Judy’s Tribute to Jack Hartman: 1931-2019

I want to thank God in Christ Jesus for the honor of being Jack’s wife for almost thirty years, from September 22, 1989 to September 17, 2019, when Jack passed from this life to heaven. When we married, Ed Hiers, Jack’s business partner at Northeast Planning Associates, (http://northeastplanning.com) said the only question he had was that we both might give away the kitchen sink!

Generous describes Jack. Our garage had hooks along each side where sets of golf clubs hung to be given to anyone wanting to start golf. Hundreds of people, over the years, walked away with free sets of golf clubs. Jack taught our family members to become golfers, including me! If you ever golfed with Jack, you know that it was high intensity golfing, never taking a second swing, always looking for an open hole, and golfing so fast that those coming up behind you never had to wait.

Jack loved golf and began as a caddy. His leadership ability was easily recognized. He was chosen as head caddy which led a doctor to nominate Jack for ROTC in high school. Jack entered the Army as a 2nd Lieutenant and became a platoon leader. He graduated from the University of Vermont with a major in Business. Jack never owned a car until after he graduated from college.

Wherever Jack was, he rose to the top. With his Business degree, Jack catapulted into the insurance industry. He became a General Agent at age 28, which was too young, so his title was “Associate General Agent in Charge.”

Jack’s gift of encouraging others led to his adding advisors to his firm and coaching them to success. He saw what a person could be, not what he was. When 22-year-old Ed Hiers walked into Jack’s office, Jack saw what Ed could be. Ed and Jack came to have what I describe as a biblical David and Jonathan relationship, an ever so rare bond.

When Jack was 42, he got himself into a financial pickle, which led him to search the Bible to find out what God said about finances. A friend had told him that he would find answers if he saturated himself in the Bible and surrendered his life to Jesus Christ.

Jack was desperate, so he devoured the Bible, recording every verse he could find on finances on three by five cards. What happened, though, was above and beyond what Jack was seeking. He met the living Savior of the world, Jesus Christ!

Jack had a very active body and a very active soul (which includes the mind, the will, and the emotions), but his spirit had been dead to God because of the sin of Adam, the inborn nature of everyone, the capacity to do evil.  Now Jack’s spirit was indeed born anew. Into his being came the Holy Spirit of God. The Bible, God’s book written for His family, became alive to Jack.

Jack meditated on the Bible verses on finances day and night. He found the verse, Joshua 1:8, which he quoted so often, the Amplified Bible version, of course, his favorite: This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.”

Success, according to Jack, is to have all that you need in order to complete God’s plan for your life. Jack began to do what he was learning and was able to pay everyone back. He wrote “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me” 100 times on a legal pad, Philippians 4:13, his life verse.

Others, wanting to know what happened in Jack’s life, resulted in Jack’s teaching Bible studies that grew so large that a church was established, Faith Christian Center, in Bedford, New Hampshire. Jack taught Tuesday night Bible studies for many years, handing out notes each week, mimeographed with purple ink. The church grew to over 1,000 people, established a Christian school, and had extensive mission outreaches.

Jack’s notes on finances became his book, Trust God for Your Finances, which has over 150,000 copies in print and has been translated into eleven languages. I recently updated and expanded Trust God for Your Finances as part of Lamplight Ministries’ God’s Toolbox Series. (http://lamplight.net)

I met Jack through Rudy Johnson, who gave me that very book, Trust God for Your Finances. I had some questions because I wanted to go to China as a missionary. I called Bill Gibbons, who was my insurance agent (and worked for Jack’s company, Northeast Planning Associates, http://northeastplanning.com) to ask him if I should call Jack.

If you know Bill, you know his answer. After Jack and I talked, Jack made a cassette tape to me telling me that God told him that I would become his wife (after the first phone call, before we ever saw each other). Jack thought that was crazy and threw the tape into the waste basket, but, indeed, that was God’s wonderful plan for Jack and for me.

Jack and I were married in 1989. Two “givers’ now married just might give the kitchen sink away! Jack and I established Lamplight Ministries, Inc. in 1991 because we were spending so much of our own money mailing Jack’s books to the nations that we thought (and Ed agreed) that maybe others whose lives were transformed by Jesus Christ in the Word of God in our books might like to help us write, print, translate, and distribute our books to the nations of the world.

Lamplight Ministries, Inc. (http://lamplight.net) continues today, debt free since its inception in 1991, now with Directors in India, Indonesia, and Uganda, spreading the message of Jesus Christ through the Word of God in the 32 Lamplight Bible-based books. Most of the books were written with Jack and me in our offices at opposite ends of our ranch-style home in Dunedin, Florida. The exciting news is that Jack completed the first draft of four books that have not yet been published. I continue to write and publish Bible-based books and will have the joy of completing and publishing Jack’s four yet-unpublished books.

Jack was a producer and when he could no longer produce, he longed to go to heaven. Lamplight Ministries, Inc. has two books describing what heaven is like: What Will Heaven Be Like? and God’s Glorious Eternal Life in Heaven, which I updated and expanded. See our website: http://lamplight.net.

We moved to Concord, North Carolina in December of 2017 to be near 19 immediate family members, including three “greats,” all adoring Jack and visiting him often. During our final nine months together in North Carolina, Jack told me every day how grateful he was to me and how much he loved me, many times each day. He did not die of any disease. He took no medications of any kind. His body just started to get weak.

