Shows / Why We Believe
Why We Believe
Why do we believe? What inspires faith, testimony, and conversion in members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints? Dive into the personal conversion stories behind faithful members of the church. Join Nathan Gwilliam, host and life-long member of the church, as he sits down with guests with unique backgrounds and perspectives to discuss the deeply personal and spiritual journeys that led them to embrace the teachings of Jesus Christ and why they believe. Through one-on-one…
Episodes
Why We BelieveThe Story Behind The New Temple Square Statues (with Ben Hammond)
The plans had the Five Wise Virgins facing south. In the quiet of his studio, sculptor Ben Hammond felt one of the few promptings of his career and anchored…
- Why We Believe
After Losing His Wife and Kids to a Drunk Driver, Chris Williams Chose Forgiveness
On February 9, 2007, Chris Williams was driving his family home when a teenage drunk driver crossed the median at freeway speeds. In an instant, he lost his…
- Why We Believe
How Pickles Cartoonist's Wife Sparked His Journey of Faith (with Brian Crane)
Brian Crane spent 17 years in advertising, sure he did not have the talent to draw a comic strip. His wife kept asking him to try, so at 40 he mailed in the…
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NFL Lineman Mark Asper Shares Why the Gospel Is the Greatest Team Sport Ever
Mark Asper was one of the most recruited high school linemen in Idaho, a six foot seven athlete with a scholarship to Oregon and an NFL future taking shape…
- Why We Believe
How Playing Cosette on Broadway Helped Sandra Turley See Jesus Christ in a Whole New Way
Night after night on the Broadway stage, Sandra Turley sang the part of a rescued child. As Cosette in Les Miserables, the final one of the original Broadway…
- Why We Believe
Former Governor Gary Herbert Refused Wine at the White House. What Obama Did Next Surprised Him.
At a White House dinner, Gary Herbert rose to toast President Obama, and his goblet held water. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints…
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How the Word of Wisdom Sparked Ali Essig's Beautiful Journey of Faith
Ali Essig walked into the emergency room and found her husband slumped in a wheelchair, mid-stroke at 37, staring back at the very promise she could not shake…
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BYU Basketball Star Jonathan Tavernari Shares His Miracle at a Snowy Train Station
Jonathan Tavernari grew up a Catholic altar boy in São Paulo, coached by his own mother, one of the most decorated youth basketball coaches in Brazilian…
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How Inviting the Savior Into Your Daily Routine Brings Unexpected Peace (with Ross Nielson)
For twenty-one years, Ross Nielson felt like God had passed him by. His parents divorced when he was seven, and the promise he kept hearing in The Church of…
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Why Former BYU Football Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall Prioritized Faith Over Football
Bronco Mendenhall picked his college for one reason. BYU was on the schedule, and he wanted to beat them. He got his win in Provo and lay spread-eagle on the…
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BYU Business School Dean Brigette Madrian Shares Five Gospel Truths from Harry Potter
What does a behavioral economist studying retirement savings have in common with a wizard battling darkness? More than you might think. Bridget Madrian spent…
Why We BelieveThis Former NFL Linebacker Prioritizes His Covenants Over the Glory of the League (with Vince Biegel)
Vince Biegel had every reason to believe football would define him. Named after Vince Lombardi and raised on a hundred-year-old family cranberry marsh in…
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How Reading the First Vision Sparked Chris Crowe's Beautiful Journey of Faith
Chris Crowe got a book as a breakup gift. The girl he loved wanted a temple marriage he could not give her, so she said goodbye and handed him a black…
- Why We Believe
This Famous Comedian Prioritizes Covenants and Motherhood (with Jenna Kim Jones)
Most comedy earns its laughs by tearing something down. Jenna Kim Jones built her career doing the opposite. She left Utah for New York University, landed on…
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I Was Afraid to Paint the Savior. He Means Everything to Me. (with Justin Kunz)
Justin Kunz's art lives in the nation's permanent record. He has designed gold coins and Congressional medals for the United States Mint, including the $100…
- Why We Believe
Corey Lindley: Why $2 Billion CEO Says Jesus Christ Is His North Star
Corey Lindley became a CFO at 32, took a company public, ran Greater China from Hong Kong, and served as CEO of doTERRA, a company doing well over $2 billion a…
- Why We Believe
Kirby Heyborne: Star of Best Two Years, Singles Ward & RM Shares His Real Story
Kirby Heyborne is the face of a generation of Latter-day Saint film. The RM, The Best Two Years, Singles Ward, Saints and Soldiers. He has narrated more than…
- Why We Believe
"I Watched $11 Million Vanish in a Day. Then Someone Reached for Me." (with Nathan Gwilliam)
Decades ago, Nathan Gwilliam was the CEO of a publicly traded dot-com company when the bubble burst and he watched $11 million disappear in a single day. The…
- Why We Believe
Bestselling Author Patrick Mason Shares the True Miracle of Belief and Belonging in an Age of Doubt
Patrick Mason has spent his career inside the hardest questions of Latter-day Saint history, the ones that shake other people's faith. He holds the Leonard J…
- Why We Believe
