Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

AS MUCH FUN AS WATCHING PAINT DRY

January 10, 2026

Many of us have used this phrase. It has a great deal of meaning. However, while painting a room in our home, I stood and looked back at the first wall I had applied paint to and noted the color change from the wet, to the partially wet, not quite dry, and completely dry colors. The shades were different. It was subtle, but it was there.

Maybe it was the lighting on this bright day. I had all the windows open because the curtains were down. Maybe it was the Christian music playing in the background as I worked that made me more contemplative. Nonetheless, paint drying had a lesson to teach.

Things are different as you start a task, proceed through the various stages of it, and finally reach completion. Never judge a job before you finish it. All you will have is discouragement. Often, I have partially completed projects. When I delay completing a task, it seems that I never get back to it.

My wife and I bought our current home on a bridge loan. This is a short-term mortgage that allows up to a year to avoid paying a second payment while you sell the old property. Our new home had nothing that needed to be done before we moved in. The old house was full of unfinished tasks.

I repaired windows, flooring, ceilings, and more than I can remember at this time. That was after we moved twenty years of accumulated possessions to our new home. Six months later, we were still trying to sell it. Our agent helped us place a price, and we had one offer that was then canceled when we failed an inspection.

We repaired everything on his list and received another offer. This one is for less than the first one. We countered, and the buyer accepted the counteroffer, which was still not at our asking price and included other repairs. I finished the few simple changes they wanted and closed the deal.

I did not spend any time watching paint dry while working on this project. After twenty years in this house, we have made some repairs and changes, and these include painting. I still think back to that time when I noticed the color variations and have confirmed this process with every paint job we’ve tackled.

Life is full of constant changes, some setbacks, and some advancements. Keep going and try something new tomorrow. You never know what you can do until you try. Step out of your comfort zone and see what world-changing observations you can make while you watch paint dry.

Life Through the Valleys and Over the Mountain Tops.

January 9, 2026

A Bible Trekking experience.

INTRODUCTION

The preacher was not an ordained minister. He was the Vice-Principal of our local High School. He was at our church to thank members who assisted at the school and to encourage others to join them. His topic was mountains and valleys. He is the inspiration for this book.

In the mountains

Day One

“Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not fear evil: for you are with me. Your rod and your staff comfort me.”

Psalm 23: 4

In the summer of 1975, I spent ten weeks in Pennsylvania. I was working as a summer missionary with the pastor of the Bolivar Road Baptist church in Bradford. My main responsibility was to serve as student pastor for the Hill Top Baptist Chapel in Gifford. I do not remember how many lived in that small mountain community at that time. It was so small that we walked to the post office to pick up our mail.

I taught a youth Sunday School class, preached in the morning, and led an evening Bible study. On Wednesday evenings, I led the prayer meeting. We were amid the Allegheny mountains, and many times that summer, I would take a walk into the woods. Early on, I purchased a flashlight that I took with me in the evening in case the sun began to fade before I returned to the house. It got dark early in the forest, and often I would turn off the flashlight as I stepped out of the trees.

Studying the Bible had been my life for over a year. I entered Southwest Baptist College as a junior transferring from a state school where I had been a creative writing major. My plan was to transfer to a different university to study journalism. God’s plan was for me to study His Word.

This was a mountain top experience in more than one way. I have lived all my life in the Ozark Mountains. Nothing in my experience prepared me for the Alleghenies.

If you have never been to the Ozarks, you don’t know that this part of the country is just hills. There are no true mountains in the Ozarks. Some refer to it as the Ozarks Plateau.

The valley is often looked down on by those that live in the highlands. David knew a great deal about hills, valleys, and mountains. He fought the lion and the bear as he protected the sheep. He played for King Saul when he was depressed. He killed Goliath and helped route the entire Philistine army but had to run from the King to save himself because of jealousy.

What causes you concern? Use His rod and staff to comfort yourself. His rod is what the shepherd uses to pull the lambs back from the edge of cliffs. The staff is the weapon that defends him and the flock from predators. We will continue to investigate the highs and the lows of following Christ.

Responsible

January 8, 2026

Here we are with another word for 2026. I’ve decided that I need to be responsible for sharing these words with you. If you need a definition, let me explain it this way. If you caused something to happen, you are the one responsible.

