Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

The Formula for Happiness

February 20, 2026

Happiness is elusive. We may be ecstatically happy one moment, and then something happens to destroy that wonderful emotion. That is why happiness is a lifelong goal for us. Finding that joy in a person, home, car, job, or lifestyle causes us to feel that peace is not possible.

An episode of “Father Knows Best” originally aired on April 5, 1959, and deals with this idea. It was titled “Formula for Happiness.” Jim Anderson, played by Robert Young, has a dream where he is going on global television in response to a request by the President of the United States to share a formula for happiness that is sealed in an envelope.

The focus throughout the next day is on this formula and the man who is trying to acquire it to keep it for only those that he and his company believe deserve it. Anderson wants to give the secret to everyone. Of course, this is the correct position because the father does know best. The question is “Where did this dream originate?”

As the story progresses, we discover that Kathy, Anderson’s youngest daughter, wrote an essay on this topic. She wanted her dad to have his secretary type it for her. Another ongoing focus of the episode is that while he knows best, father may not always do the best thing. Recurring times occur when he tells her that he is busy with something else. As you watch, look for the lessons this situation comedy teaches.

The secret to happiness is contained in Kathy’s essay. The essence of it is, “Everyone would be happier if they treated others the way they want to be treated.” Anderson words it this way after reading the paper, “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.” Yes, that is the golden rule taught by Jesus.

When Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and strength, and the second-best was to love our neighbor as ourselves, He was restating this differently. The focus of the Bible is love. For Jehovah and human beings, if we focused on someone other than ourselves, happiness would no longer be elusive. It would be easy to obtain.

In our world of 2026, happiness is no easier to find than it was in 1959. It is still fleeting. You find it for one minute, and then whatever created it no longer has the same effect on you it did minutes before. Some of us have happy marriages or relationships, for a time. Then something happens.

There is still no formula for happiness. If you want to be happy, accept what God and life is giving you. Change it for the better where you can and be happy that there are possibilities. Ask for and accept help. That can be a difficult lesson to learn. Look for a hand up, not a handout.

He wasn’t willing to back down

February 19, 2026

Have you seen the newly released video of the altercation between Alex Pretti and Federal officers? No, I am not talking about the ones where he was murdered in a street. I am speaking of one where he spits on a vehicle and kicks out a taillight. All we see in this incident is him being taken down.

If that had been me, I would not have chosen to continue to confront these madmen. I try not to be confrontational. That does not look good for a minister or an emergency room nurse. He chose to act on what he thought was correct. Some call him stupid. I think the difference between stupidity and courage is a fine line.

I would like to discuss this. Some examples of courage are standing against bullies, helping out a person facing danger, even if it puts you in danger, or standing against racism or prejudice. This is what Mr. Pretti did.

The agents were doing more than just their jobs. Have you noticed the President and other officials stepping back from what they have been trying to justify? How many will lose their jobs because of this death? He did not want to die, but he was not willing to back away from injustice.

The President says that he is doing what he said he would do by removing illegal immigrants from our country. The problem is the methods they are using. Did you know that Texas has significantly more law violators from other countries than Minnesota? Why did the Immigration officials not start there?

Just this week, an illegal immigrant from South America murdered a man here in Springfield, MO. He is being held in the Greene County jail for an ICE pick-up. Maybe one of those officers from Minnesota who likes to kill people can come get him and see if he makes it across the state line.

We are in the seventh Congressional District of Missouri. Highly Republican and Trumpite in sentiment. If ICE gets him and takes him out of the country and loses him, no one will ever have to worry about him again. We Ozarkians know what to do with murderers.

Some other facts have recently come up. CBS released statistics from a Homeland Security report that reports that less than fourteen percent of the detainees that ICE has seized have been held for being criminals.

We all need to follow Pretti’s lead and not back down from a fight. President Trump says that he wants to remove illegal aliens and send them packing. How about helping the Republican Greene County Sheriff get rid of those in his lock-up?

