Let’s talk about – Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Sex is not a four-letter word

March 28, 2026

I know some of you are going, “Duh, of course, it is a three-letter word.” I am using the phrase as being an offensive term for some. Jehovah created it as the reproductive method for human beings. I find it enjoyable in the confines of the marital relationship.

There are many different philosophies about the idea of this three-letter word. We need to think the way that our Lord does. He said that a man should leave his parents and the woman should leave her family, and they would become one flesh. This is about as definite an expression of procreation as you can have.

All through the book of Genisis we have examples of men and women having children. In the King James Version of the Bible the conception was noted as the husband knowing his wife. This term was used because of what God intended sex to be.

Not only is it a way to reproduce but it is designed for the couple to be physically as well as spiritually intimate. Intimacy or closeness is the intended result of coupling. There are certain times when this will create a new life. Keep in mind that there is life from conception.

It is not tissue or an embryo, it is living. Not yet, breathing but still alive. Destroying him or her at any point is killing. Sex started this and man can end them. It is wrong to destroy this person unless the life of the mother is in danger. That is why she should have the deciding vote. Not for her convenience, just to save her life.

Often religious folks like to criticize the concept of this process. Get over it. This is not a sin any more than breathing is. Sex used improperly is disobedience. If you can do something it is not necessarily correct to do it. This is the foundation of what is referred to as sin.

You can tell what you know about someone else and that is called gossip. Justify it by saying that all you did was tell the truth. We are commanded to tell the truth in love, not to reveal secrets that will hurt another. Remember Jesus told us to treat others as we wish to be treated. That is why it is called the Golden Rule. The golden rule is not, “He who has the gold makes the rules.”

Sexuality is not something that we should be ashamed of God made it as part of humanity. He always knows what is best for us. He wanted us to be couples and families. We all know some dysfunctional families. I hope you do not have one.

It is time for we Christians to proclaim that we are who He made use to be and He does not make mistakes. Accept the fact that we are made in His image and that we are also made to be men and women, fathers and mothers. He wanted us to enjoy life, why not enjoy it His way.

My boys and girls

March 26, 2026

I have often written about my eighteen years of teaching youth at Hamlin Church. Before that, I taught fifth and sixth-grade boys there, as well. I have been a children’s church director on two different occasions while at Hamlin. It has been my church home for over forty years.

My reason for this column is to thank all the men and women that I have had the pleasure of serving over the past fifty or more years as a leader in churches. I spent one summer in Pennsylvania and eighteen months in Joplin, MO, and the balance of this time here in Springfield, MO.

I can cite the names of some of the hundreds of kids and young people that I worked with as a leader, teacher, and minister. You are all my kids. I see some of you frequently, and some I have not visited in person for over fifty years. I’ll tell you about the recent ones.

There was Jason, Ryan, Mendy, Jody, Matt, Michael, Kara, Herschell, Kevin, Brandon, Gina, Cara, Stephanie, and others. I am so proud of all these individuals, as well as the ones that I have not seen for too many years. Some of them are doctors, nurses, teachers, ministers, businessmen and women, and in practically every profession you can imagine.

I cannot count the number of men and women that I have had the privilege of serving. I’ve been a teacher, friend, mentor, and supporter as they learned and grew. I’ve worked with their parents, grandparents, and families to encourage them to become the wonderful parents and grandparents they are today.

To say that I am proud of them is an understatement. My part was very minimal in their lives. They were under my tutelage for only a couple of years, but I have followed them as they have grown, been educated, married, and had children. Some are better known to me than others. All of them have made me proud to know them.

We have three daughters, three sons-in-law, and twelve grandchildren that I am also extremely proud of. My love for them is unbounded. My ministry is not over, and it will continue until my health restricts me or Jesus calls me home.

I do not understand

March 22, 2026

I keep watching commercials on television where political candidates are claiming that they will solve all the world’s problems in their first day in office. They are not sharing the plans that they have developed to accomplish these miracles. Pardon me if I have some reservations about the probability of any of these candidates being able to fulfill these promises.

