Monday Morning

Being laughed at is something that everyone is bound to experience from time to time, whether the situation is truly humiliating or is simply a friendly jest between family members or co-workers. For many people, being laughed at is an occasional fact of life, and it fails to have much if any influence over personal thoughts and feelings. But for others, the thought of being laughed at is equitable with the deepest horrors possible. The fear of being laughed at can bring forth a storm of emotions.

The Oakland Raiders lost big yesterday in Tennessee to say that Raider Nation is a little sick and tired of being laughed at by others in NFL circles would be the understatement of the century. The ever rabid and loyal fan base needs some tangible goodness to lean on, despite the recent struggles we remain steadfast and loyal to the Oakland Raiders and hope to be rewarded. The Oakland Raiders where looking to give their fans something to cheer about on opening day. Most likely many of the conversations Raider fans were having of the horror of facing their co-workers on Monday morning the thoughts of being laughed at. Many of us work in an environment where many are hostile towards the Raider Nation. The upside to all this, the team has gone a long way to improving their chances of success for the upcoming 2010 season it's the hope and faith we have as fans through mutual trust in leadership.

It's kind of funny that the Raider fan base experience the same persecution as the church keep in mind that we should be resilient and always take the laughter and persecution in stride... The best way to respond to these type of folks is not to try to persuade them of anything first, it's difficult to persuade people of your passion in support of your team or in God, the simple thing to do is love them, as the Lord would have us do. This could be as simple as to say, Yah, my team has some home-work to do? or in sharing life experiences (without immediately sharing Jesus), giving of your time, simply being friendly, or giving a smile. Keep in mind too, that people respond best through relationships, when the credibility of the relationship grows to more than mere acquaintance, through mutual trust. The amazing fact of this practice leaves people speechless, expecting the opposite from a Raider fan some how they stop being so difficult whether it's in conversation of sports or spiritual matters. humiliating always "glorifies God for His mercy brings peace and joy."

Pastor Mando
"keep the faith"


Stamp of approval

One of the coolest things hanging on the wall at my office is a trophy and Certificate of Authenticity. It has on it the logo of the Oakland Raiders Steering Committee in which the Oakland Raiders Boosters of Orange County are given recognition of 20-years membership in the Steering Committee which was founded back in the days the organization called Los Angeles home. The organization presented this certificate to prove that this club devoted it self in the community. Who's theme of hope, faith and commitment was found worthy.

Sometimes we need these kinds of things—documents that verify truth. If I didn't have this trophy to display and say, “I was there at the beginning,” I could be doubted because I would have no proof. But when the Steering Committee gave this verification. It proved that many became worthy of being called "fanatics." In 1 Peter, Simon Peter created a Certificate of Authenticity for his message about the grace of God. In chapter 5, he wrote, “I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this (letter) is the true grace of God” (v.12). Peter was assuring his readers that many messages of 1 Peter—themes of hope and courage and even suffering—were all authentic and demonstrate the grace of God.

Looking for evidence of God’s grace? Read 1 Peter, and be confident that its teaching is the real deal. The Bible stands like a mountain towering far above the works of men; Its truth by none ever has been refuted, And to destroy it, they never can. To trust God is to trust in His Holy Word. "Seeing God's Glory." Brings forth a fanatical character among followers of Jesus Christ. This illustration of God's grace is a free gift His Certificate of Authenticity should give an understanding that one is worthy to have fellowship with the living God because of His mercy and compassion for us. As Simon Peter assured his readers, today I assure you Raider Nation you have what it takes, we know well about the character of courage, hope, faith and even long suffering...

Pastor Mando
"keep the faith"


Running the race

Getting older should not be a depressing thought, because from the day we give our life to Jesus Christ, it becomes an adventure. We shouldn't feel regret a single day of our life that we've spent following and serving the Lord. Sure, our life has had some surprises. One of them has been seeing people who we never thought would make it in the Christian life make it, and seeing people who we never thought would fall. Some people have a powerful start and then crash and burn.

