About The Journey

By Camryn Whaley

When Ben Cox began his job at a company called Main Street Marketing in 2001, he had no idea of the incredible journey for which God was preparing him. For 20 years, Ben had worked full-time as a pastor, when suddenly an unexpected life change found him working part-time as a salesman in Boone, North Carolina. Thankfully, he quickly found out that he had a hidden talent for sales. This talent helped Ben advance in the company, and eventually, he was made a partner in the business. Little did he know that this secret talent would become incredibly important as his journey with the company continued.

 Many years ago, Main Street Marketing published a newsprint periodical titled Good News. This publication featured several short testimonies from the residents of Ashe county. One of Ben’s new duties was to interview these residents, and since he had plenty of pastoral experience, he was perfect for the job. It was while he did these interviews that he utilized his pastoral passion for people and developed a real connection to their stories. Ben found himself touched by the refreshingly diverse and often difficult paths that led people to God, and he saw the critical need to share these stories with others who may be going through crises of their own.

Several years later, Ben purchased Main Street Marketing, which included Good News. He felt called to continue and evolve the publication, and in 2007, The Journey that we know today was born. After officially being published in Watauga county, it took the form of a magazine and featured longer article-length testimonies from citizens of the High Country. It quickly gained popularity, and today it is a well-known magazine all over Western North Carolina. 

Ben Cox’s vision for The Journey is one that truly comes from a place of love for God and for his community. Too often today it is easy to focus on and criticize those who claim to be followers of Christ, but don’t live their lives that way. This magazine is published with the goal of uniting our community and bringing the focus back to God. The Journey’s purpose lies right in its name: to share the spiritual journeys of our community and how those journeys serve to strengthen our relationship with God. This magazine is published in the hope that it will reach out and touch the hearts of others who may be on similar journeys themselves. Whether you’re already planted firmly in your faith or you’re still searching for answers, The Journey is written for you.

Today, The Journey is just one branch of High Country 365, originally called Main Street Marketing. High Country 365 is a niche marketing company based in Boone that specializes in promoting local businesses to both seasonal visitors and High Country locals. Want to know more? Check us out at: https://highcountry365.com/