When I sat down with Jose for this episode of Kingdom Chaos, we started by talking about marriage. He shared about his wife, Taylor, the joy of building a life together, and what it means to have someone beside you through both the good days and the hard ones. But as our conversation unfolded, we went back to a season of his life that looked very different. Before the marriage, the ministry, and the worship songs, there were years of addiction, bitterness, and running from God. Listening to him, I kept coming back to one thought: you are never too far gone for God to reach you.
Jose wanted to make something clear early in our conversation. His choices were not a reflection of a home without love or faith. He grew up with parents who loved Jesus and lived that out in front of him. His mother prayed faithfully. His father modeled honesty, loyalty, and hard work. Church, worship, and Scripture were woven into his childhood. Yet somewhere along the way, what he practiced with his family became something he did to meet expectations. He knew the Bible stories, played on the worship team, and understood how to look like he was doing well. Inside, though, he was becoming curious about a different life.
That part of his story made me think about how much can stay hidden behind appearances. During high school, Jose and his girlfriend experienced a pregnancy and the loss of their baby. They had already named the child and begun imagining what their future would look like. But he carried much of that experience privately because he was afraid of disappointing his parents. He was careful to explain that they had never told him he had to be perfect. The pressure was something he placed on himself. Hearing that, I wondered how many people around us are carrying grief or shame while working hard to make sure nobody notices.
When Jose left for Texas Tech, the freedom of being away from home opened the door to heavier drinking and drug use. Classes became less important, and the life he was building began moving further away from the person he had been raised to become. Near the end of that first year, he went for a drive and turned on Christian radio, something familiar from riding to school with his mom. “No Longer Slaves” came on, and he began to cry. He bought a Bible, returned to his dorm, and prayed. Eventually, he packed up and went home. He expected disappointment and a harsh response from his parents. Instead, they welcomed him with grace.
But his journey did not move forward in a straight line. Jose later attended Bible college, where he described growing frustrated by what he experienced as hypocrisy and feeling afraid to be honest about his struggles. As we talked, I could hear how that resentment took root. He returned to drinking and drugs, was arrested, and was dismissed from the college. After that, his anger deepened. He began selling drugs and eventually called himself an atheist. He wanted nothing to do with the Christianity he felt he had encountered. His story reminded me how deeply people can be wounded in places where they hoped to find help, and how destructive it becomes when bitterness starts directing our decisions.
One of the most painful moments Jose shared involved his friend Gibby. He remembered meeting a young man at Bible college who wanted to become a youth pastor. Later, after a night of heavy drug use, Jose looked at his friend and recognized how much had changed. He began to see the influence he had been having on someone he loved. That realization stayed with me. Our choices reach beyond us. The direction we are walking can affect our friendships, our marriages, our children, and people whose lives we may never realize we are shaping.
Then came the night that changed the direction of Jose’s life. A party was happening downstairs at his house, but he went upstairs alone. Sitting in the darkness, he began crying and praying. After years of running, he asked God to show him that He was real and still saw him. Jose described experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit in that room in a way he had never experienced before. As he told me about it, what stood out was the surrender in his response. He was ready to give his life back to God and follow Him.
Jose was also honest about what happened afterward. That encounter did not mean the effects of years of drug use immediately disappeared. He still faced withdrawal and the difficult work of getting sober. His willingness to share that matters. A powerful moment with God can begin a new direction while there is still a hard road ahead. Jose asked for help, returned home, and once again found parents who received him with love. Throughout the years when he had been pulling away, they had continued praying.
As a father, that part of our conversation hit close to home. Amy and I know how hard it is when your children move out and you can no longer see what is happening in their everyday lives. You love them just as much, but your ability to step in changes. Jose spoke with deep gratitude about his parents’ prayers and the place they held in his story. For a parent who is still praying over a child who has wandered, his testimony offers encouragement to keep loving, keep praying, and keep trusting God with the person you cannot control.
Eventually, Jose’s next step took him to Australia to attend Hillsong College. Even there, he faced struggles. But this time, when he told a mentor he needed help with drinking, he found people willing to walk through it with him. He also found a close friend, Jaden, whose family welcomed him into their home and included him in holidays and everyday life. Listening to Jose describe that season, I was reminded of how practical love can be. Sometimes helping someone grow means making room at your table, listening when they tell the truth, and staying beside them as they learn to live differently.
His story continued through songwriting, worship ministry, painful losses during the pandemic, a move to Nashville, and eventually meeting Taylor. Today, they are building their marriage and serving at Woodlands Church. Toward the end of our conversation, I asked Jose what worship means to him. His answer reached beyond music. He described worship as an outward expression of who God is and what He has done, reflected in how we treat our neighbors, love our families, work, and live. After hearing his testimony, that answer carried weight. He was talking about a life surrendered to God.
If you recognize yourself somewhere in Jose’s story, I hope you hear the invitation in it. You can be honest with God about where you are. You can reach out to someone trustworthy and tell them you need help. Your past may hold consequences, grief, and things you wish you could undo, but it does not put you beyond the reach of Jesus. Jose’s story is a reminder that even after years of running, there is still a way home.