Others have a rather weak start, but somehow pull it together in the end. Best of all, there are some who start and finish the race with flying colors. We should all desire to be one of those people. Don't you? Here is what we need to remember. We do have a say so as to how the race we run will turn out. Let me put it another way. If you want to be a winner in the race of life, then you can be. If you want to be a loser, then you can be.

It really comes down to the choices you make on a daily basis. As I have said before, people fall away from the Lord because, for all practical purposes, they choose to. They neglect certain things, and at the same time, allow other things into their lives. As we make our decisions, our decisions will make us. What practical steps can you take today to ensure that you will be running well in the race years from now? Humble yourself in all situations there you'll will find "instructions" for the race.

Pastor Mando
"keep the faith"


Quest for Wisdom

Have you ever felt like a spiritual failure? If so, then you're in good company. Even the Apostle Peter felt that way after he denied the Lord. When Jesus told the disciples they would abandon Him in His hour of need, Peter insisted that he never would. But Jesus said that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed that day. And he did. Now Peter finds himself in an awkward moment. Jesus was crucified and had risen on the third day. He suddenly appears to them at the Sea of Galilee. Before they knew it, Jesus was cooking breakfast for everyone with the fish He had just helped them catch. Maybe as they ate, Peter was remembering when, not all that long ago, he denied the Lord by the glow of another fire. Eventually, the Lord breaks the silence. He asks Peter a series of questions, each with the same phrase: "Do you love Me?" Peter had learned his lesson. Instead of boasting of his love for the Lord, he simply answers, "Yes Lord; You know that I love you" (John 21:15–17).

In the midst of his quest for wisdom, Peter struggled with his own passions and with relationships. A person who cherished the companionship of others, Peter finally found love and affection for the Lord. Through his convictions. Peter knew firsthand the grief and the regret that come with broken relationships and the experience of loss. Peters search for truth continued throughout his experiences. Perplexed by the reality of evil and the prevalence of innocent suffering in the world he becomes a power of light in a fallen world.

Reading the gospel will enable you to deepen your spiritual quest. We should look at Peter's awkward moment by recognizing we've all been there, Many of us have regret that has come from broken relationships or loss of love ones. John, tells us "My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth." (1John 3:18). The awareness the power of love and forgiveness is emerging amongst the Raider fan base by their generous giving. Many have become the Silver Lining for people in need everywhere you turn there's some type of fundraiser event. The Lords words "Do you love Me? have echoed in the hearts of the Raider faithful learning to love has brought many stories which to speak of challenges of leading a generous life. These folktales form a cultural memory of who we have been. . . who we are . . . and who we might become.

Pastor Mando
"keep the faith"


Is God with us when we lose?

If you were asked the question what's your main purpose in life. How would you respond. Maybe to make a contribution to society," or "To have a meaningful life." or personal enjoyment and fulfillment? As born-again Christians our purpose for life is not enjoyment and personal fulfillment according to the worlds standard. The Bible teaches that we are put on this earth to bring glory to God. We need to mark that well in our minds and hearts. Speaking in Isaiah 43:7, God said, "All who claim me as their God will come, for I have made them for My glory. It was I who created them."

So how do we glorify God in all that we do with our lives. Are we to use our resources and talents for His glory? Sometimes we think that if God has given us this life to do with what we will. We would say, "Lord, this is mine. This is my week. Here is your time on Sunday morning. The rest of it belongs to me." Or, "Here is the plan for my life, Lord. Here is what I want to accomplish." Or, "This is my money. Here is your 10 percent, Lord." We develop a false concept of God. It's possible to have a saved soul, but a non-productive life. If you were asked today, "What is the main purpose of life?" what would you say?"

Sunday the Raiders lose a heartbreaker to the Cardinals the emotional experience ranging from the roller coaster high that came from last weeks win over the Rams with the thrill of victory to the crushing agony of defeat. As a consequence, the outcome of winning or losing frequently generates waves of emotions the simple fact is that when we allow these emotions to get the best of us we can lose focus on our purpose in life. I'm talking mostly from experience many years ago I did not handle losing very well? It's results effected my life in many areas.

