Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Ministry is not a side hustle

April 20, 2026

In the spring of 1974, I was asked to be the preacher for youth week at Immanuel Baptist Church in Springfield, Missouri. If you have never heard of youth week, it is what churches do to give their young people a taste of ministry. Our youth minister made the plans and chose the members to perform tasks that adults did every week.

Clyde, our pastor, met with me and walked me through what I needed to do. I would preach both Sunday morning and evening, and I went with him to the hospital and on other visits that he made each week. I had never given any thought to being anything but a journalist until that March.

I had speech in high school and started feeling ready to pass out when I gave my first speech in class. That was only five minutes of introducing myself to the other students. After three years of class and the last two competing around the area at other schools, I had never made the quarter finals in any of the events.

Extemporaneous Speaking was one of my favorite types of competition. We were given a topic fifteen minutes before our time to present, and we were judged on topicality, structure, preparation, and presentation. I thought that my experience would make it easy for me to deliver these sermons.

I was right about that because I had heard so many sermons and been in Sunday School my entire life. Preparation and presentation were easy. I enjoyed the time with our pastor and noticed how easy the speaking came to me. The problem was the way everyone looked at me.

I noticed that something was different. I did not understand it. I was a journalist, not a preacher; all I did was give two speeches at church. I started to feel something new as well. I had doubts about my chosen occupation. God could not want me to do this as a profession, could he?

A few weeks later, I received my acceptance letter from the University of Missouri in Columbia, School of Journalism. I should have been ecstatic, and I was not. I was contemplating that this might not be what I should do. If Jesus wanted me to be a full-time minister, would I do that? I finally accepted His call to ministry, and I assumed that would be as a pastor. I have never been a singer.

I told my parents that I did not think I should transfer to MU. We went to look at Southwest Baptist College and talked to them. I enrolled there as an English major and changed to a Religion major, which was what most ministerial students did. I spent two years studying the Bible and ministry.

After graduation, I could not get clear guidance about what seminary to attend, and I continued with a company I started as a part-time employee. We planned our wedding, and the company offered me the opportunity to join their management trainee program, and my career as a workplace minister began.

A side hustle is something that you do to make ends meet. If your avocation does not provide the funds to live on, then you find something else to make money. My side hustle has been many and varied over the years. My life’s work has been ministry, as yours should be. Try it, you’ll like it.

Noah had a computer

April 19, 2026

I know you are going to argue with me about this one. Many of you believe that the story in the Bible about the flood and that eight people survived it with a lot of animals is a fable. I get that. We are taught that people thousands of years ago were ignorant savages.

That is not true. Prehistoric is not before history. It is before accepted history. The history that some scientists accept. Other scientists and ordinary people like me know better. We accept the historical information presented in the Hebraic scriptures.

These other scientists will accept nothing from these documents because they do not want to acknowledge the creation of our universe or the one deity that it describes. I deal with this in my book “The Cosmic Flatulence Theory.” You can follow me as I finish this manuscript by searching for that title in categories.

If you have ever read the story of Noah and the ark in Genesis, I am sure that you wondered how all those animals could travel in a ship built by a few simple ancients. What many believe is that technology has developed to a point where it is possible for four men to design and build such a craft.

We are not told many things about the ship by Moses, who wrote the book of beginnings many years later. Other prehistoric cultures were thrown into disarray after a worldwide flood. Almost every ancient culture has a flooding story.

These tales have minor differences, but all agree that a man and his family saved the land and air creatures on a large ship. This is not the main reason that we believe that the people who designed and built this device had technology beyond our own. Let me share some other reasons we accept this idea.

The book of Ecclesiastes has Solomon stating that there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9) Some of us believe that the Bible is the truth without error. If from the time of Solomon there has been nothing new developed, then at some point our technology was surpassed, and it has been forgotten.

If everything that had been developed up until the time of this flood was destroyed and civilization was sent back to the beginning, then Ecclesiastes may be correct. Keep in mind that Solomon did not indicate that he was speaking of the time in which he lived. His intention is that nothing new could be created that had not already existed.

The story of the Tower of Babel is another common ancient tale that many cultures have. (Genesis 11:1-9) Moses tells us that after the Earth was repopulated post-Noah and the Ark, the descendants developed a plan to build a city and a tower. The tower was to reach the heavens.

Keep in mind that if technology were as advanced as we believe it must have been, then they may have had aeronautical experience. The story of the Flood tells of a firmament or layer that is believed to have separated the sky from outer space. We do not know at what level this layer existed.

