Chris,
Three weeks in Montana, a couple of coffees in Cincy, one visit to Hartco, and a Christmas party at the Hartenstein home comprise all the time that I’ve spent with and/or around you. Nevertheless, when I saw the invitation to write you on your 50th, my heart told me, “Yes, you must!”
So here I am, with three words that I associate with Chris Hartenstein.
Heart. This is one of your obsessions … your heart, the hearts of your children, the hearts of those entrusting themselves to your teaching and leadership at Hartco and TNF, His heart. How’s your heart? Your voice is the one I hear making that direct and yet compassionate inquiry whenever I am tied in knots and the purposes of my heart are deep waters that I have neglected to draw out. Your voice nudges me to calibrate, to familiarize once again and then to reset. Thanks man, my heart is better off for knowing you.
Father. The magic that happens in Montana is varied and manifold, but the choicest cut is this: we get to see the Father through your eyes. We catch a glimpse in the mountains, in the movies, and mostly in Luke 15. The love you have for your kids—especially when you tell Rob’s story—demonstrates how the Father has been and is at work in you … how you learned to carry pain, how you refused to stop fighting or put your sword down when you were weary as hell, how you were met and carried and fought for by a loving Dad who was with you all the way. Thanks man. Thanks for that glimpse. It makes me want to see more of the Father, knowing what you’ve seen.
Damn. That’s not the third word. I just forgot what the third was, so that’s what came out. Oh, here it is …
Word. The Word spills out of you, but not simply as propositions or academic jargon. No. Out of the overflow of your heart, your mouth speaks, your face expresses, your actions embody the Word. And words are an essential part of your gifting, the tools in your bag that you employ with skill. One of my life verses is Isaiah 50:4: “The LORD God has given me the tongue of those who are taught that I may sustain with a word him who is weary.” That’s what I want to do. My heart rises up and urges me in that direction. And when I see someone else doing that, my heart says, “Listen, watch, and learn.” I see you doing it and doing it very well. Keep doing it man. You’re a blessing to me and to many.
I hope these letters serve as a memorial to His faithfulness in your life, and that they encourage you to keep at it the way you have been. I hope these letters are a shield against discouragement and the voices and spirits that haunt the empty spaces. May the words of all who contributed fill those spaces with truth, so that the lies whispered on the wind are not even audible compared to the approval your Father speaks of you through your friends and family.
Happy Birthday, brother!
Jess