{"id":2189849,"date":"2025-12-07T07:11:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T07:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2189849"},"modified":"2025-12-07T07:11:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T07:11:08","slug":"author-of-new-hymn-because-sees-miracles-in-every-song-church-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/author-of-new-hymn-because-sees-miracles-in-every-song-church-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Author of new hymn &#8216;Because&#8217; sees &#8216;miracles in every song&#8217; \u2013 Church News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Music swelled around Shawna Edwards as she sat in the Conference Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">It was the Saturday morning session of the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thechurchnews.com\/members\/2025\/10\/02\/general-conference-october-2025-lds-talk-session-summaries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">October 2025 general conference<\/a>, and the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square was singing an arrangement of \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/media\/music\/songs\/because?lang=eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">Because<\/a>,\u201d a song she wrote in 2006. The song was <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thechurchnews.com\/members\/2025\/06\/12\/eleven-new-songs-4th-batch-new-hymnbook-christmas-spanish-spiritual\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">recently added<\/a> to \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/media\/music\/collections\/hymns-for-home-and-church?lang=eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">Hymns \u2014 For Home and Church<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cIt was really one of the great moments of my life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"cn-article-body__oembed cn-article-body__embed-responsive youtube \" data-chromatic=\"ignore\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Because | October 2025 General Conference\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Tr0ucZKd4dc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">When Edwards wrote \u201cBecause\u201d for a class at Brigham Young University, she never imagined she would witness the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square sing it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Then again, she never imagined as a college freshman that she would be using the internet to share her testimony through music on a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCC5HL71HWjuvLUOmPbRKfIw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">YouTube channel<\/a> with millions of views, but that\u2019s exactly what she\u2019s doing now.<\/p>\n<div class=\"cn-article-body__image-wrapper\" data-width=\"4284\" data-height=\"5712\">\n<figure class=\"c-media-item cn-article-body__image\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" alt=\"Shawna Edwards &#x2014; composer of &quot;Because,&quot; a new addition to Hymns&#x2014;For Home and Church &#x2014; poses for a photo with a guitar in Lehi, Utah, January 2025.\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.75;background-color:#F6F6F6;cursor:pointer\" class=\"c-image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thechurchnews.com\/resizer\/v2\/SZM2K5ZJ5BG5RJUH3B42IMVCMA.jpg?auth=f4748f5f43c901829ac6b53209b99ab4d194d60e136abc5528fd49329c34c8f4&amp;focal=2099%2C2112&amp;width=800&amp;height=1066\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thechurchnews.com\/resizer\/v2\/SZM2K5ZJ5BG5RJUH3B42IMVCMA.jpg?auth=f4748f5f43c901829ac6b53209b99ab4d194d60e136abc5528fd49329c34c8f4&amp;focal=2099%2C2112&amp;width=1600&amp;height=2132 2x\" width=\"800\" height=\"1066\"\/><figcaption class=\"c-media-item__fig-caption\"><span class=\"c-media-item__caption\">Shawna Edwards \u2014 composer of &#8220;Because,&#8221; a new addition to Hymns\u2014For Home and Church \u2014 poses for a photo with a guitar in Lehi, Utah, January 2025. <\/span><span class=\"c-media-item__credit\">| Provided by Shawna Edwards <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cI didn\u2019t have any idea, but God knew,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cAnd He knew that somebody like me could share the gospel in a new way. And He was just preparing me for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Edwards\u2019 professional music journey is a testament to God\u2019s working behind the scenes. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cGod\u2019s plan for us is always greater than our own,\u201d she said. \u201cAlways.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"Seeing-God's-plan-in-hindsight\" class=\"cn-article-body__h2\">Seeing God\u2019s plan in hindsight<\/h2>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Edwards returned to BYU to pursue a degree in music media when she was 45 years old \u2014 nearly 30 years and five children after her freshman year of college.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Finishing her degree hadn\u2019t been in her plans, but when her sister told her about a friend who returned to school, Edwards heard a voice tell her, \u201cYou should too.