Can Missouri’s Governor or his Lieutenant deport illegal aliens? I thought that was the responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security. The current administration is botching the execution of those promises. I do not want to hear the statement “I don’t ask for permission.” from someone that wants my vote.

The 2026 elections are in process. In Missouri we will only be electing all our representatives to Congress. That is the same in every state. We have some positions in our county that are being filled again. None of Missouri’s Senators are up for re-election this year. As things stand, I cannot support any of the current incumbent politicians that support our president.

And I am having reservations with any non-Republican incumbents in the House or Senate. The Government has been frozen twice while they have been in office. I am not naive enough to take one side over the other. They are both at fault for this. Stop acting like two-year-olds fighting over toys.

It is time to gut the house of representatives. My Seventh Missouri District Congressman is a card carrying Trumpite who supports all the terrorism that has gone on across the country. He must go. If you are honest with yourself, yours should as well. We all want to believe the person we voted for isn’t as bad as the others. And yet, the evidence says otherwise.

Donald Trump needs to be removed from office. The convictions that were dropped when he was elected must be re-instated and due process must be followed. We cannot throw innocent people in determent camps, but we must imprison convicted felons until their appeals are exhausted. If Trump is innocent, then we should send him to El Salvador, or maybe Iran.

Time to act is now. No more picking the lesser of two evils. If you know someone supports the overthrow of our government and is too ignorant to admit that is what is going on, dump them with Trump.

The two-party system is not working. Trash it and those that have used it to block a republican democracy for over one-hundred years. Twenty-twenty-six is the year for the next American Independence Day. Make your vote count.

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.

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.

Lost, yet found

February 26, 2026

Recently, our dog was able to get out of our fenced backyard. We were devastated and went looking for him. My wife posted pictures of him on Facebook and Lea’s Lost and Found. He was returned to us by a very kind lady who told us he came up to her, scratching on her car door.

Friends were watching in our neighborhood, and a doorbell video was sent to us, and he was found not far from that location. He had a chip, collar, and rabies tag, which helped to identify him as ours. A few thoughts have come to my mind.

Thank you to everyone who saw the posts and especially to the lady who took him to her home and brought Biscuit to me after Cindy called her and identified him. She was kind and knew he had to belong to someone who was looking for him. Thank you also to Lea Moody and KY3 for the site that was used to establish contact between us and the woman that he went to.

When we first took Biscuit in from a family whose father had gone into a nursing home, we had him run off if he got out into the unfenced front yard. We had a chip put into him by the Humane Society. Thank you to them, as well. They work hard to help families keep and reconnect with their pets.

When he returned home, he was so happy to be back. His attitude toward being out in our fenced backyard was different. He was anxious and did not want to be left alone. We could tell that he was afraid he might have lost humans who loved him, again.

For those of you who do not know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, have you realized that you are lost and need to be found? We are smarter than dogs. Biscuit knew to go to a human hoping for help. You need to go to Jehovah and ask Him to take you back into His good graces by accepting Him as your savior and Lord.

You say you do not believe in God or Jesus. Do you believe that anyone could help you with your feelings of being lost? Why not give Him a try? A lost dog tried the first person he found. That turned out to be the one that could help. Make the attempt. Finding someone to talk to about your feelings is another thing to do. If you have a church that you know, the pastor might be a person to help you. Ask him or her to tell you about Jesus as well.

Don’t use the excuse that you have done things that God would never forgive. There is only one sin that He will not forgive. That is rejecting His Son. Have you read about the two men who were crucified with Jesus? One rejected Him, and the other asked to be remembered when He came into His Kingdom. That man was told he would be with Jesus that day.

Refusing to believe is your choice. Suffering the consequences of your choices is a common thing for us. Do not believe that Yahweh will make you live with Him throughout eternity if you do not wish to. After all, He wants you to have what you want, even if that is a life without Him.

