Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Where?

February 15, 2026

We all ask this question at some time. The five questions that we seek to answer in journalism are who, what, when, and where. Why is it seldom added in a straight news story? I often ask that question. I am sure that you will also do this. The question today is where?

Where are you going? Where have you been? For my younger readers, you are more interested in the future. We older folks often focus on the past. We should all look both ways before we take a step. Like your parents taught you when crossing a street.

In my teens, I decided to become a writer. Journalism was my first thought. That is what I trained for in high school. In my first two years of college, I decided to attend a university that had no journalism program, so I listed my major as creative writing. That was the closest they had. That is what I did today.

For me, the answer to where I have been would require many more words than I wish to share here. I desire to encourage you to contemplate not only the places that you have been, but where they have led you and will lead you again. Our path should be plotted by our Lord.

This is what I have attempted to do. My location at this time in a physical sense is not as important as where I am in my spiritual journey. God has taken me through my educational and business careers to my new avocation as an author. This column is a small portion of that.

My ministry continues in the books I am writing. Scripts for plays and shows that I have conceived over the decades are in process. I wish to continue teaching others what Christ has shown me for more than fifty years. This is where I am traveling to.

Your path is different from mine in many ways. I hope that your eternal home is the same as mine. That is in the presence of Jehovah God. This location is usually referred to as Heaven. Some believe this is our default when our bodies die. Part of my ministry is to tell you that this is a lie told by our adversary.

A decision must be made on where you will spend eternity. I’m sorry that I must tell you that the belief I have in the Bible and what it says about Jesus, who is God, compels me to be honest that I do not think you will escape hell unless He is your Lord and Savior.

I advise you not to gamble with your destiny. The choice to accept the gift that you have been given by the life, death, and resurrection of my Lord, Jesus, is life through Him. I hope that is where you will eventually achieve with all His other followers.

A Day for Love

February 14, 2026

Today is Valentine’s Day. This is the day we celebrate love. We are asked what love is, and we have difficulty answering that question.

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NIV

Yes, this is from The Bible. Do you believe what Paul says in this passage? Is love really that important? The question remains, “What is love?” It is not a feeling or an emotion. Say it with me, “I love you.” I am a word nerd. Break the sentence down. I is the subject, you is the object, Love is the verb.

Let’s let Paul define it for us. First Corinthians goes on in the fourth verse, “⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸Love never fails.” NIV

Get it? This is the kind of love that Yahweh God has for us. The Greek word is Agape. You are probably thinking of another Greek word that we translate as love, Eros. Our word erotic comes from that word. It is not what most of us want when we think of love on Valentine’s Day.

We want our valentine to cherish us, care more about us than anyone else does. Those of us who are married wanted that on our wedding day. For some of us, it did not last. Are you in love with your spouse as much as you were on that day?

I must confess that I am not. Today, I am more in love with Cindy than I was fifty years ago. Many of you have not lived for fifty years. Our daughters have not. Does that surprise you that we were married before we had children? For celebrities and other influencers now, this is not the norm. It was for us and our parents and grandparents.

You decided that this person was the one you wanted to spend the rest of your life with. You did not move in with them or spend the night or the weekend. You said, “I do,” and you meant it and kept your promise. We agreed to stay together in sickness and in health, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, and we have.

It hasn’t been easy. Love is hard work. “Love is a choice.” Read the book. Not just the one by that name, but the one I mentioned earlier. Read the Bible. That is where I find my answers. You can as well. You must read it to see them. Or you can follow and subscribe here, and I will continue to share what I have read from it. The choice is yours.

Twenty-fifth through thirty

February 13, 2026

Let’s continue with the twenty-fifth President of the United States. William McKinley served from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. The first to serve in the twentieth century, he was known for imperialism and protectionism. He was reelected in 1900.

He was shot on September sixth, 1901, died on the fourteenth, and his assassin was convicted and executed on October twenty-ninth. Talk about swift justice. Why, with all our more civilized laws, does it take over ten years to accomplish the same thing?

I think many of you have heard of his vice president who became President number 26. Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in and served until 1909. The hero of the Spanish-American War defeated his Democratic opponent and declared he would only run for an additional term in 1904. His choice to succeed him as the Republican candidate was William Howard Taft.

