Let’s talk about – Page 3 – Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

President of spin

July 31, 2025

Am I talking about Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, or Joe Biden? I’m not talking about any of the democrats that the seventh district Republicans like to denigrate. We all want to condemn those with whom we do not agree. We can’t agree with those who want abortion to be legal. We cannot approve anything that the LGBTQ+ community supports.

The fastest way for a candidate to gain support from the “Christian” community is to attack abortionists and gay organizations. One can divorce and remarry, and that is tolerated. You may abuse your wife or children. You may call the people you disagree with names. You can lie about them. Accuse them of destroying our economy when their policies have caused it to recover from the bad decisions that you made.

Be sure that you spin them as being bad. Criticize what they have done. Take credit for the positive things that you had nothing to do with. Find groups of terrible people that we all want to force from our society. Criminals are perfect for this. There is no one worse than those who are not in our country legally.

Promise to deport these lawbreakers. When you start this process, do not worry about what it means to be a criminal. You are from the wrong side of the border, so you must go even if you follow our laws and have done nothing wrong. How can we make this sound like it is appropriate? That person is a gang member, even if there is no proof of this.

How many times does it take for you to tell a lie before people believe it? Do not look at those you don’t like as being innocent until proven guilty. Yes, that is in our Constitution. Who cares about that old document? If it disagrees with me, I will not let it stop me from doing what I want to do.

If I am the governor of a state, then what happens on the national front is of no consequence to me. If it looks like the Attorney General of the U.S. or any state has lied, misplaced, or destroyed documents, this is of no interest to any other politician, especially from the same party. Whatever you do, you cannot allow any facts that might make one of your own parties look bad to reach the voting public.

You do know that we are right and anyone who disagrees with us must be pure evil. We want to help those who need the help the most. Billionaires are having such a difficult time paying for their seventh house and supporting their twentieth mistress and her family. After all, I helped her get off welfare, at least if she has sex with me.

It does not matter what party you vote for; if these are your beliefs, you will get what you voted for. A despotic government that will turn on you when they’ve murdered all the intelligent people. Pull your head out of your rear and look at the candidates in 2026. How have they treated their enemies for the last year? You could be one of those evil people they will hate.

Land of the Yankees

July 26, 2025

Yes, I am referring to Pennsylvania as the home of the Yankees, not the Phillies. I am from southwest Missouri. Sometimes referred to as the Ozarks. We are hillbillies and definite southerners. Travel another hour or two north in our state, and that statement is not true.

When Marianne asked me for my favorite foods, I shared that they were brown beans and cornbread. The ladies of the churches had no problem with the beans. Cornbread threw them, though. This was before Paula Dean and other southern chefs were all over the cable networks.

There was a white bread that had whole kernel corn floating in the loaf at most dinners I was invited to attend. Apparently, only one woman in the church had a recipe called Corn Bread, and that was it. When I enquired about this dish, I was told this. I explained the recipe for our cornbread, and it was told to me that it was called Johnny Cake. That is a Yankee name for sure.

During the summer, a church from North Carolina came to help us with backyard Bible clubs and a revival. When they arrived on their bus, I found out that I would have to translate for the students. The girls had the same challenge. Fortunately, we were all schooled in both southern and northern dialects.

Bradford is five miles from the New York State line, and Buffalo, New York, is one hundred miles north. I was able to travel to Buffalo and Niagara Falls twice during the summer. In one of the museums, I read about the last person to survive going over the falls. He was a young boy at that time, and I realized that we were the same age.

When it was time to return home, I was taken to Bradford airport and boarded a plane for Pittsburgh. I chose to fly home because I wanted to return as soon as possible. From Pittsburgh, we went to St. Louis, and I was supposed to have a one-hour layover. Once inside the terminal, I looked at my watch and I had five minutes to go halfway across the facility.

When I arrived at the gate five minutes late, I saw a clock on the wall. My watch was set to Eastern Time, and I was now in the Central Time zone. I still had my hour. This was my first time flying, and I loved all three legs of the trip to Springfield.

We celebrated my birthday that first night back. I was twenty when I boarded the bus and twenty-one when I boarded the plane in Bradford. I opened my presents, and Cindy and I went out to a movie. Don’t ask me what we saw. All I saw was her.

I’ve spent the last fifty years enjoying looking at her every day. Those ten weeks apart from her made me push to plan our wedding after I had graduated the next spring. Two weeks after the wedding, my job moved us. I knew that it could happen, and that was why we had to get married. I never wanted to be away from her again.

This was my first and only opportunity to be a church pastor. My ministry has been working as a workplace minister. My congregation was the people I encountered at my job. This wasn’t always just fellow employees. It was customers, vendors, and management at all the companies I worked for and visited.

