Bible – Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Stop working for money

September 13, 2026

As a Christian workplace minister for over fifty years, I finally learned to do this. I had this epiphany while having lunch with another minister and asked his advice about a job I was flying to Philadelphia to interview for. “If they offer you more money, take the job.”

That answer did not flow with what I felt Jesus wanted me to do. For years, I had been looking for what He wanted me to do as ministry, not by what I would make from a position. I wanted to leave the company I was with, and I knew that it would be hard to turn this job down.

I had been praying for a different job for years. When this interview became available, I thought it was what I wanted. What you want is difficult to walk away from. I would like to say that I always choose what Jesus has for me and ignore my own desires, like more money. However, that’s not always the way I rock.

I decided to talk to a minister friend of mine and asked him to join me for lunch. I explained to him that I was going for an interview and needed advice about how to be sure it was God’s will. His advice was to take the job if they offered me more money.

Not exactly what I was hoping for. I thought as a minister he would give me advice on how to tell what God wanted me to do. I had heard others speak of ministers using the amount of money they were offered as a reason for taking on a new position. I knew that my family would be provided for no matter where I was led to go.

We all need money to pay bills and live on. My problem is why more of us do not voluntarily help others. I am a writer and speaker. If you contact me to speak to your group, all I will charge is for travel and lodging. I recently turned down a chance to join a speaking group that offered me as many chances to speak as I might want; they did not seem to want to give me the discretion to choose events. If you ask me to help you write your memoir, call me, and we will set times for phone conversations or personal meetings.

You can also use a bartering system to help yourself as you aid others. What can you use to trade with? Do you have a service business or one that manufactures or produces things? Bartering was a common currency in frontier days. It can help reduce inflation in our current climate.

I know many of you volunteer and help family and friends with their projects when you are asked. I suggest that you begin looking for those who need assistance when they do not ask. I always did this in the workplace where I was. I considered it part of my ministry. Remember that Jesus said we should do as much as we could for even the least of His children.

Where Are You Hiding Your Valuables?

September 3, 2026

Matthew 6:19 tells us not to store our treasures here, but to put them in Heaven. How much do you have in your 401 (k)? Did I just say that? My treasures are not to be bankable. As that famous philosopher, The Gambler, said, “Never count your money when you’re sitting at the table. There’ll be time enough for counting when the dealing’s done.”

We need to ask, “What is valuable to you?” I am not thinking of what is usually thought of as valuable. As I answer this question for myself, I encourage you to make your own list. First on my list is my family, and I believe the best way to protect them is by leading them in their faith in Jesus.

The same idea goes for my friends, and most of them are in the group that is in the third place: people I love. The problem is that Jesus said that we should love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Then He went on to tell a story that most of us have heard of that explains who our neighbor should be. (Luke 10:25-37)

Have you heard of the Good Samaritan? Samaritans were hated by the Jews. They were half-breeds. They were from different countries and nationalities. Do any of these descriptions fit those that you do not like? As Christians, we are told to love as Jesus did. For many of us, we do not even know what love is.

It is not liking someone a lot or something that the other person must earn or deserve. Love is what nailed God to a cross to save us from our rebellion. Love is giving yourself for others. It is what the Samaritan did for the injured Jew. He did what was needed despite who they were.

We should value all our relationships whether they are personal, business, or family. Jehovah created this universe so that He could create us to be in relationship with Him. Many wonder why a perfect deity would want to create such an imperfect world with sinful creatures such as humanity.

After we fouled this planet up, Jesus came to die for us. He took three years as an itinerant teacher, re-educating all who would listen about how the Hebrews had corrupted the meaning of the law and prophets. This teaching is one of the valuables that are stored inside believers.

Another thing that is valuable to me is you. You are not just a reader. You are a human being that Jehovah loves. You are important to me because you are special to Him. We like to quote John 3:16: “For God loved the world so much that He sent His only Son so that anyone could be brought to repentance.”

