01 Welcome by Brother Denny and Sister Jackie Kenaston

Hello, I'm Brother Denny. This is my dear wife, Jackie. We would like to welcome you to this series on the Godly Home by giving you a brief history of the series and also a little introduction to our family.

The history of the Godly Home series is one of those divine surprises that we were not expecting. In 1987, I was asked to preach a series of messages on the home in a small congregation in Ohio. We went there and shared our heart and during the week those messages were taped.

We had no thought of God using them in any kind of way other than there in the lives of those people. We went back to Pennsylvania and the requests started coming for the tapes. So in 1990, by then, we realized there was a great hunger for biblical teaching on the home and that was the time that we did the first official Godly Home series.

I preached it to the local congregation at Charity Christian Fellowship. Neither Jackie and I nor the tape ministry had any idea how God would use that tape series. But now these many years later, we realize that tens of thousands of sets of this home series have gone out all over the country.

We thank God and we are humbled by the response that we have seen. Well, it's 11 years later and we have felt the need to do the series again. There are a few reasons why we felt that need.

Firstly, in 2002, I began to write my book on the home, The Pursuit of Godly Seed. As I was going over the material again and again in the writing of that book, I realized there were several gaps in the teaching series on the home. We felt we should redo the series for that reason.

Secondly, Jackie and I are in a different place in our parenting life. We are now older parents and joyful grandparents. We've learned many things with years of training our own children and hundreds of hours of counseling other parents.

We feel like that wisdom could be shared again. And then the last reason, through the years, I've received many requests to come to little home fellowships or to congregations and give the Godly Home series there. Jackie and I realized we could not do that.

We felt it would be a detriment to our family and, of course, it would be a rigorous task. So this video series is an attempt to meet that need. So here we are, ready to begin on a journey that could change your life and your home forever.

Our prayer is you would open your heart to the voice of God and allow him to speak into your home. A little later, I want to give a little practical direction on how to get the most out of this series. But first of all, Jackie and I would like to introduce you to our family through pictures.

In 1987, our eldest was just 11 years old and our fifth baby had just been born. Now we're in our 50s and our eldest is 29. Through four marriages, the Lord has extended our little family into quite a troop.

Rebecca is married to Daryl Nolt. They are expecting their third child and are already parents to Rochelle and Duane. They spent the first six years of marriage on the mission field in Africa ministering to the Dagomba tribe.

They are currently home in the States on furlough and to take further training in the medical field. It's their desire to plant a church in the country of Mali in the future. Daniel is now 27.

He married Christy Farber from Colorado six years ago and they are parents to Abigail and Nathaniel. They are also missionaries in Africa planting churches in an unreached people group called the Konkombis. They have been there for five years.

Our third born Elizabeth married Andrew Weaver four and a half years ago. She will be 26 this fall. They have two daughters, Jenny and Melody.

Their home congregation is in South Carolina, but they have spent the last two years in Guyana, South America doing mission work along the Esquibo River. Our family became equally divided with four married and four at home when Samuel married Kate Rutler from New York last summer. He is now 22 and they are expecting their first child in May.

They are very busy in the Lancaster Children's Ministry and preparing to go to Africa, Lord willing, in the fall. They will be ministering among the same people group as Daniel, about five hours south of him. Hannah is now 18 and the oldest at home.

She faithfully serves her papa as his secretary and is very involved in ministry to children. She works in the Lancaster Children's Ministry and also has a class with children at our church after the Sunday morning service. Both she and Esther's days are filled with lots of domestic activities as well as helping to homeschool the two boys.

Esther is now 16 and is eagerly anticipating her first missionary trip to Africa with Denny. She oversees the shipping of our books for Home Fire's publishers along with manning the book tables at conferences. It seems the Lord has gifted her with a special interest in writing spiritual poetry.

Joshua became a teenager this year. He and David are my right arms around the farm and in the shop. Now that the older boys have married, they keep plenty busy tending to animals, chores, maintenance upkeep, and building picnic tables on top of their schoolwork.

David has turned 10 now and it seems both boys enjoy tinkering around with projects and coming up with new inventions. Some of them have produced incomes towards supporting missionaries. In conclusion, let me give you some advice that will help you to get the most out of this series.

First of all, I recommend that you gather in small groups after you have viewed each session. It's important while you're opening your heart to the truths of the Word of God that you communicate with others. In a small setting, you can share what God is dealing with you about.

You can spend some time together in prayer and you can even make confession one to another. Even as the Scripture says, Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that you may be healed. So I recommend gathering in small groups.

Secondly, I would encourage you to use my book, The Pursuit of Godly Seed, as a companion resource while you're going through this series. It is not exactly the same, but it follows along the same basic thoughts. And thirdly, we are in the process of publishing a workbook study guide which will go right along with this series.

I believe that would also be helpful for you as you follow along with each session. All right, why don't we just close with a word of prayer. Our Father in Heaven, Lord, You know our hearts, God.

You know the needs in this land of America. God, we pray that You will open every heart to the teachings of the Word of God. And change the homes and bring the children to You through these parents.

We pray all of this in Jesus Christ's holy name. Amen.