If they’ve been arrested legally, had their preliminary hearing, and are awaiting extradition back to where they belong, I am sure Sheriff Arnott will have no problem handing them over. Maybe the Homeland Security Director would like to have Trump come with her for a photo opportunity to show they are doing something other than murdering Americans

Veggie Pizza

February 18, 2026

You may have seen this recipe before. We borrowed it from a Pillsbury flyer years ago. It is a family favorite.

Ingredients:

2 ea. rolls crescent roll dough

8 oz. sour cream

2-3 Tbs. horse radish sauce or horse radish

Green onions chopped

Tomatoes chopped

Broccoli florets chopped

Other vegetables that your family likes, such as mushrooms, celery, or cauliflower.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll the crescents out on a baking sheet and flatten to form a solid sheet. Puncture with a fork to prevent bubbling. Bake in the oven at 350 F for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

Mix the sour cream and the horseradish or sauce until well distributed. Spread over the cooled crust. Layer the vegetables over the sauce and cut them to serve. Refrigerate before and after serving.

I know some of you have trouble feeding vegetables to your family. Our daughter, who claimed she did not like onions, ate this as a child and serves it to her kids. Most kids will eat some vegetables if prepared in a fun, appetizing dish. Pick the ones they will eat. You might need to make each pizza half with different ingredients for certain family members.

Take Responsibility

February 17, 2026

Are certain people exempt from the penalties of our legal system? Many people violate our laws every day. In Springfield, police officers run red lights, fail to follow traffic laws, and endanger innocent civilians for no valid reason. As Christians, forgiveness should be our creed. As law-abiding citizens, we sometimes grow fed up with those who believe they are above the law.

Another politician has been accused of driving under the influence. Apparently, he is not going to fight the charge that he was intoxicated. His defense is a 100-year-old law that protects legislators during a session. He did not apologize for betraying his constituents’ trust. He did not admit that he was intoxicated when he was stopped.

Forgiving those who are trying to straighten their lives out might be a good practice for individuals. It is not for the government. Law enforcement should do that, enforce the laws. Whether someone is a politician, a celebrity, a friend of the police, or the police themselves, they should face the full force of the law.

Until no one is given special rights, there will be no equal rights for anyone. When equal rights are mentioned, it is usually in response to racial situations. Our officials need to grow up and realize that the privileges they believe they deserve undermine their authority. The voters need to take responsibility away from these lawbreakers. They should force them from their jobs and require them to work for a living.

Some legislators seem to believe that when they are elected, they become superior to the electorate. The only way to stop this is to remove everyone who shows this type of arrogant attitude. Voters often believe that their legislators should be forgiven, while those from other areas should be removed from their offices. No wonder our country is in the condition it is in.

You all know that our current President still says that he won the election in 2020. He claims it has been proven to be true. The only one who believes this is himself. He cannot admit that he lost. His claim of this injustice brought him back to the eye of the voters, who believe the other lies he tells. Today, he had to take a step back from his Gestapo tactics against illegal aliens.

He needs to admit that he is wrong. Congress has allowed him to continue to try to thwart our laws and even the US Constitution. November will be the election to depose this hypocrisy and turn our government around. We don’t want what MAGA wants. We want America to be Good Again.

Hoover to Ford

February 16, 2026

A vacuum cleaner to an automobile? No, Herbert Hoover accepted the Republican nomination in 1928 and won decisively. Before he ran, he was the Commerce Secretary from 1921 to 1928. He was our thirty-first President from 1929 to 1932. Often blamed for the Great Depression, it was his predecessors who might have been responsible.

Most of us know of FDR, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the only one to be elected four times. The first time was in 1932. Of course, he was a Democrat. I’m sure that you have noticed that we jockey back and forth from one party to the other. The problems in a particular year often result in a change.

Roosevelt attempted to keep the U.S. out of the Second World War, but his speech on December 7, 1941, put us there. Congress, the President, and the American public had to react to the brutality of the Japanese in attacking our base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He served as our 32^nd President until he died in 1945, when Harry Truman, the Vice-President, became the thirty-third to occupy the office.