I know you’ve never heard of him. As our twenty-seventh President he served from 1909 to 1913. He is best known for being the only person to serve as President and a Supreme Court Judge. By the time the 1912 election began, Teddy Roosevelt had changed his mind about Taft and opposed him for the Republican nomination.

The organization of Roosevelt’s Progressive Party to oppose Taft caused the election of Democrat Woodrow Wilson in the 1912 election. Taft narrowly defeated the Republican Charles Evans Hughes in 1916. The First World War began in 1917 while he was serving his second term. He advocated the establishment of the League of Nations but opposed the ratification of the treaty to allow the U.S. to join.

The 1920 election saw Wilson running for a third term and losing to Republican Warren G. Harding. He was popular at the time, but after his death, some scandals caused him to fall from favor. The twenty-ninth President died of a heart attack in 1923, and his vice president succeeded him.

Calvin Coolidge was well known in the 1960s. Floyd Lawson, the barber on the Andy Griffith show, was known for attributing many quotes to him. I am not sure if they ever told us anything notable that he said. Silent Cal led our country through the roaring twenties. Fortunately, he was the first V.P. to be invited to attend cabinet meetings.

When the 1924 nomination was made, he took it on the first ballot. As the thirtieth man to hold the office, there are many stories about why he was not more outspoken. One that seems to have been verified as true was that he said, “I think the American people want a solemn ass as a President, and I think I will go along with them.”

Too bad that many of those who followed him did not feel the same way. Now we seem to have to try to forget what the politicians say as quickly as they open their mouths. Next, we will learn about the Great Depression and who blamed whom for it.

United States of America

February 12, 2026

Donald Trump is talking about nationalizing our elections. He wants to do this for himself. It will backfire. He cannot run for President again. He has served two terms. Even if he is impeached next year and forced from office, he will have finished a term and a half, or, for his benefit and others as stupid as he is, six years.

That makes him ineligible for another run, according to the 22^nd Amendment of the Constitution, which is currently Federal law. The only exceptions were for those in office while the states ratified that document. Two Presidents wanted to run for a third term, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama, but could find no legal way to do so.

President Trump has discussed invoking martial law and attempting to overthrow our entire Constitution by declaring a state of emergency. I believe this is why he wants Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as our military and National Guard units, deployed in Democratically controlled states.

No one in the administration where these discussions have been conducted seems to want to admit that this is what he is doing. When his opponents, both of his own party and others, question his intentions, he makes excuses. This reminds me of what Adolf Hitler and other dictators have done elsewhere.

Probably in 2028, the chance of a Republican winning is slim. I don’t think we need either a Democrat or a Republican. They are the ones regularly shutting down our government. They have done this for more than twenty years. It is only getting worse. Twice during the Trump Presidency, it has occurred.

The President wants control of the elections so that he won’t have to worry about losing again. He still claims that he won in 2020 even though there is no legitimate authority that has ever supported his claims. The only ones who believe him are those who killed a security guard, destroyed federal property, attempted to overthrow a legal election, and received pardons from him.

Why is he wrong, once again? The thirteen colonies under England joined together to gain freedom to choose for themselves. They formed an organization that is now referred to as a country. Something that each of these thirteen states wanted was sovereignty. This was once referred to as States Rights. During my lifetime, our system of Constitutional checks and balances has been challenged by all three branches of our government.

My freshman civics teacher taught us that the legislative, executive, and judicial branches were established in our Constitution to stop any of these bodies from becoming despotic. Donald Trump’s appointments to the Supreme Court have restored the balance there.

Now he wants Congress to turn a blind eye, as they have been, thanks to a Republican majority in both houses. In November, we can stop this. Trump is being stopped by our judiciary from overthrowing the Constitution. He tries to accomplish this by executive orders. Congress and our courts must stop tyrants.

Thomas Jefferson and others wrote that this document gave us the right to overthrow our government every four years. That remains our privilege. At least until they are re-elected and can change our laws and Constitution to suit them. Every Congressperson must be defeated. As well as every Senator who is up for a new term.

The Federal government is not our only adversary. State legislators who are adjoined to political parties that want to control We The People must be stopped as well. I am calling on those of you who are young enough to run as non-Partisan candidates for every office in this nation.

