Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Jesus was sent to redeem us

February 10, 2026

Do you know this? You do not need anyone’s help? That’s alright that you believe that. Jesus said that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. He came to this planet as a baby. That is what Christmas is about. Some do not realize who He is and what He did for us.

He had to come as a baby and live a life like we do. We are children, teenagers, and young adults just as Jesus was. He did nothing to deserve the death penalty except tell the religious leaders of the day that they had it wrong. They were messing up worship, the Sabbath observance, and countless other practices. This was why they wanted to kill Him.

They were not honest enough to come right out and say, “We do not like you, so you must die.” When He asked them why they wanted to kill Him, they ignored the question. He told His followers that the leaders were going to kill Him, and they argued with Him or pretended they did not understand.

Redemption means that a price was paid. The wages of sin are death. Jesus gave us the gift of life. He died for us. All you must do is accept that gift and allow Him to show you how to live the life He has now given to you. When I did that years ago, I thought it was easy. I still do.

One of the complaints that followers of other religions have against the Jesus way of doing things is that the gift is received before you’re required to show a changed life. This is one of those true receive now, change later plans. When I am told someone is not good enough to accept Christ, I tell them that none of us are. That is why He came.

Jehovah’s method of redeeming mankind is often thought of as cruel. A man had to die for others. Many religions, including Judaism, sacrificed animals. God allowed this so that one day, when these creatures were being murdered, He, Himself, would be the ultimate sacrifice.

You cannot call me sadistic if the person who gives himself to you is the one who required it. That is not sadism, that is grace. Who else would make a rule requiring your execution for what you are doing and then take the punishment for you? “A Tale of Two Cities” has nothing on Him.

Are you familiar with trading stamps? Mom collected Green Stamps. This was back in the 1960s. I am bringing this up because we would take those to a redemption center to exchange them for merchandise. Jesus turned himself in to buy you back. I hope you understand how important this is.

The Sixteenth President

February 9, 2026

Let’s see the hands of all of you who do not know this man’s name. I thought so, only three raised your hands. The rest of you knew it was Abraham Lincoln. This was the year of the first Lincoln-Douglas debate. Lincoln was inaugurated in 1861 and was blamed for causing the War Between the States, commonly referred to as the Civil War.

I imagine not as many of you know the name of the seventeenth President. Andrew Johnson was a War Democrat who ran with Lincoln in 1864 for the National Union Party and was the Vice President when he was assassinated. The Republican led Congress impeached him, but the Senate acquitted him by one vote. He was not chosen to run for a second term and left office in 1869.

Ulysses S. Grant had been the Union General attributed to the defeat of the Confederate States. The Republicans nominated him, and he led the Union back to the vigor that had been lost for years. He was credited with unifying the southern and northern states until the twentieth century, when Southern Democrats defamed him. He served as our eighteenth President until 1877.

Rutherford B. Hayes, another Republican, was elected in 1876. There was a problem before he was declared the winner of the election. It was called the Compromise of 1877 when a Congressional Commission awarded twenty contested Electoral votes to Hayes. He stood by his promise not to run for a second term.

The twentieth President is James A. Garfield, who took office in 1881. He was shot in July and died in September, and was succeeded by his Vice President, Chester A. Arthur. Garfield was known for his anti-corruption and pro-civil rights stance. He is often ignored by those who rank our Presidents.

President Arthur continued the reform of the civil service that was begun by his predecessor. A widower, whose wife died shortly before he became Vice President, his sister, Mary, served as White House hostess. He failed to gain the 1884 Republican nomination. Biographers refer to him as one of the most distrusted Presidents when his administration began, but widely respected when he stepped down.

The first Democrat to be elected President after the Civil War was Grover Cleveland, our 22nd and 24th on the list. His first term was from 1885 to 1889, and his second was from 1893 to 1897. He was considered a classic liberal and owed his first win to a defection of some Republicans.

In 1888, the popular vote went to Cleveland even though Benjamin Harrison received more electoral votes. Six western states were added from 1889 to 1893, and the US Navy was refurbished. His tariffs increased the Federal budget but cost him the election in Cleveland.

He was not the only President to lose his second bid for the position due to the economic state of the country during his second attempt. Most economic experts believe that it takes a minimum of twelve years for Presidential policies to affect our economy to a significant extent. Next time, we start with the twenty-fifth man to hold the office.

Last Call for Football

February 8, 2026

Thank God. I get tired of the fall, Christmas, and New Year’s onslaught of NFL and college games. I do not like sports of any kind. I know most of you do not understand that. I do not get why some of you would rather watch TV or movies and never read a book. To me, that is crazy.

