christianity – Page 2 – Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Good Friday?

April 3, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Easter week

April 2, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“It just doesn’t happen twice.”

March 27, 2026

This is a line from the movie “Sleepless in Seattle” that is uttered by Tom Hanks, whose character has lost his wife to cancer. He is talking about love that results in a once-in-a-lifetime marriage. Some refer to this as your soulmate. I do not find this concept ever presented in scripture.

Many of the Bible characters that I admire have had multiple relationships that worked. Abrahm and Sarai are an epic. He’s not the perfect husband. She sticks with him even when he wimps out, and not just once. By the time Jehovah renames them to Abraham and Sarah, his faith has grown, and she has learned to trust her husband and God.

After the birth of Isaac and the death of Sarah, Abraham finds other wives and has more children. Those relationships are also important. Their children are the ancestors of many of the Arab nations that hate the Jews.

David’s first wife is the daughter of Saul, who was rewarded for killing Goliath. Read the stories of Abigail and Bethsheba and others. Then there is the last woman in his life. Her one purpose is to keep him warm at night. There is no sexual desire. There is no marriage. She’s a bed warmer. A companion.

As our lives progress, we have many types of love. There are flaming romances. We all experience friendships with others, in both genders. Love can be for both men and women for both men and women because sex is not love. One is physical, and the other is not.

There is brotherly love, which can also be called sisterly love. This is a friendship that is cultivated by those who have it. We need more people who treat others like family. That is the essence of this type of love.

Next, we should talk about the love of parents for children and vice versa. Some believe that this is normal for everyone. It is not. Some children are given up by their birth parents because they do not want them. There are also cases where one parent will leave. Often, this is a problem between the couple. Sometimes it is just selfishness that overrides love.

Jesus tells us that the one attribute we Christians should have is love. Jehovah told the Hebrews to love their neighbor as they love themselves. One man asked Jesus who his neighbor was. Do you remember the answer? He did not say it was the people next door or across the street.

He told a story that many people have heard, even if they have never read the Bible. It is called the Good Samaritan. Samaritans were hated by the Israelites. They lived in what had been the ten northern tribes that rebelled against Solomon’s son.

The kicker of this is that the Samaritan rescued a Jew who had been attacked and left for dead. Jesus also mentioned that a Priest and a Levite saw the injured man and crossed the road to go around him. When our savior spoke of love, it was agape, not any of the human loves. This type of love must happen more than just once.

Being

March 4, 2026

Moses was standing there in the wilderness talking to a bush. Imagine if you walked up on this scene. I know what I would think. This man has been in the sun too long. He has completely lost it. And yet, he was talking to the creator of the universe.

Hard to conceive of a bush being the presence of the almighty God. He tells us He is omnipresent. As they say of Chicken man, “He’s everywhere. He’s everywhere.” The bush should have been consumed by the fire that attracted his attention. He stood there and a voice came from the fire and said to take off his shoes because he was standing on sacred ground. The presence of Yahweh is holy.

Moses asked who he should tell people it was that had sent him. “I am that I am, has sent you.” He has always been, He is, and He will always be. Got it? Probably not. Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am.” God just said that He was.

No explanation, just go and get my people out of slavery and tell them that the I Am sent you. He exists. God is not dead. God is not an imaginary concept of the human mind. Jehovah has always existed. Religion may be the opiate of the people and yet, there is a supreme creator God.

Yahweh is another way to say I Am. It is another Hebrew way of saying being. It is a simple way of stating that He was, is, and will always be. He cannot die, but He was born as a human being and was named Jesus by His Earthly mother.

Years ago, one of my nephews asked me, “If God made everything, who made God?” My answer was not an easy one. I had been warned by my brother that his son would be asking this question. I prayed and thought about what I could say. On that day, I still did not have an answer until I replied to him.

“God has always existed. That is what makes Him God.” That is how I responded. That is what I Am means. Until that moment when I answered the question, I did not get it. Now I do. When someone asks you about this, use that answer. God gave it to me, and I am giving it to you.

For those of you that do not believe that Jesus is God let me explain. The Christ said, “I and the Father are One.” (John 10:30) He also said, “I am the good shepherd.” (John 10:11) “I am the Door.” (John 10:7) “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:35) And the reason He was crucified was because he told the Jewish leaders He was the Messiah. (Matthew 26:64) He said, “I Am.”

Think about this for a little while. Jehovah has always existed. He is. Read the Bible. I could give you many more examples than the ones I have included here. I will save those until another column. When I finish “Cosmic Flatulence” and “The Inedible Credible Egg” you can read them.

