Life Notes: Reflections on Seeing God in Life: Adversities and Triumphs

By Dr. Bennie L. Harris

Reflections allow a path to the soul to learn from life lessons. I have learned that looking back can be a productive forum for growth. Just take notes along the way--learn, share, and grow. Life Notes provides a simple yet powerful set of stories grounded in scripture and in faith that walks though the author's faith journey. Stories of perseverance, stories of love, stories of hurt and sorrows. Life Notes affirms the many people who touched Bennie's life and gave him the strength to perservere.

Life Notes is intended to encourage you to pause and take notes along the way. Don't miss the daily affirmations given to you by a moment at church; or in a song; or at work; or with your childen, spouse, or partner.

Bennie recalls reflecting on the maturing of his youngest son going to college. Shortly after that reflection, he found himself writing little thoughts and notes. It may have been a conversation with my dad, or my brother, or something I heard from my minister. He began sharing those with his wife and children, then with his siblings. The reflections were encouraging and motivating. He later learned that a couple of his sisters were printing them out and then later became a form of encouagement, which is the impetus for this book, Life Notes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9781639036615

Book preview

cover.jpg

Life Notes

Reflections on Seeing God in Life: Adversities and Triumphs

Dr. Bennie L. Harris

ISBN 978-1-63903-660-8 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63903-661-5 (digital)

Copyright © 2022 by Dr. Bennie L. Harris

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Preface

Life Note

It's Important to Dream and to Work to Make Those Dreams Reality

Sunday, January 13, 2019

Life Note

Growing Up

Sunday, May 5, 2019

Life Note

One Voice

Sunday, May 19, 2019

Life Note

Happy Father's Day

Sunday, June 13, 2019

Life Note

On Being Fearless

Tuesday, September 1, 2019

Life Note

When the Night Is Holding On to Me, God Is Holding On

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Life Note

Frankie, a Good Woman

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Life Note

Forgiveness

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Life Note

Your Vision Is a Gift from God

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Life Note

Help My Unbelief

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Life Note

Spirit Fall Down

March 18, 2020

Life Notes

Do it Again

Sunday, March 15, 2020

Life Note

Put the Big Rocks in First

January 24, 2021

Preface

What inspired these life notes? One Sunday while at church, after having picked my son—Branden—up from college, I started smiling as if the Holy Spirit was saying to me, Relax, everything is going to be alright. You and Frankie did a good job raising him. Trust God.

I can hear those words as clearly as I did when I heard them that day. Then instinctively, I began composing these thoughts in my iPhone text messages to share with my children and wife. I was having these revelations that I didn't want to lose, and I felt compelled to write. However, texting messages where the vehicles that felt most comfortable and inspirational. Before I realized it, I had composed a pretty long text message that I then shared with my siblings; my five sisters—Shirley, Erma, Della, Potsha, and Lawanda—and one brother—Jessie; my three children—Bria, Bennie II, Branden; and my wife—Frankie.

Shortly there afterward, I found myself writing little thoughts and notes to myself. It may have been a conversation with my dad, or my brother, or something I heard from my minister Don McLaughlin.

Soon, Sunday worship became the time where I was inspired to connect experiences to inspiration—be it a lesson, text, or song. It would start as me taking notes during worship on my iPhone to me extending those notes to personal experiences. I can imagine my finger writing being distracting; I know it was for my wife. However, everybody was reading Scripture either from their iPhone or iPad and taking notes, so I just folded into the copious note-taker crowd. Interestingly, this is where I connected with God in my own weird sort of way.

It may have been because this has been probably the most difficult and trying time of my life. My job was stressful; my relationship with my wife was in peril; I was consumed in financial commitments with college tuition, mortgages, credit card debts, living expenses, etc. Frankie and I were in marital counseling. I was meeting with my church men's group, Make Your Bed, monthly; I was meeting with my executive coach twice monthly, focused on life coaching, career, and leadership coaching. So I guess I was just exhausted talking to people and just needed to write about life and the lessons I've lived and learned. It was a simple reflective experience.

Life Note

It's Important to Dream and to Work to Make Those Dreams Reality

Branden Harris and me. 8-18-2019

Sunday, January 13, 2019

This morning, I picked Branden up from school, Kennesaw State University, for church. When he got in the car, he said, Good morning, Pudgy and gave me a big hug. Pudgy is his nickname for