I am also tired of Christmas movies at this time of year. If I wanted to see a Christmas rom-com, I have a streaming service and can watch it there. I subscribe to the company I am with to receive specific types of programming. No news, no sports, and many channels that do not offer the latest movies and TV.

We like reruns. We also like new movies and programming from certain channels that are more Christian oriented that the typical providers. We like Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, and The Waltons, and we want family shows of that type.

Another one that we enjoy is Seventh Heaven. Hallmark, MeTV, Cozy, and Great American Family, where is it? Is it too expensive to purchase? I get that. I see it available for purchase on Amazon. It just isn’t one of the freebies, and we are frugal.

So, at this moment, it is Sunday afternoon, February 8, 2026, and the TV is not on. Later, when the Olympics or the Stupid Bowl is on, we will watch something else. We also have a library of Blu-ray and DVD discs to choose from. We might just watch Fraggle Rock. We have the entire Jim Henson series.

The commercial that has the line “Last call for football” is another type of ad I would like to see removed from my channels. Sports gambling is now legal in Missouri. I am sick of Kevin Hart. One syndicate uses him, and the scripts they give him make him look like an insensitive idiot. I know that is one type of character that he portrays.

I hope they paid him enough money for that so that he never needs to work again, because it will be a long time before I will pay to see him in anything. I think these spots are hurting his career, not helping it.

But what do I know? I took a job because I thought God wanted me to, and I ended up unemployed for three years because they lied about me to other companies. How do I know that? In every position I was considered for until I dropped them from my resume, I did not receive an offer. As soon as I left them off the list and made it look like I was working through a temp agency at that time, I got the next job.

Not everything you do is good for you. You can still learn something from everything you do. Maybe even watching football or Christmas movies in February. Whatever floats your boat. Just don’t invite me to your party. I will politely decline.

More Presidents

February 8, 2026

We begin here with William Henry Harrison, number nine, who was elected in 1840 and inaugurated on March 4, 1841. His slogan was Tippecanoe and Tyler, too. He was the hero of the battle there in 1811, and John Tyler ran as his Vice President. His inauguration address was almost two hours long. He died one month after he took office.

His death was originally attributed to pneumonia contracted on inauguration day and later found to be septic shock. John Tyler became the tenth President after much discussion about the succession process. Harrison was the first chief executive to die while holding the office.

John Tyler was a member of the Whig party, like his predecessor and running mate. He finished the term for which they were elected and was well known as a states’ rights supporter. He was opposed by some of his own party for seizing the Presidency that the Constitution said he was entitled to. These squabbles resulted in this being his only term.

In 1845, James K. Polk became the eleventh President. I’m guessing that most of you have never heard of him. He served only one term, which ended in 1849. He was a Democrat and gained the office because he was supported by former President Jackson. The Whigs were divided, so were the Democrats, and the Republicans hadn’t had a viable candidate since they split from the Democrats.

The 1948 Election year was focused on the Mexican American war and all the divisions due to economic difficulties and the westward expansion after Mexico, Spain, and Great Britain made agreements during the Polk years to allow for this. A hero of that war, Zachary Taylor, was the 12^th President from 1849 to 1850.

His Vice President, Millard Fillmore, finished the term. Taylor died of some sort of stomach ailment, possibly cancer, on July 9, 1850. Filmore openly declared slavery evil and helped form the Compromise of 1850, which gave a cooling period for the North and South over that issue. Filmore was from upstate New York and was needed on the Whig ticket to make Zachary Taylor more palatable for the Presidency. Filmore was the last Whig to be President.

Franklin Pierce became the fourteenth President on March 4, 1853. His wife was not there due to the earlier death of their last son. He was a Democrat and was viewed as a compromise between the North and the South. He supported the Fugitive Slave Act and was not his party’s candidate in 1856.

That was when James Buchanan was nominated as the Democrat candidate and defeated former President Filmore that ran on the American Party ticket, and John C. Fremont, the Republican Candidate. He served as the fifteenth President and spent the next four years trying to keep the union together.

In my next column, I will begin with our sixteenth President. If you do not know his name, sit tight, and I will reveal the two famous candidates for the position in 1860. I do not think many of you will be surprised at the winner.

