This Undivided Life

Tanner Olson (Written to Speak) is an author, poet, and speaker. Tanner Olson seeks to spread hope through written and spoken word. He has been performing spoken word poetry for the last decade. Tanner Olson is nationally known as a Christian spoken word poet, author, and speaker. We talk about his new children's book All the Things I Say to God: Learning to Pray Anytime, Anywhere.

Today on the podcast, we're joined by John Schafer, producer of the upcoming animated film The Light of the World, and Tom Bancroft, veteran Disney animator behind classics like Mulan and The Lion King. Together, they're bringing a powerful, faith-filled story to life through stunning 2D animation. Let's dive into the heart and vision behind the film.

John Schfer is an innovative storyteller, director, producer, and brand manager. John has produced for television and film productions for over 33 years. His work on the Daytime EMMY® nominated CG series, Superbook (65 episodes), has been seen by millions of people in over 123 countries and is translated in over 56 languages.

Tom Bancroft has almost 25 years of experience in the animation industry, most of which was for Walt Disney Feature Animation where he was an animator for 11 years. He has been nominated for Annie and Rueben awards, spoken at the Kennedy Center and awarded an entry into the Chicago Children's Film Festival. While at Disney, Bancroft had the opportunity to contribute his talents to 10 animated feature films, five animated shorts, and numerous special projects and commercials. Among the classic films on which he worked are, "Beauty and the Beast," "The Lion King," "Aladdin," "Mulan" and "Brother Bear." He was also a character designer and director for Big Idea Productions, makers of the family-friendly "Veggietales" video series.

Andy B Coon is a skilled media professional with over two decades of experience in video production and storytelling. Originally from Montclair, New Jersey, Andy moved to Greensboro, North Carolina to attend the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he studied broadcast and cinema. It was during his time in college that Andy began producing an award winning documentary about the 1979 Greensboro Massacre, named, "Greensboro's Child," which he completed seven years after graduation.

Andy explored various professional creative opportunities, but his passion for documentary work called him back in 2010 when he co-created Often Awesome the series, a web series documenting a close friend's journey with ALS. Over 36 episodes, he balanced this demanding project with a full-time job, creating a powerful support network known as the Often Awesome Army. Garnering awards, including a Vimeo Award and a Webby Award, Often Awesome underscored Andy's dedication to storytelling that builds awareness and community.

Jenny and Rev. Chris Lee have written their new childrens book You Are Beloved. It's a message we all can embrace, that we all Are Beloved.

Jenny Lee began her writing career after studying theology at Cambridge University, where she met her husband, Chris. She has since written and directed three ancient-myths-inspired plays in London theatres, attracting rave reviews and a recommendation from the Evening Standard. For Jenny, writing You are Beloved has been a beautiful opportunity to combine her theological background with her experiences of engaging children through creativity.

Chris Lee is the vicar of a growing church in London, England, and founder of the Young Franciscans, a new monastic movement for young people. He is an influencer (@revchris7) on Instagram and on YouTube with over 350 million views of the videos that feature him. His 60-second sermons have brought him national coverage in the United Kingdom. Former This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby called him "the internet's favorite vicar." Chris speaks at various conferences and on his podcast, Come Read with Me. He is also a contributor to the BBC radio show Pause for Thought.

We talk with Elle Limebear and Nathan Jess about their new song Before. It's a song about giving thanks before the good, and the bad, even in the smallest moments we face. Listen to Before here.

Elle Limebear is a British worship leader, artist and storyteller, residing in Brighton with her husband Tom and their two children.

Elle has been writing music and leading worship since her teenage years. After spending over a decade touring across the USA and Europe, she remains deeply connected to her British roots. Passionate about enriching the musical faith landscape in her homeland, she is determined to make a unique and lasting impact on both the British and global music scenes.

Nathan Jess is a Grammy nominated songwriter based in Northern Ireland. He is quickly becoming a songwriter and worship leader renowned for his diligence and fervour in waiting on God and creating space during his songs and his leading for those present to encounter God.

Nathan's songs have been recorded by many artists including MAN OF YOUR WORD (Maverick City Music), WATERS (Junior Garr) and PROMISED LAND (Tribl). He has also toured alongside artists such as Rend Collective, Phil Wickham and Martin Smith.

Karen Swallow Prior, Ph. D., is a reader, writer, and speaker. She is the author of You Have a Calling: Finding your Vocation in the True, Good, and Beautiful (Brazos 2025). The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis (Brazos 2023); On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books (Brazos 2018); Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More—Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist (Thomas Nelson 2014); and Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me (T. S. Poetry Press 2012).

She is co-editor of Cultural Engagement: A Crash Course in Contemporary Issues (Zondervan 2019) and has contributed to numerous other books. She has a monthly column for Religion News Service.

Her writing has appeared at Christianity Today, New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, First Things, Vox, Think Christian, The Gospel Coalition, and various other places. She hosted the podcast Jane and Jesus.

Dave Herring is a photographer & videographer with a passion for capturing the rugged beauty and diverse places of the western United States. Primarily using Leica cameras (as well Hasselblad and Rolleiflex), he tries to create captivating and scroll-stopping visuals in both film and digital formats.Dave loves blending the timelessness of film with the efficiency of modern sensors.

While much of his work centers around adventure photography, he's well versed in capturing people, lifestyle, editorial, commercial, and other genres of photography as well. His unrelenting eye for detail and creative approach to storytelling has led him to work with nationally recognized brands, delivering compelling visual creative that resonates with diverse audience.

Dave's love for photography and videography is not just a career but his lifestyle, reflected on his YouTube channel where he shares insights, tutorials, and authentic creative philosophy. He's also founded Very Good Presets, where he helps empower photographers with highly detailed color grades for their photos.

Most importantly, Dave is a family man, finding inspiration in the balance of his professional pursuits with his personal life. Whether he's exploring the vastness of the American West or working on commercial projects, Dave trys to brings passion, experience, and a unique perspective to everything he does. This is why he always has his heart, mind, and hands engaged in creating something every day.

Anthony Russo, the author of the bestselling Bible Is Funny Card Game, is the creator of The Bible Is Funny Instagram and one half of the duo Isaac Improv, which offers clean comedy content. A popular comedy performer, Russo grew up memorizing Scripture—partly to understand God's Word, but probably more so to earn badges for his Awana vest. He is an ordained minister who served on church staff for nearly two decades. He and his wife, Rachael, live in Seminole, Florida, and have two children.

Matt Doering is a singer/songwriter & producer living in Austin, Texas with his wife, daughters, & their dog Boomer.For over 6 years, Matt has been a recording artist, sharing his music across the US with audiences who need a kind & restful reminder that in the ups & downs of life, there is beauty & love to be found.

He has recorded 3 EP's & is currently in the process of releasing his 4th which shares a snapshot of faith & the growing pains of life. We talk about his 4th EP Developing.

Andrew Arndt is the Lead Pastor of New Life East (one of seven congregations of New Life Church in Colorado Springs), where he also hosts the Essential Church podcast, a weekly conversation designed to strengthen the thinking of church and ministry leaders. Prior to joining New Life's team, he served as Lead Pastor of Bloom Church: a neo-monastic, charismatic, liturgical, justice-driven network of house churches in Denver. He received his MDiv from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, is working on his Doctor of Ministry at Western Theological Seminary, and has written for Missio Alliance, Patheos, The Other Journal, and Mere Orthodoxy. He lives in the Springs with his wife Mandi and their four kids.

He's the author of 3 books including the one we discuss in this episode, A Strange and Glorious Light:How the Story of Jesus Changes the Way We See Everything.