Today, you are the ones that I want to benefit from everything I have learned during my lifetime. Fifty years of business experience, church membership, and Bible study are at your disposal. Thanks for logging in.

Gifford

July 24, 2025

I began in ‘Fifty Years Ago’ by telling you about where I was in 1975. I found myself in the city of Gifford, Pennsylvania. I was serving as a summer missionary and had a family for the summer that was not my birth family. I told you about Phil, Marriane, and Mary Anne. Let me tell you about the rest of the family.

Down the road lived Skip, also known as Phil, Jr., and his wife and children. Somewhat further away was David, his wife, and their child. I could walk to these two homes from the old house where I was staying. Phil and Marianne had moved into a house that was scheduled for demolition, rather than building a new house on the family property, as their two sons had done.

Also on the property was a mobile sanctuary for Hilltop Baptist Chapel. It was a modified trailer house provided by the Southern Baptist Home Mission Board. That summer, I learned a great deal about what HMB did for the ministries that were under their auspices.

The pastor at Bolivar Road Baptist in Bradford served at Hilltop as well as the home church. For that summer, he did not have to skip Sunday School to drive up the mountain to preach first, then back down for their services. I preached Sunday Mornings, led a Bible Study Sunday Night, and a prayer meeting on Wednesday night.

https://www.facebook.com/PastorMaxSimms/

Included in our ministries, mine and my fellow summer missionaries, were Vacation Bible School and revivals at these two churches, as well as two other churches that our youth groups went to for the summer months.

On Sunday Nights, I went to help the youth choir at Bolivar Road. The ladies were leading and joining the youth. I joined them as well. For the first week. The second week, I was asked to talk with the ladies before practice. They asked me not to sing with the choir. So, I helped off stage and behind the scenes. I have told people for fifty years that I am the only person I know who was asked to leave a youth choir.

https://www.facebook.com/BradfordBaptistChurchInc

Fortunately, I already knew that I could not carry a tune in a bucket. I learned that in the sixth grade, our new music teacher took four of us aside for special training to help us sing on key. After six months, she gave up on two of us. She decided nothing she did would help us,

Back on the mountain, I would walk a trail into the trees whenever I had spare time. During the day, I took my Bible with me and would study where God was the only one to teach me. I’ve been letting Him do that for me for fifty years now.

At night, when I walked into the trees, I was careful to stay on the trail, only to go a few feet in. Having spent a lot of time on farms in Missouri, I was not your ordinary city boy. I have milked cows, plucked chickens, and picked many different fruits, vegetables, and berries. After the woods were engulfed in darkness, the stars shining through the trees were beautiful.

It is difficult to condense ten weeks into a couple of columns. Look for the true story of an Ozarks boy in the land of Yankees in the next report. See you then.

Judges versus voters

July 16, 2025

As I sit and listen to the words being delivered at a high school speech and debate tournament, my mind wanders momentarily. I am a judge. My mind should not wander. I am here to listen to what these students have trained long and hard to express.

Being a high school speech judge is much like being a voter. You must prove your qualifications to have the right to vote, which are similar to the qualifications for determining who is the best speaker.

You must be breathing. Non-breathers will scare both the politicians and the debaters. While many politicians may have been elected by people who are no longer alive, the actual ballot had to be marked by someone alive at that moment. If you don’t breathe, you cannot write, and to mark an election or a speech ballot, legible symbols are needed. The scratches may not resemble words, but they must be discernible by those people or machines whose job it is to determine and announce the decision.

You must be present. At least in body. Your mind and spirit may be elsewhere, but spirits and minds are not recognized by the officials who give you your ballot(s). They identify and count bodies as historians after a battle or skirmish.

You must prove you exist. The accepted method at a speech tournament is to be present. At an election, identification is needed. In Missouri, a photo ID is now required. This does not prove who you are, but allows the election judges to record that a certain person has already voted and will not be allowed to vote again.

You cannot discuss how you vote with others in the polling place. Judges cannot discuss between themselves after speakers and rounds, how they marked their ballots either. Secrecy in both cases can be broken after the event, if they desire to. I have written about speakers and other things I experienced at these tournaments over the years.

One of my favorite events was extemporaneous speaking. For the non-speakers that are reading this, in this event, you choose a topic fifteen minutes before your time to speak. You have magazines and other resources with you on possible topics. I also kept quotations or poems that could serve as introductions or conclusions.

Today, when I speak in churches or before other groups, I use these techniques. Thinking on my feet and expressing alternative opinions gives me an open mind and helps me make quick decisions. This has served me well in business as a manager, salesman, purchasing agent, and employee.

