Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Getting caught in the draft

May 31, 2026

Fifty years later, another generation is going to be signed up for military service without being asked if they want to serve. In 1974, my number came up. At that time, there was a Selective Service registration that was required for all young men. We also had an active draft process.

This was because of the Vietnam Conflict. It was never a declared war, much like the current Iranian conflict. President Trump started this action without Congressional approval. It needs to end within a limited time or receive the funding and approval needed.

When the draft ended in 1974, registration continued until it ended about a year later. In 1980, President Carter reinstated the registration during the US action in Afghanistan. The draft has not been started again, even with all the military actions we have involved ourselves in.

Recently, this was back in the news because our government will automatically register eighteen-year-olds without them having to do anything. This is because many of our youth seem to be forgetting to do this. We have the technology to help them with this.

This does not mean that the draft will be reinstated any time soon, we hope. This is purely a development of our technology being applied to this situation. There is no evidence that the government is planning to institute a new draft. Hopefully, our all-volunteer forces will continue to provide the protection we need.

For most of us, we do not know what it means to live in a society where our young people are forced to serve in the military. I believe that if we have a requirement to restore a draft situation, a provision could be made for those such as myself.

President Kennedy began the Peace Corps in the early 1960s, and since then, other organizations have been formed to allow youth to serve here in the US or overseas. In his book “Starship Troopers,” Robert Anson Heinlein described a society where you were not considered a citizen without serving in the Armed Forces.

While RAH is one of my favorite authors, I disagree that everyone who wants to vote must serve their country in the military. Other provisions for those who have personal convictions against fighting can be made. AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and similar groups can provide training in skills that will benefit all of us.

Those who come here as immigrants are required to prove their knowledge of our government and culture to become citizens. Having the right to vote should also require education and commitment. It will take a great deal of discussion and preparation to make any changes of this kind. We have a great country, but it could be improved with those changes on which we all agree.

Discoverer extraordinaire

May 30, 2026

I’m guessing that few of you have ever heard of a man named Jim Bridger. In 1822, this 18-year-old orphan was working in St. Louis, MO, as a blacksmith when he heard about a trapping expedition to the Rocky Mountains. They promised no glory and a lot of risk. He took the chance.

In 1824, he thought they had found the Pacific Ocean because the water went as far as they could see and was extremely salty. He was the first white man to see the Great Salt Lake of what is now Utah. His journals record that later that decade he discovered fountains of boiling water shooting from the ground in what is now Yellowstone Park.

Back in civilization, they called him mad or crazy. Bridger spent two decades as a mountain man, learned six Native American languages, married into the Flathead tribe, tracked game, read the weather like a book, and could lead others through terrain only he and his red brothers knew.

In 1843, he and Louis Vasquez, his partner, built Fort Bridger in southwestern Wyoming. Pioneers going to Oregon or California made this their stop for supplies, directions, and rest to complete the dangerous journey. As westward expansion increased, Jim was called on by the military to lead military expeditions into uncharted territory.

Railroad surveyors and scientists relied on his knowledge of these areas to keep them safe. Into his sixties, he was known as the man who could find anywhere in these territories and get back safely. He showed others the wonders he had discovered.

In the late 1860s, he retired to his daughter Virginia’s farm near Kansas City, Missouri. He died on July 17, 1881, at the age of 77. Few knew or cared who Jim Bridger was by then.

When geologists, scientists, and other experts began to compare what they found in the great expanses of the western United States, they discovered his journals were surprisingly correct. Except for that mistake about the Pacific Ocean being in the deserts of Utah, he seemed to have recorded the terrain accurately before others knew it was even there. This man, who saved thousands of travelers’ lives and led scores of immigrants to places no one had ever been, is remembered in the land he knew.

Fort Bridger State Historic Site, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Bridger Peak, Bridger Pass, and Bridger Wilderness Area all bear the name of a young man who took a chance where others would one day wish to settle. The settlement of these US territories would have taken much longer without his guidance.

The next time you tell a friend what you have seen and know is true, and they laugh at you, just say, “That’s OK. They laughed at Jim Bridger.” If they ask who he was, tell them to look him up on the internet. History cannot be forgotten if we want to learn.

