Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

This is one of those sayings I don’t agree with. Another is, “It is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.” I don’t like people who are not what they try to make me believe they are. Salesmen who do not know the products or services they sell. People who say they are Christians and have no idea what the fruit of the Spirit is are examples of this.

I believe that we should all admit our weaknesses and let the words, “I don’t know,” be my mantra. If you don’t know what a mantra is, it is a saying you keep repeating to remind yourself of something. I have made this statement to many and then followed it with, “but, let me check for an answer for you.”

This worked well in business for over forty years. Every job I had meant I needed to learn new things. I was offered a purchasing job, and the owner of the company asked if I knew anything about it. My response was no, and within six months he considered me one of his best purchasing agents.

When I started in a pet store, I saw a rack of books for sale. These ranged from simple books about the different animals to volumes on how to diagnose and treat illnesses. After three months, I was promoted from a salesman to a store manager and within a year I became the assistant livestock manager at the wholesale distributor owned by the same man.

My second purchasing job started a twenty-five-year career with the company. I moved straight from that job to office manager and was over all the inside sales staff without ever having the job. I trained myself and had more product knowledge than some hired to sales before me. How’d that happen? I read the catalogues.

When I left there, I returned to purchasing as a buyer and a few months later became the supervisor in the department. I completed my career as purchasing manager for another manufacturer. I am now doing what I have done as a hobby my entire life.

I publish my own writing, edited by me, based on what the Lord is telling me to create. Did you know that there is a parable told by Jesus about three men who are given different amounts of money? The king is leaving them with money to invest for him while he is away. When he returned, the one who was given an amount called five talents had doubled the amount. 

A talent was a year’s salary for these men. They were given five, two, and one year’s pay to invest. If your boss gave you this kind of money, would you know how to invest it for them? I don’t think I could double it like the first two did. The third man buried his.

We, teachers and preachers, use the term talent to encourage our listeners to use abilities that we have been given rather than wasting them. For more on this, read my column The One Talent Man. I consider that younger me only knew how to write. When I was called to ministry, I had added an ability to speak before groups. I’ve just shown a few other ways that Jesus has allowed me to grow. Don’t fake it, just make it.

©Copyright 2026 by Charles Kensinger