Anger

February 7, 2026

We come to the third life lesson. The first two were stupidity and fear. Go back to October Twenty-Fifth and November 7, 2025, to check out those columns. The first two can trigger anger. We are told “Refrain from anger” in Psalm 37:8

We may tell people that we are not angry when we are frustrated or upset about something. Define the word “a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility.” Are you mad and just do not want to admit it? Let’s be honest with ourselves and each other. That’s what we discussed in the first two columns. Being real about our own stupidity and fear.

We must do the same with our anger. I have been working for years to control mine. I am not always successful. My anger is usually with myself for something that I have done or failed to do. That and stupid people. But, as I said in the first article in this series, we are all stupid at times, especially me.

Proverbs 14:16 says that “A wise man is cautious and turns from evil, but a fool is easily angered and is careless.” None of us can always prevent getting angry. Working on not letting our tempers get the better of us can be difficult. Nahum 1:3 tells us that the Lord is slow to anger.

This is proven by the patience He has shown the Israelites, David, us, and His other followers. Remember how he told Peter to get behind Him and referred to him as Satan. (Mark 8:33, Matthew 16:23) This was prompted by an unwillingness to accept that Jesus must give His life for us.

Paul tells us not to let the sun go down on our anger. (Ephesians 4:26) This is just before his exposition on how we should treat our wives, husbands, and children. He tells us in the sixth chapter of this book not to make our children mad at us. (Ephesians 6:4)

James tells us in his letter that our anger does not accomplish his purposes. The scriptures are full of examples of anger against others, causing us more problems. Stop and think about times you did not hold onto yours. How’d that work for you?

To me, stupidity, fear, and anger are all interrelated. When we do something stupid, it is because of fear or anger. We are all foolish, afraid, and get mad from time to time. These are words that mean many different things to many of us. I wanted to remind all of you, and myself, of what these emotions can do to you. God loves us despite any problems we may have.

Presidents

February 6, 2026

I want you to understand that this series of articles is about all forty-five presidents and not just the two who have birthdays in February. You know some, and others are a mystery to us. We need to learn about all these men before Presidents’ Day.

We all know our first president, who was elected from 1789 to 1797. He had been the Commander-in-Chief of the Patriot forces from the beginning of the war. This position was also given to the president by the newly ratified constitution. George Washington was not affiliated with a political party, even though he seemed to agree with most of the Federalists.

John Adams was Washington’s Vice President for his two terms. He was a Federalist and was elected as the second President and served from 1797 to 1801, when he was defeated by his Vice President, Thomas Jefferson. His stance on the French and Indian War was supposedly the reason.

Jefferson served from 1801 to 1809 as our third President. Jefferson is best known as a Federalist, but his party was listed as Jeffersonian when he ran against Adams. He was the second choice, and that is why he became Vice President. During his terms, we purchased what is called the Louisiana Purchase. This land is now occupied by our Midwest states.

The fourth President elected was James Madison, who served from 1809 to 1817. He was a Democratic-Republican and instrumental in the creation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The War of 1812 began in his first term and ended after he was elected to a second term.

James Monroe took office in 1817 and served as our fifth President until 1825. Monroe was also a Democratic-Republican. The Monroe Doctrine limited European colonialism in the Americas. It is said that he wished to continue pushing across our continent.

In 1824, the election was split between four candidates. No one had an electoral majority. As per the Constitution, the House of Representatives chose John Quincy Adams as the next President. He had served under the first five previous Presidents and was the oldest son of John Adams. He served from 1825 to 1829. John Clay, one of his opponents, was chosen as Secretary of State.

In the next election in 1828, another of his opponents defeated him. Andrew Jackson was a hero of the War of 1812. The deciding factor in defeating Adams was that Clay had been appointed to a high office, which was pointed out as an attempt to deceive the voters. Jackson was our first Democrat President. He served as seventh in line until 1837.

Martin Van Buren ran as Vice President in 1932 with Jackson. After four years as second in command, the Democrats nominated him, and he won the election and became the eighth President in 1837. Van Buren’s bid for his second term resulted in defeat due to the recession that began after he took office, and he was defeated by William Henry Harrison. We will continue next time with him.

I’m in marketing, you want management

February 5, 2026

I began my career as a full-time minister of the gospel in the 1970’s. I have been studying and learning my trade for over five decades. When I think about what I knew then, I am amazed at how little it was. As I ponder my entry into the presence of God, at the time of my death, in another forty or fifty years, I consider how small my grasp of who God really is. At that time, I will join those same people who taught me about him sixty years ago.

