"Discovering God's Secrets Through Faith"

Devotion, August 13, 2026

BY: Pastor Dennis

Psalm 91:1-2 “1. He who dwells in the secret place Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

God’s place is a secret place because God knows all the mysteries of the universe and the good news is He loves to reveal His secrets to those who seek Him. God’s place is secret because the world cannot see it in a physical way. 

What We S

...

"When Life Feels Like More Than We Can Handle"

Devotion August 7, 2026

By: Pastor Dennis

Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble.”

Our life is filled with times of trouble beginning with the experience of birth. Starting school is a trying         experience for a child. Having to go away for college or the military or getting married and starting a family. Finding one’s place in the job market can be a challenging experience. Maybe it’s a medical diagnosis of    ourself or one of our lo

...

"The Blessing of Living in God's Will"

Devotion July 31, 2026

By: Pastor Dennis

Psalm 126:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; Unless the lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”

Psalm 127 emphasizes the importance of God’s will in every direction in life. All that we acquire in life should be through the glory and faith in God’s will. 

What We Should Know

Everything….food, family, friends and lifestyle are from God and proudly acquired from His will. We should seek a

...

"Let Go and Let God"

Devotion July 24, 2026

By: Pastor Dennis

Psalm 23:1-3 “1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

In this Psalm David presents a wonderful caricature of God as the shepherd who watches carefully over His sheep. As the shepherd guides His sheep over sometimes difficult terrain, so God guides us (His sheep)

...

.

To: My Church Family

From: Pastor Dennis

Subject: My Love and Gratitude

 Words cannot begin to express what I felt as you honored me Sunday Morning; especially when I realized the amount of planning and coordination that went into it. You are not just my church, you are my family and Ginny and I have never been happier in our ministry than what we have experienced right here at 1st UMC Plant City. Your love and appreciation rang clear as you celebrated with me eighty years of

...

"Lead Us Not Into Temptation"

Devotion July 10, 2026

By: Pastor Dennis

Psalm 19:13-14: 

13Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

In the Lord’s Prayer we say “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” We are asking God here to steer us away from sinf

...

"When Goodness Points to God"

Devotion July 3, 2026

By: Pastor Dennis

Psalm 16: 1-2 “1 Preserve me O God, for in You I put my trust. 2 O my soul, you have said to the Lord. ‘You are my Lord. My goodness is nothing apart from You”.

These appear to be the words of David who, through personal experience, disappointed God through self-centered decisions to achieve power. Then, through the prophet Nathan, his sins became real to him and he repented.

What We Should Know

Like David, sometimes we just need a good “

...

The Way of the Ungodly Shall Perish

Devotion June 26, 2026

By: Pastor Dennis

Psalm 1:3 “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”

This first Psalm refers to our choice of direction in life and the corresponding rewards and punishments based on our tendency toward or away from God’s will. The conclusion of this thought is expressed in vs. 6 “For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, b

...

"Unshaken Faith: Living Out Truth Amid Competing Voices"

Devotion 2026 Jun 18

By: Pastor Dennis

Ephesians 4:14-15 “14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—”

Ephesus was the chief city of the west coast of Asia Minor and Paul was starting new churches throughout the area. This letter was probably distrib

...

“Letting God Shape What Comes Next”

Devotion June 12, 2026

By: Pastor Dennis

Philippians 4:4-5 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

In spite of all of his arrests and imprisonments and near-death experiences, Paul is secure in his salvation and he wants  everyone to share in the good news he has to give. He emphasizes the importance of gentleness and appreciation of the saving grace of God through Jesus Christ with  an ever-positi

...

"Letting Go Of My Plans To Follow His"

Devotion June 5, 2026

By: Pastor Dennis

Philippians 3:14 “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Paul is excited within his assurance of salvation and he reaches out to all to follow his lead and share in the reward of heaven. 

What We Should Know

He goes on to say that a mature Christian who may have other ideas will, upon understanding the truth of God’s plan for salvation, understand their misunderstandings and h

...

"Beware and Believe: Discerning Truth in a World of Lies"

Devotion May 29, 2026

By: Pastor Dennis

Philippians 3:2-3 “2. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! 3. For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”

Paul’s ministry in Asia began through a vision of a man from Macedonia pleading for help. As he began churches in Ephesus, Phillipi, Laodicea, Colossae, and Crete, he realized formidable conflict from Jews, Judaizers, pagans,

...

Faithful Servants In A Time Of Strain

Devotion May 22, 2026  

By: Pastor Dennis 

Phil 2:24 “But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly.” 

This verse is “sandwiched” between Paul’s introductions of Timothy (vss.19-20) and Epaphroditus (vs.25). Paul is in a Roman prison and writing this letter to the church at Phillipi. He was arrested shortly after starting the church there and is concerned for their well-being through loving and caring leadership.  

What We Should Know 

Paul, who is in prison, ha

...

"Living with the Mind of Christ: Unity, Empathy, and Service"

 Devotion May 15, 2026  

By Pastor Dennis

Phil 2:4-5 “4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interest of others. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus 

Next Sunday we will observe as the Day of Pentecost, the day when the Holy Spirit came down upon all      believers. That was the one day in our Christian faith when all believers were one in spirit and truly fulfilled the charge which the apostle Paul delivers in today’s

...

As Christians We Must Stand Up To False Doctrines

 Devotion May 8, 2026

By: Pastor Dennis

 Phil 1:15 “Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill.”

 Paul goes on in vss. 16-18 to explain that those who preach from envy and strife do so out of self-ambition and to demoralize Paul while those who preach from goodwill preach the grace of Jesus Christ “whether in pretense or in truth.” 

 What We Should Know

 We today are exposed to many ideologies which have been willfully amended (misinterpret

...