Truman is known for ending World War II by bombing two Japanese cities with atomic bombs. These were newly developed, and we succeeded shortly before the Germans and Russians. When Truman ran for re-election in 1948, he faced Republican Thomas Dewey, and most of us have seen the headline that stated Dewey had won. An early case of stating false election results.

General Dwight David Eisenhower was elected as our thirty-fourth President and served from 1953 to 1961. He was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe when the Germans were defeated.

What most of you do not know is that Truman requested Eisenhower run as a Democrat in 1952. He declared to the President that he preferred the policies of the Republican party and they nominated him. His Vice President was Richard Nixon, who ran in 1960 because in 1951 the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, which limited our Presidents to two terms.

Now I can speak from personal knowledge of the rest of our Presidents. There will be some non-historical comments on these men. I remember the 1960 election when our thirty-fifth President, John F. Kennedy, defeated Richard Nixon and served from 1961 to his assassination in 1963. I do not have to look up these dates; they are etched in my memories.

Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as the thirty-sixth President after John Kennedy was declared dead in a hospital in Dallas, Texas. He was re-elected in 1964 and declined to run in 1968. Since he served a little more than a year of Kennedy’s term, he was eligible to seek a second term of his own.

Richard Nixon was elected our thirty-seventh President and served from 1969 to 1974. He defeated Johnson’s Vice-President, Hubert Humphrey, and was the first President, and to this date the only one, to resign his office. Next time we will discuss the only President never elected as either President or Vice-President.

Where?

February 15, 2026

We all ask this question at some time. The five questions that we seek to answer in journalism are who, what, when, and where. Why is it seldom added in a straight news story? I often ask that question. I am sure that you will also do this. The question today is where?

Where are you going? Where have you been? For my younger readers, you are more interested in the future. We older folks often focus on the past. We should all look both ways before we take a step. Like your parents taught you when crossing a street.

In my teens, I decided to become a writer. Journalism was my first thought. That is what I trained for in high school. In my first two years of college, I decided to attend a university that had no journalism program, so I listed my major as creative writing. That was the closest they had. That is what I did today.

For me, the answer to where I have been would require many more words than I wish to share here. I desire to encourage you to contemplate not only the places that you have been, but where they have led you and will lead you again. Our path should be plotted by our Lord.

This is what I have attempted to do. My location at this time in a physical sense is not as important as where I am in my spiritual journey. God has taken me through my educational and business careers to my new avocation as an author. This column is a small portion of that.

My ministry continues in the books I am writing. Scripts for plays and shows that I have conceived over the decades are in process. I wish to continue teaching others what Christ has shown me for more than fifty years. This is where I am traveling to.

Your path is different from mine in many ways. I hope that your eternal home is the same as mine. That is in the presence of Jehovah God. This location is usually referred to as Heaven. Some believe this is our default when our bodies die. Part of my ministry is to tell you that this is a lie told by our adversary.

A decision must be made on where you will spend eternity. I’m sorry that I must tell you that the belief I have in the Bible and what it says about Jesus, who is God, compels me to be honest that I do not think you will escape hell unless He is your Lord and Savior.

I advise you not to gamble with your destiny. The choice to accept the gift that you have been given by the life, death, and resurrection of my Lord, Jesus, is life through Him. I hope that is where you will eventually achieve with all His other followers.

A Day for Love

February 14, 2026

Today is Valentine’s Day. This is the day we celebrate love. We are asked what love is, and we have difficulty answering that question.

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NIV

Yes, this is from The Bible. Do you believe what Paul says in this passage? Is love really that important? The question remains, “What is love?” It is not a feeling or an emotion. Say it with me, “I love you.” I am a word nerd. Break the sentence down. I is the subject, you is the object, Love is the verb.

Let’s let Paul define it for us. First Corinthians goes on in the fourth verse, “⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸Love never fails.” NIV

Get it? This is the kind of love that Yahweh God has for us. The Greek word is Agape. You are probably thinking of another Greek word that we translate as love, Eros. Our word erotic comes from that word. It is not what most of us want when we think of love on Valentine’s Day.