Love knows no boundaries

May 29, 2026

That is an excellent statement, until I tell you where I heard it. It was an ad for one of the local sex stores. I’ve not been to this establishment, but from the commercials I’ve seen for years, they have anything you need to stimulate your sexual activity. Videos, magazines, provocative garments, and sex toys are some of the things pictured.

Basically, what they are telling us is that sex should have no boundaries. The Old Testament Law sets many limits for sex, only between a man and a woman who are married. No premarital or extramarital relationships are allowed. Some say that the Hebrew scriptures allow multiple partners through polygamy.

That is not the true story that is in the Bible. The Israelites, as well as their neighbors, used these techniques to have large families to work the land. This also happened here in this country until the U.S. law restricted the practice. Utah had to restrict polygamy before it could be granted statehood.

Many Greek words are translated as the English word “love”. One that isn’t even in the New Testament is Eros. This is sexual love, or what I refer to as lust. I’ve covered this before: lust is an emotion, and I define love as a verb.

Phileo is what we consider to be brotherly love. Hence, Philadelphia is called the City of Brotherly Love. Brotherly love is the admiration that we feel for relatives. In some cases, this emotion can also be felt by friends. Once again, it is an emotional type of love.

Family love is Storge in Greek. Again, this is defined as an affection for not only those you are related to, but can also be for friends. C.S. Lewis also included a fifth type of love in his book “The Four Loves.” This fifth is what he defined as the likes that we make into love. That is what it is when you say, “I love chocolate,” or something else that is not really a love.

The fourth love is the Greek Agape, which is the love that Jehovah has for us which is an unconditional love. Paul tells us in First Corinthians chapter thirteen what Agape is. Patient and kind are the positives, and then there are a lot of negatives. He also tells us it is not envious, boastful, conceited, selfish, or acting improperly.

He lets us know that this type of love never ends like the others can. This Agape is what we should strive for with our spouses, family, friends, and even those we consider just acquaintances. Jesus does not restrict His Agape to only those who accept Him as their Savior and Lord. This is why He accepts you if and when you are willing.

We made it

May 28, 2026

Fifty years ago, Cindy and I promised each other we would be husband and wife for the rest of our lives. That’s what I mean. The hardest part wasn’t staying married. It was keeping each other alive. No, we haven’t fought life-threatening illnesses, except those that many of you have.

We’ve had surgeries, and Cindy survived COVID-19. I had a cold that year. We never had a time when it seemed like either of us would not survive. My parents and grandparents did not celebrate their fiftieth anniversary because they were not able to live that long.

Years ago, I watched an interview with a man on his one hundredth birthday. He was asked what he attributed his longevity to, and he responded, “I didn’t die.” That in itself is an accomplishment. Let’s chalk that one up to Cindy and I.

Another accomplishment is that we still love each other. Some marriages end prematurely because they stop trying to be in love. That is a misnomer, because all my faithful readers know, “Love is a verb.” I do not remember the first time I said that to her, but it was in the form of “I love you.”

We have often attempted to say this to each other over these fifty-plus years. Our first Christmas together was when Cindy turned sixteen. She was beautiful, and I wanted her to be mine. I may have tried to sing the song to her. If I did, she must have forgiven me for that. She knows I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.

We spent our first summer apart. I was in Pennsylvania, and she was chasing some guy that she and Debbie, her bridesmaid, thought looked like me, down Kearney Street. It wasn’t me, or I would not be writing this. No, I do not think she would have killed me, but she saw me get on the bus, and if I had not told her I was coming home, she probably would have ended the engagement.

We spent the next summer as husband and wife. That’s an interesting story that I’ve shared before. You can read that in “Doulos.” On our first anniversary, we lived in Joplin, in our third home together, and owned a dog. No, we did not get a dog to see if we wanted children. We got one because we wanted one. The same with the three kids. We had them because we wanted them, and discontinued birth control to make them possible.

We only have three because she started the pills again as soon as she could after each pregnancy. She may tell me I am wrong on the third. I can’t remember that far back. I mention this because this is another reason some do not stay together. They can’t agree whether they will have children or how many.

