Telling the Truth

Narrator (Female): This is Telling the Truth, the teaching ministry of Stuart and Jill Briscoe. Our earthly parents can and do inevitably disappoint us in some way or another. But as guest speaker Charles Price shares in his message, Experiencing the Parenting of God, our heavenly parent will never disappoint and never forget us.

We'll hear that message next, but first. If you want a strong and lasting marriage, the best place to look for guidance is the creator of marriage itself, God. We want to help you build a healthy and fulfilling marriage by sending you Jill Brisco's series, Eight Things That Make a Marriage Work. We'll send you this resource along with a beautiful Bible verse print as thanks for your gift today to help others experience life in Christ.

So call today to request your copy of this powerful four-message series. 1-800-889-5388. That's 1-800-889-5388 or you can give online at tellingthetruth.org. Now, here's our special guest speaker Charles Price with today's teaching.

Charles Price: Parents, remember the day our children were born and the very special sense of joy that associates that. But of course, the lovable little baby grows up, develops a mind of his or her own, develops a will of his or her own. They stop being quite as cute as they were when they were little. All that of course is part of the marvelous process of growing up.

And every parent, when they hold their newborn child, wonders about the future of this child. What potential there is. We wonder, at least, maybe you haven't wondered this if you're a parent, but we wonder what they're going to do with their lives, who they're going to marry. I've even wondered who will attend the funeral of my children when they're old people. Does that sound morbid? I mean, what kind of mark will they have left on people's lives? I wonder. I'm told that Americans wonder if their children will become president. I don't know what Canadians want for their children, probably to play for the Maple Leafs if they're boys.

We kept the newspaper from the day of our children's birth, at least it was the following day, which gave the reports of the events of the day of our children's birth. One day we'll give them to them, just to remind them what kind of world they're born into.

And of course, the family life is one of the key building blocks of society, but modern families are under intense pressure. Huge changes are taking place in society and the family is right in the middle of those changes. I received through the mail an advert for a cable television company, which has on one side, this was then, it's a picture, probably taken in the 50s with a family of four children sitting in front of a black and white television set. The children by and large are attached to the mother, the father slightly detached. They're all dressed very smartly. Father's hair is combed, you know, with a nice, what do you call it, parting. It's so long since I have one I've forgotten what they are.

Then the other side says, this is now. The picture is smaller. But it's interesting to compare the two pictures. This is a family of just two children. They're sitting very casually. The young daughter is leaning on her father, not the mother. They're eating popcorn. There's a dog. I think there've always been dogs. And of course, this picture is in color, this picture is in black and white, giving the impression that things have moved on and are now full of color, rather than the drabness of life as it used to be.

Well, I know which picture I'm glad to be part of. I think there's never been a more exciting time to be alive than now. I'm glad I'm alive now. But the changes around us are impacting our families. I suppose one of the biggest changes in society has been in the role of women. Women historically have not been treated as fairly as men, really, not anything like as fairly as men.

In most societies, life has built around the interests and the desires and the wants of the male, and the female tags along.

I have an article here written by Samuel Chang, who is a missionary in Hong Kong. He does a lot of work in China. And I met him when I was in Hong Kong and he gave me this article and he writes here about the discrimination against girls in particular, young girls in China.

Well, the ratio of boys to girls in China is 118.5 boys to 100 girls. Now, the international norm is between 104, 105 boys to 100 girls. There's always been slightly more boys than girls born in the world, but the women live longer, so it balances out in the course of time. There's just about as many men and women as at the same time on the earth. But in China, these figures are changing. And the reason is because a lot of births of girls are not being recorded. Sometimes, it says, families go through two or three girls until they get the coveted son, and he alone is registered, which means he alone has access to schooling and the like. And women are still very much regarded as second class in opportunities and in status.

Well, it's not been very long since the Western world has moved from that. Women did not have the vote in Canada until 1918. That's the same year as the United Kingdom. United States came a few years later, 1920. And that didn't come easily. Women suffragettes had been on hunger strikes, suffered imprisonment, chained themselves to railings in order to get the right just to vote, and that's in the history of the last century.

