Heart Reflections Live

I'm generally not into Disney movies, especially ones from the last 10 years or so, but there's a handful of really old ones that I really like for the good family values they promote- one such is the original Bambi.
I don't have a real problem with talking animals in children's fantasy, if they can convey good lessons to children's everyday lives & I find that so with Bambi.
I find the whole film a good picture of Judeo-Christian values. Here's what I like:
-Bambi's mother& Thumper's mother both speak nothing but respectfully of their "husbands" & reinforce to their children, what their father's instructions are,
-The children(animals) respect their parents.(I've seen Bambi 2 & didn't like it for the opposite reason.)
-The community is multi-generational. Friend owl must be very old & wise. He is revered from the very oldest to the very youngest.
-New life is eagerly anticipated & celebrated by the entire community.
-Friends are friends for life. They don't move on for the sake of it. Thumper's, Flower's & Bambi's children would all grow up together.
-They respected & trusted their leader. I know this is not always possible in some countries, nevertheless it is a reminder to always pray for those in authority.
-Bambi's coming-of-age & the courage shown as he defended & protected Faline. He also still heeded the voice of his father to GET UP! & this saved him from the forest fire. How many young men today disregard the voice of their fathers on the road to maturity & sadly pay for the consequences.
-and lastly Bambi's mother. Two things stand out to me. She never raised her voice at Bambi. She just stood firm. This reminds me of "The Law of Kindness" in Proverbs 31. Lastly? She laid down her life for her child...
This movie speaks volumes to me as a Christian mum. I believe it's a great film to watch together as a family.

My Dad grew up in the Australian bush. Growing up he taught us to be proud of our Australian heritage, & to love the things unique to our country. Today he continues on sharing his knowledge of bushcraft, plants & animals with his 2 little grand-daughters who adore their Poppy.
Dad you've given me so much I feel I have so little to give in return except my love & all the honour you deserve. I wrote this poem about 5 years ago & now I would like to dedicate it to you- a true Aussie.

God has blessed this land of of ours with treasures fine & rare,
With kangaroos & kookaburras, the cute koala bear.
From monkey mire, crystal clear, to the Daintree green & wild.
There's a heart of joy & thankfulness in this Australian child.

We have Ularu & mountains blue, such wonders to behold.
White gum trees in the evening breeze, & desert sands of gold
But the greatest wonder , I believe, hangs in our southern skies,
The Southern Cross- 5 stars of gold-
A picture of world history told...

Long ago, upon a tree, Jesus died for you & me.
The crown of thorns upon His head , was not the only place he bled.
They pierced His hands & pierced His feet- The cross became the mercy seat.
Blood 'n' water flowed from His side, on the cross where Jesus died...

Aussies we are priveledged to have this up above,
A glowing great reminder of God & His great love,
His mercy never-ending, His forgiveness always there,
For any hardened Aussie, who opens up in prayer.

I love you, Dad.

My husband & I came across a series of books at our local Christian bookshop-"Heroes of the Faith". We grabbed 5 of them. They are quite well written & all give a great historical overview of a time when Christianity permeated every aspect of life. I've been inspired & challenged.
I've read "Fanny Crosby", "Well with My Soul", & now I'm reading "Amy Carmichael". My husband has read "Martin Luther" & is now enjoying "Charles Spurgeon".
I'd love to read the whole series. I often think how wonderful it would have been to have lived in the time before text criticism, Darwinism, Evolution & Feminism, back in the time of the great hymn writers & revival...
But then I remember that like Queen Esther, "...who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

We look forward to Sundays at our house. It was decided that when Max & I became engaged, we would set aside Sundays for God & family & have done so since, continuing on as the children have come into our lives.
We currently attend a Presbyterian church& enjoy the family service & fellowship there. We then spend the rest of the day with my parents (Grandmother & Poppy), who live 40 minutes away, & stay through & have dinner with them.
It's a lovely time of rest & relaxation for us & I love watching my parents enjoy their Grandchildren.
How do you spend the Lord's Day?