Lost, yet found

February 26, 2026

Recently, our dog was able to get out of our fenced backyard. We were devastated and went looking for him. My wife posted pictures of him on Facebook and Lea’s Lost and Found. He was returned to us by a very kind lady who told us he came up to her, scratching on her car door.

Friends were watching in our neighborhood, and a doorbell video was sent to us, and he was found not far from that location. He had a chip, collar, and rabies tag, which helped to identify him as ours. A few thoughts have come to my mind.

Thank you to everyone who saw the posts and especially to the lady who took him to her home and brought Biscuit to me after Cindy called her and identified him. She was kind and knew he had to belong to someone who was looking for him. Thank you also to Lea Moody and KY3 for the site that was used to establish contact between us and the woman that he went to.

When we first took Biscuit in from a family whose father had gone into a nursing home, we had him run off if he got out into the unfenced front yard. We had a chip put into him by the Humane Society. Thank you to them, as well. They work hard to help families keep and reconnect with their pets.

When he returned home, he was so happy to be back. His attitude toward being out in our fenced backyard was different. He was anxious and did not want to be left alone. We could tell that he was afraid he might have lost humans who loved him, again.

For those of you who do not know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, have you realized that you are lost and need to be found? We are smarter than dogs. Biscuit knew to go to a human hoping for help. You need to go to Jehovah and ask Him to take you back into His good graces by accepting Him as your savior and Lord.

You say you do not believe in God or Jesus. Do you believe that anyone could help you with your feelings of being lost? Why not give Him a try? A lost dog tried the first person he found. That turned out to be the one that could help. Make the attempt. Finding someone to talk to about your feelings is another thing to do. If you have a church that you know, the pastor might be a person to help you. Ask him or her to tell you about Jesus as well.

Don’t use the excuse that you have done things that God would never forgive. There is only one sin that He will not forgive. That is rejecting His Son. Have you read about the two men who were crucified with Jesus? One rejected Him, and the other asked to be remembered when He came into His Kingdom. That man was told he would be with Jesus that day.

Refusing to believe is your choice. Suffering the consequences of your choices is a common thing for us. Do not believe that Yahweh will make you live with Him throughout eternity if you do not wish to. After all, He wants you to have what you want, even if that is a life without Him.

Life Through the Valleys and Over the Mountain Tops.

January 9, 2026

A Bible Trekking experience.

INTRODUCTION

The preacher was not an ordained minister. He was the Vice-Principal of our local High School. He was at our church to thank members who assisted at the school and to encourage others to join them. His topic was mountains and valleys. He is the inspiration for this book.

In the mountains

Day One

“Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not fear evil: for you are with me. Your rod and your staff comfort me.”

Psalm 23: 4

In the summer of 1975, I spent ten weeks in Pennsylvania. I was working as a summer missionary with the pastor of the Bolivar Road Baptist church in Bradford. My main responsibility was to serve as student pastor for the Hill Top Baptist Chapel in Gifford. I do not remember how many lived in that small mountain community at that time. It was so small that we walked to the post office to pick up our mail.

I taught a youth Sunday School class, preached in the morning, and led an evening Bible study. On Wednesday evenings, I led the prayer meeting. We were amid the Allegheny mountains, and many times that summer, I would take a walk into the woods. Early on, I purchased a flashlight that I took with me in the evening in case the sun began to fade before I returned to the house. It got dark early in the forest, and often I would turn off the flashlight as I stepped out of the trees.

Studying the Bible had been my life for over a year. I entered Southwest Baptist College as a junior transferring from a state school where I had been a creative writing major. My plan was to transfer to a different university to study journalism. God’s plan was for me to study His Word.

This was a mountain top experience in more than one way. I have lived all my life in the Ozark Mountains. Nothing in my experience prepared me for the Alleghenies.

If you have never been to the Ozarks, you don’t know that this part of the country is just hills. There are no true mountains in the Ozarks. Some refer to it as the Ozarks Plateau.

The valley is often looked down on by those that live in the highlands. David knew a great deal about hills, valleys, and mountains. He fought the lion and the bear as he protected the sheep. He played for King Saul when he was depressed. He killed Goliath and helped route the entire Philistine army but had to run from the King to save himself because of jealousy.

What causes you concern? Use His rod and staff to comfort yourself. His rod is what the shepherd uses to pull the lambs back from the edge of cliffs. The staff is the weapon that defends him and the flock from predators. We will continue to investigate the highs and the lows of following Christ.

