there is no neutrality.
That is why I believe this mission matters.
Another struggle I have is many people have accused me of not having any grace in my teaching. They say my tone is too aggressive, I need to tone down the war talk, the fighting language. The reason I use war talk and fighting language is because the Bible uses war talk and fighting language and God did not ask for an editor. You want to know why my “tone” comes across as aggressive, confrontational and to some hateful? It’s because I am zealous for the triune God of the Bible, I am zealous for the holiness of the One True God.
So, yes, ministry is not easy. Leadership is not easy. Trying to be faithful to Christ in a culture that often rejects biblical truth is not easy. There have been sacrifices. There have been long nights. There have been times when I have poured into people who never realized the cost. But that is part of the calling. A shepherd does not lead because it is easy. A shepherd leads because there are sheep that need to be cared for.
I have learned that God often does His greatest work in the struggles. The weight room taught me that you do not get stronger without resistance. The same is true spiritually. Pressure reveals what is inside. Trials build endurance. Struggles refine us. The same God who uses a barbell to build physical strength uses trials to build spiritual strength.
I am still learning. I am still growing. I still have battles I fight every day. But I am thankful for every obstacle because every obstacle has pushed me closer to Christ. The greatest struggle was never building a ministry. The greatest struggle was surrendering everything to God and trusting that His plan was better than mine.
At the end of the day, Pastor of Pump is not built on perfect circumstances. It is built on a perfect Savior. And that is the message I want every man, every young person, and every believer to understand:
You do not become strong by avoiding the battle. You become strong by trusting God through it.
True strength is found at the foot of the Cross.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
What I do is probably a little different than what most people would expect. On the surface, I am a Bible teacher, pastor, strength and conditioning coach, and mentor. But at the core of everything I do, I am a disciple-maker.
The Pastor of Pump is really about bringing together two things that have always been a part of my life: the physical training of the body and the spiritual training of the soul.
I have a background in Exercise Science, so I understand how to train the body. I love the weight room. I love coaching athletes. I love helping people become stronger, faster, and more disciplined. But I also understand that the greatest battles people fight are not physical. They are spiritual.
I specialize in discipleship, biblical manhood, leadership, strength training, and helping young men understand their identity and purpose in Christ.
My mission is simple:
First and foremost, ministry is to love my wife, Holly Ashley, as Christ loves the Church and gave Himself up for her. She is a grace gift from God.
And second, build men who are strong enough to lead because they are humble enough to follow Jesus.
A lot of what I do happens through coaching and teaching young men. I work with athletes, students, and men who are trying to figure out what biblical manhood actually looks like in a culture that has become confused about what it means to be a man. Too many men have gone passive in a time when we need them to “be watchful, stand firm in the faith, ACT LIKE MEN, be strong…” 1 Corinthians 16:13. A man of God does not have the right to be passive. Passivity is not just a bad habit; it is rebellion against God. Satan wins when men are passive. Men need courage. I have read somewhere that “the greatest damage a man can truly do to himself, his family, his church, and his community, it to do nothing. Christians are least like Jesus when they are cowardly and fearful.
I am known as the Pastor of Pump because I believe the weight room can be a place of ministry. It is a place where character is exposed. The weight does not lie. It reveals discipline, effort, humility, and perseverance.
But the weight room is only the starting point.
The real goal is taking men from the locker room…To the weight room…To the war room…To the Kingdom throne room.
What I am most proud of is not a title, a platform, or anything I have accomplished. It is the people God has allowed me to invest in. Watching a young man who lacked confidence discover his God-given purpose. Watching a student begin to ask deeper questions about faith. Watching men realize they were created for something greater than chasing comfort and success.
That is what makes it worth it.
What sets me apart is that I refuse to separate faith from everyday life. Jesus is not just for Sunday morning. He belongs in the classroom. He belongs in the weight room. He belongs on the field. He belongs in the home. He belongs everywhere.
I believe men need truth, but they also need someone willing to walk with them through the process. Because real transformation does not happen by simply giving someone information. It happens through relationship, accountability, and pointing people back to Christ.
At the end of the day, I am not trying to build a name for myself. I am trying to build a generation of men who know Christ, stand on truth, lead with courage, and live for something bigger than themselves.
True strength is found at the foot of the Cross.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I think one of the biggest mistakes people make when looking for a mentor is they start by asking, “Who can help me get where I want to go?” Instead, I think the better question is, “Who is worth following?”
Find people who have the character, wisdom, and faithfulness that you want to develop in your own life. I have learned that mentorship is not just about finding someone who is successful. It is about finding someone who is faithful. A person can have a big platform and still not have a life worth imitating.
Look for men and women who have the fruit you want to see produced in your own life. Look at how they handle pressure. Look at how they treat people. Look at how they lead their family. Look at their humility. Character matters.
For me, a lot of mentorship has come from simply being willing to learn. I have tried to surround myself with people who know more than I do, people who challenge me, sharpen me, and push me closer to Christ. The Bible says iron sharpens iron, and I believe that applies to every area of life. The best relationships I have built were not built by walking into a room trying to promote myself. They were built by serving, listening, and adding value.
A lot of people want to network because they are looking for what they can get. But the best networkers are people who ask, “How can I serve? How can I help? How can I make someone else better?” You build trust by showing up. You build relationships by being consistent. You build influence by being faithful.
My advice to someone looking for a mentor would be this: don’t just ask someone to mentor you, start by honoring their time. Watch their lives. Listen to the way they talk . Learn from them. Ask good questions. Be the kind of person that someone wants to invest in.
And do not overlook the people already around you. Sometimes we are looking for someone famous or someone with a big name, but God often puts people in our lives who can speak wisdom into us right where we are. The greatest mentors I have had were not people who simply gave me advice. They modeled a life. I owe much to my mentor, Darien Bennett, he showed me what leadership looks like. He showed me what sacrifice looks like. He showed me what faithfulness looks like. He taught me how to read and study Scripture. He taught me to learn God’s word, do God’s will, for God’s glory so that I will do the right things, the right way, for the right reasons.
Ultimately, the greatest example is Jesus Christ. Every mentor, every leader, every person we look up to should point us beyond themselves and toward Him. Because the goal is not just to become successful. The goal is to become faithful.
And if you want to build something that lasts, find people who are building for eternity. A Christian’s life must be consistent with their eternal destination.
Pricing:
- * https://a.co/d/0cDCyLq7**The 10 Repetitions of Cross Strength: How to Be a Body Builder Like Jesus** * **By: David Ashley** * **$12.99**
- Speaking information available at: CrossStrengthMinistries.org
Contact Info:
- Website: https://CrossStrengthMinistries.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pastorofpump
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gymguru
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-ashley-61433135
- Twitter: @pastorofpump
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/pastorofpump
- Other: https://www.pastorofpump.com