As a follower of Christ I learned to channel those emotions in a more civilized manner by having an understanding that victory and defeat are interwoven and the only way to get past the frustration of losing was to make a choice to change. So, how is God glorified here? When we commit our lives to His ways we become emotionally sound the Raiders loss was a disappointment, but guess what? I'm ready for next weeks game against the Texans I have my game tickets my hotel reservations! As an avid fan I'm hoping for a win this Sunday, as for yesterdays game it's old news. Yah, The Raiders blowing a game they should have won was tough but let's just hope that this generates a wave of emotion amongst the players to win.

God's desire for us is to have a meaningful and blessed life, the personal enjoyment comes when He's glorified in our new nature... Paul's statement in the Bible comes to life when he say's, For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1Corinthians 3:11). we basically become new creatures our old ways of handling loss seems like a distant memory...

Pastor Mando
"keep the faith"


Just my Imagination?

You have been given authority to capture thoughts, and you can only capture thoughts with words. When a thought enters your mind that is contrary to God's Word, you must open your mouth and speak the Word of God. "To think bad thoughts is really the easiest thing in the world. If you leave your mind to itself it will spiral down into ever-increasing confusion. To think good thoughts, however, requires effort. This is one of the things that discipline - training - is about."

"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." This scripture commands us to cast down dysfunctional 'imaginations' (arguments, theories, and reasoning) that oppose God's Word and promise. However, the only way to accomplish this is to actually read and meditate on the Word! You cannot oppose arguments or theories that contradict God's Word if you do not know God's Word!

Now, if you possess the ability to cast down arguments—in your imagination- that contradict God's Word, you can also use your imagination to produce images of your prayers answered! It's that simple. The question is, will you use your imagination for good or for evil? The unseen spiritual realm where forces rise up to persuade a person to choose thoughts of a sinful nature. Take on a worldly form of a still and small voice. This is the very reason why it is so important to understand that we are in a constant battle. If you are a Christian, you have several advantages over others with regard to mind control you have an understanding how our adversary, intends to fight against us. Bad thoughts are like the rain. It comes and it goes. When it rains what you need is an umbrella, something to shield you from the rain. For the Christian, and to the new comer to the kingdom of God the umbrella is the Word of God. In the rain, if you fail to use your umbrella you get wet. For the Christian, when bad thoughts come, you must turn to the Word of God.

Here's an awesome example: recently, Oakland Raiders FB Marcel Reece visited James Madison Middle School in East Oakland to motivate the 6th through 8th grade students. The assembly of students, teachers, and staff were excited to listen to the Raiders fullback speak about the significance of education and the importance of having dreams. Reece wanted to inspire the students by explaining his personal path of overcoming obstacles in order to succeed. “he grew up in a place not too different from Oakland and he just wanted to be able to tell them that you can make it happen.” said Reece. Growing up, Reece faced peer pressure every day, but he explained to the students that he consciously made the decision to focus on his own dreams and not let anyone stand in his way.

At the end of his discussion with the assembly, Reece asked the students to promise him that they would never let anything stand in the way of pursuing their dreams. “The promises that they made about never letting anyone stop you from fulfilling the dreams that you want to fulfill is very important because he also held that promise to himself.” Oakland's Raiders FB Marcel Reece is a great illustration of the power of the imagination to fulfill a God given purpose in Life. It's important to guard your mind and thoughts on purpose. Pray and believe you will receive what you asked for. Then use the power of your imagination to create an inner image of yourself possessing the thing you asked for. Before long, you will have the physical, tangible manifestation of what you prayed for!

