Children Are the Hope of the Nation | Michelle Tolentino

Living With Grief in Everyday Life | Adrian Blenkinsop

Gordon interviews Adrian Blenkinsop of Access the Story in Adelaide, which runs the Junction cafe op shop and supports scripture engagement and youth mental health, and also houses Converge Oceania. Adrian describes the “Your Story” nationwide Australian research (439 respondents aged 16–20 connected to Christian contexts) exploring influences shaping young people’s experience of God, highlighting that faith is complex and non-linear. He reports churches help most when they welcome young people, respect their agency, and allow doubts and questions, and harm when they misuse power or act coercively; he shares examples including a same-sex attracted young person welcomed by a small church. Reports are free at convergeoceania.com, with schools and churches applying findings (e.g., longer home groups, mapping relational ecosystems, and eight faith trajectories). Adrian also recounts his daughter Imogen’s death from brain cancer at 13, his anger and lament toward God, grief as waves where joy and sorrow coexist, and his critique of Christians offering simplistic “God’s plan” answers instead of presence and practical support. 00:40 Reconnecting in Goa 01:42 What Access the Story Does 02:33 Junction Cafe Op Shop 03:10 Converge Oceania Overview 03:52 Your Story Research Origins 05:38 Church at Its Best 09:08 Beyond In or Out Faith 10:14 Young People Stepping Away 13:47 Who Was Surveyed 15:20 Negative Influences Power 19:21 Reports Without Prescriptions 20:29 Early Responses in Schools 21:00 Home Groups After Lunch 22:29 Faith Grows Relationally 23:04 Eight Faith Trajectories 24:00 Discipling With Small Teams 25:08 Imogen’s Cancer Story 27:54 Anger Lament and Faith 30:44 Grief and Joy Together 33:43 When Christians Get It Wrong 37:36 Jesus the Alongsider 40:50 Staggering Forward

Children Are the Hope of the Nation | Michelle Tolentino

Michelle Sheba Tolentino explains her middle name’s origin from the biblical Queen of Sheba and discusses her work with vulnerable children through the Global Children’s Forum and as catalyst for the Lausanne Movement’s Children at Risk Issue Network, which since 2010 has emphasized children as co-laborers in God’s mission. She defines “children at risk” as those under 18 exposed to poverty, war, exploitation, child labor, trafficking, and online sexual exploitation, noting a 2015 study that eight in ten Filipino children experienced violence and an IJM estimate of 500,000 children impacted by online sexual exploitation. Tolentino shares growing up in Metro Manila slums amid poverty, abuse, and community drug addiction, and founding Made in Hope in 2011 to support women survivors of sex trafficking and their children through livelihood, leadership, spiritual formation, child support, prevention training, prayer practices, and government partnerships, while advocating for churches to welcome survivors with patience. 00:51 Origin of Sheba 01:55 Global Children’s Forum 02:17 Lausanne Children at Risk 03:45 Defining Vulnerable Children 05:35 Calling and Early Ministry 07:13 Growing Up at Risk 10:34 Violence and Exploitation Stats 12:43 Made in Hope Programs 15:24 Breaking the Cycle for Kids 17:55 Radio Show by Children 20:12 Kids On Corruption 20:52 Called To The Work 22:54 Restoring Voice And Power 24:37 Why Churches Feel Unsafe 26:43 Becoming A Welcoming Church 28:32 Culture Pets And Affluence 29:24 Signs Of Hope And Prevention 31:41 Prayer Practices For Resilience 34:11 Mobilizing Government And Policy 36:32 Lament Perseverance And Emmanuel 39:28 Let The Children Come

