The Kitchen Table Dynasty

In 1709, a fire destroyed the Epworth rectory in Lincolnshire, England, and Susanna Wesley nearly lost her three-year-old son John to the flames. She had no grand ambitions for empire-building. She was a pastor's wife with nineteen children, ten of whom survived infancy, and a husband perpetually in debt. Her plan was modest: teach her children Scripture at the kitchen table, one hour per child per week, and trust God with the rest.…