Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Fostering or adoption

March 13, 2026

Have you considered either of these options? This morning on the radio, the announcer was speaking of a podcast where the guest was encouraging others to promote fostering in their church congregations. Some of our friends over the years have adopted children or been foster parents.

I remember a single mom that I knew from church when I was a teenager. She had three daughters, and her youngest was a boy. Another friend and his wife had three daughters. The first lady died, and the father did not want his children. The three girls had places to go with the family, but no one wanted the boy.

My friend and his wife applied to be foster parents with the intent of eventually adopting this little guy. This was what happened, and as with many families, the son eventually rebelled against his adopted family, and it was years before he returned to them after he grew up enough to realize we all need someone.

I have shared another story of adoption before. One of the young men in my class at church asked me one morning after class if his mother loved him. I knew what he was talking about because he had been adopted as a baby. He wanted to know why his birth mother had given him up.

I asked what year he was born, and when he told me, I responded that she did love him. The question in his eyes told me I needed to explain. I informed him that abortion had been legalized in the U.S. with the Roe Vs. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1972. His birth was after that.

If she had not cared about him, she could have simply aborted the pregnancy, and he would never have been born. Many women have fallen prey to the lies that these are not human beings and are called fetuses or blobs of tissue. I know that the Bible teaches that we are alive from conception.

I explained this to him and told him that his birth mother knew he was important and needed a family that could provide for him. To me, that was the ultimate act of love: allowing others to raise him after she gave birth. He seemed to understand this answer and went to church.

A short time later, his adoptive mother asked me what I had said to him. I told her exactly what I had said. She told me that he had been asking her and his dad this question, and they were unable to say anything that satisfied him. When he stopped asking, she questioned why, and he told her that I had convinced him that she did love him. That’s why she asked me what I had said.

Adoption and fostering are both admirable things to do. Do it to help the children, not to fulfill a desire in your life or to make money from the support that may be given to foster parents. My wife and I love our daughters. We were like many characters in the Bible. We knew each other, and she became pregnant. It was easy for us.

When it is more difficult, consider helping a child who needs a family. One family in our church fosters newborns until they can be placed permanently. At times, these children return to them when the new family doesn’t work out. Mostly, they love the babies for a few weeks, and then they take in the next child.

One boy returned to them and stayed. He’s in high school now. He is one of the finest young men I know. He is well-behaved and highly intelligent and, if he makes good decisions, will go far. I have seen the opposite happen. An adopted child sometimes makes poor choices and makes their lives more difficult, just like our naturally born children can.

That is up to the kids. As parents, we raise them the best we can, make mistakes, apologize and ask forgiveness, and continue the process. This is true whether they are born to us, adopted, or with us for a short period. As parents, that is what we do for our children.

Chicken Man, he’s everywhere

March 12, 2026

As the story was being told this morning at a Springfield business, it was reminiscent of the old radio program that was broadcast on KICK radio on 1340 on the AM dial here. It had a Christian twist to it.

The story takes place in a local long-term care facility. A friend’s wife is there for recuperation after surgery. As most patients do, she was craving outside food. Her husband, obligingly, delivered carryout chicken to her room one evening. A neighbor down the hall smelled the fried chicken and came to the room to ask to purchase a couple of pieces of the delightfully fragrant food. Hospital food smells, but not like that.

My friend continued to add extra chicken or other goodies to be sure there was extra for this lady. She gave him the name of Chicken Man. I asked if he was familiar with the radio program by that title. He was not originally from Springfield and had never heard of the show. I gave a brief description of it.

The point I want to make is that we can be kind and gracious to others in many ways. It does not take much to be a special person in the lives of folks that we encounter every day. They may need no more than a smile or a kind word.

Is this not what servanthood means? We are all told by Jesus to serve our neighbors. That’s what my friend did for the lady in the nursing home who was his wife’s friend. You should look around and see a need that you can supply. Be careful, though.

I read a story of a boy whose father was called to school for his bad behavior. This was unusual for this father. When he got there, he found out that his son had given half of the pizza he had bought for lunch to a friend who did not want the cheese sandwich he was offered. When he was caught doing this, his pizza was taken from him, and both were thrown away, and he was sent to the office.

Sounds stupid, doesn’t it? I think so, too. We should be teaching children to be helpful to each other, especially in our schools. There is no good reason for an adult disposing of a generous child’s lunch as punishment. This was posted on Facebook as a true story. Hopefully, that is some of the false news our President tells us about.

The story ended with the father paying the delinquent lunch account of the other student and encouraging others to do the same for those who might be having this type of problem at their schools. I know others who work in schools or have kids there who do the same thing when they hear of a situation where they can assist.