When I started my journey through God’s word, I was in my teens. My life of service and ministry has taught me a great deal. Years ago, a friend asked me why God did certain things. The question was about why bad things happen to good people. I did not know the answer. I still do not understand everything about Jehovah. My answer to these inquiries is the same as on that day. “I’m in sales; you want management.”

The ones who are in the upper echelon of every Christian denomination should use the same response. Even the Pope is a representative of Jesus Christ and not the head of the church. We forget that. We try to defend Yahweh and His actions. That is not our job. Our job is to explain what we find in the Bible. I do need to explain to you why things happen the way they do in our world today.

Those are the things that I am still learning from the scriptures. He tells us who He is and why He must work the way He does. My job is to listen to what He says and share those thoughts with you. My ideas are not original. Many others can tell you exactly what I am saying. I may express it differently from others.

Your job is to take what I and other ministers or scholars tell you and check the Bible to be sure we know the Lord the way He reveals Himself in the Word. You do not want to believe in Him because of incorrect information. One of the first things I must tell you is some of the things that He will not do when you become a born-again believer.

As a salesman in the secular world, my job was to promote the products I sold. My employer was wrong if he or she wanted me to lie about the advantages of those items. To be able to tell them what it would do and what it would not do, I had to study the information that was provided about it. I read specification sheets, technical data sheets, and catalogs. I even looked at items being used by customers and, in some cases, used them myself to understand how they performed. I have done exactly that for over fifty years with God.

You will not become perfect. That means you will continue to sin. I know some teach that if you cannot stop sinning, you are not really a believer. Read the Bible. It tells us that if you say you are no longer sinning, you are deceived. Jesus died for our past, present, and future errors.

You will have trials, and others will not treat you perfectly. This is the way it works with fallen humanity. I’m sorry it must be this way, but it just is. Christ can help us get through the tough times if we will let Him.

Where did I see them?

February 4, 2026

You are watching videos, TV shows, or streaming a movie. It doesn’t matter what decade the film or program was made in; they all have faces that we have seen before. During the 1960s, this was a favorite game for dad and mom when they were watching with us

Dad always pointed out the wagon master on “Wagon Train” and Ronald Reagan as the host of “Death Valley Days.” That was before Mr. Reagan became the President of the United States or even the Governor of California. Mom could tell us which actors had been on a soap opera.

My wife and I have been saying this for years. In the 1970s and 80s, we watched “The Love Boat,” an anthology series where almost every former TV and movie star could be seen. I’m sure some of these cost them twenty or thirty dollars, and the big ones as much as a grand. No one got rich except the advertisers.

This was in the days of T and A. Look it up on YouTube if you do recognize that entertainment term. There were many bikini-clad women, if that gives you a clue. Who was on it?

Captain Stubing was played by Gavin MacLeod, and we remembered him as Murray from the “Mary Tyler Moore Show.” Doc was from “Get Smart” and was played by Bernie Kopell. He played a recurring CAOS Agent.

When it comes to the weekly guest stars, the most common were Monty O’Grady and the Love Boat Mermaids, which included Terry Hatcher and others. They appeared in nineteen shows. We know Terri from Lois and Clark and Desperate Housewives, but she began as a mermaid.

Monty began his career in the “Our Gang” series and was a bit player on shows like Charlie’s Angels, Columbo, Little House on the Prairie, Gunsmoke, and many others, and in movies from the 1920s through the 1990s. Don’t look for him in the credits. He is usually a minor character, like a waiter or passenger, which is the part he played in twenty-one episodes of The Love Boat.

Remember Marion Ross, who played Mrs. Cunningham on Happy Days. She became the captain’s wife and was on fourteen episodes. Florence Henderson was on board ten times after she left The Brady Bunch. Charo, Rue McClanahan, Erin Moran, and Connie Stephens each made it nine times.

Patti MacLeod, the ex-wife of the actor who played the captain, was on eight times. Bert Convy, Linda Evans, Carol Channing, Robert Reed, and Donnie Most sailed seven times. Some remember Peter Graves, Milton Berle, Michelle Lee, Lisa Hartman, Ethel Merman, Richard Cline, and Jimmy J.J. Walker, who also portrayed many different characters.

Am I boring you with all these names? Dick Van Patten, Don Adams, Mellissa Sue Anderson, Sonny Bono, Vicky Lawrence, and Tom Bosley may be more familiar to you. Do you get the idea? They booked many different age groups of former and future celebrities.

