February 2026 – Week One (New Communities)
- Delaney Brake
- 4 hours ago
- 3 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?
Share Your Story
The focus of our February gatherings is to share our faith stories. We received a handout at our last gathering that provided a clear structure that will guide us as we share.
Be courageously honest.
Our Community will rise and fall on the level of transparency and honesty each of us is willing to give. This process won’t work if we try to keep up appearances and squeaky-clean images at the expense of being real. Many times, God seems to do great work when we bear our souls to one another, sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Stay on track.
We ask that everyone shares for around 7 minutes. The goal here is not to share everything that has ever happened to us, but to communicate the key events, how we saw God within them, and the emotions, feelings, and beliefs in conjunction with the details of events.
Give a moment for silence at the end of each person’s story.
This may feel awkward or uncomfortable because we’re used to constantly being inundated with noise. But we take a moment of silence to honor what each person just shared and to honor their story.
After a moment of silence, give short responses to the story you just heard.
You want to avoid offering advice or sharing stories from your own life, even in an effort to relate. Instead, you could:
Ask an open, non-judgemental question
Make an observation (ie: I noticed that…or “I hear you saying…)
Reflect back on their story without evaluation or advice-giving
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.