It is a profound honor and a sincere joy to travel with you on this sacred journey of ours from the land of captivity and sin to the promised land of blessings and heaven. We need each other so desperately every step of the way. And as a result of our desperate dependence on God and each other, bonds of friendship are forming between us that the world will never understand.

As we round this next bend in the road together, there is a sign ahead, and it reads:

"In the whole land," declares the LORD,
"two-thirds will be struck down and perish;
yet one-third will be left in it.

This third I will bring into the fire;
I will refine them like silver
and test them like gold.
They will call on my name
and I will answer them;
I will say, 'They are my people,'
and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.”

The sign is of course from God, as found in Zechariah 13:8-9, and it is placed there to remind us that the hardships of the new year are there to refine us, to test us, drive us to heartfelt prayer, and will result in a deeper walk with God than ever before.

We’ve chosen the theme of “One Another” to focus our preaching and teaching this year on the secrets of deep and fulfilling relationships found in the pages of the New Testament. We’ll learn the power and blessings of loving, accepting, belonging, teaching, admonishing, confessing, bearing, reconciling, and forgiving one another. And as we courageously live out these teachings in our every day lives, we believe that God will not only produce the fruits of the Spirit in our hearts, but also produce the fruit of many more souls won to him! Please consider purchasing a copy of DPI’s latest book, “One Another”, by Tom Jones and Steve Brown, as many of our lessons will be inspired by it.

This new year is sure to bring both joy and heartache. But let us remember that every trial is designed by God to test us, refine us, and draw us nearer to his loving and gracious heart. Do not fear the challenges of the new year. Face them with confidence and laughter, for our God is an awesome God!

The road ahead holds much adventure, drama and intrigue. Stay close to God and to your brothers and sisters, and we will slay every dragon and drive out every demon together!

“Onward Christian soldiers! Marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before.”

In the battle together,

The Tampa Bay Church Staff