Why not become this kind of Chicken Man in one of the small ways that you can? The thing I remember most about this radio show was that they always said, “Chicken man, he’s everywhere, he’s everywhere.” I think we should all strive to be like my friend Chicken Man so that this slogan is once again true.

Who gets the money?

March 11, 2026

I’ve written before, warning you to check out organizations that you give money to. Let me add some further insights into these discussions. I have people come to my door asking for help for themselves or groups they are working with. This sounds perfectly legitimate, but how do you make sure?

Ask for the name they are representing. Use your smartphone to find this company. Are they not for profit? Some of these businesses are just businesses. They take your money and put it into their coffers. They may or may not donate some to charity.

This is important when neighborhood kids are earning money for their schools or churches. You’ve been asked to buy candy, cookies, popcorn, or other items from them. A one-dollar purchase may net them only ten percent or less. Ask how much their cut is. If you trust the kid, give the amount asked for and let them keep the product.

This is the best way to deal with the catalogs that are often used to finance school projects. Many of the items are five dollars or more. Donate the money, and the entire amount can go to the child’s school. Buy something, and they receive a much smaller amount. The businesses providing this service get most of the proceeds.

If you do not know the person, keep your money and politely tell them you have already donated to this group. If you do not recognize who they are supporting, tell them you donate to your church or another not-for-profit that you help. Don’t lie to them and don’t continue the conversation. Close the door and go on with your day.

Do you want to help certain groups but don’t know how? I live in Springfield, Missouri, which is home to Convoy of Hope and Wounded Warriors. We also have a Habitat for Humanity Renew Center. They are all nationally known groups that always need additional funds for all the things they do for others.

Is there a group that has helped someone in your family or that you know? These would be excellent places to donate your money. Do not send money to any online group that you do not know personally. If you receive an email or social media post, verify that the money will go to whom they say it will receive your donations. I prefer to donate privately rather than online.

As I have mentioned before, be aware of to whom and what you give your money. A man I used to work with attended a church that was from a denomination I did not know. I asked questions about the church and found that his fiancé’s father was the pastor, and he owned the church property.

In later years, I heard of many such congregations that found out that their worship centers were not actual not for profit organizations. Donations made to them were taxed, and if the owners or pastors kept the books straight, they were legal. Ask the question before you give, “Who gets the money?”

Spiritual fruit

March 10, 2026

Can I tell you that I do not mind being called fruity, if you are referring to the fruit of the spirit? These are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. As a Christian, this is how we should measure ourselves. Don’t fall into the trap of being judgmental. It is easy to do.

Galatians 5:22 begins with love. It is interesting that Paul also includes patience as the first attribute of love in First Corinthians 13 when he defines Agape’ for us. Kindness is also included in that list. I think he is trying to tell me something. Patience and kindness are important. We should not ignore the other parts of love. No envying, rudeness, selfishness, irritability, or resentment are also part of how God loves us.

Joy and peace are two words to look at more closely. Happiness is fleeting. Joy is also temporary if we let it be. Fruitful joy is hard to accomplish without Holy Spirit. Joy does not mean that you never have a bad day. When things are not going your way, joy lets you realize that things will become better. We let our minds betray us into thinking that our life is bad when it is just life.

Peace also can elude those who work without Him. It is not the absence of conflict. It is the presence of love and joy. Do you accept what the Lord has given you? Paul tells us to give thanks in all things. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) He also states in Philippians 4:11 that he has learned to be content. Notice the use of the word learned. Contentment is something we must also train ourselves to have.

Patience is the most difficult thing for me. “Lord, give me patience and give it to me now, it is what I usually pray. That prayer may miss the mark. Be careful about asking for it. His answer will continually test you. Patience is hard because we live in an instant society. We have our phones with us and can call, text, or check the internet thousands of times a day. I grew up at a time when we did not even have a home phone.

We all know how to be kind, good, and gentle. These may need to be tweaked by the Spirit. Follow His guidance, and you will arrive quicker. Again, these need to be intentional. We know what to do; we just need to be reminded to do it all day long. Practice it, and it will become as automatic as breathing or your heartbeat.

Self-control is another tough one. Notice that the word control follows self, indicating who should be in control. For Christians, we can hand this job over to Holy Spirit, if we will let Him take leadership of our lives. That becomes easier the more you do it.

I desire that you all become fruitier as I try to do the same. I mentioned judgment earlier. Let’s avoid that and try for discernment. (1 Corinthians 12:7-11) This is one of the gifts of the Spirit. You cannot have these gifts if your spirit is still dead. A relationship with Jesus is needed for the rebirth of your spirit. (John 3:1-21) After you start that relationship, the fruits will appear if you cultivate them.