When you must make decisions, I hope you have these types of abilities, no matter how you learned it. Sports and other types of extracurricular activities can teach many things that are needed for a successful life. Often, we gain these skills by experiencing only when we need them. I’m glad I did not do that.

Friends and family

July 5, 2025

I want to talk to you about several things today. The first is family and friends. I am fortunate that I have had a lot of family all my life. I have two older brothers and a younger sister, thanks to my mom and dad. In addition, there was an abundance of aunts, uncles, and cousins. Many are now gone, but each generation is larger than the last.

The truth is that we are not as close as we once were. We have family reunions and attend funerals and sometimes even weddings. Not like we used to. The youngest generation doesn’t seem to marry as often as we did. Some of my cousins got married two or three times each. We all just tend to die once, and recently we are living longer. I know it isn’t due to healthy living.

What brought on this wave of nostalgia? A commercial about one of these delivery services. A lady is lying in her bed, and there is some unidentified noise and movement around her. The camera pans back, and her bed is caught between two automatic doors. The voice over says, “If you can’t take your bed to the store,” then they will bring whatever you need to you.

Guess what, isn’t that what friends and family are for? In the bad old days before smartphone apps, you just picked up the phone, plugged it into the wall, and called family or a friend to bring you what you needed.

We are suffering from violence, attacks, and other crimes against more people than ever. There seems to be no way to avoid this. My wife and I seldom leave our home at night. We have a security system at our place, and we know our neighbors. We feel secure in our home.

Do we need to have random strangers coming to our home bringing groceries, medications, and prepared food? There are cases where these random strangers return later, and you are no longer safe. If I do not know you, I don’t invite you into my home.

We go out to pick up carry-out. We do not choose Door Ditch, Pan Handle Pete, or Consta Cart to bring things to us. We occasionally ask our pharmacy to deliver prescriptions. We used to call the pizza place for delivery until the drivers looked like the perps on Blue Bloods or the undercover cops from Chicago PD. We have taken medicines for our kids, for their kids, or for ourselves. Especially when they were quarantined during the COVID-19 crisis.

Have you seen the original Crocodile Dundee movie? You know, the one named “Crocodile Dundee.” There is a scene in it where Dundee is told that the reporter he is visiting in New York needs to go to a therapist. Mick doesn’t understand. He asks, “Don’t you have any mates?”

Friends, family, or mates used to help each other out. They still do in some communities. Our neighbors, church community, and close family still do. I’ve been called by cousins and friends to officiate at weddings and funerals, as well as get someone to a doctor or take food for them when they are ill. It costs us money not to have people we trust and on whom we can depend.

The next time you need something and can’t go get it for yourself, stop and think of whom you can call to bring it to you. Can’t think of anyone? How about one of those that you did the same thing for last week? It’s been a while since you helped someone else? Maybe that is the problem?

My encounter with the law

June 23, 2025

As it was getting late, I decided to return home and get my car. I had researched some places I might go for the night. To get there before dark, I needed to drive. As I was on the way, a friend saw me. She told me Cindy was worried and asked me to let her take me home.

I told her to leave me alone, and I walked into another patch of trees. It was getting dusk, and I did not want to get lost in an area I did not know. I hid in some brush and waited for her to leave. She made a phone call, and I heard my daughter come. It was getting dark, and I could see that at least one police car had arrived.

My wife had called my daughter and contacted the police, who put out a silver alert. I was endangered and had been reported to have dementia, and was threatened to take my life by jumping into traffic. I remained hidden in the brush and watched the officers in the woods looking for me.

After about forty-five minutes, I heard the dog. He came straight for me. The handler yelled that I had been found, and the two who had been searching came up. I had my cup in my hands. I did not worry about the canine officer until I was told not to get loud or he would hold me. I had avoided confrontation with two other dogs and listened to these instructions.

I was caught. They offered to take me home to my family, which I declined. They asked if I had been monitoring my diabetes, and I told them I could not because I had disposed of my phone. My continuous glucose monitor reports to it. I was not aware that I was considered suicidal and endangered.

I was given two options. I could return home with them or be transported to a hospital to be checked out. I chose the latter. That meant I was handcuffed and placed in a patrol car to await the ambulance. I complied.

The deputy sheriff who was leading my case waited with me, and we talked about how worried my wife was that I was missing. I told her I had not been missing. I knew where I was all that time, but did not choose to share that information with her. I asked how long she had been a deputy and learned she had worked in the jail for a while. She asked how I was doing in the back seat. I replied that, other than the pain of the handcuffs, I was fine.

