F.O.C.U.S.: Living the Lord's Prayer,Used

Product DescriptionFaithful, Open, Centered, United, and Solid add up to F.O.C.U.S. the key ingredients of Christian living.Beginning with his own testimony, Pastor Tyrone D. Gordon invites pastors and churches to F.O.C.U.S. by living the Lord's Prayer. Living and studying the prayer Jesus taught leads us to be faithful to Jesus, open to opportunities, centered on commitment, united in the power and ministry of reconciliation, and solid in the struggle toward power, justice, and love that come from God.'A focused prayerfilled life points to God, depends on God, and looks to God for its fulfillment. Everything in it, around it, and in between it is designed to glorify God. Our whole life is a doxology because we know what ultimate reality is. This is God's thing, God's doing, and ultimately, God is in control.' from the bookEach chapter includes questions for reflection.About the AuthorTyrone Gordon is Pastor of the 5,500plusmember St. Luke Community United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Bishop College, graduating with honors, and his Master of Divinity Degree from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. He also received an honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree in 2002 from Baker University, Baldwin City, Kansas. He is an Ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church and a member of the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. He is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and the NAACP. He and his wife, Marsha, have two daughters.Excerpt. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.F.O.C.U.S.Living the Lord's PrayerBy Tyrone Gordon Abingdon PressCopyright 2008 The United Methodist Publishing HouseAll right reserved.ISBN: 9780687644742Chapter OneF.O.C.U.S.Living a Life of PrayerLord, teach us to pray. Luke 11:1It all hit me one morning in the spring of 1992 in Wichita, Kansas. While serving the Saint Mark United Methodist Church, I had given all I had to give but I had drained myself in the process. That alone was part of the problemI thought I needed to replenish myself. After five years in a fastgrowing congregation and being touted as a 'successful' pastor, I was running on spiritual fumes. On the outside, everything looked fine; but on the inside, I was sinking in a pit of despair, sinking fast! My tank was empty, and little did I know that morning, I was about to run completely out of spiritual gas. In spite of doing all the right things in moving that ministry forward and experiencing phenomenal growth in the process, I was doing all the wrong things to keep myself spiritually fed and nourished. I was trying to ride on the fumes of success, the fumes of church growth, the fumes of conference leadership, even the fumes of the applause of peers; but I soon discovered that those things won't keep you running for long. I was like a dehydrated marathon runner; I was about to crash and burn.Sometimes life drives home lessons that we can never forget as well as things we should never forget. But more important, these hard times can help us grow into focused and committed disciples the Lord is calling for today. Some things will drive us to our knees, but being driven to our knees can be a good thing, because it is there that God will teach us to pray.As I entered my office that Tuesday morning, I was completely overwhelmed by a spirit of frustration, emptiness, and depression. As I sat down at my desk I literally broke down in uncontrollable tears. I cried like a baby! I had given so much and there was nothing more left to give. While basking in the glow of success, I felt like a failure. As I look back on it today, I must have been on the edge of a breakdown. My secretary at the time, Rita, heard me; and I still don't know what prompted her to do this, but instead of coming to me, she quickly called my wife, Marsha. Marsha in turn called my dear friend and brother in ministry, the Reverend