Fearlessly Exposing the Deceptions of Islam | Harun Ibrahim

Gordon interviews Harun Ibrahim, founder of Al Hayat Ministries and Al Hayat TV, a 24/7 Christian channel and online ministry using satellite, social media, websites, chat tools, music, worship, apologetics, and Bible teaching to reach unreached people groups in 12 languages, especially within the Muslim world. Harun, born into a secular Muslim family in Jerusalem and fluent in Arabic and Hebrew, describes a period of atheism before encountering Jesus through reading John’s Gospel and praying to accept Christ on March 31, 1985. He contrasts Islamic ritual prayer with conversational Christian prayer and centers his mission on John 14:6. Discussing his book “Sharing Jesus, Shaking Islam,” he explains his aim to expose what he calls Islam’s deception, contrasting Quranic claims about Jesus with New Testament witnesses, recounting opposition, and urging Muslims to read the New Testament and Christians to pray for Muslims. 00:51 Meet Harun Ibrahim 01:08 Al Hayat Mission 01:41 Unreached Languages 04:02 Jerusalem Roots 04:36 Why Shaking Islam 06:00 Secular Muslim Years 08:20 Meeting Jesus 11:17 New Life in Christ 14:15 Prayer Reimagined 17:27 Jesus the Only Way 20:48 I Am Claim Explained 21:48 Islam as Deception 21:55 Quran Versus Gospel 22:57 Witnesses To Crucifixion 24:13 Quran Jesus Debate 25:15 Backlash And Forgiveness 26:30 Shaking Islam Explained 28:50 Hadith On Aisha 29:22 Call To Missions 31:33 Radio To Al Hayat 33:29 Pioneering Media Apologetics 34:26 God Is Love Contrast 36:24 Book And Resources 36:53 Final Message And Prayer

Where is Our Home, in Reality? | Ruslan Zagidulin

Gordon reconnects with Ruslan Zagidulin, a longtime youth leader from Kyrgyzstan, to discuss the relational roots of Converge and its continuation in Next Move, and how cross-cultural relationships shape global youth ministry. Ruslan explains his background in predominantly Muslim Kyrgyzstan, his conversion from atheism after encountering the story of Saul in a children’s Bible, and his decades of work with teenagers amid Central Asian restrictions introduced around 2008–2009, requiring adaptive, locally relevant approaches while recognizing global youth culture. He describes his Lausanne Movement role for an 11-country Eurasia region and clarifies that Lausanne is a friendship-based movement for global evangelism. Now living in Germany, Ruslan shares the family tragedy of losing his son David in a car accident, cultural differences in mourning, and how grief has reshaped his faith, prayer, and sense of home, urging prayer for Central Asian youth to know Christ. 00:54 Reconnecting After Years 01:52 Converge To Next Move 02:35 Why Relationships Matter 03:41 Growing Up In Kyrgyzstan 05:35 Finding Faith In Christ 10:13 Called Into Youth Ministry 11:49 Creative Ministry Under Restrictions 15:48 Global Youth Culture Today 16:37 Eurasia And Lausanne Role 19:22 What Is Lausanne Movement 21:05 Finding Home in Germany 22:17 A Tragic Loss 23:04 Rethinking Faith and Family 24:17 Presence Beyond Separation 28:30 Graveside Coping and Ecclesiastes 31:19 Christ Beyond Death 34:13 Grief Across Cultures 37:12 Simplicity and Spiritual Friends 40:37 Praying for Central Asia 41:51 Final Blessing and Thanks

Criminals, Perpetrators and Victims: A Psychologists Experience | George Karkanis

Gordon interviews George Karkanis, an Athens-based forensic psychologist, psychotherapist, and behavioral analyst, who explains forensic psychology as the study and legal-application of psychology in criminal contexts (offenders, victims, investigations, trials, and reports). George describes transitioning from IT to forensic psychology through counter-trafficking ministry, choosing a role that supports trafficked women without being their therapist, helping them “redefine” men as trustworthy through safe relationships. He discusses psychology as science plus art, emphasizing skillful, adaptive practice beyond rigid protocols, and describes behavior analysis including micro-expressions and communication cues. George shares his special forces paratrooper service and how it built resilience and innovative thinking. He also works with offenders, integrating faith and identity change, and trains Eastern European police and prosecutors on vicarious trauma, proposing four pillars for healing: identity, intimacy, cognition, and emotion. 00:52 Meet George Karkanis 01:04 What Forensic Psychology Is 02:44 From IT to Anti Trafficking 04:48 Serving Trafficked Women Safely 08:19 Psychology Science and Art 13:17 Behavior Analysis Micro Expressions 15:54 Skill Versus Knowledge 18:54 Special Forces Mindset 22:18 Working With Offenders 28:38 Restorative Justice Stories 31:25 Training Law Enforcement 35:55 Healing Vicarious Trauma 36:29 Four Pillars Framework 40:35 Closing Thanks