We want our valentine to cherish us, care more about us than anyone else does. Those of us who are married wanted that on our wedding day. For some of us, it did not last. Are you in love with your spouse as much as you were on that day?

I must confess that I am not. Today, I am more in love with Cindy than I was fifty years ago. Many of you have not lived for fifty years. Our daughters have not. Does that surprise you that we were married before we had children? For celebrities and other influencers now, this is not the norm. It was for us and our parents and grandparents.

You decided that this person was the one you wanted to spend the rest of your life with. You did not move in with them or spend the night or the weekend. You said, “I do,” and you meant it and kept your promise. We agreed to stay together in sickness and in health, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, and we have.

It hasn’t been easy. Love is hard work. “Love is a choice.” Read the book. Not just the one by that name, but the one I mentioned earlier. Read the Bible. That is where I find my answers. You can as well. You must read it to see them. Or you can follow and subscribe here, and I will continue to share what I have read from it. The choice is yours.

Twenty-fifth through thirty

February 13, 2026

Let’s continue with the twenty-fifth President of the United States. William McKinley served from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. The first to serve in the twentieth century, he was known for imperialism and protectionism. He was reelected in 1900.

He was shot on September sixth, 1901, died on the fourteenth, and his assassin was convicted and executed on October twenty-ninth. Talk about swift justice. Why, with all our more civilized laws, does it take over ten years to accomplish the same thing?

I think many of you have heard of his vice president who became President number 26. Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in and served until 1909. The hero of the Spanish-American War defeated his Democratic opponent and declared he would only run for an additional term in 1904. His choice to succeed him as the Republican candidate was William Howard Taft.

I know you’ve never heard of him. As our twenty-seventh President he served from 1909 to 1913. He is best known for being the only person to serve as President and a Supreme Court Judge. By the time the 1912 election began, Teddy Roosevelt had changed his mind about Taft and opposed him for the Republican nomination.

The organization of Roosevelt’s Progressive Party to oppose Taft caused the election of Democrat Woodrow Wilson in the 1912 election. Taft narrowly defeated the Republican Charles Evans Hughes in 1916. The First World War began in 1917 while he was serving his second term. He advocated the establishment of the League of Nations but opposed the ratification of the treaty to allow the U.S. to join.

The 1920 election saw Wilson running for a third term and losing to Republican Warren G. Harding. He was popular at the time, but after his death, some scandals caused him to fall from favor. The twenty-ninth President died of a heart attack in 1923, and his vice president succeeded him.

Calvin Coolidge was well known in the 1960s. Floyd Lawson, the barber on the Andy Griffith show, was known for attributing many quotes to him. I am not sure if they ever told us anything notable that he said. Silent Cal led our country through the roaring twenties. Fortunately, he was the first V.P. to be invited to attend cabinet meetings.

When the 1924 nomination was made, he took it on the first ballot. As the thirtieth man to hold the office, there are many stories about why he was not more outspoken. One that seems to have been verified as true was that he said, “I think the American people want a solemn ass as a President, and I think I will go along with them.”

Too bad that many of those who followed him did not feel the same way. Now we seem to have to try to forget what the politicians say as quickly as they open their mouths. Next, we will learn about the Great Depression and who blamed whom for it.

United States of America

February 12, 2026

Donald Trump is talking about nationalizing our elections. He wants to do this for himself. It will backfire. He cannot run for President again. He has served two terms. Even if he is impeached next year and forced from office, he will have finished a term and a half, or, for his benefit and others as stupid as he is, six years.

That makes him ineligible for another run, according to the 22^nd Amendment of the Constitution, which is currently Federal law. The only exceptions were for those in office while the states ratified that document. Two Presidents wanted to run for a third term, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama, but could find no legal way to do so.

President Trump has discussed invoking martial law and attempting to overthrow our entire Constitution by declaring a state of emergency. I believe this is why he wants Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as our military and National Guard units, deployed in Democratically controlled states.