Now in Canada, you've had a woman Prime Minister briefly. In Britain, we had a woman Prime Minister, the longest-serving Prime Minister of the 20th century. Women have come a long way.

But all is not wonderful. Families are falling apart at a faster rate than ever before. 36% of all Canadian marriages now end in divorce. That's more than a third. The lowest rate is in the province of Newfoundland. 23% in Newfoundland end in divorce. The highest rate of divorce in Canada is actually in the Yukon. Not sure if that's to do with the climate or what. 55% of marriages in the Yukon end in divorce.

In the United States in contrast, if it's 36% across Canada, it's 43% of marriages in the United States are ending in divorce right now. And the average duration of a marriage that leads to divorce is 13.7 years in Canada, 7.2 years in the United States. Almost half the length of time. And by the way, the statistics for second marriages ending in divorce is much higher, something like 60% in Canada.

50% of children of divorced parents never see their father after the first year of the divorce. This is a statistic that is recent. And one in five Canadian children, that is 20% of Canadian children, don't have an active father in their lives at all.

In many cases, marriage has become a convenience rather than a commitment. It's something that's okay as long as it's fine and easygoing. If it gets tough, just move out of it.

Narrator (Female): You're listening to Charles Price, our special guest speaker today on Telling the Truth. He'll be back in a moment. One question we often hear from Telling the Truth listeners is, what's the Bible secret to a long, happy marriage? Over their years of ministry, Stuart and Jill Briscoe have both had a lot to say about this question. After all, they had the biblical wisdom and real-life experience, over 60 years of marriage, to back it up.

And in Jill's four-message series called Eight Things That Make a Marriage Work, she shares timeless truth on marriage from the Bible, along with practical day-to-day advice from her own marriage to Stuart. We want to help you build a marriage that stands the test of time as you apply biblical truth to help your marriage not only survive, but thrive. That's why we're excited to send you eight things that make a marriage work, as well as a beautifully designed print, featuring a Bible verse on marriage, as our thanks for your gift today.

Your gift will help keep sharing the life-changing truth of God's love with people around the world through the resources and teaching of Telling the Truth. So call today to request eight things that make a marriage work when you give. 1-800-889-5388. That's 1-800-889-5388 or you can give online at tellingthetruth.org. Now, here's our guest speaker Charles Price with more of his message, Experiencing the Parenting of God.

Charles Price: Marriage is two imperfect people meeting and marrying and living with their imperfections. But you see, we don't like that in some cases. And so marriage has become just a convenience and we've become so busy, we have no time to just sit and talk together. The number one problem in marriages is communication. And something like 80% of women say that is the number one problem in their marriage. Men don't communicate quite as well as women do. Men like to talk about some thing. Women like to talk. I mean, this is just a generalization. Men like to come to conclusions. Men like to give answers. Women don't want answers sometimes, just talk. My wife says that to me, just talk to me.

And even as even families, many families don't sit down together and talk as a family. Often recreation has become watching videos, it's a very passive recreation. No eye contact. Little physical contact. As families we need to learn to talk together and play together. As couples we need to play together and talk together, have fun together.

But where do we go to learn about family and parenthood? Well, the remarkable thing is, we can go back to the most ancient book in circulation, the scriptures. And find there the most penetrating wisdom for marriage and family in the 21st century.

You see, not only does the Bible have a lot to say about family life and parenthood, it has something to say about God himself as a parent. Probably we're most familiar with the idea of God as Father, the fatherhood of God. It's certainly the most common term Jesus used of God. He addressed him as Father, something like 60 times in John's Gospel. Jesus talks about him as Father. It's also how he taught his disciples to pray to God, you say, "Our Father who art in heaven."

Now, to say that God is Father is not to say that God is male, for we're told in scripture that God is spirit and he is neither male nor female. It says that specifically of the angels, they're neither male nor female. They neither marry nor given in marriage. God is not a male, but he's a father in the sense that he is the source of life. And he's a good father in the sense that he cares and nurtures his children.