I know that you have heard of the principle of cause and effect. It is a physics principle, but it is also social in nature. You need to be willing to admit when something is your fault. If you don’t want to do this, you will probably become a politician.

I’ve been a responsible person all my life. Anytime my parents noticed a problem and asked my brothers and I who had done something bad, they always said that I was the one responsible. This was often not the truth. Older siblings can do that to you.

If they had broken a window or dumped the trash can or spilled something on the floor, I was the perfect scapegoat. They always had a ready excuse. Charles did it. I was two and four years younger than they were, and until I was about six, I often took the blame.

Then I found my voice. This is the problem of not wanting to be responsible for your own actions. Others have voices. In our world of technology, there is often a way to determine where a problem came from.

One of my coworkers liked to use my computer when I was out to lunch. One day, I returned to the office and was presented with an order that a customer said was incorrect. My boss instructed me to correct the problem, and I did. I knew I had not entered that order, even though the sheet she had in her hand noted the time, date, and terminal it had come from.

I kept that sheet in my desk drawer. The next day, when he and I were the only ones in the office, I laid it in front of him. I mentioned that the next time he made an error, I wanted him to admit it. He said it had come from my computer. I reminded him of when I went to lunch every day and walked away.

That never happened again because I logged out of my terminal when I walked away from it. His mistakes could not be denied when the only machine he could use was his own. He lasted about two more months.

Own up to your own problems. They will come back to bite you in the derriere at some point. You don’t know what that is? It is your butt. If you do not want it to be chewed, take responsibility for your own actions. Stop throwing others under the bus.

It is said that we should learn from our mistakes. I’ve learned a lot that way because I had to. I’ve been the one who has also learned from others’ wrongdoing. I don’t smoke because one of my brothers vomited the first time he took a drag. I don’t drink because friends in high school were expelled for being drunk in class.

Life is a learning experience. Use every lesson that is given to you to make you a better person. Take responsibility for your actions and words, and do not pass the buck to some unsuspecting victim. As the sign on President Truman’s desk said, “The buck stops here.” Take his advice, and life will be kinder to you in the long run.

The printer

January 6, 2026

This title could be a story about my friend Rick or my Uncle George. Both were printers by trade. Rick worked for the Springfield Newspaper for thirty or forty years, and George did the same at the Kansas City Star. Some day I may regale you with stories of these fine men, but that is not tonight.

God woke me up tonight to write as He does sometimes. When I walked into the living room, I noticed a light in our dining room. I went to see what I had left glowing when we went to bed and found our printer was lit up with an error message. In the dark, it is very bright.

During the day, you do not notice these messages, and that screen is often dark when we have not used it for a while. Tonight, in the dark house, it was apparent from the next room. You are probably asking yourself, “Where is he going with this thought?”

One of my categories is Tangents. That is what this is. These are wild, stray thoughts that come to my mind. As I sit at my laptop, I am reminded of Jesus’ words, “You are the light of the world.” I’m going to offer a non-theological commentary on this idea.

Light is a common thing in our world. During the day, sunshine illuminates most of the outdoors. If you are fortunate enough to have windows in your home, you can raise the blinds and move around inside without needing your electric lights. My wife, Cindy, likes to do this. My eyes are not as good as hers anymore, and sometimes I must flip a switch for the artificial light.

Jesus was referring to His followers as being a source of light in our dark world. This is a reflected light. That has been my ministry for over fifty years. I call myself a workplace minister because I’ve never pastored a church. My congregation was the people I encountered on a daily basis as I performed my different jobs.

I am a light in the darkness. I tell you about my Jesus and what He means to me. I share with you how He touches my life and speaks truth into it. That may seem strange to you, and that is fine. My Christian readers understand what I am saying. We are lights in a world that is full of darkness, as this room was tonight. A small shine from a printer control screen got my attention. This is our job. Shine a little brightness in the gloom and guide someone to Jesus.

You are not to be a glaring beacon from a spotlight. Just be a candle in the darkness. I’ve had some say that they knew I was a man of God or a religious person. They saw His reflected light in me. I don’t draw attention to myself intentionally.