This is how the apostle John interpreted what Jesus did. He did not understand that Jesus was the I Am and not another entity. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” Don’t ask me to explain that statement because all I know is that they are two parts of Yahweh, who is a triune being just as we are.

We are to hide these things that we cherish in the place where Yahweh resides outside of time and space. We call this place Heaven, and Jesus tells us that if we are one of His disciples and a follower, when our bodies fail us, he will come and get us so that we will reside with Him. I hope to see you there.

The Sinner

August 1, 2026

This word describes all of us who have missed the mark. One of the words translated as “sin” literally means “to miss the mark,” as in an archer not hitting the center of the target. We need to understand this concept as related to the law of Jehovah that is written in the Bible.

When we talk about failing to follow His instructions, we often want to give ourselves some slack and want others to be dead on. When He says, “honor your father and mother,” we wonder what the word honor means. Am I missing the mark if I disobey or talk back to them?

We know that saying we hate them is not honoring them. It is like when you drive five miles over the speed limit. You know that you have broken man’s law. There are no lasting consequences if you aren’t stopped, and if five miles is all you are going over, the police might not even bother to pull you over.

The title of this column is taken from an episode of The Waltons. In season one, episode seven, this is the one that introduces John Ritter as the Baptist preacher in their mountain church. Matthew Fordwick is a minister fresh out of seminary who comes to give his first sermon before going onto the mission field.

After a night with Grandpa Walton at the Baldwin home, he has a falling-out with the woman who brought him to Virginia. This uppity missionary is disappointed because the young preacher is exposed to the Baldwin sister’s recipe, which is moonshine or white lightning.

This sheltered Christian man did not recognize the taste of this herbal elixir as bootleg whiskey. I might have made the same error and become intoxicated as well if I were given a beverage with alcohol without my knowledge. We all need others to help us with advice and knowledge to avoid being sinners.

Part of my ministry has been working with young people and trying to help them navigate the road leading to adulthood. I advise them not to begin drinking alcohol at all, but discourage any early use because statistics show that the earlier you start consuming alcohol, the more likely you are to become an alcoholic. The same is true of guiding them through making many other life decisions such as when and with whom to have sex, choosing a career, and a mate.

Condemning others for the choices they make is not our job. If your opinion of someone’s decisions is voiced in a way that does not show compassion, they are more likely to reject any advice or information that you give them. Calling anyone a sinner may not be the best way to help them correct life choices that are causing problems.

Jesus told a story about a young man who left home with his inheritance, wasted it, and finally returned home repentant for the errors he made. His father did not condemn him but rejoiced in his presence. His brother felt slighted about the party that is being held. The father is God, and the brother represents some of us. Is it you?

We can complain about what others have done and condemn them, especially when they have missed the mark. When we miss the mark, we need to ask forgiveness and keep trying to hit the bullseye. Pointing out the other guy’s errors does not get us any closer.

It’s just business

July 23, 2026

I hate that saying. I hear it in movies and TV shows but have never heard it in real life. This phrase is usually proceeded by “It isn’t personal.” But it is personal in business, if you want your commercial relationships to succeed. When your business isn’t personal it will most likely fail.

Relationships must be personal or else they will not work. The opposite of personal is impersonal like immoral is not moral. Let me tell you about the similarities and contrasts in my life for the last seventy years. I should probably say sixty-five because I don’t remember much before 1960.

My parents made raising my brothers and sister and I a job that they participated in. We rarely had a babysitter. My oldest brother could watch us by the time I was eight or nine and our parents allowed that from time to time. This was usually at home, but he also took my other brother and I to the park, school, and the movies.

He and the rest of my family were there for us. They did it because they cared about us and not because someone paid them to do it. I remember going to my uncle Dean’s home for a family event after we had an accident in our car. He saw the damage and proceeded to do what he could to repair it quickly. I thought of that day when we were at his funeral.