Five who will not listen to you

March 5, 2026

Let me tell you who these are. Your cat. Any cat, really. Cats do not listen except to their name or a door opening or maybe a can opener. They have very sensitive ears. They simply do not understand words. They comprehend petting and playing. They know who feeds them and is supposed to clean their litter box. Don’t do this and they will remind you.

Do you ever complain that your children don’t listen? Again, this is not just yours. Youngsters in general have difficulty following instructions. They are people after all. Once again, they respond to love and play. Speak the language they understand and they will comprehend. Yell at them or criticize them and they will not.

They also do not respond to being ignored. If you have ever had a child ask a question that you did not know the answer to or want to respond to at that moment, they will continue to press you. Just like a hungry cat. Give them what they want, and they will leave you alone, momentarily.

Bosses are others that will not listen unless you are saying what they want to hear. When they ask what you think, they do not necessarily want that answer. Some are not sure that their employees can think. Thinking is what they are paid for, and many are overpaid.

When they ask what you think of the concept they have just given to you, they may only want agreement. Give it to them. “Is this a good idea?” Do not say no. Say that it is and immediately add whatever your suggestion to improve on it is. Say it slowly and clearly. Then shut up.

If they want comments, they will accept what you say. If not, avoid confrontation and wait a while. Soon their thoughts may alter. I have often made suggestions, been told they were bad ideas, and left the discussion there. Later the concepts I expressed became the boss’s new directives and were implemented.

Do not try to take credit for their own brainstorms, you’ll get washed away. It is now their idea no matter how much you try to reason them out of it. Take the win. What needed to be done got done. When you become the boss, remember what they did and do not repeat their error.

Both husbands and wives are accused of not listening. That is correct. We all have selective deafness. We are only grownup children after all. The truth is that this malady is not limited to a sex or age group. We really should not limit this to just these five groups.

Politicians are the last of the five. The reason I say this is because I have listened to interviews with them for over fifty years. Most of the time their answers to questions do not answer those inquiries. They may have to deal with the topic but seldom provide an adequate response.

Work on your listening skills. Practice stopping what you are doing when your spouse or kids are trying to get your attention. We all need to concentrate on our communication skills. Listening is an essential part of our relationships. Don’t be one of the sixth group, those who do not care.

Being

March 4, 2026

Moses was standing there in the wilderness talking to a bush. Imagine if you walked up on this scene. I know what I would think. This man has been in the sun too long. He has completely lost it. And yet, he was talking to the creator of the universe.

Hard to conceive of a bush being the presence of the almighty God. He tells us He is omnipresent. As they say of Chicken man, “He’s everywhere. He’s everywhere.” The bush should have been consumed by the fire that attracted his attention. He stood there and a voice came from the fire and said to take off his shoes because he was standing on sacred ground. The presence of Yahweh is holy.

Moses asked who he should tell people it was that had sent him. “I am that I am, has sent you.” He has always been, He is, and He will always be. Got it? Probably not. Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am.” God just said that He was.

No explanation, just go and get my people out of slavery and tell them that the I Am sent you. He exists. God is not dead. God is not an imaginary concept of the human mind. Jehovah has always existed. Religion may be the opiate of the people and yet, there is a supreme creator God.

Yahweh is another way to say I Am. It is another Hebrew way of saying being. It is a simple way of stating that He was, is, and will always be. He cannot die, but He was born as a human being and was named Jesus by His Earthly mother.

Years ago, one of my nephews asked me, “If God made everything, who made God?” My answer was not an easy one. I had been warned by my brother that his son would be asking this question. I prayed and thought about what I could say. On that day, I still did not have an answer until I replied to him.

“God has always existed. That is what makes Him God.” That is how I responded. That is what I Am means. Until that moment when I answered the question, I did not get it. Now I do. When someone asks you about this, use that answer. God gave it to me, and I am giving it to you.

For those of you that do not believe that Jesus is God let me explain. The Christ said, “I and the Father are One.” (John 10:30) He also said, “I am the good shepherd.” (John 10:11) “I am the Door.” (John 10:7) “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:35) And the reason He was crucified was because he told the Jewish leaders He was the Messiah. (Matthew 26:64) He said, “I Am.”

Think about this for a little while. Jehovah has always existed. He is. Read the Bible. I could give you many more examples than the ones I have included here. I will save those until another column. When I finish “Cosmic Flatulence” and “The Inedible Credible Egg” you can read them.