Others notice something coming from us, and they go like Moses did when he saw a bush burning in the desert. It should have burned out quickly. It did not. Do not be a flash that no one can find when they need questions answered, be that light that brightens the darkness of their distress. Let them come to you and tell them what He has done for you. It is that simple.

Typewriter

January 4, 2026

As a writer, this was my right arm when I was taking journalism in high school. I started journalism classes in my junior year. To be ready, I took typing in my sophomore year. I knew I had to be able to compose a story while at the machine.

If you are not aware of what this contraption is, let me explain. Before computers, word processors, and smartphones, people used typewriters to type messages, letters, or other documents. You put a sheet of paper, like copy paper, onto a roll and type on a QWERTY-style keyboard.

Is that something else you do not understand? Computer keypads typically feature the QWERTY layout, with the first letters on the top line. That is the same as a typewriter. Most cell phones have the same onscreen configuration for typing messages. There are many things that we had to do back then that are not needed now.

I did not double-space at the end of each sentence now. It has taken me years to learn not to do that anymore. Over thirty years of writing takes a while to change habits. Another practice that I have not suspended is the -30- at the end of each article. I still end each column or story with that designation. I’ll show you what I mean at the end of this page.

Another thing we did was hit the return twice after each paragraph. I am happy that I do not need to load the paper onto that roll. One more blessing is the elimination of an eraser or whiteout to make corrections. Have you never used correction fluid? It is liquid paper in a bottle with a tiny brush inside the cap to block out ink on the page.

It was an essential office supply for my first thirty years in business. I was one of the few, the proud, purchasing agents who typed their own purchase orders and letters. Secretaries knew how to do this for most of us men in business. That was what my wife did for years in different companies.

I enjoy the fact that I can change manuscripts in many ways before putting them on a page. One beautiful thing about computers and phones is the ability to edit. Apps give features to add graphics, edit text, and even create videos. You will notice that these stories have videos or images that add to what I have written. I love adding songs or clips to illustrate what my article is about.

Technology is great. I am fortunate to have been one of those to grow up without digital media. When these devices fail, we know how to use other systems as a backup. I can dial a phone, write on paper, or even walk into a warehouse to check stock. This was what I did fifty years ago. I have not forgotten how to do these things.

Progress is wonderful. Knowing how to do it the old-fashioned way may someday come in handy. Read any modern dystopian science fiction story, and you will see a world where the only ones who survive are those who can live without our modern comforts. Even knowing how to move an outhouse every few weeks might be a skill we need. What is an outhouse? That is another column, or ask your granddad.

-30-

Words

January 1, 2026

A local radio personality asked people to call in with a word for the year. He felt like this was better than asking about resolutions. I agree. My problem is that I can’t choose one word for the entire year.

Peace, joy, love, kindness, and self-control immediately come to mind. They are things to pray for and strive for. Concentrating on these for just one year will not achieve lasting results. We must focus on them every day, week, and year.

I have a long list of words for different occasions that I will share this year as I think of them. Watch for my new category, words. I will post columns there to give us all additional information about things that will be beneficial to us and our world.

Let’s start with kindness. It is a simple word. A dictionary definition is the quality or state of being kind. Of a sympathetic or helpful nature is the meaning of kind. At least that is the one that relates to kindness. Do you see the problem?

We should all treat each other with kindness, but we disagree on exactly what that means. Let’s try a different approach. Think of a time when someone was not kind to you. That’s easy. You just thought of at least one or two incidents where someone was not kind to you.

Turnabout is fair play. Looking at those actions, consider times when you act like that to others. Do not tell me that you never do that. I know I have times when I am not kind. We are talking about improving ourselves over the next year. First, let’s try not to be unkind.

We can all consider each other as our equals and treat them as such. That is being kind. We are not all kind when we drive. Think about how you act toward other drivers. Some run red lights or stop signs. I have witnessed this. Many of us do not enjoy the roundabouts that we have now. Most have yield signs on all four streets.

Some of you say that you cannot yield to others because they will not yield to you. It does not hurt anyone if I fail to yield. Until I hit another car. That is not being kind. It is also not kind to jump out of your vehicle and scream and yell at another person that you hit. You know you were at fault, but to scare them, you try to make them believe they are responsible.