More than half of our grandchildren are over sixteen. None is married yet. We have no great-grands either. In this day, I must include that, or you may wonder. Life continues for all of us. We have been blessed to not have experienced any of those losses, either.

I do not mean that we have made it to perfection. We made it to our fiftieth anniversary date. Hopefully, we have a long way to go. We have three generations in our family. We are still a family. I believe that we are mostly functional. Pray that we are the people God wants us to be.

Grief is a tricky thing

May 26, 2026

I’ve been to many funerals over the years, and not even one has been for anyone who was not considered a good person. I am not sure that all “good people” qualify as born-again believers, but there is one question after a funeral that is universal.

“Would they have been touched by the heartfelt words that were shared?” Recently, I was at a service for a long-time friend who had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for years. Early on, he had asked our former pastor to officiate for him. This minister passed away last year.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a young pastor listed on the program in his place. The best part was that this preacher is the husband of one of the granddaughters. As a grandson-in-law, he has access to the library of sermons his ancestor used for these occasions. One was selected that I recognized from previous events.

One of my favorite parts in the Bible was used from John 14, where Jesus tells us that He is preparing a place for all his children. I have requested one of my former pastors to use this scripture at my service. He’s young enough, and I hope he will still be around when I die at 120.

It is said that nothing is certain except death and taxes. Another certainty is that when most of us go home, someone will grieve. I have some encouragement for you who are undergoing this process: if they were born-again believers, they are with our Lord and Savior.

Many verses in scripture assure us of this fact. I could write an entire series of columns on those verses, but I have done that before and will again when I am told to. My task today is to share what I know about this thing we call grief.

Grief is a tricky thing. Everyone goes through it, and while we can identify stages of dealing with grief, it is difficult to know what others are going through, even if you have lost someone. When my oldest brother died of a heart attack, his sons asked me if he was in Heaven.

Like many of us, he had accepted Christ at an early age, and his actions during his life were not what most church people would take as proof of this salvation. In my own case, I am sure some would deny that I made it either. These are people who think Christians must be perfect to see God when they die.

I shared with them that Kenny had made two professions of faith. One, before I was old enough to remember, and the second when we were teenagers. I saw him pray the sinner’s prayer and be baptized. The gospels say this is the one thing Jesus tells us we must do: admit our sin and ask for forgiveness.

Another problem with grief is that if we have made mistakes with friends and family and never gotten over all the problems, we may feel guilty. Remember to take it one step at a time. Grief’s a tricky thing.

One talent man

May 25, 2026

This is an idea I received from a preacher I heard recently. His sermon was on the parable that Jesus told of a ruler giving money to each of three servants before he left on a trip. This is written in Matthew 25:14-30. Read the story if you are not familiar with it.

Nathan, the speaker, talked about the reward the first two received for doubling the investment given to them. For those of you who are not familiar with the monetary value of talent, it is approximately one year’s wages. I have heard the analogy of this coin being about our spiritual gifts and abilities.

The man who received a single year’s salary was afraid of this ruler and did not wish to take a chance on failing. We were urged to not compare what God gives us with what others receive. Using what you have access to in the best way is what we should strive for.

The results of not investing the sum given to him caused dire results for the third fellow. I would like to take this story and alter the circumstances and the ultimate lesson. As a child, I recognized early on that I had few positive attributes. I was good at school subjects, and my favorite subject was English.

When the minister spoke of how many talents some are gifted with, it made me realize that I cannot sing or dance, and have no abilities for sports. Going into high school, I thought the only thing I was adept at was writing, so I chose a career in journalism.

In the 1970s, reporting changed from print to an emphasis on broadcast media. Watching Walter Cronkite and others on television made me realize that my shyness and fear of speaking in front of others needed to be overcome. My plan was to begin journalism in my junior year, and I started three years of speech and debate the year before.

My sophomore year in college, I was asked to preach at my church on youth Sunday. My single talent had multiplied into two when Christ called me into ministry later that spring. Returning to the parable, what would have changed if the one-talent man had an increase on the deposit made with him? He would have been rewarded as the other two were. Remember that they were given additional responsibilities.

