Honoring the Legacy of Bob Hartman

Published on june 9th, 2020 | by Pastor Wildman

          From 1972 to present, Bob Hartman has been an amazing musician, guitarist and songwriter.  All one has to do is go back through the lengthy music catalog of Petra.  You will hear a guitarist who is able to do anything from classic 70s rock to 80’s arena rock.  He also showed he had the ability to play with the best of them when it comes to the grunge movement of the 90’s.  And of course, who could forget how he pulled out ALL the stops on Petras final project- Jekyll and Hyde. He also is great at praise and worship as recognized on the two Petra praise albums and II GUYS from Petra.  He is able to be versatile and play all these styles while writing lyrics with such a powerful message that is always Biblical.  Hartman was able to use the music that was popular of the youth from each decade to proclaim the Gospel.  While his musicianship was top notch, it was his willingness to do what was necessary to maintain a voice.

This is a lesson all believers can learn.  Our responsibility is to find a way to connect with what is popular with the teens of today to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ.  The same way Paul ministered to the Greeks by understanding their culture.

Think about the youth you know, how are you connecting?  What avenue is God providing for you to minister to them?  God loves every generation enough that he always provides avenues outside church walls where His voice is heard.  Hartman’s avenue was through music.  Yours may be as well.  Or it may be through sports, or hunting or motorcycling, or…………………..

God desires to use you, will you let Him?

Some people think, “If I could only be in a band like Petra and travel all around……but really the key to happiness is doing what you know the Lord wants you to do.”  - Bob Hartman