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 News Blog Journey Church  A story about the beginning of Journey Church in Jacksonville, Alabama - kicking off at the Java Jolt on Jacksonville Square at 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 27, 2008. Taylor McCall leaves the Road - a letter from Try Dying Ministries  A farewell letter from Taylor as he pursues God's will for his life.Updates from Jamey  Changes to the website and Try Dying Ministries are ahead! My Group  This one goes out to Frog, Shelby, Ryan, Justin, Matt, Kala, Tiffany, Jennifer, Ashley, Andy, Joey, Brad, Sparky, and Dillan. I love you guys.View All News |
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 The concept of the phrase "try dying" appears in the Bible when Jesus said to the crowd and disciples in Mark 8:34-35, "If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the Gospel's will save it." My heart began to resonate with this truth because, to me, it seemed like if I really believed that Jesus is Lord and that He came to die for my sins and rise from the dead - the only logical choice is to die to myself (my wants, desires, plans) and allow Him complete control of my life. Paul said it best in Romans 12:1, "I urge you, brothers, by the mercy of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice - holy and pleasing to the Lord, which is your reasonable act of worship." The urge to partner in ministry with your church springs from the idea that what we see happening in the book of Acts should not be labeled "extraordinary" or "amazing" though of course it is: instead, it should be normal Christianity. The heart of this ministry is to appeal to the crowd of people who do not know Jesus personally and call them to die to themselves unto salvation - to let go of their lives and trust in Christ through saving faith to be born again. The desire for believers is the absolute Lordship of Christ - for those who are truly born again to realize the error of living life our way and to recklessly abandon to the Person of Jesus. As CS Lewis said, "After total surrender, there is nothing else." THE JOURNEY THUS FAR  Try Dying has been active in full time evangelistic ministry since the beginning of 2006. God has opened doors to go as far north as Boston, Massachusetts and as far south as Miami, Florida ministering to different ethnicities, cultures, and age groups while preaching the message of salvation, surrender and identity in Christ. Success is often hard to measure for the sheer fact of never knowing exactly what God will do after time spent with a certain group. I am deeply humbled to share the good report that God has allowed me to see many students, college students and adults born again into His family as a result of the His Word going forth. Hallelujah! Just as important, many believers have begun to undertand their position and freedom in Christ which has led to loving surrender to Jesus and real life change that has led them to a different walk after our time together. I am very grateful to give this report and give complete glory to God for His work! PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY   I strongly disagree with the idea of coming in, preaching, and leaving. My conviction is that when my team and I are with your students, we are with them as much as we can be, during free time, events, games, etc. We see our role not only as communicators, but also as pastors. I believe preaching is most effective when relationships are established, and see my role extending far beyond the pulpit and weekend. I have been honored to be a part of discipling and mentoring people beyond revivals, youth camps, D-Nows and conferences. My heart for evangelism deals strongly with the firm conviction that due to the lack of church discipline and the watering-down of the gospel, the church has become filled with lost people who think they're saved (Matthew 7:21-23). I offer a very Biblical and vivid picture of what salvation is, and what it is not based on Romans 10:1-3, 9-10; 3:11-28, and 5:8. I urge my hearers to examine themselves before God and ask Him to reveal the truth about their lives while trusting the Holy Spirit to confirm or convict as He wills. Further, I long to take the people in your ministry to a place of death to themselves. (Mark 8:34-38). I am not interested in keeping a fire going, but demonstrating through all of our involvement with those we are ministering to that dying to ourselves is the only way to live. This is the strongest part of our call to discipleship. Financial Compensations and Honorariums Try Dying is a full-time ministry endeavor that requires much study, planning and coordinating. It would not be possible without financial support. I want to make the following statement very clear: ASIDE FROM A MANDATE FROM GOD, I WILL NOT NEGLECT ANY OPPROTUNITY TO PREACH THE GOSPEL. With that being said, the Church has the incredible privilege and a Biblical responsibility to support those who proclaim the Gospel (1 Corinthians 9). I am also convicted to adhere to 2 Corinthians 2:17 which states: "For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God." I will not "peddle" the opportunity to preach to become lucrative, and have seen God provide miraculously over the years financially in times of plenty and want while teaching me the humbling lesson of dependency. Therefore, my chief desire in my coming and your giving will be God's glory! To say it another way - When Try Dying partners with your ministry, I will come prepared to do the best that I can in being a vessel for God to use through preaching, relationships, prayer and preparation. As a fair exchange, I simply ask your church or ministry to do the best they can in supporting me so that I can continue the work. THE ONLY EXCEPTION would be if you asked for leaders at a D-Now, camp or other event in which case we would negotiate a fair price for them above the honorarium. MINISTRY EVENTS  The Following is a list of the types of Ministry Events we have experience with. Please note, this list is by no means comprehensive:
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I humbly ask that you please pray for God's continued leadership and guidance for us. It would be my sincere privilege to discuss any possibilities of ministry with you, your church family, or others that you might have contact with. Thank you again, and may God richly bless you as you exalt His Name and His Word (Psalm 138:2). I look forward to hearing from you, should God see fit to lead us together in ministry. Thanks again. 
