Dr. Chuck F. Betters

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About the Book

Thirty-three years after the deaths of his sixteen-year-old son, Mark, and his friend Kelly, Mark’s dad, Chuck, is offering his grief journey as a light in the darkness for those coming behind him. Twelve days after that fatal car accident, Chuck stepped back into the pulpit and invited his congregation to walk with his family into the Land of Grief. Instead of displaying stoicism, he transparently revealed how he wrestled to reconcile God’s love with his sovereignty. And week after week, the church family linked arms with the Betters, many with tears for their sorrow but also tears of relief that their Father in heaven did not reject them because of their own faith struggles. Those sermons form the foundation of Learning to See When the Lights Go Out: Reconciling God’s Love with His Sovereignty.

Chuck and Sharon’s son, Mark

In these pages, Chuck does not stand above suffering, he walks through it. He invites readers into the tension between what we know to be true about God and what we feel when life collapses. With Scripture as his anchor, he traces the unfolding story of God’s covenant promises, showing how every thread leads to Christ, the ultimate expression of God’s love and sovereignty.

This is not a book of explanations. It is a book of endurance. It speaks to the moments when prayers feel unanswered, when grief overwhelms, and when faith feels fragile. And yet, through it all, it points to a God who is neither distant nor indifferent, but present, purposeful, and trustworthy.

For those navigating loss, for pastors and counselors, and for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of how faith survives the darkest valleys, Learning to See When the Lights Go Out offers a steady, biblical, and hope-filled path forward.

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About the Author

Chuck is a pastor, author, Bible teacher, and founder of MARKINC Ministries. For more than five decades, Chuck has been committed to preaching and teaching the Scriptures verse by verse with theological depth, pastoral honesty, and a deep conviction that God is sovereign and trustworthy, even in life’s darkest moments.

Dr. Betters' Bio

  • "Chuck's long-view perspective is tenderly theological and pastorally practical as he clearly connects it all to the covenantal framework of Scripture. From start to finish I felt that a wise pastor was discipling me to think biblically, live covenantally, and experience the reality of God’s presence with me even when the lights go out. I could not stop highlighting."

    Susan Hunt, Author, Former Director of Women’s Ministry for the Presbyterian Church in America

  • "I can’t wait to share this book with others. Chuck has the heart of a Pastor who has seen the darkness of pain and suffering and has trusted the LORD through it to live again in the light."

    Mike Singenstreu, Pastor, Christ Presbyterian Church, Victoria, TX

  • "Readers struggling to reconcile the sovereignty of God with the love of God will not find every question answered here, but they will be clearly and gently pointed to the God they can trust even when the lights go out."

    Trent Casto, Author & Senior Pastor, Covenant PCA Naples

  • "If you are wrestling with God for any reason, whether it is caused by the type of grief Chuck has experienced, or it is because you just cannot reconcile a God of love with the circumstances you have lived through or witnessed, please read this book."

    Douglas R. MacGray, CEO, Stonecrop Wealth Advisors

  • "This isn’t just a written account; it reflects a reality I had the privilege to witness unfold before my own eyes. This book beautifully captures that journey—the tension between sorrow and faith, the courage it takes to be transparent in suffering, and the profound truth that God meets us even, and especially, in our deepest pain."

    Frank Di Gregorio Jr., CNMT, RDMS, CAPPM, Founder, Molecular Imaging Services, LLC.

  • "What I appreciate most is that Chuck doesn't offer easy answers. He doesn't minimize suffering or pretend that faith removes the struggle. Instead, he points readers to the sovereign God who meets His children in the darkest valleys and equips them to keep moving forward when they feel they cannot take another step."

    Stuart Lindner, Class of 1974, USAF Academy, Member of The Gideons International, Prison Ministry leader, Legislative Agent for Artesian Water Co., & PCA Elder Emeritus, The Town Church of Middletown, DE

The foundation for this book is a series of sermons Chuck preached shortly after Mark’s death. Here are the links to the messages: