Prelude to a civil war

December 2, 2025

John Nickle from Facebook

This is what the prelude to a civil war looks like:

With its southern-dominated Democratic majority, the Senate approved the admission of Kansas as a slave state on March 23, 1858. In the House, the administration could count on at least half of the northern Democrats, as in 1854. But this time, that was not enough to win the battle.

“Battle” was not too strong a word for events in the House. On one occasion during an all-night session, Republican Galusha Grow of Pennsylvania walked over to the Democratic side to confer with a few northern Democrats. Lawrence Keitt of South Carolina shouted at him: “Go back to your side of the House, you Black Republican puppy!”

Replying with a sneering remark about slave drivers, Grow grappled with Keitt and knocked him down. Congressmen from both sides rushed into the melee. “There were some fifty middle-aged and elderly gentlemen pitching into each other like so many Tipperary savages,” wrote a reporter describing this 2:00 a.m. free-for-all, “most of them incapable, from want of wind and muscle, of doing each other any serious harm.”

But Alexander Stephens believed that “if any weapons had been on hand, it would probably have been a bloody one. All things here are tending my mind to the conclusion that the Union cannot and will not last long.”

My point of view:

This is history. It is politics at its worst. It is how division of thinking can be allowed to become outright violence, even among what are considered normally civilized people. These are the reasons the South seceded from the Union. Don’t say that this will not happen today.

This is exactly the type of split that has been happening in Congress over the argument about closing and then reopening the Federal Government. Are you smart enough to see that the separation into political parties just adds fuel to this type of blaze? When we take sides without weighing the pros and cons of an argument, we fail to have the opportunity for compromise.

Compromise is what businesses and governments are built on. Agreeing to disagree and get on with what needs to be done is what made companies grow and America great. America will not be great if our representatives cannot solve their own differences.

We are only as great as our weakest link, and at this moment, it seems to be our elected officials. When we vote next August and November, we need to ensure that the candidates we support can set aside petty partisan differences and get their jobs done. I believe the only way to do this is to elect non-partisan candidates.

©Copyright 2025 by Charles Kensinger

The Devil’s gonna try

November 30, 2025

This is what he did with me. When I graduated from high school, Immanuel Baptist Church forced Pastor Hamilton to resign. I quit going to church. I went to a couple of other churches with friends, but I saw the same things there. Hypocrisy and people who thought they were always correct.

Today I know the word for that. Dogmatism is “the tendency to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true, without consideration of evidence or the opinions of others.” To me, it means that their opinion is right no matter what.

The video I hope you just viewed says “the devil’s gonna try to get me outa that church, cause he can’t get the church outa me.” Anne Wilson, in her “Sunday Sermons” song, wants us to realize that Satan wants to separate us from Christ.

He uses whoever he can to do this. They may be church people. It might even be your parents or best friends. He will use anyone that he can to make you doubt that Jesus loves you and will keep His promises. Satan has come to kill and destroy us and the church.

Remember how he tempted Jesus after His baptism? Even Simon, who was called the Rock or Peter, told Jesus that the prophecy of His death would not happen. This was when the famous saying, “Get behind me Satan,” was first used. Try not to be like Peter in this regard.

I’ve been trying to think of any time that I might have been used to lead others away from what the Lord was calling them to do. If I have done that to you, I am sorry. If you can, let me know what it was that I said or did that discouraged you from following Christ.

Following Him is not always easy. It is the best thing that you can do. Not everyone will understand your decisions. Often, I cannot explain things I do except by saying, “God told me to do that.” I know that many use this excuse to try to keep from accepting the consequences of their actions.

That is not what I want to do. If my words or opinions offend you, I would ask you to talk to God about it. You don’t believe there is a God and reject the idea of a man named Jesus being the Savior of all people. I can understand why what I write and say makes no sense to you.

If I did not believe in gravity, I would still wonder why things fall. If I did not believe in love, I would wonder how two different people can live together for fifty or more years. If I didn’t believe in electricity, I’d be typing this on a manual typewriter.

Without a belief in these things that most of us have proof that they exist, life would be more confusing and dangerous. We cannot provide you with proof that Jehovah exists and that Jesus rose from the dead and lives today. I can only ask you to do what I did. Ask Him to prove to you that He is real. He did it for me. But be ready. The proof is overwhelming.

©Copyright 2025 by Charles Kensinger

Green Monday

November 28, 2025

We have progressed from Thanksgiving to Black Friday. Then on to buy local Saturday, and Cyber Monday, followed by Giving Tuesday. When I started writing this morning, I saw that today is Green Monday. Where did all of this begin?

Go back with me to those thrilling days of yesteryear. I first learned of Black Friday in the 1980s when my wife and I had three young children. Did it exist before then? Not in Springfield, Missouri. I think Wal-Mart brought it here. The first year or two, my wife went by herself or did her shopping before 7:30 AM.

My job required some of us to be in the office on the Friday after Thanksgiving. We alternated. Those who had to work after Thanksgiving were given Christmas Eve off. It worked well and meant I only had to go Black Friday shopping every other year. We eventually stopped working on that Friday, and I became a full-time Black Friday aficionado.ame Black Friday come from? Supposedly, this was the day when businesses that struggled all year would make enough sales to cover what they had lost. My experience in business is that if you go from January to the end of November without a profit, you are out of business. The journalists who invented the term Black Friday did not think this through.

Local Saturday came a few years ago after Cyber Monday. Monday was the day the online companies had their big discounts. Now every day is Cyber Day for some internet retailers. For others, any day is a day to con you out of your hard-earned money.

We should all buy local and not just on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Local retailers are the main reason you have a grocery or hardware store in your community. Avoid Wal-Mart and check out these local shops as often as you can. I will give you some of my favorites in days to come.

Now back to the present and Giving Tuesday. We have all spent all our money on Thanksgiving dinner and Friday, Saturday, and Monday shopping. How does anyone expect us to give money on Tuesday? We should be given at least one to two weeks to receive our next paycheck. For us seniors, it will be later this month when the social insecurity checks arrive.

What can we do about this? For this year, set aside five percent or more of your next paychecks. If it isn’t very much, do not worry. Every little bit helps. Select one charity each check or one for the final weeks of 2025. Do your part.

For next year’s budget, that’s five percent from each pay period. Determine now who deserves it. Do the research. Your first contribution should be given to your local church or place of worship. I suggest five percent. A tithe is ten percent to the church. If you can’t spare five percent of each check, give a couple of bucks.

Help those whom you can, and do not forget that giving begins at home. If you have no extra money because you are helping parents, children, siblings, or someone else that you know personally, do not worry. You can always donate time to the organizations that you want to support. Giving is not only monetary.

What about this Green Monday? It seems to have been created by eBay. Another chance for the cyber shoppers. It is a day when you purchase used products. If these are for others, I suggest looking around the house for regifting options. Beware of whom you select for these items. You might want to ask, “Do you remember when you gave me ___.”

Some local brick-and-mortar stores are getting in on the hype. Remember to watch your budget. Whatever happened to Taco Tuesday? Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. Joyful Kwanzaa, and Happy New Year.

©Copyright 2025 by Charles Kensinger

Giving thanks to Jesus

November 26, 2025

We are in what is often referred to as the Thanksgiving season. For others, it is black November or a prelude to the Christmas buying frenzy. It is fall and the leaves are leaving the trees in Missouri. In other parts of the country, they have had snow, or the beaches are full. Life goes on.

When I think of giving thanks, I first think of my parents. They gave me life, a home, an education, their love and support, and more than I can express in words. I thank my children for allowing their mother and I to teach them what we knew, not just in words. I believe they picked up the things that we did not say, but showed them.

Without our children, we would not have these twelve grandchildren that seem to occupy our thoughts and lives. When they are all here, they are a wonderful and noisy house full. I could enumerate all the blessings you have brought to us. I think I will save that for a book.

I need to express my appreciation to the churches, pastors, and leadership of all the congregations that I have worked with over the years. Many of these groups and individuals have appeared in other columns. I won’t take the space here to reiterate what has already been said.

The employers I have had also deserve a round of applause. I would not be who I am without you. Some of you just wanted my time and talents, and you received those. Others gave me more than money; you gave me experience, knowledge, and the discernment that I needed to make my way through this world.

Many coworkers and friends have come to me at these businesses. I am thankful for all of you and my other friends that I have picked up from churches and a multitude of other places and situations. You have befriended me, chastised me, and encouraged me, and I am forever grateful for your kindness and companionship.

Who am I leaving out? I’ll get to the most important in a minute. First, I need to thank my country. It is not a person. It is an idea or an ideal. It was established by people I never met and founded on principles I have learned to believe in. It is not perfect because it contains people. The freedom I enjoy here was purchased by the lives of thousands in many ways.

My wife deserves more thanks than I can possibly express. Her love, compassion, and friendship have kept me going and slapped me out of my complacency when I needed it. Without her, I would not have those twelve grandchildren that we love so much. The best way to say thank you to her is 1-4-3. She knows what that means.

Lastly, I must thank my Savior, Jesus, who is called the Christ or the Messiah. Without Him, I would have none of these other people in my life. What wisdom and knowledge I have ultimately must be attributed to Him. He has led me away from paths that were better for me not to go down. At least, when I listened.

©Copyright 2025 by Charles Kensinger

Men are dogs

November 24, 2025

Have you heard of the book, “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus?” In his book, John Gray uses this phrase to denote that males and females are from different cultures. Sometimes I think that we take the whole opposite sex theme a little too far. I believe this is what causes some to decide that they were born the wrong sex.

I’m not going to write the book “Men are dogs and women are cats,” but this column will be part of the chapter by that name in my book “Douloi Marriage.” What I mean by this is that they are very different, even though they can cohabit the same space.

Cindy and I have had cats and dogs in our house together over the years. We all know the phrase “fighting like cats and dogs.” There is also the weather report “raining cats and dogs.” Dogs and cats are two of the most popular domesticated pets.

Right now, Essa, the cat, is asleep on Cindy’s lap, and Biscuit, the dog, is relaxing next to them on the couch. I am on my laptop on the other end. One big happy family. Dog and cat, man and woman, are getting along quite well.

How are these four different? Dogs are often raised gently with humans and get used to being trained and loved. Cats can be as well. Our dog is like this. Our cat came from the Humane Society and was a rescue that did not like people or our dog.

Several months of living with us have changed this. This is where I want to compare her adjustment to what needs to be done in a marriage. We gave her the space and time that she needed. For a couple of months, she hid most of the day. She came out to eat and went to the box.

Let’s relate this to how communication in a marriage should work. When we first marry, we come from different cultures and environments. We each have fears and expectations. I was raised in a two-parent home. We had our share of problems, but we overcame them. Cindy was from a single-parent home.

She also had never met her father or had a father figure, other than her oldest brother, around the house. She had no idea how a wife should react to her husband. I knew to duck when the wife threw dishes. That was something my mom had done.

Cindy did not cook. I did. I also had been trained by my mom to do laundry, clean house, and many other womanly chores. Cindy learned all these things and how to mow and work on remodeling jobs. She paints with a roller better than I, and I get to cut in around the ceilings.

The point I am trying to make is that you find each other’s strengths. Do not even look at the weaknesses. Find ways to work together. Do what you are good at and teach them if they wish to learn. Husbands and wives do not expect the other one to do what they do not wish to do. Share those chores together.

©Copyright 2025 by Charles Kensinger