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3 Ways to Prepare for the Year Ahead

At Life.Church, we believe that how we spend January sets the tone for the rest of the year. 

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look into what January looks like for Life.Church staff so we can prepare well for the year ahead. 

1. Fasting and prayer. One of the ways our team disconnects from the world and aligns our hearts with the heart of God is through corporate fasting and prayer. Fasting was an expected discipline in both the Old and New Testament, and fasting and prayer result in a more intimate relationship with Christ. Pastor Jentezen Franklin offers a great overview of fasting on his website, and Church of the Highlands has an incredible framework for 21 days of prayer. Download their adult and kids prayer guides free on Open Network. 
   
   
2. One word. At Life.Church, we encourage attenders and staff to choose one word each year. This word becomes a filter for our thoughts and actions all year long. Here are a few of the words our Open Network team have chosen for 2020: warrior, deliberate, soar, abundant, trust, growth, and together. Watch this video with Campus Pastor Tim Knox to hear about the power of one word.
   
   
3. Goals. What’s a new year without new goals? Habits from Pastor Craig Groeschel and You in Five Years from Pastor Levi Lusko will help you approach your personal goals in 2020. The Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast "Six Steps to Your Best Year of Leadership"is a great resource to help you set strong, achievable goals for yourself, your family, and your teams.

You can Share Light.

There’s nothing like experiencing the words of God through the Bible. 

They are life. They have the power to change, heal, and save.

But what if you couldn’t understand a single word of it because it was in someone else’s language?

Nearly 1 billion people live in Bible poverty today—they have little or no access to God’s Word in their language. But, we can be the generation that provides all people access to God’s Word by 2033.

We invite you to partner with illumiNations—a group that mobilizes Bible translation projects around the world—in their Share Light campaign and help bring the Bible to people in every single language.

We’ve made it easy to rally your church around this cause—find everything you need to start a Share Light campaign in your church on Open Network.

People gathered in Biblical community is crucial to the spiritual growth of your church. Whether it's mentoring programs, events, or small groups, the Open Network has resources your church can use to help people connect more deeply with one another and with Jesus.

Browse everything small groups—including new content for blended families and young adults—plus new partners like City Changers Movement and Radical Mentoring.

Blend—new for blended families Collective—new for young adults Marriage studies—from Awesome Marriage Read Scripture series—The Bible Project Discipleship studies—from City Changers Movement Genesis video devotional—from Spoken Gospel  Maintain Joy in Ministry—for your staff Wild Life—for men Building Leader & Attender Engagement Small Groups Volunteer Training Videos Facebook Live: Recruiting & Onboarding Small Groups Leaders Sample Leader Onboarding Conversations Small Groups: Know, Feel, Do Small Groups: Keep, Stop, Start Solving Small Group Challenges   We pray for deeper connection and spiritual growth in your church this year. If this small groups content is helpful, we'd love to hear from you! Reply to this email to let us know what you like most or what you'd like to see more of.

Start Planning

It's time to start planning for Easter. And, when it comes to Easter resources, we've got you covered—from worship to kids curriculum to training and tips.

Creative

Grab graphics, video b-roll, and social media tools.

• Holy Land Footage from NewSpring Church
• Close Enough to Touch spoken word from Switch
• Easter: Empty Tomb graphics package
• And more

Worship

Check out these powerful worship songs and albums complete with stems and lyric videos.

• Won the War
• The Whole Time from Fresh Life Church
• Amazing Grace
• And more

Kids

Try the kids resources below or check out our Youth ministry messages.

• Bible Theatre: Bible App for Kids Curriculum
• Konnect: You Before Me
• Easter Eggstravaganza from NewSpring Church
• And more

Sermons

Browse Easter content from Life.Church and our partner ministries.

• History's Mystery Message Kit (1 Part)
• I Deserve It (4 Parts)
• Creed (7 Parts)
• Red Letter Day (5 Parts) 
• And more

Symphony, the debut full-length live album from Switch Music at Life.Church, is now available across digital platforms, including the Open Network.

Following the success of the smash-hit single, “Symphony,” Switch was named Billboard’s Best New Christian Artist of 2019. Now the breakthrough hit is joined by brand-new tracks like “Jump” and “Count Me In” to create a bold, moving worship album.

The album is available for purchase, but you can use these fresh, energetic songs in your church for free. Download everything you need—stems, ProPresenter slides, and lyric sheets—from Life.Church Open Network. 

The "Creative" category is one of our most popular categories on Open, so we're excited to launch a new partner with a reputation of being highly creative-and a heart to make heaven full.

Meet Rock City Church

Rock City Church, led by Pastor Chad Fisher, was founded in 2011 and has multiple locations in and around Columbus, Ohio, even sites in prisons.

Hear from Pastor Chad about his excitement for sharing free resources through the Open Network. 

Get new creative.

Download new creative elements like principle artwork, ProPresenter slides, social media images, and even promotional videos to brand your sermon content.

View their full library, or dive into these individual groups below.

Bonus: Snag worship, too!

Get new worship resources-including stems, chord charts, ProPresenter slides, and lyric sheets-from Rock City Worship. Find songs like "Deepest Waters", "Through Your Love," and "How Deep."

Special thanks to Rock City for their partnership and heart to equip churches. They''ll continue to add new resources, so check back for even more creative and worship resources for your church. Want to say thanks? Head over to Instagram and let them know how much you appreciate their contribution to the Church!

Pastors and church leaders, it''s time to reach the world.

We know that ''church'' isn''t just a building. It''s the ministry we do every day in every way. And nothing can stop us from sharing the love of Jesus with a hurting world.

As the global Church, we have technology at our fingertips to do online ministry, too-whether through the Church Online Platform, YouTube Live, Facebook, or another tool. 

And we are here to support you any way we can for whatever your unique ministry looks like. 

First, if you''re considering taking your church community online, start with the platform used by thousands of churches, the free Church Online Platform. 

Many years ago, a little boy named Brandon asked his mom why she was going to the church so often. She told him the choir was practicing for their Easter drama. He asked for more details, and she shared about Jesus' death and resurrection. With a perplexed look on his face, he replied, "We're telling that same story again this year?"

Isn't that how we can feel sometimes, too? Like we're stuck in a cycle: Easter, back-to-school, Christmas, New Year, and back to Easter.

But it doesn't have to feel like that. 

In the midst of all the Easter prep, don''t forget to prepare your heart. Read this short blog post to help you remember who God is during this season.