I told Nathan, after church, that I was the One-Talent Man he had spoken of, except that when I was called to account for my gift, I had doubled it. Since finishing college, those abilities have continued to multiply exponentially.

My business and ministry experience has given me opportunities to learn leadership, counseling, and crisis negotiating skills, as well as given me a life of service to others, and has added to my knowledge, which has made my writing more prolific and enjoyable. Thank God, if you are a one-talent man.

We don’t want it

May 21, 2026

I just heard another commercial that bothers me. Have you heard about the companies that don’t want your money for what they are selling for a certain period? Most of these offers are for delayed interest payments.

Cindy and I enjoy these offers of no interest payments until a future date. What you may not know is that many of these contracts state that the interest is only waived if you pay off the debt before the specified date. We use this to our advantage.

We accept the free interest period and divide out the total cost of our purchase, so it is paid off before interest is accrued. This is an easy way to establish credit when you have had problems or are new to being a responsible adult.

Sometimes these offers include a credit card that you can continue to use. Do not fall victim to this trap. The issue with credit cards is that they do not expire like individual loans. After the limited date offer expires, you may only have 30 days to clear your account to prevent being charged interest.

This is the concept of getting you to take out a charge card at stores. Our first Discover card was issued to us when we made a purchase at the Battlefield Mall Sears store. Recently, we were given a Home Depot card on a similar type of deal.

We had a plan to clear up this cost within the allotted months. No, it and the Lowe’s card are in the lock box and kept until this type of offer comes again for another purchase. Stop and think for just a minute before you pay cash that is in savings when this type of offer is available.

If something happens and you need to use those savings for purchases that do not have this kind of deal, they will still be available. Being an adult is great, isn’t it. The commercials I was talking about at the beginning of this column are from vendors that act like they are benevolent.

Everyone must earn a living, whether you sell products or services or produce advertising like commercials. We do have a capitalistic economy, and buying and selling things is a legitimate way of making a living.

They are just good at marketing, but not as good as those companies that tell you openly that you will pay more if you do not pay it off entirely by the end of the offer. This is simply their tactic of choice. Honesty is the best policy. I’ve lived my life by this motto, and I still endorse it.

Why the Sabbath?

May 19, 2026

Christians and Jews celebrate a Sabbath or a day of rest because God made it one of His commandments. Around Springfield, MO, there used to be a “Blue Law” that prohibited certain types of stores from being open on Sundays and products such as alcoholic beverages from being sold. Those laws have been removed from the books for many years.

Why would God tell us to take one day off every seven? According to Exodus and Leviticus, it is to be Holy or separate, and by Jewish law, no work was to be done. The Talmud (Jewish holy law) even specifies the number of steps a Jew could take before it became work and violated the Sabbath. Is there a reason for this?

Today, doctors tell us that we must get the proper amount of rest. They focus mostly on the number of hours of sleep each night. There has been research into the effects of not taking at least one day off each week. Some companies have found that a four-day work week works for them.

Paid time off or vacation time is often a benefit that your employer provides. Most of us work forty hours per week, and that should give us two or more days of downtime that we can use each week. If you do not use this time to rest, then your health may suffer.

There seems to be a trend among younger workers to spend more than forty hours a week on their occupation. I remember being on a salary and believing that I should work as much extra as was needed without additional compensation. I thought this would be appreciated by my bosses. This did not work out.

Because of that, I advise you not to put your life on hold for something that you might receive. I’ve had employers make promises that I had to fight for, or that never appeared. Let’s face it, the wealthy sometimes get that way by cheating and lying. I did not mention President Trump so that he has no recourse against me if some know he fits this description.

I worked my way up to five weeks’ vacation at one position before leaving them for a different job. I went to work there because I wanted to stay with a company that has room for growth. I stayed with them until they convinced me that they did not agree with me that I could continue to progress.

I’m not saying that money should be your focus in employment choices. Work-life balance is important, and the old saying is true: “All work and no play makes Chuck a dull boy.” Put your name in for mine on this quotation.

