February 2026 – Week One (Continuing Communities)
- Delaney Brake
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
Open In Prayer
Begin by praying together – taking some intentional time to breathe, be still, and invite the Holy Spirit to be with you all as you set aside time to be together.
Below is an optional liturgy you could pray:
In a culture that proclaims the anthem song of anxiety, we choose now to resist hurry. As we take this moment to breathe and to be, we are reminded of the abiding presence of Christ, who is seated among us and yet also seated on His throne as our conquering King. We thank you, God, that You desire to be with us. We ask that as we gather together, You would lead us in delighting in You and growing in friendship with one another. Amen.
Around The Table & Reflect On Last Gathering’s Practice
This is space during your gathering to share a meal, build relationships, and enjoy one another.
What are three words you’d use to describe your week? Why?
Learning: Hearing God & The Invitation to Silence
To begin, read the following excerpt from Dallas Willard’s Hearing God together.
Then discuss:
What stood out to you as we were reading the excerpt?
What is your experience in hearing God, if any? What do you think are inhibitors for you in engaging in conversation with God?
Watch this 2:45 minute clip about practicing silence together.
Then discuss:
Have you ever practiced silence with the intention to hear from God? If so, what was that experience like? If not, what are some inhibitors for you in engaging in that practice?
Read This Overview Together:
In a world full of noise and endless tasks, silent prayer teaches us to be still. It’s in that quiet space we learn to see and love others like Jesus.
When our lives are cluttered with so much coming and going, so much talking and doing, so much task management and achieving, and so little quiet in the presence of God, we are slowly but surely bent in the direction of using people rather than welcoming and loving them. We want to fix someone, to get something from someone, to check off an item on our list, to commodify someone…but we cannot love that someone because we are out of step with the One who is love.
If we do not learn to retreat from the crowd to hear from the Father, like Jesus often did, then neither can we learn to see, welcome, and companion those within the crowd, like Jesus often did.
And so as a Community today, we’re going to practice silent prayer. For just 5 minutes. It may feel painfully awkward for some. That’s okay. We’re not going to put on any music to try and soothe that awkwardness. We’re just going to be quiet, together.
And the goal is not just to think about what you need to do tomorrow, or to go over your grocery list, but to quiet ourselves with the intentional purpose of being with Jesus.
Silent Prayer as a Community:
Set a timer for five minutes. If that feels too ambitious, set a timer for three minutes. If you want to try for longer, feel free to do so.
As you all come to quiet, you’re encouraged to close your eyes or open up the palms of your hands…try whatever will help you focus for this time.
And then as you begin, choose a short phrase to continually go back to whenever your mind drifts to something other than God. It could be a single word like “Jesus” or a phrase like “In you I live.” Anything that anchors and redirects our attention, reminding us of God’s presence.
Finally, persevere. Our fragmented minds often hate the feeling of slowing down and being quiet, itching for noise and distraction. But it’s only by persevering through the awkward restlessness are we able to taste the fruit of Silent Prayer—to rest in the secure attachment of being spoken for by God himself.
Practice: Creating a Rule of Life
A rule of life is a schedule and set of practices and relational rhythms that help us create space in our busy world for us to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what he did—to live “to the full” (John 10v10) in his kingdom, and in alignment with our deepest passions and priorities.
While the word “rule” may strike you as a strict or binding constraint, the Latin word we translate “rule” was originally the word for a trellis in a vineyard. In the same way a vine needs a trellis to lift it off the ground so it can bear the maximum amount of fruit, and keep free of predators and diseases, we need a rule as a kind of support structure to organize our life around “abiding in the vine,” (John 15v1–8) as Jesus imagined.
It’s been said that we achieve inner peace when our schedule is aligned with our values. A rule of life is simply a tool to that end. Rather than a rigid, legalistic to-do list, it’s a life-giving structure for freedom, growth, and joy.
Utilize the Creating a Personal Rule of Life worksheet to guide you in this practice.
You may find Practicing The Way’s digital Rule of Life Builder to be helpful for you. You can access this resource at practicingtheway.org.
Family Guide Resource
Leader Note: This section is only applicable to parents. If your Ethos Community does not have any individuals who have young children, feel free to bypass this section.
Our vision is that every person — adult and child – would be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did. With that in mind, we want to be intentional to resource parents as they model following Jesus to their children. Our first Family Guide focuses on engaging in a conversation with your kids about why you have committed to an Ethos Community and how they, too, can practice community in their lives.
We invite you to spend some time walking through the Family Guide found at: ethosoh.com/guide.
End in Prayer
Before you conclude, spend some time as a Community praying for one another.
Below is an optional liturgy you could pray:
Lord Jesus, There is no greater prayer than yours — make us one as you are one, in devotion, in living, in love. Amen.