Pastor Mando
"keep the faith"


Works of the Holy Spirit

God works in different ways with different people. He spoke in different ways to Adam, Abraham, Moses, Deborah, Samuel, Elijah, Mary and Paul. He can speak in different ways to us today. The messages given to Philip ...(Acts 8:29) and Peter are so specific (Acts 10:19) that distinct words may have been involved. But he spoke in a different way at the Jerusalem council (Acts 15). It is only after all the discussion had taken place that the apostles concluded that the Holy Spirit had made the decision for them (verse 28).

Just as the Holy Spirit decides to give different abilities to different people (1 Corinthians 12:11), he works with us in different ways. A person with the gift of miraculous words is likely to hear the Spirit in a different way than a person with the gift of compassion. The Spirit will lead a teacher in a different way than a server, because he has different jobs for each person. The Spirit shapes us in different ways, and as a result, we value different goals. Someone with the gift of administration will value order and organization; someone with the gift of serving will ask whether people are being helped; someone with the gift of encouragement will focus on peoples attitudes; people with the gift of generosity will look for needs that they can fill. And the Spirit works with us in the way that he has caused us to be, according to our interests and values.

For some people, he speaks subtly, in general principles; for others, he must speak with unmistakable details. Each of us must listen in the way that God has made us, in the way that he chooses to deal with us. The important thing is that we listen—that we are ready and willing to hear what he says. We should be looking for his leadership rather than ignoring it. Learning through experience what is right and wrong (Hebrews 5:12-14). And many of the decisions we face are not matters of sin and righteousness they are simply choices, and God can work with us no matter which we choose, so he leaves the choice up to us. So the Holy Spirit doesn’t speak on everything we want him to. Some people would like to have the Holy Spirit as a conversational companion to keep them company. They want to chat, but the Holy Spirit isn’t involved in idle words. He does not call attention to himself (John 15:26), and is often silent because he has already given us enough information and advice. He wants us to use what he has already given; he has been training our conscience to respond rightly to what faces us. That does not mean that we rely on ourselves, but that we rely on what God has already done in our lives and what he has already taught us.

Today's NFL technology of communication sure resembles the Spirits works as with many other facets of life, computers stand to greatly change how football is played, at least from a play-calling perspective. Football gear is becoming increasingly high tech, with plans for more advanced post-game analysis, improved helmet technology, and even a sensor embedded in the ball that confirms when it crossed the goal line? Will technology get in the way of the game? Most likely not, in the same manner that the Holy Spirit works to bring a quiet voice to guide us, it's also seen in today's football technology. In the years since the communications system was deployed, scoring has exploded and completion percentages have increased. Teams became particularly skilled at changing plays at the line of scrimmage and running no-huddle offenses. In part, those developments came about because a coach could serve as a quarterbacks assistant on the field. Just as the Holy Spirit assist the believer in life's decisions one can only sit back in amazement of the resembles...

Pastor Mando
"keep the faith"


The Underground Railroad

We in Raider Nation have been quick to accuse the sports media of being against us, which I think is true in many cases, but not entirely. There are some isolated individuals that have mis-used their positions in the sports media to channel their inexplicable malice towards the Raiders. Recently the Oakland Raiders have taken matters into their own hands by becoming leaders in providing online content to their fans around the globe and have added Facebook as another way to communicate with and interact with the worldwide Raider Nation. It’s just one more way to reach out and change lives.

The World Wide Raider Nation format on facebook has given Raider fans opportunities to communicate like never before. Without formal organization participants find themselves policing each other throughout the site of mass participants. The world has seen this before, in biblical times in many cases the message of the gospel was delivered by passed information about methods of escape from Roman occupation by word-of-mouth, in stories in a manner of persecution.

Without formal organization, participants in the Underground Railroad included both white and black abolitionists, enslaved African Americans, American Indians, and members of such religious groups as the Quakers, Methodists, and Baptists. No actual trains existed on the Underground Railroad, but guides were called conductors and the hiding places that they used where depots or train stations. This pattern of communicating is seen in today's technology the potential online can be overwhelming conducting yourself in a civil manner is required, in past years the penalty for communicating was harsh, today it can be both a curse or a blessing.