I finally got around to seeing the remake of "The Stepford Wives", starring Nicole Kidman & Glenn Close. I wasn't going to bother at first as I'd heard it had very strong feminist overtones, & made out Stay-at -home-mums to be brainless & robotic, but curiosity got the better of me & I thought I'd like to judge for myself.
I'd already read on a few other Christian ladies' blogs, different things about the film- mainly it's feminist agenda, and yes as a Christian I can see that feminism & the battle of the sexes clashes, majorly with God's design for how a family is meant to be. (I don't want to enter into the feminist debate here, but I suggest if you're interested you visit www.ladiesagainstfeminism.com for some excellent in-depth articles.
What struck me was at the end of the film it is revealed that a woman (Glenn Close) was actually responsible for the dream & creation of "Stepford". She was a feminist whose dreams had crashed to the ground & so she set out to create this perfect world. Isn't it interesting that her perfect world, imperfect as it turned out hearkened back to simplers times & traditional values& roles, twisted as they were.
The key to her failure was the issue of control. Her feminist heart hadn't relinquished it. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks! If we as Christian woman try to fullfill our traditional biblical roles with a controlling spirit instead of a submitted heart WE WILL FAIL! We need to be fully submitted first to Christ, then to our husbands, not to our own agendas, otherwise, we won't fullfill the will of God & will also end up controlling our children instead of loving & guiding them. This is an issue the Lord has been bringing up with me lately. Simple things like thinking to much of my to do list & not enough time abiding in Him to get His agenda for the day, can end up with me being controlling in all sorts of little ways.
It's my prayer that daily I will be able to willingly submit more & more to the Lord & His plan for me.

One of the things that the Lord has been showing me with the children this year is the importance of SIMPLICITY. The gospel of Christ is simple & yet it is so powerful. Our modern age is so complicated & overloaded that beautiful simplicity is often over-run by the latest techno fad.
Earlier this year, we felt to establish the family meal table at least for the evening meal. Amazing things happened:The children became excited by the new routine. They loved each having a turn to pray especially when Daddy was away ministering & they prayed for him too. They started to eat most if not all of the simple, healthy meals I prepared- EVEN THEIR VEGES!!!
The most amazing thing that happened, I felt, was how family communication broke open. I remember one day the girls earlier on had had a minor, but unresolved conflict together in the car. Little Zara had apologized but you could tell it was forced. The atmosphere was so free & easy around the table that Talitha calmly asked her, "Zara, are you sorry for doing......... earlier today?"
Zara answered,"Yes, I am, "Teefa", and I'm sorry I was naughty to you too Mummy."
It was a wonderful moment as natural repentance flowed. It was a lovely evening.

Does anybody else have any family meal table stories to tell?

I love spending time with my 2 little girls, Talitha 4 & Zara 2, reading Bible Stories, talking about the Lord, praying together & doing memory verses. Like many of you out there, it is my heart's desire that they grow up in the ways of the Lord & want to love Him & serve Him all their days.
One night, not so long ago, I was cuddling little Zara waiting for her to nod off & I said to her , "Is there anything special you'd like to thank Jesus for tonight?".
Very distinctly she replied, "Thank Him for dying on the cross."
I was amazed, especially as she said the same thing a couple of days running. The next time she said it I thought I would Quiz her further.
"Zara," I said,"Why did Jesus die on the cross?". She thought very seriously for a moment & said, "Because He got Standed up!"
It was soooooo hard not to laugh!!!!!!

This is the first blog of Fathers Grace Ministries! My name is Claire Roberts. I am wife to Pastor Max Roberts & mother to our 2 little girls Talitha aged 4 & Zara aged 2. I am blessed richly by God to have such a wonderful family. I write regular articles on our website under the title Heart Reflections (see link) where I seek to encourage other women in the Lord. I assist my husband in the ministry & also run a small ladies group near where we live.

God's grace is so wonderful-so undeserved! I am a full-time homemaker & while it is my "dream job" & I love my role & my wonderful family, I often struggle in the day to day practicalities of living it out. I depend on the Lord for His strength daily. It's usually when I feel mine is sufficient that I fail miserably. My husband, from time to time, has to travel with the ministry, so these times are always challenging, but also an opportunity for growth in the Lord.

I pray this blog will encourage others as I share my heart reflections & bring glory to our Lord Jesus Christ. Please look at our web site with the link on the right abbagrace, and drop me a line.