Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Both sides

May 8, 2026

That’s what the newscaster said. They were going to give both sides of a political story. Why are there only two sides? One is true, or one is false, right? Not necessarily. Often, these reports include the truth from two sides and no others. It can be hard to sift the truth from the spins that we all like to give to what we say.

What other positions are there in politics other than Republicans and Democrats? When you go to your precinct to vote in your primary election this year, look at which parties you must choose from. You should have at least three, including an issues-only ballot. In Missouri, we must choose only one party’s candidate.

When I talk about what Jehovah says in the Bible, you may hear this as my spin on the truth. To me, it is the truth. This is just two sides of the story. There are many religions, and then there are those that do not accept any gods and believe that when life ends, everything is over.

Every opinion we have is probably opposed to someone else’s beliefs. I have friends who are Republicans, Democrats, or other political party supporters, and then there is me. I am one of those weirdoes who believe that you should vote for the person and not consider any party affiliation.

There are many other ways in which we put ourselves on different sides. There is a group that calls itself Black Lives Matter, and I agree with them. I just take their beliefs a little further. I belong to ALM, All Lives Matter. We are not in opposition to BLM or any of the organizations that stand for anyone’s rights.

We include all lives of all colors. There is another group whose initials are BLM. Their name is Blue Lives Matter, and they support the police. When I was a kid in Springfield, MO, our officers’ uniforms were brown, like many sheriffs’ offices use. That would really be confusing to have three different BLM organizations.

Having an opinion about things is necessary, but taking a side against others is not. I am a follower of Jesus. If you want to know what that means, I will tell you as much as you want to hear. Years ago, at a new job, I had a fellow employee come into my office and say, “I hear you are a Christian.” And I acknowledged that I was. Then he asked, “Are you going to try to make me one?” “Do you want me to?” No was his reply, and I simply asked him to let me know if he had questions about it. He never asked, even though he often came in to talk about a host of other things.

I hated it in school when we had to choose which team to be on in classes. I preferred speech and debate to sports, where you were assigned a side in debate and had to alternate. I often adopt this policy when discussing controversial issues. Just because I give reasons against what you say is correct does not mean I disagree. I may be voicing opposing ideas I have already heard.

Know your own mind, keep an open mind to show that you know you are not always correct, and be willing to have an open discussion without sounding like a person who is closed to any other opinion.

Waffle Cone

May 7, 2026

This is one of my favorite ways to eat ice cream. Whether it is rocky road, butter brickle, brownie fudge, or one of my other favorite flavors, it is always enjoyable. What is not enjoyable is when we or others waffle on decisions. If you are not familiar with this term, I will explain.

Do you have a boss, friend, or someone else who says one thing and then changes their mind? You know the situation. They say do this or that, and then when you start the process, you are told that was not what they meant. It is your fault. It is not because they changed their mind. That is waffling.

It can also be used for those who have trouble making up their minds. This is not as bad as the previously mentioned folks who change your instructions along with their minds. At times, these occurrences are humorous, while others are frustrating.

One of our Presidents many years ago was shown as a waffle in political cartoons because he often changed his mind on whether to sign legislation sponsored by his party. Of course, the artist supported the other candidates. No politicizing there.

I believe everyone should have the right to change their minds. Where I draw the line is when I am asked to change more than once. I had a boss who had this tendency. I never proceeded with a project until I was certain it would not cause extra work.

I have always attempted to have integrity, and part of that is communicating clearly and not moving on to a project until all decisions have been finalized. Jesus told us that a man does not build a tower until he counts the cost, and a general does not attack until he has checked whether he can win with the forces he has.

In my career, I have not been completely diligent about analyzing my own talents and abilities before accepting a new position. I took a marketing director position even though I had no experience or training in that position. It required writing copy, shooting photographs, and making layouts for brochures and catalogs.

These were procedures with which I had a great deal of experience. When I took my first purchasing job, I had already learned about almost every product that I would be responsible for acquiring. This was done as I was a salesman and a manager at retail stores. When asked if I could do the job, I immediately replied yes. It was no a brainer for me.

I was an office manager with a company for a total of eighteen years when our branch manager started fighting breast cancer. I was required to step into her duties and be both the office manager and the branch manager. During my time at these two positions, I also made calls as our salesman and was able to increase the sales for the branch significantly.