No one in the administration where these discussions have been conducted seems to want to admit that this is what he is doing. When his opponents, both of his own party and others, question his intentions, he makes excuses. This reminds me of what Adolf Hitler and other dictators have done elsewhere.

Probably in 2028, the chance of a Republican winning is slim. I don’t think we need either a Democrat or a Republican. They are the ones regularly shutting down our government. They have done this for more than twenty years. It is only getting worse. Twice during the Trump Presidency, it has occurred.

The President wants control of the elections so that he won’t have to worry about losing again. He still claims that he won in 2020 even though there is no legitimate authority that has ever supported his claims. The only ones who believe him are those who killed a security guard, destroyed federal property, attempted to overthrow a legal election, and received pardons from him.

Why is he wrong, once again? The thirteen colonies under England joined together to gain freedom to choose for themselves. They formed an organization that is now referred to as a country. Something that each of these thirteen states wanted was sovereignty. This was once referred to as States Rights. During my lifetime, our system of Constitutional checks and balances has been challenged by all three branches of our government.

My freshman civics teacher taught us that the legislative, executive, and judicial branches were established in our Constitution to stop any of these bodies from becoming despotic. Donald Trump’s appointments to the Supreme Court have restored the balance there.

Now he wants Congress to turn a blind eye, as they have been, thanks to a Republican majority in both houses. In November, we can stop this. Trump is being stopped by our judiciary from overthrowing the Constitution. He tries to accomplish this by executive orders. Congress and our courts must stop tyrants.

Thomas Jefferson and others wrote that this document gave us the right to overthrow our government every four years. That remains our privilege. At least until they are re-elected and can change our laws and Constitution to suit them. Every Congressperson must be defeated. As well as every Senator who is up for a new term.

The Federal government is not our only adversary. State legislators who are adjoined to political parties that want to control We The People must be stopped as well. I am calling on those of you who are young enough to run as non-Partisan candidates for every office in this nation.

I am talking about local, state, and national positions. There are those in the Missouri legislature who want to prevent the citizens of Springfield from voting against policies that we find to be bad for our communities. Even some of our local officials support this. We will stop this here in Missouri.

Throw out those who want Donald Trump or anyone else to run your lives as they see fit. We have a constitution in each state and on the federal level to stop them. These must be upheld and reinforced against the oppression that threatens us today. Tell all of them, “You are fired.”

Roast Beef

February 11, 2026

Do you like nice, sliced, roast beef cooked the way you like it? Cindy and I do. It is expensive in restaurants and almost as bad at the grocery store. This recipe was for prime rib when we found it. We have modified it to be used for any cut of beef we may have.

Ingredients:

Beef Roast

Salt, pepper, and other seasonings you like

Vegetables

Directions:

Preheat oven to 550 degrees F.

Prepare the thawed roast in any appropriate baking dish. I use a metal pan lined with aluminum foil. Season to your preference on both the top and bottom. Use any seasoning that you want. On the one in the picture, the meat was seasoned with a Chicago steak seasoning we like.

Add your vegetables for your side dish to this pan. Season them as you wish. I just used salt and pepper on celery, carrots, onion, and potatoes. That’s what we enjoy. Cover with foil.

Here’s the hard part. Place in a preheated 550-degree oven for your preference:

5 minutes per pound for rare

6 minutes per pound for medium

7 minutes per pound for well done

Set the timer. When the timer goes off, turn off the oven. Reset the timer for two hours. Do not open the oven door from the time you put the dish in until the timer goes off the second time. This is important. You do not want the oven to lose any of the heat.

Sounds weird, doesn’t it? Follow the directions, and any beef roast will come out the way you like it. Don’t know if you like your meat rare, medium, or well done? Rare is still bloody in the middle, medium is red in the center, and well done is tender and moist but with no pink in the thickest part. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? It is.

We’ve used this recipe for many years. I wish we had it when our kids were still home. The first day, we serve it with brown gravy to pour over the beef and veggies. The photo shows a four-pound rump roast that I baked for twenty-eight minutes. Then I turned off the oven and set the timer for two hours. We like ours well done. What do you think?

Walk With a Servant