Inspiration
Time to reset
Leroy Armstrong’s book reveals how to discover God’s purpose for your life } By Michele Majors Brown
~ Leroy R. Armstrong Jr., president and lead servant, Proclaiming the Word Ministries
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“You don’t have to live stuck in your past where you made poor choices and bad decisions. That doesn’t define you.” — Leroy R. Armstrong Jr.
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26 Collin County Leader • Premier Issue
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he beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 led Leroy R. Armstrong Jr. to write a book prompted by a sermon focused on helping people adjust to life at the beginning of the pandemic. Based on a sermon using the word ‘reset,’ he released his first book — “Disruption: Resetting Your Life’s Purpose” — this year. It is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble in paperback and eBook versions. “Worldwide, we were all reeling from the onset of this coronavirus that just came like a wave and disrupted life on so many levels,” Armstrong said. He said the disruption allowed people the opportunity to pause long enough to reset their life’s purpose. Armstrong knew he tapped into something based on the responses he received from people on Facebook who watched his sermon that was recorded from his living room last year to be replayed later. The message resonated with people on many levels. “I’ve lived long enough and interacted with enough people to know there are people who have jobs that pay good money, have businesses that make good money, but they lack the fulfillment that comes from living according to their purpose,” said Armstrong, a licensed and ordained minister who has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Kansas and a Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. Armstrong is pursuing a doctorate in preaching at South African Theological Seminary. A Kansas City, Missouri, native, he is president and lead servant at Proclaiming the Word Ministries. In addition, Armstrong owns Charis Communications LLC, a marketplace business which offers a comprehensive digital marketing platform to small and medium-sized businesses. His business also focuses on acquiring and building income-producing assets. He said the overwhelming response from sermon viewers and his prayer time with God prompted him to write a book addressing those concerns and disruptions in general. “That’s why I wrote it. I really do want to help people,” said Armstrong, who also
sits on the board of the McKinney Chamber of Commerce. Armstrong’s journey into ministry included several twists and turns before he answered the calling. In fact, he’d been called while in college, but pursued a career in engineering for five years. Knowing that he would eventually pursue ministry, he prayed for clarity about his calling. Moving to Dallas, Texas, Armstrong pursued his ministry calling that led to serving under other leaders and eventually leading his own church. Armstrong said that although he had a successful ministry, sometimes disruptions that individuals face in their careers or personal lives can be self-inflicted. In hopes of encouraging others facing similar challenges, in the book, he shares his own disruptions, which including loss of a church that he founded as well as a broken marriage and family and other relationships that suffered. “One of the things I say in the book is that some seasons of disruption are Divinely allowed, others are self-inflicted,” Armstrong said. “In 2010, I was responsible for major disruption in my own life, and it was selfinflicted, because of several extremely poor choices that I made.” Armstrong said that during his healing season, he learned that God could use him for another purpose despite the disruptions he experienced. He learned that he could serve God no matter what type of position he had whether he led a church or not. Armstrong suggests that his book helps individuals who may be stuck because of disappointing circumstances or bad choices. He said the best way for individuals to approach the book is to read it and apply the principles to discover God’s specific purpose for their lives. “You don’t have to live stuck in your past where you made poor choices and bad decisions. That doesn’t define you,” he said. “The book offers lots of encouragement that God loves you.” While the pandemic forced people to focus on new health and economic realities,
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