Setting your mind on what you need to do and getting it done is the best way to live your life. I’ve been laid off twice and fired once from jobs. The one I lost for cause claimed that I wanted to be terminated.

I returned the day after I was let go to return my keys, and a former employee was at my desk. They wanted to give my position to someone else and did not have the decency to just tell me that. That is not waffling; it is the epitome of bad management. Whenever I hear someone is considering working there, I don’t explain myself; I just tell them to stay away from them.

Dumb Donald

May 6, 2026

I know that Bill Cosby has been disgraced for the crimes he has been convicted of. As a kid, I listened to his albums and watched him on television. I predate some of you enough that I remember him in the sixties when he first talked about Fat Albert, Russell, Weird Harold, and Dumb Donald.

You don’t remember these friends of Bill? You might have seen them on “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids” in the seventies and eighties. Dumb Donald was the one who wore the stupid-looking stocking cap that covered his entire face. Many comedians use characters that are not intelligent.

This is a common tactic with writers of books and scripts. Tim Allen’s Tim the Toolman character in his stand-up comedy routines became the situation comedy “Home Improvement.” Allen played the bumbling, often imbecilic host of a local cable television show called “Tool Time.” His sponsor was Binford Tools; all of this is from the minds of Mr. Allen and his writers.

The point I want to make here is that we all have our times when we are not highly intelligent. Al Borland is Tim’s assistant on his tool episodes. Al is a qualified contractor and extinguishes his boss when he sets himself on fire, rescues him when he glues his head to a table, or helps him repair the house that he blew up with a clapper device.

The problem is that, like this pair, we all need someone to help us. Al may be an excellent carpenter and contractor, but he is boring, hence the name Borland, and a failure in relationships. Sometimes Tim sabotages his own marriage and must go to his neighbor, Wilson Wilson Jr., for advice.

With all his knowledge, we soon learn that Wilson also has his own flaws. He is not intelligent about everything, either. “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids,” “Home Improvement,” and Tim Allen’s second series, “Last Man Standing,” all serve to educate us that we are all good at some things and really dumb at others.

Albert is obese, Russell is too timid and lets his older brother and others bully him, and Harold has his strange yet funny and endearing moments; these are what made that cartoon a classic, which became a live-action movie in 2004. Television and movies have many critics, but they can add to our knowledge and experience if we pay attention.

Think about what you watch and analyze what it can teach you. When “The Neighborhood” was first aired, we viewed it, and even though I thought Calvin Butler and his new friend Dave were both idiots in their own ways, they have spent the last few years teaching me more about friendship and race relations than most of us can grasp on our own.

In one of the early episodes, Marty, Calvin’s youngest son, makes a statement that blacks cannot be racists because they are racial. As you watch these shows, you see that Cedric the Entertainer and the cast and crew are pointing out to their audience that none of us knows as much as we think we do. To some extent, we are all Dumb Donalds.

Queen of the house

May 5, 2026

Roger Miller wrote and recorded a song entitled “The King of the Road” in 1965. Jody Miller responded with “The Queen of the House” later that year. Miller’s King was what we called a hobo, and now is referred to as a transient or homeless. Jody’s character was a mother who cared for her husband and children and enjoyed the process.

At our house, we also have a queen who is named Essa, the cat. She has lived here for over a year and was royalty when we brought her home from the Humane Society. We called her a princess. Now she has claimed us, the house, and the dog, and acts like she owns the place and we are her servants.

When she first arrived, she was very timid, slunk around the house, and was afraid of Biscuit, the dog. She kept her belly close to the ground and was frightened at any sound. Now, she only runs when the Ring chime sounds and retreats to our bedroom, where she has her hidden holes.

Life is easy for her now since she seems to have been a stray from birth and does not like any humans other than my wife and I. We hope that she will eventually decide that our children and grandchildren are safe as well. It took months for her to accept us, and she saw us every day.

For those of you who have never had a cat, I need to tell you something that we have known for years. Dogs have owners, cats have staff, and Essa considers us her people. We feed her, play with her, and clean her litter box. When she hears us getting treats for Biscuit, she lets us know she wants hers as well.

In the mornings, it is play time and breakfast time, whether we are ready to get up or not. She always goes somewhere for her morning and afternoon naps and doesn’t care if we don’t know where she is. Bedtime is another activity time, and we must play the games that she wants.

She attacks the dog each time he comes in from outside, and sometimes, to get her away from the door to go out, he must chase her to another room. She does not care because she views it as play.

