Podcast Summary: The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast

Episode: 1KHO 565: Faith, Film & Family | Brennan McPherson, Light of the World
Host: Jenny Urch
Guest: Brennan McPherson, Producer/President, Light of the World / Salvation Poem Project
Date: September 5, 2025

Overview of Episode

This episode explores the intersection of faith, film, and family through the lens of Light of the World, a new animated feature film depicting the life of Jesus from the unique perspective of the disciple John. Host Jenny Urch converses with Brennan McPherson, one of the creative minds behind the movie, delving into the creative process, historical and theological inspirations, the challenges and joys of large-scale family-driven projects, and the power of simplicity in art and evangelism. The film releases globally this week across 26 countries and is the centerpiece for a wider ministry aiming to bring faith to real life.

Key Topics & Insights

1. The Film's Mission & Backstory

• Purpose: Use media to lead people away from digital screens and into real, meaningful relationships and experiences.
  • "Our whole goal with media is to use media to capture people's attention and get them into physical relationship, to get them off screens..." (Brennan, 01:45)
• Genesis of the project:
  • Four years ago, Brennan and his small team had no experience in film; the founder tasked them with creating an animated Jesus film.
  • The team grew to over 400 professionals, working on a four-year timeline, with the film completed on time and on budget.
    • "It was trial by fire... We built a team of over 400 people that worked for four years to make the film a reality." (Brennan, 02:32)
  • The film is self-distributed, launching in 26 countries.

2. Unique Storytelling: Portraying the Disciples as Teens

• Historical authenticity:
  • Most disciples, including John, were likely teenagers, challenging traditional depictions as older men.
    • "Most scholars agree the majority of the disciples were likely teenagers when Jesus called them..." (Brennan, 04:46)
    • Notably, only Peter paid the temple tax (required at age 20+), suggesting others were younger.
• Narrative strategy:
  • The film tells Jesus' story through John’s eyes, blending a coming-of-age journey with biblical events.
    • "It makes it into basically a coming of age story for John, which most… relatable Disney films are." (Brennan, 04:46)
• Impact:
  • The youthful perspective humanizes the disciples and Jesus, deepening audience connection.
    • "You really show that humanity where they're kind of like, we don't really know the parents." (Jenny, 07:59)

3. Animation, Aesthetics, and Humor

• Creative processes:
  • Brennan was primarily focused on story and theology; John Schaefer, who had animation experience at CBN's Superbook, drove visual direction.
  • Inspiration from Studio Ghibli/Miyazaki for visual tone (09:01).
• Collaboration:
  • Over 400 contributors, with creative overlap and many professionals drawn from major studios.
  • Storyboard artists with Pixar/European film backgrounds added much of the visual humor.
• Intentional Humor:
  • Reverence and joy can coexist.
    • “We really believe that you can be reverent without being boring. You can be reverent and funny at the same time.” (Brennan, 18:24)
  • Example: John the Baptist running a bug baptism joke, and bits about Jesus' occupation as carpenter played for laughs.
• Quote:
  • “God knows all the jokes. He invented jokes!” (Brennan, 18:24)
• Cohesive storytelling:
  • Story selection emphasized relationships and humanity, accessible for all ages.

4. The Family Dimension

• Family Involvement:
  • Brennan’s wife (Anna) and John’s wife contributed voice acting parts; Brennan’s father, Matt, was the executive producer and major funder.
    • "Anna's my wife...Matt was the executive producer. That's my father. He basically funded the entirety of the production via donations." (Brennan, 12:37)
  • All proceeds are funneled back into ministry efforts; film is product of a nonprofit.

5. Deeper Spiritual Lessons in the Film

• Key Quotes & Lessons:
  • “Sometimes the right path isn’t the easy path.” (Jenny, 23:53)
    • Brennan: "Most of the time, the right thing to do is not the thing that's the easiest to do in the moment. Ironically, the right path is easier in the long term..." (23:30)
  • “God rarely shows up in the way you think He will.” (Jenny, 25:10)
    • Brennan: "The disciples really thought the Messiah was going to be... some military savior who would destroy Rome. And here he comes and he's like, no, I'm going to let myself be killed by Rome. Because that's the point." (25:16)
  • On suffering and faith, Brennan recounts losing his brother during production and finding resilience in hardship (27:59).