That will be our next word. I have noticed how many of us seem not to know what it means to take responsibility for our own actions. We will discuss that next time. Until then, I would like each of us to eliminate as much of our unkindness as we can and find ways to be kinder as often as possible. Let’s make our lives better, one word at a time

If I knew Grandchildren

December 31, 2025

would be this much fun, I would have had them first

By Charles Kensinger

Introduction

This is a phrase that my mother, Mary, used to say. Cindy and I were fortunate to give her and my dad their first grandchildren. This was not true of Cindy’s mother. Two of her older siblings already had children when Heather, our oldest, was born.

I realize that you know a Heather. Chances are you know dozens, hundreds, or possibly more. I can talk about my children and grands without most of you having any idea who they are. The only way you will recognize them in this book is if they tell you this is who they are.

That is the point. I wrote “Doulos” over a decade ago. If you’re a paid subscriber, you can search for the categories and find it. There are a few chapters that are available to all readers of Douloigroup.org. my web site. This book is another memoir. We now have twelve grandchildren.

They need to know their stories, as seen through our eyes. If you like this idea and would like to do the same for your family, look for, “Your Story, Your Way.” That is also available as I work on it.

I know some of you who have written books think my method is strange. Yes, it is and that is why I want everyone who is interested to see how to go from introduction to final chapter. It is nerve racking and time consuming. Follow along as I write this new story.

WHERE ARE YOU IN LIFE?

December 30, 2025

2026 will begin on Friday and this is the (?) New Year I have seen. The first eight or so, I do not remember. Since 1961 I have been amazed at the way we greet the turning of the pages in the chapters of time. Many are making resolutions this time of year and promising themselves to change who they are or what they do.

I decided not to make these types of choices. I have attempted to define corrections to be made daily. Life is a process. Mine began over seventy years ago. Yeah, that makes me an old fart. For some of you, I am your contemporary. That means that you are also a baby boomer or old.

For others you are in your teens or twenties. Some are new parents; others have teenagers of your own. Our daughters now fall into this category. That is what I want to talk about in this column. We are all in a stage of life. As we begin the new year I am looking at where I am.

I dislike the way many writers describe the generations. Gen X, Z, Y, A, PDQ all mean something different to all of us that refer to these broad strokes in our stories. You need to know what I mean when you are reading what I produce. Let’s talk about where we are at this moment.

Are you beginning your life? You may be a teenager, young adult, parent or in another group. Refer to yourself in the most positive way that is available. I tell people I am good looking. When you look at my picture, you may not agree. That’s fine. You’ve been wrong before and so have I.

These are opinions. They are like noses and most of us have them. One problem some of us have is we take other’s ideas as truth. They may be wrong as well. I don’t want to lie to you and there are even politicians and salesmen that do not want to lie to us. They may think that is their job. They are also wrong.

As you begin 2026, try not to be one of those. My Bible says that I am to tell the truth but use love to make it more palatable. That means it is easier to swallow. We all know the song “Just a Spoon full of Sugar.” It does make the medicine go down. When I tell people things that they may not want to hear, I attempt to do it in a sweeter way.

Join me in this and I will spend this year helping you to stay on track and you can comment below and try to keep me on track. Do not be afraid of this button. The way my pages are programmed I see your comment and I will not send it out to everyone. WordPress has a safety feature that blocks comments that have nothing to do with a story. I don’t see these.

When you start out rude or try to use my site for your own purposes, it is blocked. Most advertisers or scam artists have already learned this about me. If you do not want what you say to me to go to anyone else, start out with Off The Record. This is reporter speak for “don’t tell anyone I said this.”

My advice to you is to do this in your personal life. When you are told you are stupid, ugly, don’t know what you are talking about, or any other negative comment, block it out of your life. Make it off the record in your own soul. Don’t ever remind yourself about these comments.

This is why good social media sites have a blocking feature. When they do not, I do not use them. Some of my social media contacts have lost their connection with me by attempting to speak their opinions as if they are the truth. Even the President of the United States does this.