Pets are often called fur babies, and this is evident in the fact that they act like children. They want your attention even when you are busy and are jealous of everyone else in the house. Welcome to parenthood.

They make me think of Cindy and I as a couple. We are who we are, but sometimes it feels like I am a dog and she is a cat. She is the queen of the house, and I am here for her when she wants to play or just lie down and take a nap. Are you there for your spouse despite your differences?

God is with you

May 4, 2026

Whether you want Him to be or not on May the fourth. Star Wars fans have adopted today as their unofficial holiday because they like to say, “May the Force be with you.” If you did not know it, the creator of this franchise, George Lucas, is not a believer in a personal God like Jehovah or Jesus.

This is why his characters believe in a Force or do not. These opponents have a disagreement about this force as well. Some say there is a good one and a bad one, while others believe there is only one and they follow the true force. In my opinion, it is not a force but a farce.

So, in view of that, let me say, “May the farce be with you today.” I am working on a book entitled “Cosmic Flatulence” to deal with this kind of thinking. Most have heard of the Big Bang theory, not the TV show, but the theory that explains the origin of our universe.

If it were not created by a supreme being, it would have to be an accident. The problem is that if nothing existed, how could nothing cause a bang? I have decided that whatever exploded must have come from somewhere or someone. As a seventh and eighth-grade boys’ Sunday School teacher, we had a similar problem.

I was in a small room with several young men, and a cloud of gas became evident because of the fragrance we could all smell. There were times one would say, “Me bad” or something to that effect, while the others laughed. More frequently, there were no claims of ownership.

This is why this book will bear the name “Cosmic Flatulence.” It is the Big Bang theory, but giving credit to the one who produced what caused the explosion. If you do not want to admit that there was someone here before us, then I will identify the source of the gas, and you can argue that you came from a fart that exploded and just accidentally became our universe and life as we know it.

I do not have that much faith. I must believe it, someone or something. George Lucas put his faith in something that he called “The Force.” I cannot accept this concept either. Both seem absurd to me. Why would an unexplained force create our world and universe? What is it or their motivation?

Yahweh, the I am of the Bible, is not some inanimate, uncaring idea. He is made up of the Father, the physical embodiment we call the Son, and the Holy Spirit, which makes us just like our creator, who said they would create mankind in their image. That is why we have a soul, body, and spirit.

Two-Hundred-Fifty, One-Hundred, Fifty

May 2, 2026

In twenty-twenty-six, we are celebrating three major anniversaries. The first is on July fourth. It is not the first in the year, but without the Declaration of Independence, this country would not exist, and probably neither of the other two.

We all know that in July of 1776, the founding document of this nation was first signed. My wife and I have been counting the years since the bicentennial in 1976. We are that old. Those of you who are twenty years younger than us do not recall that nationwide celebration.

That was before laptop computers, flying cars, and cell phones. Oh, that’s right, we still do not have flying cars, even if they were predicted by 2015. The Cubs have won the World Series; we have had three children; our parents have gone to Jesus; our girls and their husbands have given us twelve grandchildren.

Jesus still has not returned for all His children. As I said before, He has come back for some of our family and friends. This great country of ours is still great, even though some thought we needed to be made great again. Gas and other prices have continued to increase, as have our wages, but not at the same rates.

We have driven sections of the US highway for over half of the time they have existed. That is the one hundred years in the title. Many of our travels have been along routes 60, 65, 13, 160, and many more. Maybe in another twenty years, we will celebrate the Interstate system.

You’ve heard of those first two, but I want to tell you about one that will arrive at the end of May. You can attend these celebrations at little or no cost in many locations around our country. The fifty-year event I am talking about is by invitation only.

Cindy and I will have been married for half a century this year. I told you that we have been around long enough to remember the bicentennial at that time. What this means for us is that, unlike some of our contemporaries, we are still alive. That may not seem like an accomplishment to you. I heard a man who had reached his one-hundredth birthday a few years ago tell a reporter that the key to living that long was not to die.

We can give you a few other tips about staying together this long. The main one is to love each other. For those of you who follow me, you know that love is not something you fall into or an emotion; it is a commitment to a lifelong relationship that you are willing to work to keep alive.

The chief attribute you need to succeed is a willingness to cooperate and compromise with your spouse. Love and tolerance are needed to reach the fiftieth anniversary as Cindy and I will this year. Stay tuned for more about our lives and love together.