I am talking about local, state, and national positions. There are those in the Missouri legislature who want to prevent the citizens of Springfield from voting against policies that we find to be bad for our communities. Even some of our local officials support this. We will stop this here in Missouri.

Throw out those who want Donald Trump or anyone else to run your lives as they see fit. We have a constitution in each state and on the federal level to stop them. These must be upheld and reinforced against the oppression that threatens us today. Tell all of them, “You are fired.”

Roast Beef

February 11, 2026

Do you like nice, sliced, roast beef cooked the way you like it? Cindy and I do. It is expensive in restaurants and almost as bad at the grocery store. This recipe was for prime rib when we found it. We have modified it to be used for any cut of beef we may have.

Ingredients:

Beef Roast

Salt, pepper, and other seasonings you like

Vegetables

Directions:

Preheat oven to 550 degrees F.

Prepare the thawed roast in any appropriate baking dish. I use a metal pan lined with aluminum foil. Season to your preference on both the top and bottom. Use any seasoning that you want. On the one in the picture, the meat was seasoned with a Chicago steak seasoning we like.

Add your vegetables for your side dish to this pan. Season them as you wish. I just used salt and pepper on celery, carrots, onion, and potatoes. That’s what we enjoy. Cover with foil.

Here’s the hard part. Place in a preheated 550-degree oven for your preference:

5 minutes per pound for rare

6 minutes per pound for medium

7 minutes per pound for well done

Set the timer. When the timer goes off, turn off the oven. Reset the timer for two hours. Do not open the oven door from the time you put the dish in until the timer goes off the second time. This is important. You do not want the oven to lose any of the heat.

Sounds weird, doesn’t it? Follow the directions, and any beef roast will come out the way you like it. Don’t know if you like your meat rare, medium, or well done? Rare is still bloody in the middle, medium is red in the center, and well done is tender and moist but with no pink in the thickest part. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? It is.

We’ve used this recipe for many years. I wish we had it when our kids were still home. The first day, we serve it with brown gravy to pour over the beef and veggies. The photo shows a four-pound rump roast that I baked for twenty-eight minutes. Then I turned off the oven and set the timer for two hours. We like ours well done. What do you think?

Jesus was sent to redeem us

February 10, 2026

Do you know this? You do not need anyone’s help? That’s alright that you believe that. Jesus said that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. He came to this planet as a baby. That is what Christmas is about. Some do not realize who He is and what He did for us.

He had to come as a baby and live a life like we do. We are children, teenagers, and young adults just as Jesus was. He did nothing to deserve the death penalty except tell the religious leaders of the day that they had it wrong. They were messing up worship, the Sabbath observance, and countless other practices. This was why they wanted to kill Him.

They were not honest enough to come right out and say, “We do not like you, so you must die.” When He asked them why they wanted to kill Him, they ignored the question. He told His followers that the leaders were going to kill Him, and they argued with Him or pretended they did not understand.

Redemption means that a price was paid. The wages of sin are death. Jesus gave us the gift of life. He died for us. All you must do is accept that gift and allow Him to show you how to live the life He has now given to you. When I did that years ago, I thought it was easy. I still do.

One of the complaints that followers of other religions have against the Jesus way of doing things is that the gift is received before you’re required to show a changed life. This is one of those true receive now, change later plans. When I am told someone is not good enough to accept Christ, I tell them that none of us are. That is why He came.

Jehovah’s method of redeeming mankind is often thought of as cruel. A man had to die for others. Many religions, including Judaism, sacrificed animals. God allowed this so that one day, when these creatures were being murdered, He, Himself, would be the ultimate sacrifice.

You cannot call me sadistic if the person who gives himself to you is the one who required it. That is not sadism, that is grace. Who else would make a rule requiring your execution for what you are doing and then take the punishment for you? “A Tale of Two Cities” has nothing on Him.

Are you familiar with trading stamps? Mom collected Green Stamps. This was back in the 1960s. I am bringing this up because we would take those to a redemption center to exchange them for merchandise. Jesus turned himself in to buy you back. I hope you understand how important this is.

The Sixteenth President

February 9, 2026

Let’s see the hands of all of you who do not know this man’s name. I thought so, only three raised your hands. The rest of you knew it was Abraham Lincoln. This was the year of the first Lincoln-Douglas debate. Lincoln was inaugurated in 1861 and was blamed for causing the War Between the States, commonly referred to as the Civil War.