The tower is thought by some of us to have been the first attempt to leave our planet, which would not have been possible before God ruptured the firmament at the time of the flood. We have physical evidence of some areas being dry ground and then flooding. Biblical and other tales of a layer of water falling to earth would explain some geological questions.

Eric von Daniken and other authors have suggested that there were ancient astronauts who designed Stone Henge and other architectural anomalies that seem to have been designed by aeronautically experienced people. “Chariots of the Gods” is his book that proposes a race that could fly and build structures that other ancients could not. Keep an open mind and research these theories.

Saying no

April 14, 2026

There is a Casey’s commercial where an actor that is dressed as an employee says that they hate to say no. I worked in a convenience store years ago. It was not part of this chain. I was trained in what I could and could not do for a customer. I could not leave the store to pump the gas for them.

If I was there with other employees, I could do that. When I worked at another station, my job was to pump the gas. That was what we were trained to do. This ad tells us that they deliver pizza to you and that they will even bring you to them to get their pizza. Call your local Casey’s and ask for these services.

My guess is that they will not say no. They will laugh at you, hang up on you, or tell you to contact Grub Hub, Lift, or some other company for these services. Every business has their rules and guidelines regarding what they will do to accommodate their clients. Ask a stupid question and they should give you a polite answer.

I have worked in retail, wholesale, and manufacturing. Some of the companies I worked with also sold services. I have told customers no without using that word. “What if we . . .?” was a favorite answer for me. Suggesting an alternative to a request that I could not grant was the way I was trained.

Your employer should be educating you in how they want you to respond. I worked in several positions over the years. When I was a supervisor and manager, I often trained others to do the things that I did. I never wanted them to be stifled by someone telling them that they could not accomplish anything.

One of the first young men I hired at a pet store where I had just become the manager took over a different position I had held with that company. As I was leaving a restaurant with customers and my boss, I ran into him and the owner of that company, and he was introduced to me as the current purchasing agent.

My old boss had apparently forgotten that I was the one that had brought him to the company. When I hired him as a part time salesperson while he was a college student, I trained him and another employee that was there when I came, to know and be able to do anything that I could. Some management personnel do not teach any more than they need to. They are afraid others might be promoted over them. I’ve never felt that way.

I once told the President of a company during an interview that I would be getting ready to be promoted to my prospective boss’s position from the first day, if I was hired. I got the job and a few months later began working as the department supervisor and training to become the manager. Telling the truth is always the best advice, especially in advertising.

No, on One

April 13, 2026

There was a proposition on the Springfield ballot for Tuesday April 7^th on a hotel motel tax to remodel and build additions to our existing Civic Center on St. Louis Street. I am not a citizen of the city. I live in the county so I and other residents near us could not vote on this issue.

On election day, my wife and I were at our polling place and voted on a candidate and issue in the Ebenezer Fire District. No one was talking about this issue. The April election determines whether you are a faithful voter or just someone who wants the right to be able to complain when the vote goes against what you want. You don’t understand this? If you did not vote, you do not have any right to complain, because you did not vote.

My wife and I are so committed to the idea of voting, we also serve as election judges for Greene County, Missouri. We have done this for over fifteen years. It was important to vote in this election because it may be your last chance. For my entire life, we as Americans have had this privilege. There are people including our President who wants to keep you from voting, if you do not agree with them.

The current Iranian conflict may well be the way to accomplish this. If we are attacked on US soil and Martial Law are declared, the 2028 election could be canceled. Especially if the candidates for offices are ‘accidentally’ killed before we can vote for or against them.

It is not only the Trumpites that want to restrict voting. Other groups do not think that many of us should have this right. It isn’t just your color, religious preferences, sexual identity, or opinions that they wish to control. Have you noticed how often something you voted against comes back to the forefront, again.

Proposition One in Springfield was just this type of issue. It was defeated last year and came back again. It was defeated by even more voters this time. Will it be back again next time or next year? We have been told that it will not be on the ballot again. I will believe that when I see it. We are from Missouri. My guess is that it will appear on the November ballot in 2028. If it is, you heard it here first.

Don’t say you haven’t been warned when this happens. I have been voting for more than fifty years and have never felt that this could be a possibility until now. Donald Trump and his supporters proved they were willing to kill our Congress and Senate in 2020. They murdered a guard and the President pardoned them once he regained power. What next?