A Prodigal Son Who Wandered 20 Years & Found The Savior Waiting for Him (with Jeremiah Cronin)
Jeremiah Cronin was born in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, served a two-year mission in Monterrey, Mexico, and came home with a testimony he…
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Bestselling Author Sian Ann Bessey Shares Her Story of Faith God Has Written
Sian Ann Bessey has written around 40 books. She is a USA Today bestselling author and a Whitney Award finalist whose novels carry her native Wales onto the…
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Michelle Kaufusi: Mother of 2 NFL Sons Shares Play-by-Play Recap of Her Faith
On an early morning run, with her heart praying the way it always did, Michelle Kaufusi heard a voice tell her she would be the mayor of Provo and that she…
- Why We Believe
This Broadway Tenor Chose the Prophet Joseph Over Phantom of the Opera (with Dallyn Vail Bayles)
Dallyn Vail Bayles has one of the most recognized tenor voices in Latter-day Saint music. He has sung the Phantom on a national tour of Phantom of the Opera…
- Why We Believe
The 'Unshaken': What to Do When Your Faith is Shaken (with Jared Halverson)
Jared Halverson spent his doctoral years at Vanderbilt reading the sharpest attacks ever aimed at religious belief, and he walked out with a stronger testimony…
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Faith and Reason Are Not Enemies. This Scholar Spent His Life Proving It. (with Casey Griffiths)
Casey Griffiths has spent his career helping thousands of students face the hardest questions in church history without losing their faith. He is a professor…
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The Sacred Records That Deepened This Church Historian's Faith (with Keith Erekson)
For seven years, Keith Erekson directed the Church History Library, the official archive of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and home to more…
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Navy Chaplain's Secrets to Spiritual Toughness (with Dr. Justin Top)
Dr. Justin Top has spent his life chasing one question: how does the grace of God actually reach us? He has looked for the answer in places most people never…
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Depression Nearly Destroyed This Mission President, Until He Felt the Savior's Love (with Brent L. Top)
Brent L. Top spent 34 years teaching the gospel at Brigham Young University, where he rose to Dean of Religious Education and wrote more than 30 books. For…
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He Has Felt the Joy of Forgiveness, So He Knows the Atonement Is Real. (with Craig Ostler)
Craig Ostler has spent more than 40 years teaching the Restoration. He taught seminary and institute for 15 years, then 28 years at Brigham Young University…
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Mark Mabry: Reflections of Christ Photographer Faced Nine Months of No Faith
What happens when a photographer feels prompted to delete every song from his computer and throw away all his art books? Mark Mabry did not know it then, but…
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Marcus Martins, the Church's First Black Missionary of the 20th Century, Bears His Witness of Christ
Marcus Martins joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1972 at age thirteen, six years before any Black member could hold the priesthood or…
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A Duke Professor Studies Light at the Quantum Level, What He Found Changed His Testimony (with Prof Aaron Franklin)
A teenager with no religious background walked into the Mesa Arizona Temple visitor center and felt something shift. That single visit led to baptism, a…
Why We BelieveA Seminary Bribe Built His Testimony of Jesus Christ (with Dave Lindsay)
Dave Lindsay has spent more than 25 years telling other people's faith stories on film, including Front Man: The Alex Boyé Story and four seasons of Come…
Why We Believe50 Years Responding to Church Criticism: Why He’s More Sure Than Ever (with Daniel C. Peterson)
Daniel C. Peterson has spent his career doing something most people would rather avoid. He goes looking for the strongest arguments against the restored gospel…
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The Jungle Was His Lab. The Spirit Was His Guide. (with Dr. Paul Alan Cox)
Paul Alan Cox grew up the son of a Grand Teton park ranger and a scientist. He graduated from BYU, earned his PhD at Harvard, and was named one of Time…
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Zions Bank Former CEO Scott Anderson: Bringing Faith in Business and Beyond
Scott Anderson's family has been building Utah since 1847, when three of his ancestors walked into the Salt Lake Valley beside Brigham Young. Their homestead…
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Filmmaker Paralyzed for Life at 15. Then God Answered His Prayer (with Garrett Batty)
Garrett Batty has spent his career turning faith-based stories into cinema, but the story that shaped him most started in a hospital bed when he was 15. A…
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US Senator John Curtis' Story of Faith & Forgiveness
What does a United States Senator say when asked why he believes? For John Curtis, it starts on a mountaintop in Galilee, where at 19 he went 48 hours without…
- Why We Believe
Brett Sampson Carried Rocks in His Pockets Until the Savior Helped Him Let Go
Brett Sampson moved 14 times before he ever left home, served a mission in Rochester, New York where the Sacred Grove was part of his assignment, and grew up…
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Because of Jesus Christ Everything Is Going to Be Okay (With Sarah Norton)