I imagine not as many of you know the name of the seventeenth President. Andrew Johnson was a War Democrat who ran with Lincoln in 1864 for the National Union Party and was the Vice President when he was assassinated. The Republican led Congress impeached him, but the Senate acquitted him by one vote. He was not chosen to run for a second term and left office in 1869.

Ulysses S. Grant had been the Union General attributed to the defeat of the Confederate States. The Republicans nominated him, and he led the Union back to the vigor that had been lost for years. He was credited with unifying the southern and northern states until the twentieth century, when Southern Democrats defamed him. He served as our eighteenth President until 1877.

Rutherford B. Hayes, another Republican, was elected in 1876. There was a problem before he was declared the winner of the election. It was called the Compromise of 1877 when a Congressional Commission awarded twenty contested Electoral votes to Hayes. He stood by his promise not to run for a second term.

The twentieth President is James A. Garfield, who took office in 1881. He was shot in July and died in September, and was succeeded by his Vice President, Chester A. Arthur. Garfield was known for his anti-corruption and pro-civil rights stance. He is often ignored by those who rank our Presidents.

President Arthur continued the reform of the civil service that was begun by his predecessor. A widower, whose wife died shortly before he became Vice President, his sister, Mary, served as White House hostess. He failed to gain the 1884 Republican nomination. Biographers refer to him as one of the most distrusted Presidents when his administration began, but widely respected when he stepped down.

The first Democrat to be elected President after the Civil War was Grover Cleveland, our 22nd and 24th on the list. His first term was from 1885 to 1889, and his second was from 1893 to 1897. He was considered a classic liberal and owed his first win to a defection of some Republicans.

In 1888, the popular vote went to Cleveland even though Benjamin Harrison received more electoral votes. Six western states were added from 1889 to 1893, and the US Navy was refurbished. His tariffs increased the Federal budget but cost him the election in Cleveland.

He was not the only President to lose his second bid for the position due to the economic state of the country during his second attempt. Most economic experts believe that it takes a minimum of twelve years for Presidential policies to affect our economy to a significant extent. Next time, we start with the twenty-fifth man to hold the office.

Last Call for Football

February 8, 2026

Thank God. I get tired of the fall, Christmas, and New Year’s onslaught of NFL and college games. I do not like sports of any kind. I know most of you do not understand that. I do not get why some of you would rather watch TV or movies and never read a book. To me, that is crazy.

I am also tired of Christmas movies at this time of year. If I wanted to see a Christmas rom-com, I have a streaming service and can watch it there. I subscribe to the company I am with to receive specific types of programming. No news, no sports, and many channels that do not offer the latest movies and TV.

We like reruns. We also like new movies and programming from certain channels that are more Christian oriented that the typical providers. We like Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, and The Waltons, and we want family shows of that type.

Another one that we enjoy is Seventh Heaven. Hallmark, MeTV, Cozy, and Great American Family, where is it? Is it too expensive to purchase? I get that. I see it available for purchase on Amazon. It just isn’t one of the freebies, and we are frugal.

So, at this moment, it is Sunday afternoon, February 8, 2026, and the TV is not on. Later, when the Olympics or the Stupid Bowl is on, we will watch something else. We also have a library of Blu-ray and DVD discs to choose from. We might just watch Fraggle Rock. We have the entire Jim Henson series.

The commercial that has the line “Last call for football” is another type of ad I would like to see removed from my channels. Sports gambling is now legal in Missouri. I am sick of Kevin Hart. One syndicate uses him, and the scripts they give him make him look like an insensitive idiot. I know that is one type of character that he portrays.

I hope they paid him enough money for that so that he never needs to work again, because it will be a long time before I will pay to see him in anything. I think these spots are hurting his career, not helping it.

But what do I know? I took a job because I thought God wanted me to, and I ended up unemployed for three years because they lied about me to other companies. How do I know that? In every position I was considered for until I dropped them from my resume, I did not receive an offer. As soon as I left them off the list and made it look like I was working through a temp agency at that time, I got the next job.

Not everything you do is good for you. You can still learn something from everything you do. Maybe even watching football or Christmas movies in February. Whatever floats your boat. Just don’t invite me to your party. I will politely decline.