The Hole in my Vision

April 12, 2026

If at f”irst you don’t succeed, try, try, again.” is sage wisdom I have not always followed. It is usually easier to just give up. I have spent a number of attemps to log on to my computer tonight. God woke me up and won’t let me go back to sleep without writing my thoughts down. This is not an unusual experience for me

yesterdayI had the second of two cataract surgeries. When I AWAKE, MY intention was to write until my mind was clear and return to bed. I was told today before the surgery that I have a whole in the back of my left eye. We won’t know until it heals from the first surgerynifmitmcan benrepaired.

There is a distinct gap in mynvision, because my right eye has a patch on it that will be removed later today. Then I will be able to see better. It will be awhile before I can use my friends, the glasses, asmImhave for over fifty years. . I will add more to this later, but for now, I must go on to what awoke me.

That was many years ago. To show my problems, I have left those paragraphs as I typed them. You do not know how hard it is for me to publish this without editing. I want you to know where I was when I began this journey.

The hole in my vision is not imagined. It is literal. Let me step away from that analogy and step into a metaphor. We all have holes in our vision. There are things that we do not see, cannot see, and refuse to see. We will deal with these three topics in order.

I have no control over the things I can’t see. My blindness is caused by outside forces. It is like the hole in my eye. It happened gradually and not even my doctor saw it until the cataract was removed. Because it is not my fault, it does not mean I should not endeavor to correct it or work around this handicap. Paul of Tarsus refers to a thorn in his side that he had to work around. He asked God to remove it and heal him on three occasions with no results. His decision was to accept it as a gift and move on.

What is blocking your vision that you did not cause? Have people failed to advise you of needs? You can’t serve when the situation is unknown to you. Have you tried to solve a known situation with no success? This might be due to the person refusing aid or someone else blocking your assistance. If you have prayed and asked for wisdom in how to overcome these obstacles, it may not be you that is called to be of service.

This has happened to me, and I have not always used the wisdom Jehovah will give to me. Sometimes I refuse to ask for His guidance. Other times my ego is in the way. In some cases, I become angry with those who don’t want my assistance, and I fail to forgive. I must realize that I might not be as correct as I believe I am.

A comment to someone else with the abilities, skills, and time to serve may get the job done by another without me. In another situation, my resources may be needed, but not through me personally. If I don’t care who receives the glory, why do I have to be more than in the background?

Watch the commercials

April 6, 2026

I know. Who wants to watch the ads on TV? You can learn a lot by viewing the advertisements during and between the shows. Did you know that everything you could ever need or want is sold in the media these days? Except for world peace. Advertising is the way the American public finances its broadcast companies.

Newspapers and magazines sold advertisements, and when radio began, they had to develop spots that were totally verbal in nature. I remember in the nineteen sixties listening to the disc jockeys read on air copy for the local ads. As high school speech students, we learned how to be radio announcers and competed in tournaments.

For many years now, one of my classmates has been an anchor on our local NBC affiliate. In school, he was not a speech student. He was working at a local radio station. Our coach invited him to join us at tournaments and compete in radio speaking. He won first place in every competition he was able to enter.

It did not bother me. He was better than all the other competitors. One of my first jobs after college was as marketing director for a small company. We were a direct marketing firm and produced catalogs and flyers, and accepted orders by phone.

Some modern commercials fail to do the one thing I have thought essential. An ad is not successful unless it makes you remember the company’s name. When I see an advertisement repeatedly and cannot remember who ran the spot, I know it failed.

Funny scripts are great, but not all humor is funny to everyone. Some types of comedy just make me think that whoever produced it is stupid. Looking stupid to prospective customers is not a good idea. I always thought it was a good idea to put your best foot forward.

Local commercials about lawyers are a perfect example of what works and what does not. Some attorneys brag about the amount of money they can get for you. Others criticize their competitors and try to denigrate them. This is never a good idea to encourage people who know nothing about you and your business practices to see that you are willing to say things that are hurtful.

Some of my favorite ads just tell me what these businesses can do for me and let me know that they want to take care of anyone who wishes to do business with them. Offend no one and show everyone that you know how to get their business.

There is one commercial that I view regularly today about a perfect gift. It is for a shower head. I’m sorry, that would never be the present my wife would want. This guy must be buying this for his parents. It is a standard comedy schtick to buy your wife something you think she needs. This is against the idea that it is the thought that counts.

Which types of advertising encourage you to buy their products or services? Our economy is a free market, which is supposed to mean that we make our own decisions about what we buy from whom. Few techniques are illegal, but many that are not ethical. When a business fails to present enough information or lies about their products, I just decide not to do business with them.