You may recognize Betty White, Harry Morgan, Harvey Korman, Loretta Switt, Debbie Reynolds, John Astin, Jamie Farr, Cesar Romero, Jayne Wyatt, MacLean Stephenson, Dawn Wells, Bob Denver, Patty Duke, Lorne Green, Will Geer, Mark Harmon, Rich Little, Jim Stafford, Donnie Osmond, Shirley Jones, Janet Jackson, Gene Kelly, Tom Hanks, Frankie Avalon, Michael J. Fox, or Hayley Mills.

If none of these people sound familiar, check back with me later. We’ll discuss some other series where I will drop some more names that I think you will recognize. Some programs begin stars while others remember their careers like Ricky Nelson.

Becoming your parents

February 3, 2026

You’ve seen the commercials. An insurance company tells us that young homeowners are in danger of becoming their parents. Is that such a bad option? I remember the first time I looked in my bathroom mirror, shaving one morning, and saw my Dad staring back at me.

Over the years, I have noticed many of Mom and Dad’s habits and mannerisms that I have picked up. There are some that I try not to emulate. Dad would cross his feet when he sat watching TV. Mine are currently crossed as I work on my laptop.

One of the things in these commercials is the friendliness and ability to speak with others. I have friends whose children have these attributes, except their parents do not. If it is offensive to you for someone to be outgoing, maybe you need to rethink why.

Another scene in these ads involves the homeowner encountering a celebrity. They do nothing embarrassing other than, once again, being friendly. Indeed, this man is not portrayed as knowing how to take a selfie with his phone. The famous man shows him how to change the camera view.

Some of these early spots have obnoxious actions. Pushing food onto guests as they leave a party when they do not want it. Stopping drivers as they go down the street and blocking traffic. Telling others how to do everything from grilling to starting a campfire, or what to order at a restaurant.

These are annoying habits that some have. Blaming your parents for being this way is insulting to those of us who have children who are now homeowners. I am proud of the ways my kids turned out. My sons-in-law tells dad jokes. My daughters and grandchildren even tell my old stories.

I consider imitation to be the greatest form of flattery. These kinds of copying of others might be considered creepy by some. We are led to believe that this behavior is unintentional. We all have pet peeves. Friends or family do things that agitate us. Having a therapist make a living by criticizing patients is probably against their professional rules.

It is a good thing that the part is played by an actor, and these are not based on true stories. Many things we see on TV and in movies show rude or annoying behavior. The problem comes when a project shows illegal activity as perfectly acceptable.

Today is Ground Hog Day

February 2, 2026

That is correct. This is February second and it is the traditional day when we turn to Punxsutawney, PA, and watch Phil XXVI come out and not see his shadow. This year, it was sunny in Pennsylvania. The report that was read was that the rodent had seen its shadow. As this was read, he was held up and deprived of the sleep he wanted for the next six weeks. That part of the day is over. Now what? If, like me, you have the day off, you need to fill your day.

Hunters, this would be a good day to go out and shoot every groundhog you can find. Vengeance for causing six more weeks of winter seems to be justified. Or is it? Varmints do not control the weather. What is winter, anyway? It is a season. One of the four that the angle at which the Earth rotates causes. This creature can’t change anything, especially what season it is. Fortunately, today is not groundhog season.

You could always watch the movie “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray. It is fun to view, but have you thought about the lessons it teaches? The weatherman played by Murray is obnoxious, opinionated, and selfish. No one would refer to him as kind, generous, and selfless. The replay of the same day forces all that to change. Think about yourself. What improvements need to be made in your character?

Meals today should be easy. One main ingredient must be in at least one of them. Today you must eat ground hogs. That’s correct. You must honor the groundhogs of America by eating sausage, which is made from ground hogs. No turkey, chicken, or tofu will do today. Pure pork sausage is what we need today on Ground Hog Day.

Thank you, Jimmy Dean. I guess you can substitute some other form of ground hog. I have seen ground pork or Boston burger, which is a combination of pork and beef. Have you purchased deviled ham or spam in cans? They are both ground ham products, and we all know ham is another pork product.

Some other ways to celebrate the day are to help eliminate the pork that is in our government. The only way to do this is to put people in office who have no affiliation with political parties that owe favors to those who want government money paid for their services.

We all know honest people. Ask some of them to run for your local offices and support their campaigns. My suggestion is to get them to register as non-partisan or any party but Republicans and Democrats. Send the porkers in government back to their holes.

November is the time to dig them out of their dens like they do to Phil every year on February second. This year, it will be the second Tuesday in November to pull the hogs out of their offices. Then maybe next year spring will come early. I hope so.

Walk With a Servant