Author: Joe MarquezSeeing People Like JesusOur culture has taught us to evaluate almost everything by speed and efficiency.How quickly can I finish this? How easily can I get there? How can I avoid delays? How can I protect my schedule? How can I make this interaction shorter?Efficiency can be helpful, but people are rarely efficient. People interrupt us. People need more time than we planned. Peo...

Author: Joe MarquezMission Begins Where You AreWhen we hear the word mission, we often imagine somewhere else…Another country. An impoverished neighborhood. A church outreach event. A ministry led by someone more gifted. A conversation we hope someone else will have.We think mission begins when we cross an ocean, join an organization, or enter a church program. But in Acts 1:8, Jesus begins with J...

Author: Joe MarquezEmpowered to be WitnessesWhen we think about sharing Jesus, many of us immediately think about why someone else would be better at it.We say, “I’m not outgoing.” “I don’t know enough.” “I don’t want to make things awkward.” “I’m not good at explaining things.” “That’s what pastors are for.”We assume that being a witness requires a certain personality, a certain level of knowledg...

We Were Not Meant to Walk AloneFriendships matter more than we realize.The Bible says in Genesis 2:18“It is not good that the man should be alone.”Yes, that passage is speaking directly about marriage. But I don’t think it’s limited to marriage. It reveals something deeper about human design.We were not created to live alone.And yet, loneliness is quietly becoming one of the great struggles of our...

Jesus Trusted the FatherI’ve been fascinated lately with one particular aspect of the gospel of Jesus.It’s almost all I’ve been thinking about these past few weeks.It’s this idea that Jesus trusted the Father — even in wrath.That’s a wild thing to sit with.Jesus knew there was a price to be paid.He knew there had to be death in order for life to come.He knew there had to be suffering for hope to r...

Pain is interesting.It can push you forward…or keep you stuck.It can lead you toward healing…or quietly make things worse.It can bring you into reality…or tempt you to escape into fantasy.But one thing pain never does is allow you to do nothing.There is always a response to pain.Jesus came to rescue, redeem, and ultimately relieve us from the sting of death. And yet, we’re not in heaven yet. We li...