Modern research tells us that this balance, proper sleep and nutrition, as well as getting away from stress, is the reason not to work seven days a week. Even the Beatles knew that Eight Days a Week was not enough for the best things in life. It should not surprise us that Jehovah reminds us to give Him one day.

I hope that none of my posts are ever listed in the trending bar on any social media pages. I dislike the term trendy or in. The problem I have with this is that shortly after you are in, you are out. I have built my life on just being me, not in, nor out, just strong and steady and the same today and tomorrow.

I learned at an early age that those who were popular in school soon were not popular with those who were ignored by whatever group they were in. That went from church to elementary school all the way through college. I have taken classes since I retired, and continue to see every generation doing this.

I am proud to announce that it is no worse than when I began first grade in the fall of 1960. It has not gotten any better, either. Fortunately, individuals often do not follow the groups and include outsiders in their circle of friends. I have many of these circles.

I used to have those that I worked with, and I changed that to those with whom I once shared office or plant facilities. I have always had friends, family, church families, and ever-popular brothers from other mothers. You know them, I hope. The guys or ladies you have collected over the years that you have known since…

You can fill in the dots. It may be any grade or period. Gary is what I call a hand-me-down friend. He started school with my oldest brother, Kenny, then Bud and I inherited him when the oldest graduated from high school and joined the Navy. Gary joined the Guard and went for his basic training, and then, he and I were at college together.

His nephew Michael was born on my sixteenth birthday, and when he turned sixteen, his family joined our church. On our birthday, we were having a youth fellowship, and when he came into the building, I greeted him with “Happy Sixteenth Birthday, Michael.”

He looked at me and did not even know anything about me except that his parents knew me. “How did you know it was my birthday? Oh, you saw my mom bring in the cake.” I replied, “No, this is my birthday, also, and I am thirty-two today. You were born on my sixteenth birthday.”

I am creating a new circle and not one of influence. It is a circle of readers, and I share with you, and you can return the favor through the comments. We will continue to think about how we treat others and how we want them to act towards us, despite what is trending.

Look at those who are in your groups and discuss whether you agree that we all need to be kinder and pay attention to those who are having problems, and continue to find ways to encourage our friends, no matter where we know and meet them. This is a year-round activity we can all enjoy.

Management

May 15, 2026

Some are leaders, and others are followers. We have heard this all our lives. If it is true. Which are you? That should depend on the situation you are in. At times, even the best leader should step back and allow others to take the reins.

Managers are leaders. The best allows others to lead when they show talents and abilities. I have often trained employees who eventually became department supervisors or managers. My management experience began with my first job while still in high school.

Does that seem unusual to you? I’ve gotten to know many leads, supervisors, and managers over the years who have started in the ranks and worked their way up in companies. You know that old saying, “The cream always rises to the top.”

The most important upper managers that you know of have most likely started at lower levels. What is the President of the United States? He is the chief executive. That means he is the top manager. He has lower management that works for him. Each Cabinet member also manages their staff as well.

Think about the people that you have voted for during the last few decades. Most of the candidates were governors, senators, and congressmen who began at lower levels of state government or even as assistants to others who worked in these offices.

The problems any business has can also crop up in government. Managers who try to bully their way through, around, or over employees seem to exist everywhere. I’ve noticed commercials on local TV for an attorney who is asking women to call her if their bosses are acting inappropriately

These are the worst cases of bad management, but there are a lot of poor managers out there in the business world. I would rather take some time to tell you what I learned from some of my best managers. Mr. Costello owned Dog N Suds on North Glenstone in the 1970s, and he taught me to treat everyone the way I wanted to be treated. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Tom hired me as a salesman and promoted me to a store manager in three months. He then recommended me to be the assistant livestock manager at the wholesale company owned by the man who owned the pet stores. He and the livestock manager, John, then recommended me for my first purchasing position.

Gary hired me as a buyer and made me his purchasing supervisor with the intention of my taking his position when he moved from purchasing to another spot in the company. I learned from some of the best, and I have trained some of the best. Accept help and pass it on.

Walk With a Servant