My first boss, when I turned sixteen, demonstrated that you can operate a business providing teenagers with work experience and a paycheck while encouraging them to work hard. Our daughters were fortunate enough to have a similar experience in their early years. It was personal and not just business.

I’ve spent over fifty years in ministry and after a few years I determined my ministry was in the workplace. I was to serve the people I encountered in business and just in life for Jesus. I have been a friend, a listening ear, a confidant, and even a pastor to many even though I have never pastored a church.

I have performed weddings, funerals, and answered questions about anything they would ask. I have answered the tough questions. I think the hardest was, “If God created everything, who created God?” The answer, “He has always existed. That is what makes Him God.” His name is “I am that I am.” I knew this question was coming and did not know the answer until it was asked. In that moment, I just answered what came to my mind through Holy Spirit.

If you think the decisions that you make in your business life are not personal, let me ask you to put yourself in place of the one that is affected. If you were laid off, had your pay frozen, or refused a promotion, would you accept this as just being business? Decisions should affect everyone in the company, not just certain people or departments.

Mountains and molehills

June 22, 2026

I’m one of those baby boomers, and I am proud of it. Unlike some of you, I grew up in a time when things were much easier. We weren’t worried about gunmen at school or in the streets. All we had to be concerned about was whether the USSR would decide to drop atomic bombs on us.

It never happened because we had the first nuclear devices and had used them in Japan. They knew our work. Some of the phrases we oldsters use may sound like your teenage speaking does to us. I thought I would discuss them descriptively.

We all know what a mountain is, even though in the Ozark Mountains, they are only hills. Not ones made by moles and yet they are not mountains, either. A mole digs in the ground and tunnels close to the surface, making small, raised patches of earth that are called mole hills. The saying is, “Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.”

The point of the saying is not to blow things out of proportion. We all tend to give extra power to people and things that are not that important. I have had many bosses over the years who were not liked by some of their employees. This was one of the complaints that often reared its ugly head.

Why were such trivial things so important to those in charge? Many times, the smallest mistakes seemed to be those that management stresses about the most. I have another one that you may not know. “Putting the cart before the horse.”

This one sounds easy to interpret to me, but I have heard it all my life. We all know that if the wagon is ahead of the horse, it cannot push it. He must pull it to move it. What it means is to keep things in their properly ordained places. One time I heard this was when a neighbor’s son got his girlfriend pregnant. That was not accepted in the 1960s.

Another horse saying was, “Hold your horses.” This goes all the way back to when my grandparents were responsible for securing the livestock in their teens. When I was eight, I never thought of them being that young; today, it is much easier. This one means that we need to wait patiently.

“Minding your P’s and Q’s” is a throwback to the days of British public houses. Ale was served in pints and quarts, and the bartender would warn overactive patrons by using this phrase. Get it, Pints and Quarts could be knocked off the bar or tables. In my day, it meant that we should behave. As a child, I heard it a lot.

There are sayings about saving money and not being ripped off. We need more of these today with all the scammers around. “Don’t take any wooden nickels” is the way we said it. Springfield, MO, where I live, had a restaurant called the Wooden Nickel, and I still have one of their basswood nickels with an Indian head on it.

The last one I will mention is “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.” That is an expression of surprise like “Just shoot my foot,” or “When hell freezes over.” By the way, or BTW, I am old enough to have gone to see “Disney’s Monkey’s Uncle” when it first debuted in theatres. Check that one out on Disney Plus.

Ten steps to love

June 16, 2026

This is the title of a Hallmark romcom my wife and I recently viewed. It was an excellent film because the man and woman disagreed about her list-making. I am not a list maker. I do not create any kind of plan for my articles or books. I don’t ever outline a book before starting to write one.

There are many twelve-step programs that you can follow from AA, NA, or any other type of addiction you can imagine. I am constantly reading articles with numbers in them. Five Character Types for Your Novel is just one of them. Numbers seem to be something that a lot of people worry about. I don’t.