Pastor Mando
"keep the faith"


Holy Toledo!!

Ten seconds remained in the Week 2 match up at San Diego on September 10, 1978, when Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler dropped back to pass from the 14-yard-line. Chargers defensive end Fred Dean broke through the line and hit Stabler. Realizing there was nothing else he could do as the seconds ticked away, “The Snake” hurled the ball forward. As the ball rolled loose on the ground, Raiders running back Pete Banaszak swatted it toward the end zone. Tight end Dave Casper continued the ball’s forward motion with a kick at the five yard line and then fell on in it in the end zone for a touchdown as the clock ran out.

“I fumbled it on purpose,” Stabler admitted honestly after the game. “Yes, I was trying to fumble.” Despite a protest from the Chargers sideline, referee Jerry Markbreit ruled it a legal play. Kicker Errol Mann added the extra point and the Raiders won the game, 21-20. Markbreit’s decision to uphold the play was absolutely correct by the rules in place at the time. However, that would soon change. During the off-season, the league added a provision to the rule book about fumbles after the two-minute warning that allows only the player who fumbled the ball to advance it. As such, the rule change implemented will forever prevent the “Holy Roller” from happening again.

Well, the Holy Bible has it's own "Holy Roller" Of all the miracles recorded in the Bible, perhaps the greatest is the incarnation, the coming of God the Son into human flesh. The season during which we celebrate our Lord’s Birth is fast approaching, the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. When we speak of “the virgin birth,” we simply mean that Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of his mother Mary, without the agency of a human father. And while we speak of Jesus as “virgin born,” the actual miracle was not in His birth, but in the conception. The angel said to Joseph, “that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.” And the heaven's cried out "Holy Toledo!!! As for tomorrows game, Sunday Oct. 10, 2010 the Charger faithful can only recall the horrible memory... As for the devil his days have been numbered since that glories day...

Pastor Mando
"keep the faith"


God Shakes Things Up!

We all go through times when it feels like our world is shaking; like the foundations of our lives are shifting under our feet. When this happens, we tend to ask the question: “Why?” Why is this happening to me? What is going on? What have I done wrong? What am I going to do? What we don’t realize is that perhaps it is God who is shaking our world. He is allowing circumstances to shift. He is shifting the ground under our feet. Why? Why does God shake our world?

To get our attention. It is very easy to become focused (even obsessed) with the "stuff" in our lives: career, family, interests, even ministry! While all this stuff is good, when we become focused on them, we can miss it when God begins to do a new thing; we fail to hear Him when He whispers to us; we don’t see the opportunity because our view is restricted by our daily worries and concerns of making ends meet. So God shakes our world to get our attention; so that He can breathe something new into our lives; He can show us new opportunities, the new thing He wants to do. God is a God of new things. “See, I am doing a new thing.” (Isaiah 43:19).

The Bible shows us from this scripture that God is in the business of shaking things up. He has shaken things before, and He is about to shake things again. He will shake everything. This isn’t just talking about the last days. God shakes men and women, and He will allow those who follow him to be shaken. The Bible says that we will be tried, and He will shake everyone and everything around us because He wants things to be solid. He wants us to be strong, unmovable, and faithful all the way to the end. In the same manner the Oakland Raiders shook things up during the off-season. When all was said and done, the foundation of players lives were effected. When a team has no chemistry what so ever, changes must be made. New opportunities can breathe life into an organization on the same hand it takes time to "jell" I'm sure the Raider Nation hopes that last weeks performance was an indication of things to come.

God is in the business of purifying His people, because He loves us. If a child of God is not going through some kind of tribulation it could be that they are no threat to the devil anymore. God shakes down everything that the devil has tried to build in your life so you will not be deceived! God shakes people up so that the things that cannot be shaken will remain. The things that remain are the things that God blesses. They are the most important things about your life that exist. Are you prepared to let God shake your world? You are safe. God loves you. He will never shake you more than you can handle in the power of his Holy Spirit.

Pastor Mando
"keep the faith"