Sarah Norton grew up in a faithful home, served in her community, and believed in Jesus Christ her whole life. But belief became something far deeper the night…
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David Checketts: From the Utah Jazz to the NY Knicks, a Life Guided by Faith
What happens when the youngest CEO in NBA history finds himself kneeling by his bed in London, begging heaven to save his bleeding grandson? David W. Checketts…
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"I Went Home to Die" - Then Disney Called (with Adassa Candiani)
What happens when a Grammy-winning artist wakes up paralyzed from the neck down the day after auditioning for Disney? Adassa Candiani couldn't walk, couldn't…
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I Was Wrong. The Prophet Was Right. (with Brad Wilcox)
Brad Wilcox was born on Christmas Day, spent his earliest childhood in Ethiopia, and grew up to write the most-viewed BYU devotional in history. He has served…
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He Chose to Be Faithful When He Thought Nobody Was Looking (with Elder John H. Groberg)
A 19-year-old missionary was locked in a customs shed in Fiji with pigs and cows. No one knew where he was. No one was coming. He knelt down and heard his…
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She Learned How to Speak with God For the First Time, and He Responded (with Eva Timothy)
Eva Timothy grew up in communist Bulgaria where religion was banned, Christmas did not exist, and her father hid a copy of the U.S. Constitution like a…
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The Secret to Find God in Your Life (with Rob Call)
How do you find God in your everyday life? Rob Call has spent a lifetime answering that question, and his answer is simpler than you think: you look. Rob has…
- Why We Believe
17 Years of Trauma Broke a Paramedic Until God Gave Him a New Life to Chase (With Jeremy Claridge)
What happens when 17 years of saving other people's lives nearly destroys your own? Jeremy Claridge spent nearly two decades as a paramedic with his hands in…
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A Doubting Missionary Asks God About Joseph Smith, Gains Witness of the First Vision | Jason Barney
What happens when a lifelong church member realizes he has never truly tested his own testimony? Jason Barney grew up in a family with roots reaching back to…
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A Sister Died by Suicide and God Turned Grief Into a Mission (With Ganel Lyn Condie)
Twelve years ago, Ganel-Lyn Condie's 40-year-old sister Meg died by suicide after a lifetime of mental health struggle. Six weeks later, Ganel-Lyn submitted…
- Why We Believe
Trusting God Over Job Security Led This Media Innovator to Launch KSL.com (with Russell Banz)
What happens when an MBA graduate feels prompted to NOT get a job? Russell Banz told his wife he wasn't supposed to look for work after finishing his degree…
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How Repentance, Not Perfection, Became the Foundation of His Faith (With Dr. Kendall Peck)
What if the foundation of your testimony is not built on one dramatic miracle but on a lifetime of quiet answers? Dr. Kendall Peck , Online Vice President at…
- Why We Believe
Waiting made whole (with Crystal Gwilliam)
What happens when doctors spend 27 years running tests and still can't explain why your body is in constant pain? Crystal Gwilliam has lived that reality since…
Why We BelieveAfter a Severe Hand Burn, God Healed This Grammy-Nominated Violinist (with Jenny Oaks Baker)
What happens when a violinist catches a searing hot curling iron with her bare hand hours before a music video shoot? Jenny Oaks Baker, Grammy-nominated…
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After His Daughter's Liver Failed, a Blessing Brought Her Home for Christmas with Dr. Steven Neal
Two years ago multiple myeloma threatened to end his life's work before completion. Sculpting to music, a song came on with the lyrics have a little faith. The…
- Why We Believe
After Asking God to End Her Life, This Palestinian Found Peace in the Gospel with Sahar Qumsiyeh
A depressed Palestinian teenager who thought God had abandoned her people found peace after following a prompting to attend BYU instead of accepting a $56,000…
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Gethsemane: The Story Behind the Song Every Latter-day Saint Child Wanted to Sing with Melanie Hoffman
In this episode of Why We Believe,with host Nathan Gwilliam, award-winning songwriter Melanie Hoffman shares the canyon drive when words for Gethsemane hit her…
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How God Protected a Molested Girl And Healed Her Husband's Heart Through Covenants (with Leta Greene)
In this episode of Why We Believe, speaker and author Leta Greene shares the moment her husband died in her arms at a hospital and a voice whispered about…
Why We BelieveTrusting God's Plan When Faith Becomes the Only Way Forward with Jason Hewlett
In this episode of Why We Believe with host Nathan Gwilliam , professional entertainer Jason Hewlett shares how a bus full of strangers in Florianopolis …
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How Garth’s Life Changed When He Stopped Running His Own Race and Followed God’s Lead
In this episode of Why We Believe with host Nathan Gwilliam, discover the miraculous true stories behind gospel musician Garth Smith's sacred compositions…
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Professional MMA Fighter Westin Wilson Shares Spiritual Lessons Learned in the Cage
Professional MMA fighter Westin Wilson shares how listening to the Holy Ghost transformed his UFC career and what martial artists can teach us about spiritual…