A few weeks ago I noticed a photo in the Citizen of Anna Kornikova look alikes - not look alikes because of the same Russian parents, or any genetic connection whatever, but each of the four young woman all had good teeth, similar bleached hair to the colour and consistency of straw, tanned to perfection, wearing suitable length, knit dresses, with the prerequisite augmentations.... so as to look as similar to Anna as possible.

Whether they could play tennis, were of Russian extraction, or carried Anna's enormous marking wealth was inconsequential. They had been chosen for their 'look-alikedness' to a celebrity.

Has anyone ever mentioned to you that you look like someone else - perhaps the Queen or Mr. Bean? Not necessarily as these Anna lookalike gals, attempting to be clones, but rather because you have exhibited the characteristics, physical, or personality, or mannerisms which reminds others of someone else.

At least a dozen times someone has indicated to me that I remind them of someone else. And it is always the same person...and that is Christopher Walkin.

The first time, Gail and I were in a Chicago restaurant on a Sunday morning listening to gospel music, and the waiter brought up the supposed similarity. Once again, while in Hazeldean mall buying cards, the latest art work from an architect I was interviewing for a position; makes you wonder about the clarity of thinking of the candidate. Anyway it always starts with "has anyone ever mentioned you look like - or remind me of ....."

Since neither of us new who this actor was, after the Hazeldean request, Gail and I headed to the video store, and asked the clerk for Christopher Walkin movies, and with five or six examples, we had a video fest.

Now I am not a movie fan - some kind of issue with 'suspending disbelief' so I can't get into movies - but that is another story. The lesson I learned from the video fest, and Gail's observation following it was that being likened to Christopher Walkin was not and is not necessarily a compliment.

Now reminding someone of someone else of course can be a good thing.

The girls wanting to look like, and possibly emulate Anna Kornikova, I suppose could be a good thing; however I find it quite sad that folk want to look like someone else.

Should we not however emulate Christ? The apostle Paul, the author of Ephesians suggests that we must become imitators of God. The life and teachings of Christ serve as the model for our lives. He is - to use current vernacular - to be the mentor for our lives.

Current management theory suggests establishing career coaches and mentors. The intent is to identify someone whom you admire for whatever reason related to your work and career, and learning and apply lessons from that individual to your own life and work. A good coach and mentor of course can be very valuable. How much more to take Christ as our mentor!

Two Sundays ago, Bob Hough in his sermon spoke about making choices in our lives, and that reminded me of a book I read a few years ago.

The book entitled "In His Service" was written by Charles Sheldon in 1896. It is the result of a story he read over several months in a young peoples' weekly service, in the Congregational Church in Topeka Kansas.

By 1935 this book was reported to be second only to the Bible in circulation.

The story describes the events following a disruption of the Sunday morning service by a stranger, the result being the Pastor's challenge to his 'comfortable' congregation "not to do anything for a whole year without first asking the question 'What would Jesus do?'" The far-reaching consequences of these actions by members of the church are described in this fictional story.

The reprinting of this book in 1992 lead to the WWJD (what would Jesus do ) movement. You may have seen the WWJD on bracelets and other accouterments of Christians, in particular younger folk. Perhaps you are wearing one now. I have yet to see one as a tattoo, but I am sure it exists.

It is a compelling consideration that has caught the imaginations of many, to raise that question in all decisions and our actions of everyday life. What would Jesus Do? - and then act on it.

Jesus as mentor. A simple yet profound challenge

Often in both OT and NT scriptures, the Hebrews or the people of God were referred to as sheep. Now this is not necessarily a compliment. Sheep as domesticated mammals are extremely docile, followers to the point where if for example the first sheep of a flock jumps a fence rather than walking around through an open gate, the rest will for the most part jump the fence. Sheep appear frail, are timid, at times stupid and are easily preyed upon. You may have noticed in the news this week where 300 sheep ran off a cliff to their deaths in Switzerland, pursued by wolves.

Perhaps that is why scripture refers to us as sheep exhibiting some of those characteristics, and in need of a good shepherd..

A few years ago we were given a small book written by James Keller, entitled "Lessons from a Sheep Dog."

James Keller was born in Kenya and raised on a cattle ranch. Later in life he settled on Vancouver island and though experienced in cattle ranching decided due to the quality of land and limited financial resources to raise sheep.

In this book, Keller extracts a number of lessons or principles he learned as a Christian, while training a destitute and reprobate sheep dog which had been rescued from life in the city, and which was an expert on chasing cars and boys on bikes, snarling at strangers and in general exhibiting all the characteristics one would not hope for in a working sheep dog

Now a sheep dog is an extremely focused animal. Stanley Coran the UBC professor of psychology and author of "The Intelligence of Dogs" rates the border collie as the most intelligent of dogs, yet this same bred due to its instincts can appear to act very strangely and appear to be doing very peculiar things. For instance a bored border collie will focus on flies and appear to be staring them down in some type of contest, for hours, due to its instinct to focus.

