Blessed Is the Man: A Legacy of Faith and Family Values

In Blessed Is the Man: A Legacy of Faith and Family Values, Donald Darnell Harper shares the spiritual values passed on to him by his parents. Their example, to him and his twelve siblings, grounded him in his faith and propelled him to professional success as a vice president with a Fortune 100 company.

Harper grew up in the segregated South on the cusp of the Civil Rights movement. In the midst of those often trying times, his parents' simple formula for life -- faith, humility, wisdom and love -- taught Harper everything he needed to know about becoming a Christ-follower and a respecter of all men. "The lessons learned while living and working together on the farm have stayed with me and continue to impact the way I live my life," he writes.

Blessed Is the Man is more than just a collection of stories about an African-American family in rural Alabama, but also includes "testimonies to the goodness and provision of the Almighty God," Harper writes. "The love and grace He showed us is the same that He shows all His children."

In late summer of 2015, I received a telephone call from a man that I did not know. He told me that he had grown up in Marion, Alabama, where I had, also. He said, "I want to thank you for something your father did for my mother and father." This is a story about faith and trust. It is a story about a family and a story about two men - one black, one white. Their lives paralleled each other, for they both strove to better themselves and their families. Thank you, Don Harper, for not only honoring your parents, but for honoring my father and the Marion Bank and Trust Company. Geneva Blackburn Marion, Alabama On an internal quest to explain his life to the world, Donald Darnell Harper focuses his intellectual insight on the lives of his parents, those two remarkable individuals whose success many families strive to duplicate. What is the difference between those individuals who do something special - touching or influencing so many others - versus those who just seem to accept life as it is? Mr. Harper explains how the habits of highly successful people pale in importance to where, when, and how they were raised. This story is a pleasure to read and will leave you pondering how this was possible during that particular time in the deep South. It is a must-read for all cultures, from educators to parents. Lee A. Benson Dayton, Ohio