But the Bible also speaks of the motherhood of God. There are images that are given in both the Old and New Testaments likening God to a mother. In Isaiah 49 verse 14 to 16, it says, "But Zion said, 'The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forsaken me.'" This is the time the people were taken to exile, they said, "God has forsaken us." And here's God's answer, "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will never forget you." And God likens himself there to a mother. And he says, "A mother can never forget the child that she's born and fed at her own breast."

And God says, "I'm like that." You see, a mother with a newborn child, it's like a tiger with a cub. It's the most important thing in her life. And sometimes a mother may forget her child, but there's something that's been distorted in the instinct and the care of the mother when that is when that happens. And God likens himself to that.

I've been in Hong Kong and my daughter Hannah came with me and she spent five days in a wonderful home for children who are physically and mentally or both handicapped in some way. And these children at home either because they've been voluntarily given up by their parents who felt unable to cope with them, or in some cases, the children have been abandoned and the home has taken them on. And I remember I spent a day, part of the day there with Hannah looking at these, meeting these children. It became very precious friends to her.

And one little boy who lies in bed all day, brain damaged from birth, unable to use his limbs at all, but a wonderful smile on his face. The only way he can express himself is with his face. He's a beautiful smile. And as I looked into his bed, he's nine years old, I said to Hannah, "I wonder how often his mother thinks of him." I imagine every night, every day. She probably doesn't know what he's still alive. His life expectancy is limited. I don't know his background, whether he was just abandoned or unable to cope with him.

But says God, I've got the heart of a mother. I will never, never, never forget you. In Luke 13 verse 34, Jesus looks over the city of Jerusalem and says, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you. How often have I longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing." And here he gives the image of himself being like a mother hen with her chickens being protective, being supportive.

I remember when I was in Sunday school, hearing the story of a fire that raged through a farm on one occasion, and when the fire had died down, the farmer was walking through the burnt out rubble and there was the burnt carcass of a hen and he kicked this carcass over and out from underneath came these live chicks that she'd been protecting. And had died in the fire, but it protected the chicks. I was told that story in Sunday school, I remember it well because it made a big impact on me. Very much a picture of Jesus, because he actually did that.

But not only is God presented as a parent in scripture, but there's a lot of teaching on parenthood. And on the long plane journey back from Hong Kong, I read through the book of Deuteronomy. I'd never noticed before how much the book of Deuteronomy has to say about parents and children. And I want to just give you four things in the next few minutes that the book of Deuteronomy says about parents and children. Four very practical things. This is an ancient book, goes back to Moses. But if we live by what this book says about parents and children, we'll do well in our 21st century.

Now, you probably found Deuteronomy chapter 4 by now. That was verse 9 and 10. "Only be careful and watch yourselves closely so you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb when he said to me, 'Assemble the people before me to hear my words,' so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children."

The first point I want to make here is that parents are to build memories for their children. Because in these two verses, he says, "Do not forget the things you've seen. Do not let them slip from your heart. Bring them before your children, teach them to your children. Remember the day you stood before your God before God." And he talks about, "Don't forget, remember things." Actually, the book of Deuteronomy is really all about remembering things. Deuteronomy was written in the 39th year of the 40-year journey the Israelites made from Egypt to Canaan. It's Moses' last year before he dies and he reviews the history of God's working amongst them as a people. And the key word, I realized only this last, only on Wednesday, the key word in this book is remember. Because 16 times he says, "Remember," four times he says, "Do not forget," and several times expressions like, "Don't let these slip from your heart."

You remember things from the past, he says, that God has done amongst you. And remembering is a very important part of life. We may have positive memories and negative memories. To some extent, I think it's probably true to say that we are the consequence of our memories. It's our memories that make us the people we are.

Narrator (Female): We'll be back with some final thoughts from Charles in a moment. God has given you the secrets to a long-lasting and joy-filled marriage, and they're found throughout the pages of scripture. We want to help you mind the treasures of God's word so that you can grow your marriage God's way. That's why we're excited to send you Jill Brisco's four-message series, Eight Things That Make a Marriage Work.