Keller raises profound lessons learned from his time with Lass, his border collie. In the first weeks Lass would not eat or drink while tethered to her new doghouse on the sheep farm.

When Keller released Lass to freedom, the dog ran off into the bush for days. The author placed food out, which was gone in the mornings. Once he herded his sheep by the area he had last seen the dog in attempt to attract her attention.

This lasted for weeks and he was considering whether he would have to destroy the dog. One evening while standing watching the sunset with his hands behind his back he felt the warm soft muzzle of Lass touch his hands.

Lass went home with him and became an exceptional working dog, and flourished in what he was originally intended for as a border Collie. The two developed loving loyalty, bonds of mutual respect, trust and affection.

It is around this experience that Keller wrote his book, suggesting that this is a parable of our relationship with God where our rebelliousness and individual obstinacy often keep us from developing an intimate and loving relationship with God our father, where trust, respect, loyalty and love can flourish, and for which we are created.

The master dog breeders of the border counties in Britain produced a sheep dog of acute intelligence and enormous energy. However unless these dogs are in the right hands, that is with a good shepherd, their capacity is lost.

Those remarkable instincts must be channeled to the precise purposes for which they have been created.

God in His sovereignty endows us with the inherent capacity to carry out His will and do His work in this world, as we work together under his care. He is eager to see us share with Him in the out-working of his purposes on this planet, including touching many lives, enriching spirits and bringing others into his special care and management.

While I suggest we are free agents, there is no such thing as absolute freedom, and we all live under control of forces and circumstances greater then ourselves. When young we believe we are free to do as we wish. Or if we are to believe a fairly common philosophy of the current age, if we put our mind to it we can accomplish anything.

We are of course free to do what we choose, but this is only a partial truth. The reality is we make our choices within the context that is conditioned, shaped and directed by other hands. In the spiritual sense 'hands' often refer to forces of either selfless love or selfish destructive powers at work in our world. We are bound often by our own tyranny, limiting our decisions and desires. We need to be set free within the loving care and gentle understanding hands of the Good Shepherd.

Like Lass in her early days on the sheep farm, we resist the Shepherd, we resent His voice calling us, and we recoil in fear and apprehension from his overtures of good will. We are threatened, our wills in stern resistance. We often think that under Christ's care we will be worse off then we are now. We must believe that it is in His hands we can change our character, alter destructive conduct, and undertake noble actions for our society.

It may take us a lifetime to learn that Christ knows exactly what he is doing with each of us, and that he manages and cares for us in incredible wisdom and skill both for our and His benefit.

Like the obedience demanded of the sheep dog, God too demands obedience, not so as to live a limited unfulfilled life, rather that in losing our life we find it - in Christ.

Sheep dogs must learn commands out of 'ear-shot', so as to be able to stand their ground at distance and to stop and drop until instructed otherwise. Communication between handler and dog often is done in silence and mutual understanding. Remember that scene in the movie Babe where the 'pig' takes the sheep through their paces without a word being spoken? That is the general idea.

For us we are to know his word and apply it so that it is familiar and a force within our wills, so that responding to Christ and to others in a Christ-like manner becomes our second nature.

For Keller, Lass become so focused and fixed on the handler that she would break commands such as stay when he was out of her sight. Stay for a sheep dog may be to hold a small band of ewes in a corner while lambs are checked, or guard an open gate while moving sheep from pasture to pasture. A dog which breaks the command would undo work and require tasks being started over. This is simply because the dog would become impatient and seek out the handler, without the appreciation for the complexity of the job and the need to stay put in faith.

The point here made by Keller is that we as energetic enthusiastic followers of Christ must too be steadfast and faithful wherever we are.. At times when there appears to be inaction, times may appear stale, we may be tempted to 'break faith' to make the next move on our own: to do our own thing.

It is in the drab and humdrum aspects of our lives where it can be most difficult to be loyal, work without fanfare and be trusted in our duties. It is easy to do those when there is great excitement and activity all around you.

A final lesson is to be "available for anything." The dog demonstrated to the handler her willingness to do any task demanded, whether it was to seek out lost sheep on rocky ground and in thorny undercover, at a cost to the dog - covered in burrs and cut pads of her feet, she suffered but undertook the effort joyously.

Christ calls us at times to go into tough places, not always easy or agreeable situations. Do we shrink from service to God if there is discomfort, difficult or distasteful actions required? Even so one can experience this joyfully in Christ.