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The Quick Scan by Mike Ramey

Posted by Mike Ramey on November 16, 2022 at 12:05am in Commentery

 

BE YE THANKFUL

       I find it highly interesting that Halloween and Christmas are soooo close together—that is, IF you believe the retailers.  After all, Christmas represents a full 25% of retail sales.  Halloween—for the entire month of October and back into September (in some places) has become the second most ‘party’ holiday on record—again, based on the money made from adults (anxious to cosplay, no doubt).  Yet, there continues to be a social rise against the holiday of Thanksgiving as many of the younger set are quite content to forget to be thankful, thinking that they are ‘owed’ houses, lands and career success.

      Let me dare to say that many in our land have deliberately forgotten ‘how’ to be thankful about many things.  Some have the mistaken belief that Thanksgiving is a holiday reserved for feasting and football.  Others believe that it is a ‘rest’ day before Black Friday, where people ought to shop till they drop.  Still others have the mindset that God is not needed, nor wanted as a part of the Thanksgiving holiday.

      Pity.

      Being thankful is the natural ‘joy’ of life.  Those who maintain an attitude of thankfulness don’t have mental health issues; don’t have to ‘self-medicate’ themselves throughout the night and day just to survive, and don’t have to have a TV commercial or social media post to remind them to give to others less fortunate than themselves.

      I truly feel sorry for some of the younger set today for not being ‘forced’ to write thank-you notes to their relatives for Christmas and birthday gifts received from relatives.  This was a part of ‘home training’ that is lacking today…the nurturing of an attitude of gratitude.  Further, in many an upright home, the learning of the ‘social graces’ began with learning how to say ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’.  IF one learns the importance of being thankful—especially when things go wrong—it gives one a connection to our Lord Jesus Christ in a way in which no video special can duplicate, and no FB post can manifest.  Being thankful is something worth sharing.  It will keep you warm inside while the world may be cold on the outside.

      Thanksgiving is on the calendar for a reason and a season.  IF you can’t be thankful for what you got, why should you expect to get more to add to your sphere of life?  This holiday is more than just a ‘day’ for feasting and football.  It is up to the mature to discover why the holiday exists, and practice thankfulness daily.  Tomorrow is NOT promised to anyone (Hebrews 9:27 KJV).  Let us be thankful for what God has blessed us with today…and each day of the year.

      Mike Ramey is a Retired Minister, KJV Bible Teacher, syndicated columnist and Bible Prophecy Specialist who lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.  “The Quick Scan” is one of a variety of his columns appearing and abounding in print and cyberspace, written from a biblical, business, and common-sense perspective since 1996.  To drop him a line—or a whine—the address is still the same: manhoodline@yahoo.com.  ©2022 Barnstorm Communications International.

Tags: thankful, thanksgiving, life, kjv bible, jesus christ, living, joy
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Posted by Mike Ramey

Rev. M. G. “Mike” Ramey (Retired) served as the Certified Modern Street Gangs Specialist & Media Consultant of “The Gang Line”. He had been interviewed in the U. S. and abroad on radio, television, and Internet about the dangers of Modern Street Gangs since 2007. His writings on Modern Street Gangs abound in print and online. Previously, he served as an award-winning broadcast journalist, producer, and TV/Radio talk show host. He has also served as a staff writer, section editor, and syndicated columnist. Ramey has won—or helped to win—some two dozen journalism awards and citations. He also holds a Police Citation for Citizen Bravery from the Indianapolis Police Department (1986). Ramey is also married, an Ordained Minister (Retired) and a KJV Bible Teacher.

Ramey is a Certified Modern Street Gangs Specialist with Certifications in Law Enforcement (2006), Non-Law Enforcement (2010), and Gangs & Cults Ministry (2017). He also has endorsements in K-12 Gang Issues and Transnational Gangs. He also carries Specialist Ratings in Cult/Occult Crime, and Transnational Human Trafficking. Ramey has also served with several International anti-gang ministries, including Gangstyle.com of Washington state (2004-2009), Thug Exposed Ministries of California (2010 to 2015) and Bishop Outreach Ministries of Florida (2010 to 2015).

In 2011 “The Gang Line” offered training and certification coursework for those interested in becoming certified Modern Street Gang Specialists: Training approaches the anti-gang ministry field through the combined use of spiritual (biblical principles/discipleship) and criminal (gang members and gang crime). From 2015-2017, Ramey served as an Advisory Board Member for the School of Criminal Justice at Harrison College, Indianapolis, Indiana, with a specialty of Organized Crime & Gangs. From 2017-2019, Ramey served as a Bible Teacher to at-risk detained juvenile offenders at the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center with his own Bible-based Curriculum centering upon Biblical Life Skills taught from the Book of Proverbs.

Rev. Ramey’s skill set includes having been a veteran substitute teacher (Secondary Education), a college instructor for two Bible colleges in the Indianapolis, Indiana area, a Probation Officer (Intensive/High Risk & School-Based) with the Marion County Juvenile Court, and a peer grant reviewer of anti-gang grant programs with the U.S. Department of Justice (2010). He also created, designed, and taught the course “Modern Street Gangs: Developing Urban Ministry Strategies—UM-190” at Crossroads Bible College, Indianapolis, Indiana (2009 & 2010). In 2013, Ramey served as a post-production Consultant for Chick Publications’ national anti-gang comic: “Black Angel”. It was translated into Spanish in 2014.

Ramey has written extensively on the topic of Modern Street Gangs with two Internet columns: “The Gang Line” and “The Gang Line Blogger” which abound in cyberspace. In a post-pandemic society, the motto of The Gang Line still rings true: “Spiritual Solutions for Spiritual Problems!”

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