This powerful series will breathe new life into your marriage as you learn to anchor your relationship to God's truth. We'll send you eight things that make a marriage work, along with a special design print featuring a Bible verse on marriage as thanks for your gift this month, to keep sharing the teaching and resources of Telling the Truth with so many around the world. Generous friends like you keep broadcast like this one going, reaching others with God's healing love, so they can experience life in Christ.

If you haven't given before, consider a gift today to help keep God's word going out to you and many others. And remember to request eight things that make a marriage work and your Bible verse print when you call and give. Just call 1-800-889-5388. 1-800-889-5388 or you can give online when you visit tellingthetruth.org. Now, here's Charles Price with some concluding thoughts from today's teaching.

Charles Price: It's very important in family life to build good memories for our children. Every family has its traditions, some of them are more bizarre than others. We have a strange one. Some years ago, we traveled from England to the United States one summer, and we changed planes in Chicago, and we discovered frozen yogurt. We'd never seen frozen yogurt before. And we sat and ate frozen yogurt in O'Hare airport in Chicago. A year later, we went back to America, and the kids said, "Hey, this is where we can get frozen yogurt. We need to have a frozen yogurt." We had a frozen yogurt again, so it's become a tradition. Last Wednesday, coming back from Hong Kong with Hannah, we stopped in O'Hare airport. She said, "This is O'Hare. We've got to have a frozen yogurt." It was breakfast time, it was the last thing I felt like, but we went and bought a frozen yogurt and sat in a restaurant and ate a frozen yogurt. It's a tradition. She even took a picture of me eating my frozen yogurt.

It's good to have traditions. Memories, things that remind you of events and associated with good things in your life. Let me read you something from a book here by John Eldridge, in which he quotes another a novel, Gabriel Gosler Marquez's novel, 100 Years of Solitude, chronicles the life of the little Mexican town of Macondo and the families who call it home. At one point in their domestic journey, a plague of insomnia strikes the little village. The residents go days, then weeks, then months without sleep. They begin to lose vital faculties. First to go is the memory. No small aspect for living. Even the simplest and the most common household goods appear foreign, unfamiliar, forgotten. Aureliano, the silver Smith is working in his shop one day when he realizes he cannot remember the name for the little anvil he uses. His father Jose tells him the name. Aureliano wrote the name on a piece of paper and he pasted it at the base of the small anvil, stake. In that way, he was sure of not forgetting it in the future. Didn't occur to him that this was the first manifestation of a loss of memory because the object had a difficult name to remember, but a few days later, he discovered that he had trouble remembering almost every object in the laboratory. Then he marked them with their respective names so that all he had to do was read the inscription orders to identify them. He realized that the day might come when things would be recognized by their inscriptions, but that no one would remember their use. So he became more explicit. The sign he hung on the neck of the cow was an exemplary proof of the way in which the inhabitants of Macondo were prepared to fight against their loss of memory. This is the cow. She must be milked every morning so that she will produce milk, and the milk must be boiled in order to be mixed with coffee to make coffee and milk.

And the story goes on, with their loss of memory, loss of direction, loss of meaning, loss of purpose. Parents, build good memories into the lives of your kids because there'll be times when they don't know what's coming ahead and they can always look back. Thank you, Charles.

Narrator (Female): Before we go, we want to remind you this month. When you give to continue sharing God's word through telling the truth broadcast like this one, we'll send you Joel Brisco's four-message series, Eight Things That Make a Marriage Work, along with a Bible verse print about marriage. This powerful series will encourage you with eight biblical keys to a healthy, life-giving marriage. So please request your copy when you call 1-800-889-5388. 1-800-889-5388. Or you can give online when you visit tellingthetruth.org. We're so glad you've joined us today. Come back tomorrow for the conclusion of our guest speaker Charles Price's message, with more encouragement and more about our always good, always loving Heavenly Father right here on Telling the Truth.