We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Juanita I. Harris. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Juanita I. below.

Juanita I. , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project that I’ve worked on to this day is undeniably I Talk to God About You. 40 Days of Prayer for My Future Husband For as long as I can remember, I have always loved writing. When I was young and would completely fill every diary, spiral notebook, and journal that I could get my hands on. My mom noticed my love for writing and told me that she hoped I made money with it someday. Well about 25 years later, I saw what she said when I became a published author. This journey is so meaningful to me because it gives me a chance, through the Word of God and Prayer, to encourage the hearts of people that I may never meet.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a veteran elementary school teacher and absolutely love helping students become great readers, leaders, mathematicians, and overall solvers. After teaching for nearly 2 decades, some of my colleagues and I noticed a need to support educators, and we formed a benefit corporation called Teachers Support Teaches. Our mission is to live out our vision of Encouraging the Hearts that Shape the Minds. I am honored to serve as CEO. We provide monthly opportunities for self-care to any educational frontline worker that spends at least 85% of their instructional day with students. As a child, I realized that I had the gift of encouragement and that has shaped the work that God has blessed me to do.

Going to college at Southern Arkansas University gave me gifts wrapped in friends that would help me on my journey to becoming a published author. One of the people that had the most profound impact on my author journey was someone I served alongside in ministry. One day Dedrick Reynolds and I were having a conversation, and he told me that I should journal and publish my prayers. It took me a few years, but by the grace of God, I did it. While in college, I met an amazing nursing student named Pamela Hughey. I also met an incredible gentleman named Jonathan Grooms. In addition to becoming a nurse, Pam later started Dellalane Publishing and Jonathan started a t-shirt company called Diverge Brand. Both of them played a vital role in the ease of my process because they worked from their place of expertise! Post college, I was blessed to meet a phenomenal photographer and an anointed graphic designer, too! Tony McClain of McClain Media does not take pictures, he captures moments, and Adrienne Brown of Distinguished Designz designs on behalf of Heaven! Both of them effortlessly takes my ideas from concept to reality every single time.

Deciding to publish a book, especially one that explores something as personal as prayer took a level of vulnerability that still leaves me in awe. I do not just see prayer as something to do, but as a place that we can go. 1 John 5:14-15 says, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” Since we have this confidence in Christ, it is my belief that our posture should always be prayer. It should be our first line of defense and never our last resort. I will be the first to admit there have been many times in life when I’ve missed that mark and found myself walking by sight and not by faith. I’ve won local, regional, and state awards in my profession, yet quietly struggled with dating relationships for years. I’ve learned that if we do not address the traumatic things that have happened in our lives, our romantic relationships will.

When people purchase a copy of I Talk to God About You, they are purchasing a copy of my diary that was edited and published. Those are my honest conversations with God. Knowing that God used what I’ve been through to encourage and support others is a blessing that I cannot describe.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Editing. The process of editing both tested and strengthened my resilience all at the same time. We were almost at the finish line, and then we got a note that something had to be fixed. This happened so many times as we were finishing the book that I began to get frustrated. I confided in Adrienne and Pamela and both of them encouraged me to stay the course while reminding me how close we were to actually finishing what we started. It would have been easy to just walk away from the process, but I know that thieves typically don’t break into homes that have nothing of perceived value. I say that to highlight the fact that I didn’t believe the enemy would fight me on this project if it wasn’t going to be a blessing to those who purchased it for themselves or their loved ones.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Absolutely! It is my goal that readers are encouraged and inspired to pray. In a world where people are encouraged to turn to many different things, my desire is to point people to the cross! When people see the cover of the book, many automatically assume it is only about marriage, but there is more than what meets the eye!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://italktogodaboutyou.square.site/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theamiegardner/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITalktoGodAboutYou/

Image Credits

Photo Credit: McClain Media