Joel Russell-MacLean

Paul wrote to his apprentice Timothy, “You have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness… continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it.”

Who are the people in your life that you are intentionally imitating? 

Who might be watching how you live?

Are you living the sort of life that you want children, family, or friends to imitate?

To be a Christian is to be a disciple. But we also disciple others, whether we want to or not. We pick up the habits and attitudes of the people around us. This is a call for us to find good examples of a Christian life and to be good examples for others. 

“To lay brick you must be initiated into the craft of bricklaying by a master craftsman… To learn to pray is no easy matter but requires much training, not unlike learning to lay brick… Of course, to learn to pray requires that we learn to pray with other Christians.” – Stanley Hauerwas.

Go deeper: Read the full essay by theologian Hauerwas