Time of the year

December 19, 2025

The song you just watched says “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” I agree that the Christmas season can be a great period for some of us. For others, it is not that enjoyable. You may have lost someone, and the holidays are a reminder of that loss. If you are not watchful, you can be taken in by scams and fraud even more at this time.

That is what I want to talk to you about. Those people who use the most wonderful time of the year for not-so-fantastic experiences for others. I am not just addressing the criminals. Let’s talk about Christians. Some of my readers are like me and have been disappointed and given up on Church People.

First, I think we need to qualify what I mean by a Christian. If you mark the box that says Christian on a questionnaire, that does not make you a follower of Christ. Christian means Little Christ. Jesus, who is called the Chris,t died for everyone in the world. He did this because He loves us. When we do not love others, we cannot truly call ourselves by His name.

A follower of Christ can be broken down into two categories. The first is those who have accepted Him as their savior. I call this having fire insurance. Many have had a salvation experience, but may not have made the extra commitment that we call making Jesus our Lord.

When I was eighteen, I decided that while I had been a Christian since I was eleven, I needed to make the choice for Jesus to be my Lord and my Savior. Since then, I have been learning as much as I can about God, Jesus, and the Bible.

Describing Christmas as the most wonderful time of the year is not something that I normally do. Gathering with family and friends from Thanksgiving through the New Year is often a good time for us. I can make an argument that other holidays that bring us together are just as joyful.

For those of us who are born-again believers, all year is a blessed time. This was one promise He made to His followers. “I am with you always, even to the end of the Earth.” (Matthew 28:20) He also gives us joy throughout the year. (John 17:13, Galatians 5:22) Having this joy in our lives does much for us.

In the last year, several of my friends have gone home to be with our Lord. For their families and friends, I want to encourage them that they will miss them during these celebrations, but keep in mind that we are all together in the presence of our Lord with them. We just do not have a visual confirmation of that with our earthly eyes. (1 Corinthians 13:12, Hebrews 11:1)

If you have lost someone and do not know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, please contact me or someone that you know is a believer. We can lead you to a saving knowledge of this person we call Jesus, and when your earthly life ends, you will join us.

See ya’ later, Calvin

November 16, 2025

Our long-time pastor and friend, Calvin Maberry, is now home with Jesus. He left his earth suit and went home on Friday morning. If you do not know this man of God, let me tell you about him.

I met him the first time I went to Hamlin Church with Cindy. She was raised in that congregation, and he and his wife, Arlene, had worked with the youth and became their pastor a few years before. I instantly liked Calvin and Arlene, even if she told me I better not hurt my new girlfriend.

Their family lived outside of Willard, MO, and their three kids were Cindy’s friends. My future wife was a fifteen-year-old, and Arlene was her Sunday School teacher. This may be the reason that I was given the warning. I was a junior in college at the time.

Calvin became a mentor to me as I negotiated my way through college as a ministerial student. They were at our wedding and supported us for the last fifty-plus years as we attended many classes that they were part of.

My first opportunity to officiate at a wedding took place while we were living in Joplin, MO. Calvin advised me on common ceremonies and problems I might have. The pastor of the bride was not someone I knew, and I felt more comfortable with Brother Maberry than our pastor in Joplin.

Years later, when I was asked to officiate at my first funeral, Pastor Calvin was there for me as well. He gave me some sage advice that I have heard from him often. Follow what you believe the Lord wants you to do, and follow what the family asks you to do. Other ministers I knew told me before other funerals what were different opinions of what should be done.

When Calvin decided to announce his retirement as our pastor, we spoke about it before it was announced to the church. I was the Chairman of the Deacon body and would be responsible for helping that group lead the congregation through the transition period.

I was the one who asked him to allow the church to bestow the title of Pastor Emeritus on him when we celebrated his term as our under shepherd. I felt like I was fighting an uphill battle to convince him to accept that honor. Life at the church changed a great deal after that.

For a few years, we saw him and Arlene occasionally at church, but bumped into them at many other places. They always asked how we were getting along and how the girls were. They were always the adoptive grandparents to the kids at Hamlin.

When Arlene was fighting the Illness that ultimately took her life, Calvin was scheduled for bypass surgery. I had just gone through that operation and tried to encourage him that it was difficult, but the Lord would see him through it. I remember that he told me that if it were not for Arlene needing him, he would not have had the surgery. He was ready to go home.

