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Faith in the Fog

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by Bart L. Denny, Ph.D. Text: Mark 9:14-29 Faith That Believes, but Can’t See Clearly Have you ever tried to drive through thick fog at night? You know the road is still there.  You know you’re headed in the right direction.  But you can’t see very far ahead. So you slow down. You grip the wheel a little tighter. And every decision feels heavier than it should. That’s a lot like what faith can feel like sometimes. I don’t know if this describes your experience, but there have been seasons in my life when I genuinely believed in God.  I believed He was real. That He was good.  I believed He had the power to act, and that He was working through all things for my good.  And at the same time, I struggled to see clearly what He was doing.  I still prayed. I still showed up.  I still tried to do what I knew was right.  But there were nights when I went to bed wondering why nothing seemed to be changing. Belief was still there… But clarity wasn’t. The ...
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When Jesus Shuts Down a Church

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by Bart Denny I like to think of myself as a student of the root causes behind the death of local churches—and what it takes to breathe life back into a congregation on the brink of closure. Over the years, I’ve read dozens of books and articles exploring why churches die and how revitalization happens. And while every church that closes has its own story and unique circumstances, ultimately, there’s one overarching reason a church shuts its doors: Because Jesus does. That’s right. Surprisingly, the New Testament only mentions the closing of a church once. Just once. And it's not because of dwindling attendance, financial struggles, or changing neighborhoods. It’s because Jesus Himself threatens to remove their lampstand. We read about it in Revelation 2:1–7 (NASB 2020), where Jesus commands the Apostle John to write a sobering letter to the church in Ephesus: “I know your deeds… and that you cannot tolerate evil people... But I have this against you, that you have left your ...
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