I took Jack for his daily ride to enjoy the countryside on Wednesday, September 11, 2018. He was “absent from the body and present with the Lord” the next Tuesday, September 17.

. On Monday night, September 16, Jack’s son, Mike, my daughter, Melissa, Kim, the nurse Jack treasured, and I sang worship songs around Jack’s bed. He was no longer responding, but we knew he heard us. Kim said she wanted to dedicate a song to Jack: “Thank you for giving to the Lord. I am so glad you did.” She played it and we all sang along, singing it to Jack.

We all wondered if Jack might leave us during the night. Early in the morning I sat on a stool by Jack’s hospital bed in the bedroom and put my hand on his chest while I read Psalms and Revelation out loud to Jack and just talked to him, thanking him and loving him.

Then, Mike and Melissa came into the room and gathered around Jack’s bed with me. Melissa played the song again: “Thank you for giving to the Lord, I am so glad you did.” The last verse played: “As Jesus took your hand, you stood before the Lord. He said, “My child, look around you. For great is your reward. Thank you for giving to the Lord, I am a life that was changed. I am so glad you gave.” At the very moment of the last note of the last verse of the song, Jack stopped breathing and was “absent from the body and present with the Lord.” (“We are confident, yes, well-pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” (II Corinthians 5:8)

“Father, we thank you for Jack’s life. We thank you that Jack gave to you. Father, I am a life that was changed because of Jack. Thank you, Father, for Jack Hartman. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

Now available for free in audio! Our book, Overcoming Fear!

We are so excited to announce that the audio version of our book, Overcoming Fear, is now available on our website for free! (http://lamplight.net) We invite you to tell everyone you know to listen to Michele Bunker read the book beautifully.

Do you know anyone with anxiety? Do you know anyone who has a fear of the future? Do you know anyone who has financial pressures that create fear?

“Overcoming Fear has changed my life completely. I used to be a very fearful person, especially in terms of the future. I had a lot of anxiety in my life. I have now been delivered from this fear, because of your great book. I have been given a job in the military. I am now studying at the University of Malawi. The government has paid for me in school and I receive a salary. This book has helped me to wait on God. I apply the Word of God in this book to my life. My faith has grown. I have put away the fears of this world. God is now first in my life. This book has been a door to my destiny. God bless you. I have been blessed by this book.” (Malawi)

“I love your book, Overcoming Fear. This is a great book. It taught me exactly what to do when I am tempted to be afraid. This book helps me to focus on God and not fear. I had a fear of the future. After reading your book, this fear began to fade and diminish. I know that God is always there to lift me up whenever I am down. Thank you very much for this book. God bless you and your ministry, Jack and Judy.” (China)

“Thank you for sending your books to the Philippines. I was very blessed to read Overcoming Fear. This book explains the sources of fear and what I should do to overcome fear. It is really a blessing to know all of this information that helped me to overcome the fear I have felt all these years. I have cherished every chapter in the book. It has become food for my soul. Thank you so much for explaining all this so well. I have learned that I should never be afraid of anyone, because I can be absolutely certain that God lives in my heart. This is great assurance, because I know that God is greater than anything I will ever face in this life. This book has been a great blessing in my life. God bless you both.” (Philippines)

“I want to thank you immediately for your new book, Overcoming Fear. I have read every one of your books and given copies to many people, but I want to tell you that I believe this is your best book ever. I can hardly put it down. The day I received it, I stayed up late, even though I was very tired, to read the first four chapters. The next morning, I read two more chapters before going to work. This book is very inspiring. It gives me great peace. God’s peace is so great that I cannot describe it. I have almost finished reading this book. When I am done, I will immediately read it again. Enclosed is a check for ten copies of this book, plus a contribution to Lamplight Ministries, Inc. Thank you, Jack and Judy, for writing this wonderful book.” (Massachusetts)

I want to thank you for publishing this book, Overcoming Fear. I am reading mine for the second time. I cannot tell you how comforting it is. The way you have put information along with the right Bible verses is so truly helpful. As world conditions worsen, I can tell you that this book will be a constant companion alongside my Bible. I am so grateful to you both. Keep up the good work. You are making a big difference in people’s lives. You have in mine. (Minnesota)

Could we together reach someone who is on the verge of making a fatal decision? Would you be willing to tell everyone on your social media to listen to the free version of Overcoming Fear on our website? Our goal in writing the book is to be a bridge between fear and the peace of God in Christ Jesus, a bridge between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light.

You might write something like: “I thought of you as I began to listen to an amazing audio book. You can listen to it for free at http://lamplight.net. I have a hunch that you will thank me! Check it out and let me know if this book fits like a glove😊”

Of course, I am so eager to hear how you like it. Please do let me know here or on our website, http://lamplight.net. Hearing back from you will make my day! Please share with me any responses you receive from others as well. I am so excited every time I hear that we have made a difference in someone’s life😊

What are some of the fears you hear people speak of today? Would you please respond in the comment section and list fears that you hear people speaking?

When you listen to the book, write down verses that are mentioned. Write them on three by five cards and carry them with you. Speak the Word of God out loud. You can even speak it very loudly, declaring the truth of God’s Word! You can sing the Word of God as a prayer to our heavenly Father. Just get yourself in the Word of God and get the Word of God into you!

 

 

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