8 minute read
Time to reset
Leroy Armstrong’s book reveals how to discover God’s purpose for your life
} By MICHElE MajOrS BrOWn
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~ 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 . 5
The 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 self- inflicted, 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,
it also magnified civil, political, and social unrest creating a perfect storm with Americans being captive audiences stuck at home as they watched, Armstrong said.
“Last year, we witnessed this gruesome murder of George Floyd, as the world watched it. He was murdered by a police officer,” Armstrong said. “That disruption uncovered afresh this deeply seated racial animus that is in the DNA of this nation. And we’ve lived through it, all the protests and peaceful demonstrations, some went violent. I don’t ascribe to the violence at all. But the peaceful protests from multiple generations and multiple ethnicities, people are going, ‘This is enough.’
“This disruption that we have all been experiencing is multifaceted. It’s multilayered. It’s crazy,” he continued. “And it’s a season. It’s a season where you have the privilege of disruption ... it’s a gift, that’s what I say,” Armstrong said. “Could it be that during this season of multilayered, multifaceted, disruption, God has given you the gift of disruption, so that you can reset your life’s purpose?”
These days, servant leadership drives Armstrong in every aspect of his life including his community and business work in McKinney. He has served in numerous capacities in ministry. And, in addition to the McKinney Chamber of Commerce board, Armstrong serves on the board of 3e United and on the Community Advisory Council for the McKinney police chief. ¿
Creating a better world
(continued from page 18)
“Annually, Emerson is a cornerstone investor providing support for both our College Advisor and Scholarship programs,” Sine said. “Without local corporate support, MEF would not be able to provide specialized support to our high school families in the College Advisor Program. This work would fall to our high school counselors who already have a full load. Teamwork by MEF and MISD high school staff has proven priceless to graduating seniors and their families.”
Through MEF, the Emerson scholarship is awarded to two MISD high school graduates who plan to study mechanical engineering. This past year, the awardees were also able to visit the Emerson office, talk to its engineers, learn about different career opportunities, and experience the company’s flow and additive technology operations. Since 2010, Emerson has awarded 24 prospective mechanical engineering students more than $118,000 in scholarship funding.
“We want these young people to drive innovation to make a smarter, safer and more sustainable world – whether at Emerson or somewhere else,” Spriester said. “It is important to support teacher grants as well because they are the catalysts for the students to learn and to get excited about these areas.”
Emerson’s support of MEF and other local non-profits matches its efforts to foster community internally as well, with the company particularly focused on cultivating a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion within its business.
This year Emerson announced a company goal to double its representation of women globally and U.S. minorities at the leadership level by 2030. Spriester said she would also like to see representation increase at a local level and that a recent grant from Emerson to the McKinney Chamber of Commerce will help fund the launch of a McKinney diversity, equity and inclusion program community wide.
“This goal is critical and reinforces our dedication to removing barriers to success and supporting an inclusive culture,” she said. “We want to ensure our business reflects a diverse workgroup, creating an environment where all perspectives are recognized.”
In all its internal initiatives — from Employee Resource Groups to peer recognition awards — Emerson always comes back to its purpose and its five causes, ensuring its ideals are more than just words. “We are always proud to recognize our employees who truly live out our global values and who support the communities where we live and work,” Spriester said. ¿
Taking flight
(continued from page 20) get that first house or whatever their goals may be,” she said. “I didn’t come from a wealthy family. I didn’t even come from a middle-class family. I came from a single mother of five kids. If people hadn’t taken it upon themselves to expose me and give me opportunities and say, ‘How about trying this?’ I don’t know that I would be where I am today. If a door opened, I was definitely going to take advantage. I wasn’t afraid.”
COMMUNITy AND EDUCATION
A commitment to community and higher education became a third component of Vistra’s diversity program, fueled by the company’s $10 million pledge over five years to invest in underserved communities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, other minority-serving colleges and universities, and diversity- focused organizations. Some of those initiatives have included partnering with Texas Southern University, The University of Texas at Arlington, Prairie View A&M University, Paul Quinn College, Hispanic College Fund and the United Negro College Fund.
“It has been really enjoyable because we’re putting our money where our mouth is, and not just this year because it’s the hottest thing, but for the next five years and beyond,” Underwood said. THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT
Underwood has big plans for the future of Vistra’s diversity program but tries to stay rooted in what matters most.
“My biggest focus, of course, is on our people and making sure they feel valued. If you’ve been in corporate America, you know it can seem like the opportunities aren’t there, because you don’t see people like you at certain levels,” she said. “At the end of the day, we are taking a company of 5,000, and we are tackling the initiatives that America’s tackling. We’re not in it for the pats on the back. It’s just the right thing to do.” ¿
