Why We Believe

Nathan Gwilliam
  • 5.0 (63)
  • Christianity
  • Weekly

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 interviews, hear firsthand accounts of the life-changing conversion stories and events that ignited and solidified these members' beliefs and personal testimonies. Gain powerful insights into the many unique paths that lead to faith and discover what continues to feed their dedication year after year. Join us each week for inspiring stories from faithful Latter-Day Saints and discuss Why We Believe.

  1. 3h ago

    The 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 the bronze aimed at the Salt Lake Temple instead. Ben grew up moving pipe in rural Idaho, begged master sculptor Blair Buswell for the chance to sweep his floors, then spent nearly ten years as his apprentice. Today, his statue of Martha Hughes Cannon stands in the United States Capitol, his sculptures of the Savior's ministry and the Restoration stand on Temple Square, and this faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints calls the work good, not perfect. In this episode of Why We Believe, Ben tells Nathan Gwilliam how he pieced Martha Hughes Cannon's face together through her living relatives and what her granddaughter said when she saw the clay. He shares the two weeks he spent studying the death mask of Joseph Smith, the four years that tested his family with illness and an overflowing house, and the morning prayers that kept him pushing the wagon. When Nathan asks why he believes, Ben gives Peter's answer. Good things in his life have come through the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Book of Mormon helps him look in the mirror and like the person he sees. Loved this episode? Hit Follow and share it with someone who needs a reminder that good, not perfect, is enough for the Savior to work with. Leave a review for Why We Believe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Your support helps us bring more inspiring conversations like this to listeners everywhere! Visit WhyWeBelieve.com to download Your FREE guide on 13 Strategies to Increase Faith in Jesus Christ, to support you as you strengthen your own testimony of Jesus Christ. Follow the Why We Believe Show WhyWeBelieve.com | YouTube: @WhyWeBelieveShow | LinkedIn: @Why-We-Believe-Show | Instagram: @WhyWeBelievePodcast Follow Nathan Gwilliam LinkedIn: @NathanGwilliam | Website: PodUp.com | Podcasts - Why We Believe: WhyWeBelieve.com | Podcasting Secrets: PodcastingSecrets.com Follow Ben Hammond Website: BenHammondFineArt.com | Instagram: @benhammondfineart

    The Story Behind The New Temple Square Statues (with Ben Hammond)

  2. Oct 27

    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 wife Michelle, who was expecting their fifth child, his son Ben, and his daughter Anna. Taped to a backboard in the emergency room, Chris asked his first question: was the boy okay? His second request placed the 17-year-old's name on the temple prayer roll. A faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a bishop at the time of the crash, Chris had spent two years practicing what he calls for-forgiveness, choosing to forgive before he ever needed to. In this episode of Why We Believe, Chris sits down with host Nathan Gwilliam to share the story behind his book Let It Go and the film Just Let Go. He recounts the words he heard in the wreckage, the courtroom where he asked mercy for the boy who caused the crash, and the visit years later when that young man asked how Chris could forgive him. Chris also opens up about the forgiveness that took him the longest, forgiving himself, and why he calls letting go one of the most gloriously selfish things he has ever done. His witness points again and again to the enabling power of Jesus Christ. Loved this episode?Hit Follow and share it with someone who needs the peace of letting go. Leave a review for Why We Believe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Your support helps us bring more inspiring conversations like this to listeners everywhere! Visit WhyWeBelieve.com to download Your FREE guide on 13 Strategies to Increase Faith in Jesus Christ, to support you as you strengthen your own testimony of Jesus Christ. Follow the Why We Believe Show: Website: https://www.whywebelieve.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WhyWeBelieveShow LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/why-we-believe-show/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whywebelievepodcast/ Follow Nathan Gwilliam: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathangwilliam/ Website: https://podup.com/ Podcasts: Why We Believe: https://www.whywebelieve.com/ Podcasting Secrets: https://podcastingsecrets.com/ Follow Chris Williams: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamsleadership/ Book: https://shadowmountain.com/product/let-it-go-a-true-story-of-tragedy-and-forgiveness/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/williamscs/