6. The Salvation Poem & Other Ministry Initiatives

• Origins and reach:
  • The six-line Salvation Poem—crafted by Brennan’s parents—has been translated into over 100 languages, with billions hearing it worldwide.
  • The poem acts as both an evangelism tool and a memorable, artistic encapsulation of the Gospel.
    • "A poem, you can't forget it even if you tried... line by line, it's the essence of the gospel right there." (Brennan, 39:04 – 40:37)
• Integration into film:
  • Sung at the end of Light of the World (Shane & Shane on soundtrack).
  • Brennan shares the Spanish version live (36:10).
• Expanding creative ministry:
  • Upcoming: a gospel-inspired, fantasy 2D adventure game set for free release in 2027, aiming to be attractive even to secular audiences.
    • "We want to make beautiful things that show the beauty of Jesus in a genuine way... there's a lot of stories that are like that." (Brennan, 32:05)

7. Simplicity in Art and Evangelism

• The Art of Simplicity:
  • Creating memorable, simple, centered works is harder than it looks.
    • “Making art that's very simple is actually a lot more difficult... Stories usually fail because they're not focused enough on some simple central arc.” (Brennan, 36:53)
  • The Salvation Poem embodies this philosophy and guides the ministry’s approach to all art forms.

8. Personal Reflections and Closing

• Jenny’s Reaction:
  • "It's not only an entertaining, compelling, endearing, humanity filled film... but then they do come out with this evangelistic tool..." (Jenny, 40:44)
• Favorite Outdoor Memory:
  • Brennan recalls imaginative outdoor play as a child, building "Lego guns" with his oldest friend, underscoring the episode’s larger theme about reclaiming healthy, creative childhoods (42:24).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Youthful Disciples:
  • "It's very conceivable [John] could have been 13 when Jesus said, drop your nets and follow me." (Brennan, 04:46)
• On Team & Production:
  • “A miracle that a film is ever made… Films want to fall apart every single week.” (Brennan, 11:15)
• On Humor & Humanity:
  • “You can be reverent and funny at the same time.” (Brennan, 18:24)
  • "One of the fruits of the spirit is joy, and we needed to illustrate, okay, Jesus is a man, let's show his full humanity and his full divinity." (Brennan, 19:58)
• On Suffering:
  • “Suffering is not the enemy.” (Brennan, 27:44)
• On Artistic Mission:
  • “We’re just nerdy artists who want to make beautiful things that are about Jesus.” (Brennan, 34:52)
• On Simplicity:
  • “I was going to write a shorter letter, but I didn’t have enough time.” (Brennan, 37:35)

Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:45 | Brennan’s introduction & the ministry's alignment with outdoor play | | 02:32 | Origin story: making Light of the World with no prior film experience | | 04:46 | How/why the disciples are depicted as teens (historical reasoning) | | 09:01 | Visual/style influences (Studio Ghibli, collaborative creative process) | | 12:37 | Family involvement in film production | | 17:57 | Incorporating humor—making reverent art joyful and fun | | 23:30 | Life lesson: “Sometimes the right path isn’t the easy path” | | 25:16 | "God rarely shows up in the way you think He will;" suffering & faith | | 27:59 | Brennan’s personal loss during production | | 30:35 | The Salvation Poem: history and global impact | | 32:05 | Expanding into other media (video games, new content) | | 36:10 | Brennan recites Salvation Poem in Spanish | | 39:04 | Salvation Poem as a practical, universal evangelism tool | | 42:24 | Brennan’s favorite outdoor childhood memory |

Takeaway

Light of the World is not just an animated film; it's a thoughtfully crafted ministry tool that reframes the story of Jesus through the eyes of youth. By blending deep research, family legacy, creative animation, and practical faith tools like the Salvation Poem, Brennan McPherson and his team offer a fresh, accessible, and globally minded take on Jesus’s life—reminding listeners of the power of creative simplicity and authentic human connection in nurturing faith, both inside and outside.

Tickets and resources:

• Find showings: lightoftheworld.com
• Find the Salvation Poem in multiple languages: salvationpoem.com