Route 66 memories

May 2, 2026

The U.S. Highway system is celebrating its one-hundredth anniversary this year. I have only been traveling these roads for over half of that time, but I think some of you will appreciate where I have been and what I’ve seen.

I am most familiar with Route 66 from the late 1950s until Interstate 44 was completed from St. Louis, MO, to Oklahoma in or around 1966. Uncle Paul and Aunt Nina lived outside of Marshfield, and Uncle Dean and Aunt Ima June lived in Lebanon. Clyde and Julie and their son Don lived on Route 66 outside of Northview, MO. Good luck finding that one on a map on your phone.

Most Saturdays and Sundays were taken up with going to see these relatives or others that we took 66 to the county roads they lived on. If you live in the Springfield area and would like to experience some of what I am telling you about, I will share the types of rides we would take.

Often, we would drive up the highway through Strafford to Northview Hill. Don and his wife and kids lived in their home, and up the road were Julie and Clyde with their two younger boys. Shortly before the two-lane road was bypassed by the Interstate, they purchased the Hill Top Motel and lived in it until Julie’s death.

Junior and Gary had their model cars in one of the units, and we always wanted to play with them the way we did our own. As I watched the original movie, “Cars”, I started crying. The scene was where Mater takes Lightning McQueen up Old 66 past an old hotel and talks about parking on that ridge and watching the new highway being built.

My mind went on to a day in 1965 when my dad, Clyde, two cousins, my two brothers, and I stood across the street from their home and looked over the hill at the construction crew cutting the roadway through the mountain. By the time that movie came out, there were only three of us still alive.

Sixty-six also took us up to Marshfield to what was referred to later as the Spur. This intersection led to Kittrell’s farm, or a right would take us into Marshfield for the Fourth of July parade or other events. I think almost every Independence Day of my youth was spent at the oldest parade west of the Mississippi River. I must brag that even US presidents have gone for that celebration.

Further up the highway, you get to Lebanon, MO, and at one time, Uncle Dean owned a Service Station just outside of town. Their house was behind the garage, and I remember spending at least one weekend with them. We watched TV on Saturday night, and I remember watching “The Highway Patrol” with my cousins.

A lot of events continued along where the Mother Road ran after 1966. We usually traveled Interstate 44 to Marshfield and Lebanon after Route 66 was replaced and decommissioned. We still used the old highway to drive to Northview Hill while we had family there. Don had moved from his house there and passed away a few years ago.

America reads the Bible

May 1, 2026

When I first heard of this program, I thought it was a wonderful idea. Reading my Bible is a daily occurrence for me. Numerous folks were to share scriptures until the total sixty-six-book anthology was finished. When it started this week, the Facebook post showed President Trump.

Those of you who have read my columns already know that I have never been a fan of our current Chief Executive. When he was just an executive of businesses, I viewed him as one of those owners that I would never want to work for. I listened to him lie to his employees on TV.

I heard interviews where he was asked if he thought about getting into politics, and he said he did not think that was something he wanted to do. Then he was given a TV show and showed how kind and considerate he was by telling celebrities, “You are fired.” I never watched the show, but I heard that line on the commercials for it.

Then I heard him tell people he thought he could win the presidency. He said he was a Democrat. I guess the Republicans gave him a chance, and he changed his platform. He began lying to more than just his employees. In 2016, I could not believe that the Republicans and Democrats both chose candidates who should never have been nominated.

From the time he was elected the first time, I knew he would not win again unless the Democrats did something else stupid. Trump continued his lies by saying that the only way he will lose is if the election is stolen from him. He continues to maintain this lie.

And this man is chosen to be someone who reads the Bible to us. Why not get a Buddhist, Muslim, or atheist as well? Now we are told that a man tried to assassinate him because he is a Christian. Give me a break. Let’s read the Bible again and look for what it says about the people who say and do what he has said and done.

Think back to when Trump said that if he were able to solve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, then he would know he would go to Heaven. His religious right friends did not seem to have a problem with that. I now wonder about them.

“For by grace are you saved by faith” is what my scripture says. More than one Biblical writer tells us that what we do has no bearing on whether we go to Heaven or Hell. Your belief in and relationship with Jesus the Christ is the only criterion. Anyone who believes otherwise is not someone that I can listen to.