 I was truly born again on July 25, 1994 as a 15 year old. I had said a sinner’s prayer when I was 9 and baptism followed, but Jesus had not entered into my heart. In the seventh grade, I became an agnostic and leaned toward doubting God's existence altogether. As a teenager, I went to 6 different high schools and experienced popularity as well as the depths of being unpopular. Upon tasting popularity, this became my god and goal. It was during my freshman year of high school that God began drawing me through the influence of godly friends in my life. At a Christian club meeting, God revealed Himself to me during that gathering and two months later (July 25) I was saved. God began dealing with me about serving in ministry for the rest of my life when He revealed my spiritual gifts (prophecy, teaching, and evangelism) were designed for the purposes of equipping the saints (Ephesians 4). I publicly acknowledged His call on August 1, 1998 when I was 18. I went to Mississippi College for a year and then returned to Calhoun County, Alabama to serve as a youth pastor at Westwood Baptist. I left to finish my degree at the University of Mobile in 2002 and graduated in 2004 with a degree in Christian Studies. Upon graduation, I began serving on staff as the college and young singles pastor at Dayspring Baptist Church in Mobile, AL where I ministered for over 2 and half years. Over the course of the last 5 years, God has graciously continued to open doors to serve in camps and revivals. As opportunities increased, and upon much prayer and godly counsel, I stepped out on faith to pursue evangelism full-time. With over 2 years experience on the road, I have undergone deep personal transformation that has affected my life and ministry. In January of 2008, I joined Rick Deerman, Brandon Morgan and Bret Ellis in planting Journey Church in Jacksonville, Alabama (www.wejourney.org). Soon after, in April, God led me to Jacob's Well Recovery Center (www.jacobswellrecoverycenter.com) to serve as the Associate Pastor and Director of Evangelism. My heart's desire is the glory of God in proclaiming the Gospel, teaching the Word, building relationships and building community. It would consider it a great privilege to partner with your ministry. Thank you for reading. 
The Scriptures We believe the entire Bible is the inspired Word of God and that men were moved by the Spirit to write the very words of Scripture. Therefore, the Bible is without error. God We believe in one God who exists in three distinct persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). We believe that Jesus Christ is the second member of the Trinity (the Son of God) who became flesh to reveal God to man and to become the Savior of the lost. Mankind We believe that man was created in the image of God to have fellowship with Him, but became alienated from that relationship through sinful disobedience. As a result, man is totally incapable of coming back into a right relationship with God by his own effort. Salvation We believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross provides the sole basis for the forgiveness of sins. Therefore, salvation only occurs when a person places their faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as the sufficient payment for their sin. The Christian Life We believe that every Christian should live for Christ and not for himself. By obedience to the Word and daily yielding to the Spirit, every believer should mature and become conformed to the image of Christ. The Church We believe that the church is the body of Christ of which Jesus Christ is the Head. The members are those who have trusted by faith the finished work of Christ. The purpose of the church is to glorify God by loving Him and by making Him known to a lost world. |
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