For this year, wherever you are in life, make it a better year. When your child says, “I hate you” understand they are children. You are an adult, even if you are only fourteen. When you became a parent, you had to become a grownup even if you don’t want to be. I speak of this often on these pages. Follow me this year and let’s work on our lives together.

“Happy New Year.”

Happy Birthday, Cindy

December 25, 2025

I was thinking about my first Christmas when Cindy and I were dating. She was fifteen, and I was twenty when we started dating. I do not remember what I gave her for her birthday. I do remember picking her up that morning and bringing her to our home.

She had been there several times before. Mom and Dad had no problem with this girlfriend coming for Christmas dinner. Cindy did not know that there was another celebration scheduled for that afternoon. When we were eating dessert, there was a birthday cake.

Mom, Mary, made the statement that Christmas was over. It was now Cindy’s birthday. If she were alive, that birthday would have been remembered after we had Christmas dinner. This has been the tradition with our girls and the entire family almost every year since then. First, it’s Christmas, and then it is over, and the birthday begins.

After her sixteenth birthday that year, she earned her driver’s license. When she completed her sophomore year in high school, we were engaged. After she turned seventeen, we were married, and that first December after we moved to Joplin, she turned eighteen and brought my lunch to me at the convenience store where I was the assistant manager.

We now spend her birthdays at home with our grandchildren when they can all make it. The problem is that as she has celebrated her day of birth, it has been overshadowed by the so-called birth of the man named Jesus. Someone thousands of years ago determined to change a pagan festival to Christmas.

Happy Birthday, Jesus is a great song to sing today, but we will sing Happy Birthday, dear Cindy. She is a few years past her twentieth, and our time together has been spent remembering the actual day of her birth, not some holiday concocted by the manufacturers and retailers to guilt us into buying stuff they could never sell without advertising.

This year, our family will remember Christmas in a few days, and tomorrow, all I must do is celebrate Cindy’s birthday with a quiet meal. This is my way of wishing Cindy a happy birthday and telling her that I love her as much or more than I did when we honored her at her sixteenth birthday party the first Christmas we spent together. 1-4-3, baby.

Good Times

December 24, 2025

I spend a lot of my columns remembering the good times of my life. This time, I would like to speak to my younger readers. If you are sixteen to twenty-four years old, these should be some great times for you. It is Christmas on top of that. Let’s talk about what is going on right now for you.

You probably still live at home with mom and dad if you are fortunate, as I was. Even if you only live with one parent or some other responsible adult, I hope you are having a great time. You have friends and family around. Enjoy them by going to school or church functions.

Don’t skip the family or work parties. I had a great time with the guys and gals I worked with in high school and college. We had a good time. No one got drunk, or high, or shot, or arrested. That is what I hope for you.

Don’t worry about the bad stuff in the news. Most of us are blessed enough to go through life without being directly involved in situations that make it to the local news. I know you do not think your parents and other adults treat you the way they should. That’s life, get used to it.

Enjoy the parades, concerts, parties, and just driving around looking at the decorations and lights. You are young. Someday, you will be old like me, and you want to have those memories. What memories? Read my other columns, and you will learn of my recollections.

If you are in a choir, band, orchestra, or clubs, go to the parties. Stay away from the drugs and drinking and the “friends” that ask you to do things you don’t want to. There are times that you don’t have anything to do so grab a couple of friends and do what you want to do, as long it is legal, mostly.

I lived in a small city where it was safe to walk or drive around town and enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, and feelings of this time of year. Have a good time with people that you know and care about.

Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy and happiness. Make the most of each moment. Take the time off from school and work, and do what you and your girlfriend or boyfriend enjoy doing. Maybe don’t spend a lot of time alone with them. Enjoy their company and double date or go to parties.

God created us and said that His creation was good. It becomes bad only if people make it bad. Don’t be one of those that spoils the fun, if you can help it. Walk away from fights and arguments. Stay with those who aren’t trying to get themselves arrested or killed. That was easy for me.

There will come a day in thirty or forty years when you will say, “I remember when . . .” Let them have good memories of the music, friends, laughter, and fun. OK, now for the rest of us. I just talked to a friend of mine who celebrated his ninetieth birthday before Christmas. I never heard of a sixteen- or twenty-one-year-old who had more fun. Make this Christmas your best.

Walk With a Servant