My focus is on listening to what my Lord and Savior is trying to tell me every moment of my life. One of the things that I have been working on for a while is a book that I have entitled “Douloi Marriage.” It is a manual for how to serve your husband or wife.

As I have been writing different chapters, one that has developed is Steps to Love. It is based on the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians from the Bible. You know the one that says love is patient and kind. This is the love that Jehovah has for us, and it is the best kind of love for married couples.

Patience is the first step to love because a marriage will not last if you cannot wait for your spouse. Longsuffering is the word in the King James Version. Kindness is next, and a marriage without kindness will never endure.

The next step toward love is to avoid envy. This ugly green monster shows its head when one of the partners feels the other is in a better role. I’ve seen wives who thought that they were required to do all the housework, and the man spent too much time on himself. This can also be reversed in other couples.

Some of the other things that love is not are boastful or proud. Humility embodies these ideas and is our fourth step, which is one of the attributes of Jesus that we all should emulate. Being selfless is another part of our path that we must follow in our marriages.

Getting angry with the one you love is the next emotion that we must avoid in our family life. Keeping records of wrongs can also destroy a relationship. Some of us like lists, and if you are the woman in the movie, the only lists you should have for your spouse are positive characteristics.

The last three steps that must be taken to keep love alive are truth, trust, and continuing to persevere in the relationship. We all know couples who have failed in these steps. These ten methods to keep our love alive can be a great deal of work. As you walk this path, keep in mind that you are a team and together with the Lord, you can accomplish anything.

Grief is a tricky thing

May 26, 2026

I’ve been to many funerals over the years, and not even one has been for anyone who was not considered a good person. I am not sure that all “good people” qualify as born-again believers, but there is one question after a funeral that is universal.

“Would they have been touched by the heartfelt words that were shared?” Recently, I was at a service for a long-time friend who had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for years. Early on, he had asked our former pastor to officiate for him. This minister passed away last year.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a young pastor listed on the program in his place. The best part was that this preacher is the husband of one of the granddaughters. As a grandson-in-law, he has access to the library of sermons his ancestor used for these occasions. One was selected that I recognized from previous events.

One of my favorite parts in the Bible was used from John 14, where Jesus tells us that He is preparing a place for all his children. I have requested one of my former pastors to use this scripture at my service. He’s young enough, and I hope he will still be around when I die at 120.

It is said that nothing is certain except death and taxes. Another certainty is that when most of us go home, someone will grieve. I have some encouragement for you who are undergoing this process: if they were born-again believers, they are with our Lord and Savior.

Many verses in scripture assure us of this fact. I could write an entire series of columns on those verses, but I have done that before and will again when I am told to. My task today is to share what I know about this thing we call grief.

Grief is a tricky thing. Everyone goes through it, and while we can identify stages of dealing with grief, it is difficult to know what others are going through, even if you have lost someone. When my oldest brother died of a heart attack, his sons asked me if he was in Heaven.

Like many of us, he had accepted Christ at an early age, and his actions during his life were not what most church people would take as proof of this salvation. In my own case, I am sure some would deny that I made it either. These are people who think Christians must be perfect to see God when they die.

I shared with them that Kenny had made two professions of faith. One, before I was old enough to remember, and the second when we were teenagers. I saw him pray the sinner’s prayer and be baptized. The gospels say this is the one thing Jesus tells us we must do: admit our sin and ask for forgiveness.

Another problem with grief is that if we have made mistakes with friends and family and never gotten over all the problems, we may feel guilty. Remember to take it one step at a time. Grief’s a tricky thing.

One talent man

May 25, 2026

This is an idea I received from a preacher I heard recently. His sermon was on the parable that Jesus told of a ruler giving money to each of three servants before he left on a trip. This is written in Matthew 25:14-30. Read the story if you are not familiar with it.