Now that he is there with her, his savior and Lord, and all those that still call him pastor Calvin and friend, I am continuing to look forward to the day that Christ says welcome home to me as well. I know that we are there together, even though some do not realize it, yet.

Who made you a disciple?

October 22, 2025

In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus tells His disciples to go into all the world and make disciples and teach those converts everything they have been taught by Him. Someone led you to Jesus. It may have been your parents, grandparents, pastor, friends, or others. A pastor friend of mine accepted Christ after watching a Billy Graham sermon on TV.

After this salvation experience, he was discipled by friends and family. When I met him, we were both in college as ministerial students. Others encouraged both of us to accept our calls to the ministry. After graduation, we went our separate ways. I cannot remember his name, but I know he has discipled many others as I have.

Consider your story. Identify the important people who have led your walk. My father was a licensed minister before I was born. We were raised in church and encouraged to accept Christ at an early age. My brothers and I remained at our home church after our parents and sisters began going to another.

This body was instrumental in my accepting my call to full-time gospel ministry. Sunday School teachers, pastors, friends, and family all discipled me for the next ten years until I graduated from college.

I worked with the Southern Baptist Home Mission Board as a summer missionary while still in college and learned a great deal from that experience and the people I worked with for ten weeks. I have used many of the things I picked up that summer throughout my life.

The point I want to make in this column is that we all need help learning how to follow our Lord. Your job as a believer is to assist your brothers and sisters in Christ. Others are there for you. That is the idea of service that Jesus taught His disciples.

We all should think of the folks that we are familiar with and how we can guide them into a deeper relationship with our savior. Prayer, Bible study, and fellowship are all methods that can be utilized.

Jesus said, “As you go, make disciples, teaching them everything you know, immersing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Educate them in what Holy Spirit teaches you. I hope this column is a small help to you as you grow.

Gifford

July 24, 2025

I began in ‘Fifty Years Ago’ by telling you about where I was in 1975. I found myself in the city of Gifford, Pennsylvania. I was serving as a summer missionary and had a family for the summer that was not my birth family. I told you about Phil, Marriane, and Mary Anne. Let me tell you about the rest of the family.

Down the road lived Skip, also known as Phil, Jr., and his wife and children. Somewhat further away was David, his wife, and their child. I could walk to these two homes from the old house where I was staying. Phil and Marianne had moved into a house that was scheduled for demolition, rather than building a new house on the family property, as their two sons had done.

Also on the property was a mobile sanctuary for Hilltop Baptist Chapel. It was a modified trailer house provided by the Southern Baptist Home Mission Board. That summer, I learned a great deal about what HMB did for the ministries that were under their auspices.

The pastor at Bolivar Road Baptist in Bradford served at Hilltop as well as the home church. For that summer, he did not have to skip Sunday School to drive up the mountain to preach first, then back down for their services. I preached Sunday Mornings, led a Bible Study Sunday Night, and a prayer meeting on Wednesday night.

https://www.facebook.com/PastorMaxSimms/

Included in our ministries, mine and my fellow summer missionaries, were Vacation Bible School and revivals at these two churches, as well as two other churches that our youth groups went to for the summer months.

On Sunday Nights, I went to help the youth choir at Bolivar Road. The ladies were leading and joining the youth. I joined them as well. For the first week. The second week, I was asked to talk with the ladies before practice. They asked me not to sing with the choir. So, I helped off stage and behind the scenes. I have told people for fifty years that I am the only person I know who was asked to leave a youth choir.

https://www.facebook.com/BradfordBaptistChurchInc

Fortunately, I already knew that I could not carry a tune in a bucket. I learned that in the sixth grade, our new music teacher took four of us aside for special training to help us sing on key. After six months, she gave up on two of us. She decided nothing she did would help us,

Back on the mountain, I would walk a trail into the trees whenever I had spare time. During the day, I took my Bible with me and would study where God was the only one to teach me. I’ve been letting Him do that for me for fifty years now.

At night, when I walked into the trees, I was careful to stay on the trail, only to go a few feet in. Having spent a lot of time on farms in Missouri, I was not your ordinary city boy. I have milked cows, plucked chickens, and picked many different fruits, vegetables, and berries. After the woods were engulfed in darkness, the stars shining through the trees were beautiful.

It is difficult to condense ten weeks into a couple of columns. Look for the true story of an Ozarks boy in the land of Yankees in the next report. See you then.

Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Walk With a Servant

Tag: christianity