He wasn’t willing to back down

February 19, 2026

Have you seen the newly released video of the altercation between Alex Pretti and Federal officers? No, I am not talking about the ones where he was murdered in a street. I am speaking of one where he spits on a vehicle and kicks out a taillight. All we see in this incident is him being taken down.

If that had been me, I would not have chosen to continue to confront these madmen. I try not to be confrontational. That does not look good for a minister or an emergency room nurse. He chose to act on what he thought was correct. Some call him stupid. I think the difference between stupidity and courage is a fine line.

I would like to discuss this. Some examples of courage are standing against bullies, helping out a person facing danger, even if it puts you in danger, or standing against racism or prejudice. This is what Mr. Pretti did.

The agents were doing more than just their jobs. Have you noticed the President and other officials stepping back from what they have been trying to justify? How many will lose their jobs because of this death? He did not want to die, but he was not willing to back away from injustice.

The President says that he is doing what he said he would do by removing illegal immigrants from our country. The problem is the methods they are using. Did you know that Texas has significantly more law violators from other countries than Minnesota? Why did the Immigration officials not start there?

Just this week, an illegal immigrant from South America murdered a man here in Springfield, MO. He is being held in the Greene County jail for an ICE pick-up. Maybe one of those officers from Minnesota who likes to kill people can come get him and see if he makes it across the state line.

We are in the seventh Congressional District of Missouri. Highly Republican and Trumpite in sentiment. If ICE gets him and takes him out of the country and loses him, no one will ever have to worry about him again. We Ozarkians know what to do with murderers.

Some other facts have recently come up. CBS released statistics from a Homeland Security report that reports that less than fourteen percent of the detainees that ICE has seized have been held for being criminals.

We all need to follow Pretti’s lead and not back down from a fight. President Trump says that he wants to remove illegal aliens and send them packing. How about helping the Republican Greene County Sheriff get rid of those in his lock-up?

If they’ve been arrested legally, had their preliminary hearing, and are awaiting extradition back to where they belong, I am sure Sheriff Arnott will have no problem handing them over. Maybe the Homeland Security Director would like to have Trump come with her for a photo opportunity to show they are doing something other than murdering Americans

Take Responsibility

February 17, 2026

Are certain people exempt from the penalties of our legal system? Many people violate our laws every day. In Springfield, police officers run red lights, fail to follow traffic laws, and endanger innocent civilians for no valid reason. As Christians, forgiveness should be our creed. As law-abiding citizens, we sometimes grow fed up with those who believe they are above the law.

Another politician has been accused of driving under the influence. Apparently, he is not going to fight the charge that he was intoxicated. His defense is a 100-year-old law that protects legislators during a session. He did not apologize for betraying his constituents’ trust. He did not admit that he was intoxicated when he was stopped.

Forgiving those who are trying to straighten their lives out might be a good practice for individuals. It is not for the government. Law enforcement should do that, enforce the laws. Whether someone is a politician, a celebrity, a friend of the police, or the police themselves, they should face the full force of the law.

Until no one is given special rights, there will be no equal rights for anyone. When equal rights are mentioned, it is usually in response to racial situations. Our officials need to grow up and realize that the privileges they believe they deserve undermine their authority. The voters need to take responsibility away from these lawbreakers. They should force them from their jobs and require them to work for a living.

Some legislators seem to believe that when they are elected, they become superior to the electorate. The only way to stop this is to remove everyone who shows this type of arrogant attitude. Voters often believe that their legislators should be forgiven, while those from other areas should be removed from their offices. No wonder our country is in the condition it is in.

You all know that our current President still says that he won the election in 2020. He claims it has been proven to be true. The only one who believes this is himself. He cannot admit that he lost. His claim of this injustice brought him back to the eye of the voters, who believe the other lies he tells. Today, he had to take a step back from his Gestapo tactics against illegal aliens.

