What if the hardest moments of your life are exactly what God wants to use?

In this episode of The Chris Stefanick Show, Chris sits down with Gordy Demarais—co-founder of St. Paul's Outreach and one of the founding figures behind NET Ministries—for a conversation packed with extraordinary stories of conversion, raw honesty about family struggle, and one of the most hope-filled messages you'll hear for parents of kids who have walked away from the faith.

Gordy's story begins in tragedy: losing his father at 15, drifting from the faith, and spending a summer desperately searching for meaning. Then a chance encounter—and a youth center that was on fire for the gospel—changed everything. That same renewal sparked two of the most influential Catholic youth ministries in North America.

But this conversation isn't just about ministry. Gordy opens up about the season when his own family hit a breaking point, what it looks like to love a child who is pulling away, and why the only thing that ultimately sustained him was trusting in a Father who loves our kids even more than we do.

In this episode, we cover:

-How Gordy lost his faith after his father's death—and how God found him anyway
-The youth center in Minneapolis that sparked NET Ministries and St. Paul's Outreach
-Why the Gospel is Good News, not good advice—and how that distinction changes everything
-Wild, real-life stories of conversion happening today
-What to do when your family is in crisis and you can't see a way out
-How to stay connected to your kids when they seem unreachable
-A message of unshakeable hope for every parent with a prodigal child

"No matter how much we love our kids, they have a Father in heaven who loves them infinitely more than we do. He is persistent—always pursuing, always pressing in." — Gordy Demarais

Highlights:
[0:00] — Intro: Buckle up for some of the most incredible conversion stories you've ever heard
[2:13] — Gordy's origin story: Losing his father at 15, how grief opened the door to a search for God
[5:52] — The summer of 1976: How a youth center in the Archdiocese sparked NET Ministries, St. Paul's Outreach, and more
[7:10] — "The Gospel is not good advice—it's Good News": Gordy unpacks the difference and why it changes everything
[15:50] — The seeds of St. Paul's Outreach and NET ministries.
[20:10] — Inside family crisis: what happened when chaos hit Gordy's own home, and what sustained him
[43:38] — A word for every parent carrying the pain of a child who has walked away from the faith—and why hope is never lost
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