  3. Oct 20

    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 strip he expected to be rejected. The Washington Post Syndicate said yes. More than 35 years later, Brian is the creator of Pickles, the beloved strip about Earl and Opal that appears in nearly a thousand newspapers, and the winner of the Reuben Award, cartooning's highest honor. He is also a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who has spent his career tucking temples, Church magazines, and the words of prophets quietly into the background of the funny pages. In this episode of Why We Believe, Brian tells host Nathan Gwilliam about the shy boy who made friends by drawing on the blackboard, the mission to Uruguay where his mission president put his pen to work, the letter from Charles Schulz that still hangs on his wall, and the priesthood blessing that spared his four-year-old daughter after she was struck by a car. He shares why the hidden temples opened doors to letters and fireside invitations, and what a faithful marriage of more than 50 years has taught him about forgiveness and joy. His witness is simple. Jesus Christ is his Savior, his friend, and his guide, and Brian owes Him everything. Loved this episode? Hit Follow and share it with someone who needs a reminder that God multiplies the talents we offer Him. Leave a review for Why We Believe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Your support helps us bring more inspiring conversations like this to listeners everywhere!   Visit WhyWeBelieve.com to download Your FREE guide on 13 Strategies to Increase Faith in Jesus Christ, to support you as you strengthen your own testimony of Jesus Christ. Follow the Why We Believe Show: Website: https://www.whywebelieve.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WhyWeBelieveShow LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/why-we-believe-show/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whywebelievepodcast/ Follow Nathan Gwilliam: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathangwilliam/ Website: https://podup.com/ Podcasts: Why We Believe: https://www.whywebelieve.com/ Podcasting Secrets: https://podcastingsecrets.com/ Follow Brian Crane: Website: https://www.picklescomic.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-crane-56b85645/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/official_pickles_comic_/

  4. Oct 13

    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. Before he played a single down, he told the recruiters he would serve a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Barcelona, Spain. He braced for confrontation. Instead, the doors kept opening, and that prepared path followed him through All Pac-12 honors, the 2012 NFL Draft, and locker rooms on seven NFL teams. In this episode of Why We Believe with host Nathan Gwilliam, Mark shares the national ballroom dance championship that surprised an Oregon recruiter, the whiteboard moment when he taught the plan of salvation to his Buffalo Bills linemates, sacrament meetings held in NFL team hotels, and the night before the 2012 Rose Bowl when his Scout training saved a choking man's life. He also opens up about the hospital night in Buffalo when he and his wife Michelle lost a baby and felt the Lord's watchcare wash over an empty hallway. Mark testifies that when we put the Lord first, He prepares the path, and that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest team sport ever invented. Loved this episode? Hit Follow and share it with someone who needs the reminder that the Lord prepares the path for those who put Him first. Leave a review for Why We Believe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Your support helps us bring more inspiring conversations like this to listeners everywhere! Visit WhyWeBelieve.com to download Your FREE guide on 13 Strategies to Increase Faith in Jesus Christ, to support you as you strengthen your own testimony of Jesus Christ. Follow the Why We Believe Show: • Website: https://www.whywebelieve.com/ • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WhyWeBelieveShow • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/why-we-believe-show/ • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whywebelievepodcast/ Follow Nathan Gwilliam: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathangwilliam/ • Website: https://podup.com/ • Podcasts: o Why We Believe: https://www.whywebelieve.com/ o Podcasting Secrets: https://podcastingsecrets.com/ Follow Mark Asper: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bigasperations/ • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigasperations/

  5. Oct 6

    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 company, she lived inside a story of a girl swept out of misery by Jean Valjean and carried while being asked only to trust. Somewhere in those years, the role turned into a mirror. Sandra realized she was Cosette, and her Rescuer was Jesus Christ. It is a way of seeing the Savior that reshaped how she prays, trusts, and follows. In this episode of Why We Believe, Sandra tells how the Spirit sent her into the Cosette audition instead of Eponine, and what it meant to be the only member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the company, answering her castmates' gospel questions and going home to study. She shares the five weeks she and her husband rocked a baby named Eden before the phone rang, the love for Eden's birth mother she says only the Savior could teach, and the night a three-week panic attack left her a single word of prayer. Through rescue, loss, and darkness, Sandra explains why she believes: because she wants to. Loved this episode?Hit Follow and share it with someone who needs to see the Savior's rescue in their own story. Leave a review for Why We Believe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Your support helps us bring more inspiring conversations like this to listeners everywhere! Visit WhyWeBelieve.com to download Your FREE guide on 13 Strategies to Increase Faith in Jesus Christ, to support you as you strengthen your own testimony of Jesus Christ. Follow the Why We Believe Show: Website: https://www.whywebelieve.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WhyWeBelieveShow LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/why-we-believe-show/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whywebelievepodcast/ Follow Nathan Gwilliam: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathangwilliam/ Website: https://podup.com/ Podcasts: Why We Believe: https://www.whywebelieve.com/ Podcasting Secrets: https://podcastingsecrets.com/ Follow Sandra Turley: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandradturley/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587091574094 X: https://x.com/sandra_turley YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sandradturley