If you, like me, did not bother to listen to this reading of the Bible, please read it for yourself. Begin with the gospels and then the rest of the New Testament. Notice what Paul and the other disciples say in their letters. The book of Hebrews is another book to study to understand what Jesus told us. The Bible is good reading. Remember that anyone can read it. Not everyone believes what they read.

Use your words

April 30, 2026

On the first of April, a local Christian radio station played all their regular music without any lyrics. The announcers told us that they were having problems with their system and even interviewed an engineer who said they did not know what was wrong.

I told my wife that it was an April Fool’s joke after about thirty minutes. When it was not corrected quickly, I knew that someone had done it intentionally. The program director told us the next day that he had used instrumental-only tracks to produce the effect.

I knew these tracks were available because of working the sound booth at church and having purchased cassettes and CDs for my daughters to sing with at church. Today, these tracks are available for purchase or sometimes free online.

The following day, my suspicion was confirmed when the program director confessed that he used these wordless tracks for a joke. Often, we as Christians encourage each other to teach about Jesus and, when necessary, even use words. We use this phrase to say that others should see Jesus in us. Talking is still one of the best ways to tell others about our Savior.

Christ is not just a fictitious character or fable; He was a real man and is still the bodily form of Jehovah. He referred to Himself as the Son of Man, which is a name that Ezekiel was called by Yahweh. We call Jesus the Son of God because some of the prophets talked about this person coming.

In the Eastern mind, a man’s son is equal to himself. The firstborn male offspring was endowed with the major portion of the estate of the parents. We westerners, follow an equal share for all progenies. God asked for a sacrifice to redeem the firstborn male for the sin that is accounted to us at birth for being human.

I like to use the example of an egg to describe the triune nature of both God and man. The symbol must be explained with words. You would not understand me if I held up an egg and pointed to it and then to you or myself. You might think I was calling us eggheads or worse. Words can be used to describe almost anything that you want to explain to another person. I know that it is said, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

Sometimes, even a picture needs a caption or description to explain ideas that are not included in the image. As you walk through life, try to do so without talking to anyone for one hour. My guess is that you will find it very difficult. I can go for an hour or more without speaking when I am working on my writing, but who can write without words?

The sound of musicals

April 29, 2026

While watching the sing-along version of “The Sound of Music” broadcast on a Sunday evening on ABC Channel 33-1 in Springfield, MO, thoughts returned to a live production of this musical. Before attending Southwest Baptist College and studying the Bible, high school studying journalism. Full-time Christian ministry was the change in focus that took the creative writing major from SMSU to Bolivar.

While a student at Central in the fall of 1968, “The Sound of Music” was the fall production by the music and drama departments. For some reason, it still holds a fascination that cannot be shaken. A love for live theatre was born and has been passed on to the next generations.

A critic was not created. One must be able to distinguish the good from the bad to judge. Tone deafness prevents this ability. However, it cannot restrict the enjoyment of the songs. Even though my voice does not bring applause, I do like to sing along with Oklahoma or any of the other musicals from which I still remember the lyrics.

“Sixteen Going on Seventeen” is my favorite from “The Sound of Music.” The sentiment of a young woman being told that a young man who is “seventeen going on eighteen” will take care of her is humorous to adults. As a young man, that sentiment was one to take to heart. To be the protector was a fond possibility.

“The Music Man” and its “Seventy-Six Trombones” and “Marian the Librarian,” among others, are also excellent. Growing up in the sixties and seventies, I remember the Elvis movies, which were not called musicals but were. If you went to a film starring a singer, you wanted to hear them sing.

And you had to have music so Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire could move around the floors, walls, or even ceilings. Grace Kelly was not Fred’s only partner in crime. Gene was also able to share the floor with Jerry, the mouse. You millennials think you have good movies. You have nothing on us, baby boomers. We lived during the heydays of cinema magic and creativity. They could not just punch a few computer keys to find special effects.

Life would be dull without musical entertainment, and we no longer must call friends and neighbors to join us. Thanks to Thomas Edison and Mr. Victor, we now have a band in a box, with their singers. That box has been shrunk to a size that fits in a pocket and doubles as a phone or TV screen.

I hope you enjoy all the clips I’ve included with this column. Maybe you’ll find ones you haven’t experienced before. These modern conveniences have been around for almost one hundred years now. Between sound recordings, movies, TV, the Internet, and our phones, we are good to go almost anywhere with the sound of music.

Walk With a Servant