Nathan, the speaker, talked about the reward the first two received for doubling the investment given to them. For those of you who are not familiar with the monetary value of talent, it is approximately one year’s wages. I have heard the analogy of this coin being about our spiritual gifts and abilities.

The man who received a single year’s salary was afraid of this ruler and did not wish to take a chance on failing. We were urged to not compare what God gives us with what others receive. Using what you have access to in the best way is what we should strive for.

The results of not investing the sum given to him caused dire results for the third fellow. I would like to take this story and alter the circumstances and the ultimate lesson. As a child, I recognized early on that I had few positive attributes. I was good at school subjects, and my favorite subject was English.

When the minister spoke of how many talents some are gifted with, it made me realize that I cannot sing or dance, and have no abilities for sports. Going into high school, I thought the only thing I was adept at was writing, so I chose a career in journalism.

In the 1970s, reporting changed from print to an emphasis on broadcast media. Watching Walter Cronkite and others on television made me realize that my shyness and fear of speaking in front of others needed to be overcome. My plan was to begin journalism in my junior year, and I started three years of speech and debate the year before.

My sophomore year in college, I was asked to preach at my church on youth Sunday. My single talent had multiplied into two when Christ called me into ministry later that spring. Returning to the parable, what would have changed if the one-talent man had an increase on the deposit made with him? He would have been rewarded as the other two were. Remember that they were given additional responsibilities.

I told Nathan, after church, that I was the One-Talent Man he had spoken of, except that when I was called to account for my gift, I had doubled it. Since finishing college, those abilities have continued to multiply exponentially.

My business and ministry experience has given me opportunities to learn leadership, counseling, and crisis negotiating skills, as well as given me a life of service to others, and has added to my knowledge, which has made my writing more prolific and enjoyable. Thank God, if you are a one-talent man.

Why the Sabbath?

May 19, 2026

Christians and Jews celebrate a Sabbath or a day of rest because God made it one of His commandments. Around Springfield, MO, there used to be a “Blue Law” that prohibited certain types of stores from being open on Sundays and products such as alcoholic beverages from being sold. Those laws have been removed from the books for many years.

Why would God tell us to take one day off every seven? According to Exodus and Leviticus, it is to be Holy or separate, and by Jewish law, no work was to be done. The Talmud (Jewish holy law) even specifies the number of steps a Jew could take before it became work and violated the Sabbath. Is there a reason for this?

Today, doctors tell us that we must get the proper amount of rest. They focus mostly on the number of hours of sleep each night. There has been research into the effects of not taking at least one day off each week. Some companies have found that a four-day work week works for them.

Paid time off or vacation time is often a benefit that your employer provides. Most of us work forty hours per week, and that should give us two or more days of downtime that we can use each week. If you do not use this time to rest, then your health may suffer.

There seems to be a trend among younger workers to spend more than forty hours a week on their occupation. I remember being on a salary and believing that I should work as much extra as was needed without additional compensation. I thought this would be appreciated by my bosses. This did not work out.

Because of that, I advise you not to put your life on hold for something that you might receive. I’ve had employers make promises that I had to fight for, or that never appeared. Let’s face it, the wealthy sometimes get that way by cheating and lying. I did not mention President Trump so that he has no recourse against me if some know he fits this description.

I worked my way up to five weeks’ vacation at one position before leaving them for a different job. I went to work there because I wanted to stay with a company that has room for growth. I stayed with them until they convinced me that they did not agree with me that I could continue to progress.

I’m not saying that money should be your focus in employment choices. Work-life balance is important, and the old saying is true: “All work and no play makes Chuck a dull boy.” Put your name in for mine on this quotation.

Modern research tells us that this balance, proper sleep and nutrition, as well as getting away from stress, is the reason not to work seven days a week. Even the Beatles knew that Eight Days a Week was not enough for the best things in life. It should not surprise us that Jehovah reminds us to give Him one day.

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.

Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Walk With a Servant

Tag: Bible