More Presidents

February 8, 2026

We begin here with William Henry Harrison, number nine, who was elected in 1840 and inaugurated on March 4, 1841. His slogan was Tippecanoe and Tyler, too. He was the hero of the battle there in 1811, and John Tyler ran as his Vice President. His inauguration address was almost two hours long. He died one month after he took office.

His death was originally attributed to pneumonia contracted on inauguration day and later found to be septic shock. John Tyler became the tenth President after much discussion about the succession process. Harrison was the first chief executive to die while holding the office.

John Tyler was a member of the Whig party, like his predecessor and running mate. He finished the term for which they were elected and was well known as a states’ rights supporter. He was opposed by some of his own party for seizing the Presidency that the Constitution said he was entitled to. These squabbles resulted in this being his only term.

In 1845, James K. Polk became the eleventh President. I’m guessing that most of you have never heard of him. He served only one term, which ended in 1849. He was a Democrat and gained the office because he was supported by former President Jackson. The Whigs were divided, so were the Democrats, and the Republicans hadn’t had a viable candidate since they split from the Democrats.

The 1948 Election year was focused on the Mexican American war and all the divisions due to economic difficulties and the westward expansion after Mexico, Spain, and Great Britain made agreements during the Polk years to allow for this. A hero of that war, Zachary Taylor, was the 12^th President from 1849 to 1850.

His Vice President, Millard Fillmore, finished the term. Taylor died of some sort of stomach ailment, possibly cancer, on July 9, 1850. Filmore openly declared slavery evil and helped form the Compromise of 1850, which gave a cooling period for the North and South over that issue. Filmore was from upstate New York and was needed on the Whig ticket to make Zachary Taylor more palatable for the Presidency. Filmore was the last Whig to be President.

Franklin Pierce became the fourteenth President on March 4, 1853. His wife was not there due to the earlier death of their last son. He was a Democrat and was viewed as a compromise between the North and the South. He supported the Fugitive Slave Act and was not his party’s candidate in 1856.

That was when James Buchanan was nominated as the Democrat candidate and defeated former President Filmore that ran on the American Party ticket, and John C. Fremont, the Republican Candidate. He served as the fifteenth President and spent the next four years trying to keep the union together.

In my next column, I will begin with our sixteenth President. If you do not know his name, sit tight, and I will reveal the two famous candidates for the position in 1860. I do not think many of you will be surprised at the winner.

Anger

February 7, 2026

We come to the third life lesson. The first two were stupidity and fear. Go back to October Twenty-Fifth and November 7, 2025, to check out those columns. The first two can trigger anger. We are told “Refrain from anger” in Psalm 37:8

We may tell people that we are not angry when we are frustrated or upset about something. Define the word “a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility.” Are you mad and just do not want to admit it? Let’s be honest with ourselves and each other. That’s what we discussed in the first two columns. Being real about our own stupidity and fear.

We must do the same with our anger. I have been working for years to control mine. I am not always successful. My anger is usually with myself for something that I have done or failed to do. That and stupid people. But, as I said in the first article in this series, we are all stupid at times, especially me.

Proverbs 14:16 says that “A wise man is cautious and turns from evil, but a fool is easily angered and is careless.” None of us can always prevent getting angry. Working on not letting our tempers get the better of us can be difficult. Nahum 1:3 tells us that the Lord is slow to anger.

This is proven by the patience He has shown the Israelites, David, us, and His other followers. Remember how he told Peter to get behind Him and referred to him as Satan. (Mark 8:33, Matthew 16:23) This was prompted by an unwillingness to accept that Jesus must give His life for us.

Paul tells us not to let the sun go down on our anger. (Ephesians 4:26) This is just before his exposition on how we should treat our wives, husbands, and children. He tells us in the sixth chapter of this book not to make our children mad at us. (Ephesians 6:4)

James tells us in his letter that our anger does not accomplish his purposes. The scriptures are full of examples of anger against others, causing us more problems. Stop and think about times you did not hold onto yours. How’d that work for you?

To me, stupidity, fear, and anger are all interrelated. When we do something stupid, it is because of fear or anger. We are all foolish, afraid, and get mad from time to time. These are words that mean many different things to many of us. I wanted to remind all of you, and myself, of what these emotions can do to you. God loves us despite any problems we may have.