The EMTs who came were equally kind and well-trained. While I was in the ambulance, I did not have to wear the cuffs. I enjoyed the pleasure of wearing both SPD and Greene County manacles. I don’t recommend either for evening wear.

The ride to Cox South was as enjoyable as the wait in the sheriff’s car. I spoke with the tech who rode in the back with me, strapped in for my safety. This was my first ambulance ride since the sixties. You can read about it in “The Shooting”. I’ll repost it later and continue this story tomorrow.

I took a walk

June 22, 2025

That’s all it was. My wife and I had a fight. I left the house without telling her where I was going. I’ve done it before. I was angry. I did not want to be around her. Millions of people take walks every day. I try to get in 3,000 to 5,000 steps each day on my smartwatch.

That day, I logged over 23,000 steps. I headed south. Normally, I go to a walking trail north of our home. I went south and west. Remember that it comes into play later. I walked along a creek. I wandered for a couple of hours. This time I had my shoes on.

Once, when I got mad and took a walk, I forgot to put my shoes on. I walked for a couple of hours barefoot up that trail I mentioned. I had my phone with me at that time, and my wife had my daughter come over, and they came to find me. Michelle brought my shoes to me and tried to get me to return home with her and my wife.

That time, I refused to get in the car with them. I told her I would get in her car alone with her. They went back to the house to get her car. I laid my phone down and continued my walk. This time, I had discarded my phone earlier in the day. Once again, I will explain something that you need to know for later.

The argument started in the car. My wife was driving. She threatened to have me picked up by the police and put me in a mental hospital if I got out of the car. I opened the door and went out. There was no traffic coming on that side. I walked out of the flow of the road and tossed my phone in the grass along the side of the road.

That was to prevent being found before I wanted to be. As I walked through the woods following the creek, I saw a clearing underneath electrical lines. The walking was easier there, but without the stream to guide me, I began walking back to the east.

I came up a rise and realized I was returning in the direction I came from. I made the first sighting of my daughter’s car and turned around. I had no intention of returning home. I went to the west once again and used the compass on my watch to keep me on a southwest heading. I was tired and thirsty. I set my course for a local convenience store. I stayed in trees and behind buildings as much as I could. I encountered two dogs that let me know they thought I did not belong there. I faced them and scared them away twice.

The third time they came back, their owner was with them and reminded me I was on private property. The former CBC campus is near the fairgrounds. I told him I was taking a walk and just passing through. He walked with me, and I asked questions about the church that now owned the property.

I saw my destination ahead and watched traffic for those I knew were looking for me. I used the restroom for the purpose it was designed and purchased a large drink. I continued my trek towards the library station. I spent the next few hours there reading, working on the computer, and watching for anyone I might know. I’ll continue this story tomorrow.

Respect for the law

June 16, 2025

While watching the episode of The Andy Griffith Show called Lawman Barney, I began to think about the problems with law enforcement currently. First responders are becoming targets for those who dislike authority. Police officers are ambushed frequently. The justification for some of these attacks has been incidents of police killing what are thought to be innocent people.

I will not talk about these incidents here. Keep watching and I will write about many of these police shootings later. In 1962 when the episode aired for the first time, police officers were respected in most small towns in America. Nationwide murder rates from then until 2017 have not quite doubled. During this same period, all crimes have almost tripled.

Ambush deaths of officers increased from eight in 2015 to 21 in 2016. Common reasoning credits the public in general for being angry with law enforcement. The rash of police murders of innocent people is the claimed justification for these murders of officers.

Is there a general disrespect for those who are hired to protect us? According to a 2016 Gallup poll, respect for police rose from 64% in 2015 to 76% in 2016. The same year attacks on police increased, and Americans voiced more admiration for their protectors. Who then is responsible for these attacks?

The short answer is criminals. That should surprise none of us. Body cameras on more officers should decrease the number of members of law enforcement who are set free after abusing their power. Hopefully, that will bring a reduction in police ambushes. It will not eliminate all of them. Police are fighting a war for us, and the enemy is the criminal element. That group will always view the uniformed officer as a target. All we can do is pray for them and be more vigilant in our own communities.

If you are one of those who complain about lawlessness and the current state of crime, do not think you can turn your back. It is time to do something. Support the police, courts, and those who have been victims. I do not know what it is like to be the one in jail or victimized by them. I have been a witness on more than one occasion.

I’ve watched drunk drivers involved in accidents and try to get away. I had someone die from being shot in front of my eyes. It took me months to process that, and I’m not sure I’ve gotten over it yet.

I know that you think I am just one of those pampered white people. What about the pampered blacks, Hispanics, and other minorities that obey the laws and are not part of the problem. They are the solution.