He needs to admit that he is wrong. Congress has allowed him to continue to try to thwart our laws and even the US Constitution. November will be the election to depose this hypocrisy and turn our government around. We don’t want what MAGA wants. We want America to be Good Again.

Helping but not

January 28, 2026

Watching a movie, I was reminded of parenting skills that Cindy and I have learned. We knew little of these techniques when our first child was born. As our kids grew, we grasped concepts from our folks. Some, we decided, had worked. Others were thrown out with that day’s garbage.

I will share some of the better ones with you:

Give your kids space. The time to keep them close is when they are young. As they grow, the time and type of closeness also change. Each person is different in the freedom they need. Some of us need our parents for a longer period than others may.

Set rules, but as they mature, make them guidelines. Every child needs to learn how to operate in the world they will live in. Your job is to teach them how to make the decisions they will need to make to live in a civilized world. Not all the prisons and graves are full of the children of bad parents. Some kids turn out decent despite being taught the wrong things.

Be their parent and remember that someday you want to be a friend. Try to be friends too soon, and they will not have the chance to be instructed by the parents that we all need. I never had to make it without my mom and dad. They were strict when I needed it and a friend when it was called for. We raised our kids the same. Now they have their own kids and don’t need parents. We are friends, advisors, and help them when they ask.

Quality time also means more time. Some parents think that the few minutes they give their children are enough if they are used well. When I ask what they do with them in those short periods of time, they have no actual answers. Usually, they can’t remember what they do with their kids.

There are books on parenting that are helpful and ones that are full of a lot of crap. The ones that helped us might not be as useful for you. You must keep in mind that your child(ren) are unique individuals. You are the one who will help them become adults. What type of grown-ups will they be? That is not your choice; it is theirs.

Children should be given responsibilities that are suitable for their age. Toddlers should pick up after themselves. They should eat, sleep, and listen to instructions. Don’t wait until they rebel against being treated inappropriately to allow them to mature. Think about the mistakes your parents make and realize that sometimes, when you think you are helping, you are not.

True love is worth it

January 26, 2026

You may get tired of hearing me talk about things that I have heard on rom coms. I am married, and this is something that Cindy and I do together. We also make quilts, do home renovations, shop, and visit our grandchildren together. I DVR movies just for me that are not romantic comedies. I get to watch these by myself.

I wanted to speak of true love. Can you define what love is? It is not an emotion. It is not a hole that you fall into. It is something that you choose to do. You love someone that you want to love. Some people get married and then divorce because they do not love their spouse anymore. That is a decision they make.

I hope you have not experienced this. I know some whose marriages ended because their spouse did not want to be married anymore. Everyday Cindy and I decide that we want to love each other. Sometimes this may not be an easy decision for you and your spouse.

That means that we want to be together. We want to be kind and patient. We decide to treat each other as we want to be treated. We stay faithful to each other. We do not have to be together all the time, and we do not have to agree on everything. We do have to decide to go out of our way to get along.

Most couples who have been married for twenty-five or more years feel this way. Feeling trapped after you have been married for five or ten years is normal. What you need to do is determine whether you will stay together. When Cindy and I were married, our wedding vows included “till death do us part.”

We also promised to stay together “for better or worse, in sickness or in health.” Many modern vows I have read in the last forty years do not cover these things. Flowery language is more about a spiritual type or physical form of love, and not a true or lasting love.

Sex is not lasting. Satisfying lust will not sustain you. The next time you and your spouse or live-in have a disagreement, discuss whether you intend to stay together. If you have children together, think of them. Children of parents who do not stay together have emotional problems. They have problems at school and at home. Consider how your relationship will impact them.

I am asked whether I thought Cindy and I would ever divorce. My reply is, “No.” I feel that way because I had no desire to take the easy way out. When we have difficulties, I want to solve them. I am willing to take second place in my family’s lives. Nothing is as important to me as our girls and their mom.

Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Walk With a Servant

Category: Let’s talk about