Danny Abdallah could have easily smashed the man who killed his children, as at one stage he was the Australian kickboxing champion. He recently met the man in the jail where he is serving his sentence to tell him personally of his forgiveness.

One of the speakers at this year’s Dads4Kids Men’s Leadership Summit was Danny Abdallah — the Sydney father who lost three children to a drunk driver and went on to forgive the killer. This weekend, Danny will appear in an episode of Spotlight on 7NEWS that recounts the tragic incident — and more importantly, will highlight Danny’s journey of forgiveness.

I don’t think God’s plan stipulated that children were supposed to live apart from their fathers – but this is what’s happening all over the world. So, I wrote a poem that I hope will raise awareness of this injustice, that I hope will make a change.

“Something’s wrong,” my wife said. “What’s the matter?” I asked nonchalantly. “I think I am having a miscarriage,” my wife replied, with a touch of panic in her voice. Trying to sound like I was in control, I said, “We had better get you to the hospital.” Together we whisked our four children under 9 years of age to our family babysitter. From there the short 8-minute drive to the hospital ...

I separated from my ex-wife a few years ago. I think that it was five years ago. It could have been six. On reflection, the first six months seemed like six years. During the frenzied rush of committing to a rental and buying a car and purchasing beds for my daughters, plenty of well-meaning people offered the saying that “things will get better… they always do!” Yes, things do get better, ...

Advent is a season of anticipation. The birth of any child, not least the Messiah, gives us cause for hope. Earlier this week, we heard the testimony of Chris and Natalie Stefanick, a couple who had journeyed through dark seasons in their marriage. Having survived sexual abuse as a child, Natalie found she needed many years of therapy and healing. She recounted one of her darkest times, when she doubted that ...

Three grieving dads in the United Kingdom are walking around the country attempting to raise awareness about teen suicide. Mike, Andy, and Tim lost their daughters, Beth, Sophie, and Emily, to the UK suicide epidemic. They chose fundraiser walking as a way of challenging the culture and honouring their daughters’ memory. So far, the suicide-bereaved fellowship of three have raised over £880,000, with the hope of reaching £1,000,000. A number far ...

Netflix’s recent release, "The Adam Project" (2022), blends the issues surrounding family, identity and morality with swashbuckling fight scenes and the wondrous concept of time travel to produce a (mostly) family-friendly film that is a paean to fatherhood, love and self-sacrifice.

Christmastime is difficult for many people suffering loss and separation from their loved ones. If you are in pain, turn to the Christ Child Who was born in a stable, far from home; the Father Who loves us so deeply no matter how far we may wander; and the Holy Spirit Who set the stars in the heavens and Who dwells in your heart. Every Christmas, I have one song which ...

Loss and grief are naturally part and parcel of our finite lives. This does not make it any easier. How can we teach our children to handle the pain? When my father passed away suddenly, I was quickly forced to understand how a traumatic event can tip a family upsidedown. Not only was I coming to a place of living with my own grief — I also had to be a ...

What is worse than death of a partner in a relationship? For those who have been through it, finding your partner has cheated on you brings pain that can seem to be impossible to deal with. How will your relationship survive? How will you survive? What about the kids? In this blogpost and podcast, Phil will give you hope and a pathway forward that works. Help! My Partner Has Had An ...

When my beautiful and only daughter got married, I was reminded of the words of Enid Bagnold, “A father is always making his baby into a little woman, and when she is a woman he turns her back again.” At the time of my daughter’s marriage, I was sharing with a friend, another father who has two married daughters, my sadness and my joy about my baby’s impending marriage. His words ...

Crystal’s mother and father had broken up a few months ago and had moved from the family home, each going their own way. The family home was put up for sale. One night, the neighbours were woken by a loud noise that sounded like an explosion. They looked out their windows to see a massive fire which quickly engulfed the house. Arson squad detectives said it appeared that an accelerant had ...

Every child believes his or her dad is a hero. Sadly, this was confirmed in the most horrific way in the tragedy of the recent bushfires. So far, out of the 26 deaths, three were men who gave their life in service for others as volunteers in the Rural Fire Service. Two were fathers, and one was expecting his first child in May. I remember as a child reading commando war ...

Cup in hand, deep in thought, It’s like this every day. And it twists my heart I know But there is no other way. I dream of you, there’s nothing else, No picture I can see. To see your smiles and how you’ve grown Or how much of you is me. To hold you close, to hear you laugh, To put you to bed at night. To tell you things a ...

(A goodbye letter written by a mate.) Dear Jane, Even though it will probably take you only five minutes to read this, if you read it at all, it took me a long time to write it. It also took a lot of courage to speak my mind and my heart. I hope you don’t see this as an attack on you, it’s not. Forgive me for my anger, it’s necessary. ...