“Chuck”

March 2, 2026

https://www.youtube.com/embed/TFdjgZOQrIM

Have you ever seen this TV series from 2007 to 2012? I am going to tell you something that has never been published anywhere before now. This story is about me. It has been altered greatly from my true original story. I did not go to Stanford University or work as a computer nerd.

I do not know Chris Fedak or Josh Schwartz who are the creators of this show. How they were able to link this fictional tale to my name is beyond me. I do not want any royalties or profit from their scripts. Titles cannot be copy written and I have no claim against anyone for infringing upon my privacy.

Why do I say this series was based on my life? First it is my name. Then there is the beautiful woman that I am married to. The character of Sarah Walker and Cindy do not have the same hair color. Cindy has never worked for the CIA and the way we met was completely different from what the series shows.

My best friend at the time ended up being my best man at our wedding and surprisingly, they got the part correct that we worked together. They also got it right that I have a sister. They did leave out my two brothers. Neither of my parents were spies and they were at our wedding as well.

They also got it correct that I did not finish at the university where I started my degree program. However, I was not expelled, I transferred and did receive my diploma from another college. I also never let my girlfriend drive my company car, so she never wrecked it. I played video games but not much after Cindy and I began dating. As I recall, neither did Chuck after he met Sarah.

That is another way that the writers hit my story head on. I know that if they tried to stay closer to my real life it would have been boring. I am just glad that they did not make it a situation comedy. The dramedy genre was a much more flattering format.

I can just see if they had titled it everybody loves Chuck or according to Chuck. All the crazy stuff my brothers and sister and I did would not have been half as interesting as the scripts for those two shows. I do wish that one of the characters in M.A.S.H., the Waltons, or Dr. Quinn Medicine woman had been Chuck or Cindy. In that case the show I claimed as ours would have lasted a lot longer.

Is there a show that you wish you could claim was about your life? Comment below and tell me the similarities and the differences in yours. If no one comments I will know that I am still a unique individual. Happy watching.

Tools

March 1, 2026

I’ve used a lot of them in my life. This is the first in a series of columns that are on these useful instruments. Anthropology tells us that these are signs of creatures being humanlike. Genesis does not bother to tell us when the wheel or other tools were invented.

Fire is another tool that Moses did not see fit to discuss. Much has been written about it. I’ll talk more about it another time. When I saved this file, I had to put it in a category, and I chose the Words file. They are one of my favorite tools.

The thought that sparked this article was my splitting maul. I know many of you are not familiar with this apparatus. I purchased mine over thirty years ago. We had moved onto Talmage Street to the second home that we owned. It had a wood stove in the family room.

These were invented by Ben Franklin. The wood stove, not the splitting maul. Our stove was not a Franklin type, but it was efficient enough to supplement the heating in our four-bedroom, two-bath house. I am probably incorrect when I say Ben invented the stove. He developed the Franklin Stove. I also probably need to be more specific about wood stoves.

In the nineteen-eighties I saw a picture of a wood stove that was only good for one use. It was not safe. It was made of wood. I am talking of a steel unit designed to burn wood. Today I split wood to fuel our fireplace in our current home. This is considered a luxury item in today’s standards.

Before gas, coal, or central heating, it was common in every structure. Our first load of wood was purchased by my mother. It came cut and split. Have you seen those small bundles of wood at grocery and home stores? They usually appear in the fall. Those are for apartment dwellers that have a fireplace for decorative purposes.

Some of my friends began bringing us cut logs for our stove. It must be sacked and cured to burn properly. I cover mine with a tarp to keep it relatively dry. It was not long before I became aware of our need for a device to split the larger logs. That is when I purchased my maul. You can split with an axe, but it is not as efficient as a triangular head mail.

I learned this from my travels as a salesman at the time. Some of my customers sold these items in many designs and styles. I even called on one plant that manufactured stoves, which stocked assorted accessories for the stoves. I discussed the splitting mauls with the salesmen at these companies and discovered one that I thought was best for me.

It has a heavy triangular steel head welded to a steel handle with a cushioned grip. Buying it was the easy part. Learning how to use it properly has taken me many years. The best way that I have discovered is to place the log to be split on a shorter log. You raise the maul and allow the weight of the head to propel it down with the aid of gravity.

The trick is to hit the end of the log in a spot that will split. This takes trial and error with each different log. That first winter after I had my maul, I learned the best time to split wood was when it was frozen. The fibers are more rigid and separate more easily at twenty degrees Fahrenheit or less.

I am sure many of you wonder why I just wasted your time explaining all of this. That is the thing about all tools. Some of us use them, and others care less about those they do not need. Is that how you treat people? I hope not.

