Discipleship - who is imitating you? Here are some excerpts from a full post at 3dmukblog. "Imitation is a powerful thing. Have you ever been with someone that so imitates Jesus that you want to imitate them? Imitation is at the heart of discipleship. Wouldn’t it be great to see a new wave of imitators of Christ who invite others to imitate them? We do not need to be perfect to invite those to imitate us. We do need to be accountable disciples of Jesus who are willing to open up our lives to others. We do need to be Jesus-followers who are secure enough to release others to go further than us. We do need to open our life up so that others can see the whole picture – the good, the bad and the ugly. 1)     Make clear invitations Those who you’re inviting to imitate you should know this! They should know that they’re invited closely into your family life, what the vision is, as well as the cost and the prize. 2)     Recycle time We are not offering on-tap mentoring to those we call to imitate. We’re inviting them into all of our life. If we’re doing the shopping they can come and help us. If we’re taking our kid to their swimming lesson they can sit at the side of the pool with us. If we’re going on a long car journey they can come with us…..get the picture? Great conversations and building relationships happen along the way. ... 4)     Structured and Spontaneous We always have set times where we meet with our extended family but alongside that are spontaneous times. We’re giving people access to our lives not to our meetings.  Give people permission to pop into your home or to join you for a trip to the park. One thing we always say to those we call to imitate is this: “You are welcome to join us at any time. If for any reason it’s not a good time we’ll tell you”. This means that there is always permission to call in for a cuppa and the onus is on us to communicate if we can’t do it. ... 7)     Have intentional conversations Use and apply the learning circle in conversations with those we’re discipling.  Make the most out of conversations so that there is every opportunity to grow more like Christ together. 8)     Model Rest If you’ve got people in your home and you need a half hour rest, excuse yourself from the room and go and rest.  Rest doesn’t need to be something that happens behind closed doors, even for introverts. It’s good to model to people how we rest, and makes living life with others more sustainable. Families rest together. I have been known to “model” power-napping in a room full of people."

David Wanstall, 18/07/2012