  6. Sep 29

    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, Utah's 17th governor would not raise wine, even in that room, and what the President did next told him his quiet witness had been seen. Gary led Utah for nearly 12 years, through wildfire, earthquake, and a pandemic, and his faith in the Lord went with him into each one. In this episode of Why We Believe, Gary sits down with host Nathan Gwilliam to share what happened when his water goblet reached the head table, the weekend he called an entire state to fast and pray for rain, the election he lost by 35 votes and the door God opened next, and the pandemic year he calls the hardest of his political career. Through each story, Gary bears witness that the Lord blesses the do-how, not just the know-how, and that a testimony grows step by step as we take Nephi at his word and go and do. If your faith needs a place to start again, his counsel is simple: try it, work at it, and watch what the Lord does with it. Loved this episode?Hit Follow and share it with someone who needs a reminder that the Lord answers those who go and do. Leave a review for Why We Believe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Your support helps us bring more inspiring conversations like this to listeners everywhere! Visit WhyWeBelieve.com to download Your FREE guide on 13 Strategies to Increase Faith in Jesus Christ, to support you as you strengthen your own testimony of Jesus Christ. Follow the Why We Believe Show: Website: https://www.whywebelieve.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WhyWeBelieveShow LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/why-we-believe-show/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whywebelievepodcast/ Follow Nathan Gwilliam: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathangwilliam/ Website: https://podup.com/ Podcasts: Why We Believe: https://www.whywebelieve.com/ Podcasting Secrets: https://podcastingsecrets.com/ Follow Gary Herbert: Website: https://garyherbert.com/the-governor/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GovGaryHerbert/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/governorherbert/ NGA Profile: https://www.nga.org/governor/gary-herbert/

  7. Sep 18

    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. His patriarchal blessing said he would be blessed with health as he lived the Word of Wisdom, and now that promise sat across the room in a hospital gown. Ali had spent years working on Capitol Hill as communications director for Congressman Jason Chaffetz, then building a career teaching Pilates and coaching nutrition. None of it had prepared her for this moment, or for the answer waiting for her in the temple. In this episode of Why We Believe, Ali, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, shares how a single, clear impression in the temple sent her back to the Word of Wisdom to read it in full for the first time, verse by verse, and how living it completely transformed her husband's health and her family's home. She talks about the childhood prayers that first taught her God answers, the dream that called her to a mission she never expected, and why she has come to believe that faith, like health, is simply more fun to live than to doubt. Ali is the founder of PlantWhys, a plant-based coaching program, and shares her witness that God keeps every promise He makes, even when it arrives wrapped in a trial. Loved this episode?Hit Follow and share it with someone who needs to know that God keeps His promises, even in the hardest ones. Leave a review for Why We Believe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Your support helps us bring more inspiring conversations like this to listeners everywhere! Visit WhyWeBelieve.com to download Your FREE guide on 13 Strategies to Increase Faith in Jesus Christ, to support you as you strengthen your own testimony of Jesus Christ. Follow the Why We Believe Show: Website: https://www.whywebelieve.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WhyWeBelieveShow LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/why-we-believe-show/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whywebelievepodcast/ Follow Nathan Gwilliam: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathangwilliam/ Website: https://podup.com/ Podcasts: Why We Believe: https://www.whywebelieve.com/ Podcasting Secrets: https://podcastingsecrets.com/ Follow Ali Essig: Website: https://www.plantwhys.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PlantWhys/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PlantWhys/

  8. Sep 8

    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 history. At 16 he boarded a one-way flight to America with his mother's gold cross around his neck, and he left BYU as the program's winningest player and its all-time leader in three-pointers made. But the turning point of his life was not a championship. It was a lost necklace, a finished Book of Mormon, and a 17-year-old kneeling to ask God if it was all true. The vision that answered him led to his baptism into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In this episode of Why We Believe, Jonathan shares the miracle behind the title: his wife stranded at a snowy Italian train station and the two missionaries who felt prompted to return to a locked chapel at exactly the right moment. He also shares the tithing test that met an impossible tax bill, the surgeon on a mission an hour away who answered a prayer by email, the priesthood blessing that preceded a halted spinal tap on his ten-day-old son, and the prayer he has carried for three years without an answer. Through it all, Jonathan testifies that he has seen the hand of God without ever seeing His hand, and that Jesus Christ, for him, is hope. Loved this episode?Hit Follow and share it with someone who needs a reminder that God hears their prayers. Leave a review for Why We Believe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Your support helps us bring more inspiring conversations like this to listeners everywhere! Visit WhyWeBelieve.com to download Your FREE guide on 13 Strategies to Increase Faith in Jesus Christ, to support you as you strengthen your own testimony of Jesus Christ. Follow the Why We Believe Show: Website: https://www.whywebelieve.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WhyWeBelieveShow LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/why-we-believe-show/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whywebelievepodcast/ Follow Nathan Gwilliam: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathangwilliam/ Website: https://podup.com/ Podcasts: Why We Believe: https://www.whywebelieve.com/ Podcasting Secrets: https://podcastingsecrets.com/ Follow Jonathan Tavernari: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jt45/ X: https://x.com/For3JT

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About

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 interviews, hear firsthand accounts of the life-changing conversion stories and events that ignited and solidified these members' beliefs and personal testimonies. Gain powerful insights into the many unique paths that lead to faith and discover what continues to feed their dedication year after year. Join us each week for inspiring stories from faithful Latter-Day Saints and discuss Why We Believe.

Information

  • Creator
    Nathan Gwilliam
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    110
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    Copyright © 2024 Why We Believe. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Why We Believe

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