Turning hearts of dads to their children, and the hearts of the children to their dads, is at the core of what Dads4Kids is all about.

I’m so thankful for Dads4Kids supporters. One of my great joys is meeting and engaging with people who have a heart for dads. They inspire me and are a great encouragement in my role as CEO of Dads4Kids, working to help fathers be the best they can be for their children.

One such supporter is Kyri Comino. A dear friend of Dads4Kids, Kyri shares in the video below how her imperfect, but present and loving father shaped her view of the world. Thanks to the good men in her life, including her brothers, Kyri believes in the importance of supporting fathers. It’s a powerful reminder that dads don’t need to be perfect, but they do need to be present. I hope Kyri’s story encourages you as much as it encouraged me.

 

It’s been another busy week here at Dads4Kids. On Thursday night I was honoured to host our Building Men, Growing Fathers, Changing Generations Webinar. If you missed it, check out the recording here. Many thanks to all those who were able to join us!

At the Sydney Opera House

Last Sunday night, thanks to my parents Warwick and Alison, my family and I were able to attend the historic One Sydney event at the iconic Sydney Opera House (pictured above). Presented by the Dear Unity Movement and The Christian Alliance Council, it was a once-in-a-generation gathering of Christians, featuring incredible music and artistry.

Over 5,000 people gathered in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall for two incredible shows (we attended the matinee at 2 pm). We enjoyed both traditional and contemporary worship music, a fantastic rap battle between Pentecostal Pastor Blake Young and Catholic Priest Fr. Chris Eaton, amazing choirs, dancing and moving presentations. Australian singer, worship leader, and 2021 winner of The Voice, Bella Taylor Smith, was outstanding.

Congratulations to Philip Ryall and all the team on two wonderful, history-making events! Last Sunday all sorts of Christians came together, and the relevance of faith was renewed. As the Christian Alliance Council reminds us, what unites us in Jesus Christ is far greater than what divides us.

During the concert, I was moved to tears as Philip spoke poetically about the love our Father in Heaven has for us. He referenced the pivotal scene in the classic movie The Sound of Music, still the 3rd highest grossing film of all time (adjusted for inflation) and one of my favourite movies, which is strange when you consider I can’t stand most musicals.

 

Turning Hearts

In the scene (above), while arguing with Maria, played by the brilliant Julie Andrews, Captain Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) hears his children singing angelically. In The Sound of Music, the Captain, an Austrian naval commander, runs his family with military-like precision. He loves his seven children, but fails to express or show it, instead treating them harshly, like subordinates, and ordering them around with a whistle.

But in the scene above, something shifts. His heart turns towards them, and their hearts turn towards him. It’s a beautiful picture, and at the One Sydney event Philip Ryall quoted a powerful verse from the Bible:

And he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.
(Malachi 4:6, NKJV)

These moving words inspired the founding of the Dads4Kids Fatherhood Foundation almost 25 years ago. The turning of hearts is an ongoing process, and it’s needed just as much today as it was when these words were written almost 2,500 years ago.

Malachi 4:6, which concludes the Old Testament in the Bible, serves as a profound call to spiritual reconciliation and a final warning of judgment from God. But it’s also a call to action for us as fathers. The turning of hearts is what inspires Dads4Kids work every single day, and my prayer is that it inspires you to be the best dad that you can be every single day too.

Lovework

If you’re a father, do your best to turn your heart, your love and attention, to your children. If you’re a son or a daughter, do your best to turn your love and attention to your father. We don’t need to be perfect. No matter how hard we try, we’ll never be perfect, but we do need to be present. As we turn our hearts towards each other, repair and strengthen our family relationships, we’ll make the world a better place.

Yours for turning hearts,

Nathaniel Marsh

P.S. You can now Double Your Impact This EOFY – please click here to find out more and give what you can today. We have quite a way to go to meet our 2026 funding goal of $140,500, but thanks to generous Dads4Kids supporters, every donation through to 30^th June will be doubled up to a value of $70,250. I’m so thankful for your support. DONATE HERE TODAY.

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Images: Supplied.