The grave is empty

April 5, 2026

Mary and another woman went to the tomb where the body of Jesus had been placed on Friday afternoon. The stone that had protected the remains had been rolled away. It had been sealed by the Roman soldiers. We are not told that they are anywhere to be seen.

Something is wrong. They wondered how they would move that rock, and a man is sitting on it. They do not recognize him, and when they ask about their Lord, he says that He is not there. Something is right.

Mary runs to find the disciples but sees a man whom she thinks must be a gardener. She cries for him to tell her where they moved Jesus. When He smiles, she knows this is her friend and Lord. What will it take for others to believe that what He said was true?

Peter and John ran to see for themselves and still didn’t believe it when they saw the grave clothes were empty. They returned to the others and believed when they saw Him. They had to. Thomas still doubted even when the ten said that He had been there.

The two men on their way to Emmaus did not believe even when their teacher repeated the proof of who He was, because they questioned why He did not know what had happened in Jerusalem. They recognized Him when He broke the bread at dinner.

When they were fishing in Galilee and saw a man on the shore who told them to lower the nets again, and the boat was almost swamped, only John said, “It’s the Lord.” Peter then swam to shore and didn’t try to walk on the water. Peter knew who He was when He asked Peter three times if he loved Him.

The Jewish and Roman leaders must have thought about believing when the guards told their story of the stone being moved and not finding Jesus in the tomb. They would have other opportunities to accept the truth. Did they ever do that?

If you did not believe in the resurrection when you first heard about it, don’t beat yourself up. It took me at least a year. I remember being ten when I was drawn to accept Him and put it off for a year. He was gracious enough to give me that year. Imagine my surprise as a college student when it occurred to me that I could have died that year from a gunshot wound.

You have had numerous opportunities yourself. Today is the day you should say yes to the Savior. You don’t have to be in a church or have anyone around you. Just tell Him that you know you are a sinner and want Him to be your Lord. I hope you did that, and if you did, welcome to the family. Subscribe, and we will continue to discuss how to strengthen your meager faith.

Sunday is Coming

April 4, 2026

The men who had sworn that they would die for Jesus on Thursday evening are hiding. They are afraid that the Jewish leaders will find, arrest, and execute them as they did the followers of Bar-Abbas. To the Jewish leaders, Jesus was an insurrectionist. To Pontius Pilot He was someone that the Sanhedrin was jealous of.

To these men in hiding, He was their chance to be free of Roman rule. He was their friend and teacher. They were willing to die for Him when He could lead them to victory. Now Jesus is in a tomb, dead and buried. They and He are despised by the Jews.

That is exactly what the Messiah had told them would happen. Now all they have to do is believe what they were told and walk to Galilee to wait for the resurrection. It sounds so simple. But they are not yet believers. The hoped-for Savior was murdered. They may be next.

I would probably be in that room with them. We say that we would not, but we have evidence of the resurrection, the foundation of the Church, and all the teachings in the New Testament. All they had was their mustard seed of faith, which would soon grow into a tree.

Peter would preach at Pentecost, Matthew and John would write gospels; John Mark, who ran and left his clothes, would tell Peter’s story. That will be later. Today, they will not go to the Temple even if it is the Sabbath. They could be arrested there. They might be next.

They do not know what to do. You and I wonder why. They heard Him speak and knew Him better than anyone. Remember what Jesus told them in Nazareth about a prophet not being accepted in his hometown. Their friend was just a man like everyone else.

Or was He? He said He was the Son of Man, the Messiah. Peter called Him the Son of God. A centurion said, “This must be the Son of God.” And here they are hiding like we would. We are no better than them and they are no better than we are. They will get up tomorrow and meet the Lord when He is risen. Will you? This is all He asked of them, or me, or you. Believing what He said about Himself is as difficult for us to accept as it was for those who were alive at the time of His death.

It was not easy to believe that a man was crucified and rose from the grave at that time. Unless you were someone who knew Jesus before the crucifixion, watched His death and burial, and then saw, spoke, and ate with the risen Christ after Sunday. Talk to you again, then.

Good Friday?

April 3, 2026

The day that your friend and leader is executed for no reason does not sound like a good day. The apostles and other disciples of the hoped-for Messiah have gone into hiding. They have forgotten about His prediction that He would be tried, convicted, executed, and rise on the third day.

They have forgotten that they should be ready to meet Him after He comes back to life. They were instructed to go to Galilee, where the base of operations had been. They did not do this because they do not believe He will do what He said.

Today started out badly. They were in the garden after a night of feasting and fellowship. Jesus had said some hard things. Then they sang a song as they walked to the garden, and He went to pray. The next thing they knew was when they were rudely awakened by a mob that arrested the teacher and took Him away.