Dogs and Cats

June 6, 2025

Recently I published an article entitled “Animalities” in which I spoke of the personality traits that we attribute to our pets as being animalities, not personalities. These characteristics of humans that seem to carry over can also be referred to as doganalities and catanalities.

Along with these ideas, I believe that we humans have some features that we recognize in our pets but may not see in ourselves. We have all heard the saying, “Dogs have owners. Cats have servants.” You could call this a dogitude and a catitude.

A dog is usually easygoing, loyal, and laid back. I know this leaves out pit bulls, chihuahuas, mastiffs, and some other breeds. I hope that I am following our dog, Biscuit’s example. I also do things my wife does not approve of. I do not pee or poop in the house or dig trash out of the cans like he does. We all have our faults.

Both the cat and the dog like to get loved and petted and so do I. I however am not welcome on Cindy’s lap. I think it is because I weigh a lot more than they do. I can be noisy like the dog. However, I do not bark. My loudness is usually just talking or snoring.

Biscuit likes to do what he is told unless I am the one speaking to him. He looks at my wife to see if she says he must obey me. If she repeats my requests he listens. Sometimes children do this to one parent or the other. That is when you know who the real head of the house is.

I hope none of you are like cats. Ours believes that the house is hers to do whatever she wants. She plays or fights depending on the mood she is in. Anything she can get to is a toy. Anywhere she can squeeze into is her space. Life is easy for Essa until the claws come out. That is when we stop playing or loving. We bleed easily.

Time heals all wounds. I heard that stated differently once. Time wounds all heals. Think about that for a while. When I was in college my sister had a cat that loved to attack and play with me on the stairs leading to my bedroom. After Cindy and I got married and went over to my parents and played with her, I had scratches all over my hand and arm. Today I am on blood thinners, and this is not a good habit to get back into.

Living a dog’s or cat’s life is not good for humans. You need to earn your own pay, pay your own keep, and keep all you can. Don’t take more than you give or let others take advantage of your generosity. Life isn’t easy. It is manageable.

It’s okay to spoil your pets. Allowing your children or others to run roughshod over you is not a good idea. I have spoken against trying to make yourself number one. It is also inappropriate to make anyone your priority 24/7. Our spouse and kids should get much of our time. Bosses or others may think that your salary entitles them to all your time. If so, now is the perfect time to look for a better employer. There are numerous positions available currently.

How many sides are there?

May 31, 2025

Once again, Race is in the news. Groups of racists were allowed to march for their rights. It seemed at first that they wanted a peaceful protest. Counter protestors marched against them. Both groups had peaceful individuals in them. As with any organization, there were those on both sides that wanted a violent confrontation.

Those nonviolent people were overshadowed by the ones that wanted to kill the other side. Whose fault was this outbreak of tragedy? It could be the authorities which authorized this march. Those who organized the meeting can be accused of knowing that counter protestors would be there. It happens with almost every gathering of any kind. Someone comes that opposes their views.

The groups that marched in opposition knew they were confronting some violent antagonists. The authorities had a police presence available to keep the peace. What went wrong?

Our Constitution guarantees a right to peaceful assembly. Has this type of violence been present at other rallies by these groups? If so, the event should not have been authorized. If opposition groups had been known to start fights, that should have been defused before the two groups met.

In hindsight, we know that the National Guard and a stronger police presence were needed. Someone misjudged the danger that was forming. The blame, however, is justly placed on those individuals who started the fights. The man who drove into the crowd is responsible for his actions as well.

The problem is that no one wants to admit that they were partially at fault. This is a growing problem in this country. More of us refuse to accept responsibility for our actions. We also deny guilt for those who agree with us.

We need to remember that just because you disagree with me does not mean you are wrong. There is almost always more than one side to every disagreement. Violence is never the answer. Just as we have seen in other demonstrations in the last few years, the violent minority can cause problems for the peaceful majority.

I’ve seen a suggestion on Facebook that if you are part of a protest and violence breaks out, sit down, raise your hands and let those assigned to protect lives and property know that you are peaceful. Be sure you obey the instructions of the police and National Guard. If they tell you to disperse, walk away to protest another day.

Choose the side of truth. Not truth as you see it. Truth as it really exists. Each of these opposing groups believe they are correct. Neither is completely on track. Who is the most important person in your life? It should not be you. You must choose someone else as most important.

Always put others first. The philosophy that you are number one will put you on a downward spiral. I’ve seen books that encourage you to make yourself most important. I hope you eventually learn, as I have, that these writers are incorrect. Jesus said we should treat others as we want to be treated.

Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Walk With a Servant

Category: Let’s talk about