Tamper evident tape

February 28, 2026

While breaking down some cardboard boxes for recycling just now, I found these words on the sealing tape as I slit it and folded the box up. I thought it was appropriately named. As a purchasing agent for forty years, I have seen products that were called “tamper-proof tape.” They weren’t.

I carry a pocketknife. Where? Duh, in my pocket. I have for years. I also always had box cutters in my desk drawer or workstation. I could open any package or box you gave me. I also removed the tape and replaced it with new tape to reuse the boxes.

An expert eye knew I had done this. I trained others to be as good or better than me at reusing packaging materials. I even sold paint that was specifically designed to cover brown boxes and conceal markings that were printed on them. So, what is the purpose of tamper-evident tape?

When a vendor sends you a package, and you start to open it, if I have slit it and hurriedly retaped it, you can tell. We all know about tamper-proof medicine packaging. When I was little, we did not have that. Then, some guy decided to poison people he did not even know. Now, I sometimes wish I could use explosives to open those boxes and bottles.

These are all signs of the fallen world that we live in. Yes, I said Fallen. We messed it up. If you don’t know this story, it is in the book of beginnings in the Bible. (Genesis 3) You do know that the Hebrew word for beginning is Genesis, and that is where the title of this book comes from, because it starts, “In the beginning God.”

It does not matter if we accept it or not. It is true, and those who deny it are false. There is right and wrong, even if I want to do wrong and call it correct behavior. That is why we need tamper-evident tape. Some want to get into our packages and remove what they want.

I’ve contacted vendors when a box did not have what it was supposed to. The first question is always, “Had the tape been tampered with?” My answer was that I did not believe it had been. It is the same in our lives. Family, friends, and others want to control, use, or abuse us. Don’t let them. There is someone who encourages them to do this. He is our constant adversary. The Bible calls him Satan.

How do you make your life tamper-evident? You will never be tamper-proof. Be honest and forthright with everyone. Stay true to what Jesus and Holy Spirit tell you to do. Avoid the temptations that Satan, the adversary, puts in your way. And pray that He will protect you and your family.

The last fifty years

February 27, 2026

In 1968, when Richard Nixon was nominated by the Republicans for President, his running mate was Spiro Agnew. Shortly after the 1972 election, some charges of impropriety forced Agnew to resign. With the majority of his second term ahead, Gerald Ford was selected to become the V.P. He had been a congressman for twenty-five years.

Ford became the 38^th chief executive and had a difficult campaign against Jimmy Carter, the 1976 Democratic candidate. President Ford pardoned President Nixon before he could even be charged with any crimes from the Watergate Hotel break-in. This was considered by some as the biggest hit on his prospects.

Ford lost to Carter, and the party shift kicked in again. Carter served from 1977 to 1981. During his first term, the Shaw of Iran was overthrown, and a pro-Muslim government took power. The U.S. Embassy was attacked, and hostages were seized on November 4, 1979. The thirty-ninth President lost his second bid for the office in 1980.

The power shifted once again when Ronald Regan defeated the incumbent based on failure to solve the hostage problem and other fiscal problems attributed to his administration. Regan held office until 1989 after winning the 1984 election as well. The hostages were released before Regan was inaugurated as our fortieth chief executive.

“Read my lips, no new taxes” was the campaign promise that convinced many to continue a Republican Presidency under Vice-President George H. W. Bush. His term was from 1989 to 1993. When other Republicans convinced him to sign a tax proposal that Congress passed, the Democrats used it to their advantage.

They nominated Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton as their candidate, and he defeated the forty-first to become the forty-second President. Clinton’s administration featured a joint Presidency with his wife, according to the GOP. She had no official title or authority. They were in the White House from 1993 to 2001.

Do you remember the September 11, 2001, attacks on our country? Muslim radicals hijacked four passenger jets and crashed them. Two took out buildings in New York City, part of the Pentagon building in Washington, D C., and the last went down in Pennsylvania.

When our forty-third President, George W. Bush, the son of the forty-first, addressed us that evening, he launched an investigation to determine how this could happen. We were involved in wars in the Middle East to eliminate factions supposedly responsible for this attack. His administration ran from 2001 to 2009.

Are you getting tired of the constant flip-flop of power from one political party to the other for over one hundred years? In 2008, we elected our first African American President, Barack Obama, a Democrat from Chicago, as the forty-fourth man to hold the office. He served until 2017.

I will not make any comments about the last three Presidents. There are situations that I feel will have to be resolved before we know what should be said without hurting feelings. Both current parties have opposing opinions of what should and should not be commented on. I hope these columns have given you insights into who our leaders have been.

Walk With a Servant