Peter and John were the only ones who followed them. Without their testimonies, we would know nothing of the illegal trial early on Friday or Peter’s denial. A lot happens on this day. Jesus appears before Pilate after being sentenced to death in a mock ceremony where He is abused and tormented.

The governor is looking for a way out and sends him to King Herod, who passes the accused back when he can’t get Him to play their political games. Pilate is instructed by his wife not to have anything to do with this innocent man, and he must wash his hands of the whole mess.

The crowd yells for Bar-Abbas to be released and the King of the Jews to be crucified. This was not what this Roman official wanted, and yet it was what the Sanhedrin had paid for. Unbeknownst to these observers, Judas had tried to buy Jesus’ release by returning the money and failed. He hangs himself in grief.

Jesus is beaten and abused, stripped and mocked, undressed and paraded through the town to the execution field outside, where He and the two followers of the convicted insurrectionist are to die. They are cruelly nailed to three wooden crosses and raised in the sky, and left to die a slow agonizing death.

Isn’t that the way your pastor preaches it every Easter Sunday? It isn’t? What does he leave out? The pain, the ridicule, the suffering of these three men? I always told my seventh and eighth-grade boys how bad it really was. Only a few of them over those eighteen years had to leave in the middle.

I don’t know how many nightmares they had about this story in their subsequent lives. My bad dreams were from thoughts of them not understanding what Christ endured for them. Yes, He is Yahweh, otherwise the execution for others’ sins would have kept Him off that cross.

After God cries out to Himself about forsaking Him to prove that his prophecy was accurate and declaring that His task is finished, the guards are surprised that He is dead so soon. The bodies must come down, and they are breaking the legs of the other two men to speed up their expiration. Again, the prophet must be followed, and Jesus’ side must be punctured rather than His legs being broken.

A hasty burial by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea into the tomb that had been prepared for Joseph and his progeny. They have followed this ministry quietly for three years and now have stepped out of the shadows to follow the instructions Jehovah gave them for this time. It had to be an empty tomb. In two more days, you will find out why.

Easter week

April 2, 2026

The disciples have been trying to keep their teacher safe since last Sunday. They’ve made it through until Thursday morning and are looking forward to Passover dinner tonight. Jesus sent two of them to find a place for their meal and to prepare.

The conversation continues to focus on the threats posed by the Pharisees and Sadducees against the Lord and His followers. Even Lazarus is being threatened with death because He has been raised to life by God. That is one piece of evidence for Messianic teaching that they cannot refute.

Jesus accepted Peter’s proclamation that He was the Son of God. Then, He told the disciples that He would have to die and rise from the dead on the third day. Peter said that it would not happen. Jesus looked at him and said, “Get behind me, Satan.

At least three times, they have been reminded that they came to Jerusalem for the Passover East so that there would be a death and a resurrection, and they are to go to Galilee to meet their Savior at that time. Later, we will discover that they did not listen and believe, which is all we are asked to do.

When they were together on Thursday night, and Jesus said that He would be betrayed by one of them, Peter asked if he was the one. They all wanted to be sure they would not turn traitors. Earlier, Judas Iscariot had made an agreement with the Chief Priest and his cronies to lead them to Jesus at a time when there would be no crowds.

Simon Peter declares that he will die for Jesus even if everyone else deserts. The declaration that this disciple would deny Him three times before the morning is declared by the rooster’s crow, which surprises and destroys him. He would never dream of not fighting and dying for this man he has followed for three years.

They move to the upper room where the feast has been set out for them. The prescribed menu of roasted lamb, matza, and herbs was on the table. Jesus takes a towel and a basin and goes around washing their feet. Peter objects and is instructed that if this is not allowed, he will have no part in the Kingdom. This servant ritual is performed, and the master takes His place at the head of the group.

Jesus breaks the bread and presents it to them. The comment about it being His body is apparently unnoticed currently, as is the presentation of the wine as being blood. They are to eat this meal and drink this wine in the future and remember these words. This makes no sense either.

As they are leaving after the meal, no one notices that Judas does not follow them. As soon as he is sure of where the group is going, he disappears. They walk to the garden that we all know about. Jesus leaves the first group, then the second bunch, and prays.

The prayer is long and in two parts. We know that the request is made to prevent a sacrifice that is intolerable for any human to make. And yet our Lord says that it is not His will that must be done, but the Father’s. Tomorrow is upon them.

Walk With a Servant