Faith – Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

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.

Perception or truth

August 8, 2026

One employee is sitting at the computer working on what they were told to do three hours before. The boss is pleased because they are still on the task they were given. He does not know this job will only take them thirty minutes to perform, because he does not know how to do it.

The same official passes another employee who is in a breakroom getting a cup of coffee. He is there with two others who have been drinking coffee for fifteen minutes, and they all go back to their respective desks. “How long have they been in the break room?” he asks his secretary. “Fifteen minutes,” is the reply.

Later that day, the man who was pouring a cup of coffee is reprimanded. He is confused since he had gotten up from his workstation for the first time in three hours and is told he was drinking coffee for fifteen minutes. It is never mentioned to those who were the ones his secretary was talking about.

Perception is the problem in this case. Or, if you have my attitude, the misconceptions of an inefficient supervisor. I hope this has never happened to you. It has been done to thousands of associates at offices and plants all over the world. I know because I’ve seen it here in the U.S., and I believe that people are the same everywhere.

I’ll give you a couple of personal examples. I walked up on the line at a restaurant where I was a manager and saw three people correcting a problem with a customer order. One was out of his workstation. I jumped on him to get back where he belonged.

Once the problem was worked out, the other two informed me that the error was theirs and the young man just came over to help sort things out. I immediately went to him and apologized for my error and thanked him for his efforts.

A few days later, a tray of food flies over his head and hits a wall. The manager who threw it, my boss, storms out of the building. The situation was the same; an order was filled incorrectly. I took this as a sign that I needed to find employment elsewhere and did so. This was my last food service position, and I continued in other industries.

The problem of perception overruling truth is all around us. We often must look beyond what seems to be obvious to us to determine what the reality is. Many companies die because their managers and owners accept perceptions as truth and fail to see the forest for the trees.

I left an employer early on, expecting his business to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and then it took place a few months later. I was a purchasing agent and was constantly having to ask accounting to pay bills that were overdue to clear our accounts to ship new orders. My perception was that our bills should be paid on time.

There are those who have a perception that if they do not pay their bills promptly, nothing will happen. It may take a foreclosure or threat of some catastrophe to correct this erroneous thinking. In business, I’ve made those calls to clients asking for a past-due invoice to be paid. I always considered it a truth that they could pay, if they wanted to. What are your perceptions of the truth, and are you sure you are correct?

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.

Improving brain power

June 20, 2026

Did you know that you can increase your mental ability with an app or a pill? That’s what they tell you about on the TV commercials. I am getting tired of companies pushing medicines, supplements, and phone applications to fix situations we should see a doctor about.

Last year, I had been trying one of the over-the-counter supplements to aid memory, and it was not working. I was concerned about Alzheimer’s or dementia and decided to ask my doctor to determine if it was what is expected for my age. After a few tests, I was given a prescription that works for age-related memory loss.

There are prescription drugs that a neurologist can prescribe for this type of situation. I’ve been on one of these and have had significant improvement. Another way to benefit your brain is by playing games such as Sudoku, reading and writing, and practicing mind-expanding exercises.

One of these ads I have seen promotes an app that helps you build your vocabulary. Put the phone down and pick up a book. Call a friend or family member and have a nice mind-expanding conversation. I have always enjoyed all these activities. I sat in the break room at work for lunch and discussed current events with some fellow workers.

Some of my aunts were constantly on their phones talking to each other in the days when phones had cords and were attached to wires in the wall of your house. These ladies were the ones who kept the rest of the family in the loop better than social media ever has.

Take a walk with a friend and discuss problems with children, spouses, or even in-laws. I remember how many of us have had mental health problems since the shutdowns and quarantines of the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve lived long enough to see all types of fads and supplements that were supposed to work but seldom did.

Just because they sell it on TV does not mean that it will work for you or that it is worth what they want you to pay for it. You know how much companies pay for the advertising that they use to convince you that you need that app or whatever they are selling.

I spent a short period of time in marketing and over twenty years in sales. My time in purchasing taught me that I should not trust everything that those who want my money tell me. Have you noticed how many people who want to sell you something call themselves influencers?

You are the one who should decide if you want to be influenced into buying, using, or doing anything. You have a brain, use it to make decisions for yourself, and stop believing the words of others until you check to be sure they know what they are talking about.

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.

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.

God is with you

May 4, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Walk With a Servant

Tag: Faith