Happy 50th Birthday, Chris!
I don’t really know where to start when it comes to you and finding the words to write. You have played several roles in my life and I am grateful for each one: from working side by side with junior high students to working together to advance the Kingdom through Hartco. I am thankful that God has given me the privilege of standing shoulder to shoulder with you through many years. I’ve been honored to learn from you as you freely share from your heart the experiences and moments that God has used to shape you and I have benefited more than I could ever hope to repay from the wisdom and insights that have been made available to me. They have made me a better man, but more importantly , they have made me a better follower of Christ! In living more for Him than myself, I lead my wife and my children and I point my friends toward something greater.
As my employer you have cared for me and my family in ways that are unheard of, and I am honored to often be called upon to help you be able to bless other employees as well. This has been a great joy for me to be a part of something far bigger than any one person. As God’s steward of Hartco, you, Chris, are always wanting to be obedient to the Father and to share in His good pleasure with those around you. I have enjoyed stepping into the fight beside you!
I love that I was around at the beginning, when TNF was just a bunch of guys going West to have what Carolyn lovingly refers to as “man-cation”. Rightly so, that is what it was. But in obedience, a ministry was born that would impact my family in ways that I could never imagine. As God used you to point me toward True North, I was given real tastes of the Freedom that my Father has for me. I grew as a man and the changes have been life-altering. I began the process of understanding that my true identity was not where I had been trying to place it all along. My priorities have been altered and my family is better for it.
I often don’t know how to express my gratitude, Chris. I have been blessed in so many ways by you as a coworker, as a boss, as a leader and mentor. But the thing I am most grateful for is that in you I have a true brother. This is the word that can get me a little emotional, but it is this side of you that has helped me to learn how to be more trusting in those that have my best interest in mind. As a brother you have also taught me to see that I am trusted. To know that I didn’t have to take on the fight alone, but there are brothers by my side has been huge in my life. In turn, I have become a better friend and brother to others as well.
I know your favorite verse has always been Micah 6:8. Chris, I am so grateful that you not only love this verse, but that you do your best to live it as well. Thank you for being my friend and my brother.
Your friend and brother,
Ben Bolt