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Esther is joined by Biruk Beyene from World Vision Iraq to discuss the kickoff of the most lucrative World Cup in history, how the tournament is being received in Iraq, and how the charity is using the beautiful game to bring hope, healing, and the power of play to children affected by conflict.
Released on 12 Jun 2026
For all our talk of community, friendship and loneliness can be surprisingly difficult to navigate in church. That's why an initiative called Empty Chairs is attracting attention, encouraging people to offer an empty seat to someone on their own. But should hospitality feel like a new idea to Christians? Evangelist, missiologist and author of 'The Best of Friends', Phil Knox, joined Esther Higham to share whether Christians should learn from this, or if we've been doing it all along!
Cuckooing is when criminals take over the home of a vulnerable person, often pretending to be a friend before using the property for criminal activity. More than 1,500 incidents were reported to police in London between May 2025 and April 2026. Would you know if someone on your street was being cuckooed? Esther was joined by some experts to explain how churches and communities can spot the signs and protect those most at risk.
Esther is joined by UX and Human-Robot Interaction Designer Nia Oloyede, who is helping build the UK’s first humanoid robots, alongside Matthew Sanders, founder of Catholic AI chatbot Magisterium, to discuss Pope Leo XIV’s AI manifesto. They chat about why AI could be far more transformative than the Industrial Revolution, the "tech bros" kingdom-sized desires, and whether humanoid robots could one day replace the one job every church leader seems to dread...