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"cn-article-body__image-wrapper\" data-width=\"3024\" data-height=\"4032\">\n<figure class=\"c-media-item cn-article-body__image\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" alt=\"Shawna Edwards &#x2014; composer of &quot;Because,&quot; a new addition to Hymns&#x2014;For Home and Church &#x2014; sits with her grandchildren in Salt Lake City, Utah, 2018.\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.75;background-color:#F6F6F6;cursor:pointer\" class=\"c-image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thechurchnews.com\/resizer\/v2\/EJSVH5RHTREYTBNYYYTIWNXS54.jpg?auth=d5b478c9fb0cc70c10cdc374892ff3ee623050b0de8eed5aee0e386d0194bc92&amp;focal=1350%2C1763&amp;width=800&amp;height=1066\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thechurchnews.com\/resizer\/v2\/EJSVH5RHTREYTBNYYYTIWNXS54.jpg?auth=d5b478c9fb0cc70c10cdc374892ff3ee623050b0de8eed5aee0e386d0194bc92&amp;focal=1350%2C1763&amp;width=1600&amp;height=2132 2x\" width=\"800\" height=\"1066\"\/><figcaption class=\"c-media-item__fig-caption\"><span class=\"c-media-item__caption\">Shawna Edwards \u2014 composer of &#8220;Because,&#8221; a new addition to Hymns\u2014For Home and Church \u2014 sits with her grandchildren in Salt Lake City, Utah, 2018. <\/span><span class=\"c-media-item__credit\">| Provided by Shawna Edwards <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cI can only name a few times in my life when I have had as direct a piece of revelation as this,\u201d Edwards said about the prompting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">When Edwards started at BYU as an 18-year-old, her plan was to perform with the Cougarettes, the school\u2019s nationally acclaimed dance team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">But as the semester began, she felt a persistent pull to the music school. She eventually quit the dance team and declared a major in piano performance, where instead of performing for thousands of people in a packed sports stadium, she spent hours practicing the piano alone in a basement classroom.<\/p>\n<div class=\"cn-article-body__image-wrapper\" data-width=\"1987\" data-height=\"1830\">\n<figure class=\"c-media-item cn-article-body__image\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" alt=\"Shawna Edwards &#x2014; composer of &quot;Because,&quot; a new addition to Hymns&#x2014;For Home and Church &#x2014; poses for a photo with her husband, John Edwards, in Mapleton, Utah, October 2018.\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.09;background-color:#F6F6F6;cursor:pointer\" class=\"c-image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thechurchnews.com\/resizer\/v2\/TKA25SFFCZB75MPLXJAY3URTE4.jpg?auth=b7e0de36908124bf52263efde7da201216007b69ac6d462da43689ca37de8623&amp;focal=0%2C0&amp;width=800&amp;height=736\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thechurchnews.com\/resizer\/v2\/TKA25SFFCZB75MPLXJAY3URTE4.jpg?auth=b7e0de36908124bf52263efde7da201216007b69ac6d462da43689ca37de8623&amp;focal=0%2C0&amp;width=1600&amp;height=1472 2x\" width=\"800\" height=\"736\"\/><figcaption class=\"c-media-item__fig-caption\"><span class=\"c-media-item__caption\">Shawna Edwards \u2014 composer of &#8220;Because,&#8221; a new addition to Hymns\u2014For Home and Church \u2014 poses for a photo with her husband, John Edwards, in Mapleton, Utah, October 2018. <\/span><span class=\"c-media-item__credit\">| Provided by Shawna Edwards <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cThere were a lot of days when I just thought, \u2018what was I thinking?\u2019\u201d Edwards admitted. \u201cAnd yet, I knew that I was where I belonged. I just knew that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Then, when she married her husband, John Edwards, she ended up leaving BYU without completing her degree.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Shawna Edwards said when she returned to the school of music 30 years later, it was highly competitive. She felt that if she hadn\u2019t already declared a music major as an 18-year-old, she likely wouldn\u2019t have been accepted into the program in 2006.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cAnd so 30, 40 years later, I know why,\u201d Edwards said about joining the music school as a freshman. \u201cThe Lord led me there.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"cn-article-body__image-wrapper\" data-width=\"6048\" data-height=\"4024\">\n<figure class=\"c-media-item cn-article-body__image\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" alt=\"Shawna Edwards &#x2014; composer of &quot;Because,&quot; a new addition to Hymns&#x2014;For Home and Church &#x2014; smiles for a photo with her extended family in Alpine, Utah, June 2025.\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.50;background-color:#F6F6F6;cursor:pointer\" class=\"c-image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thechurchnews.com\/resizer\/v2\/UANJU55TWFHWDDYH3WCTSWMBKA.jpg?auth=0007bfe253c147c1e5d68f6a77405fceabeae932f19f614a3e97ede64c87ea7f&amp;focal=3080%2C1798&amp;width=800&amp;height=532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thechurchnews.com\/resizer\/v2\/UANJU55TWFHWDDYH3WCTSWMBKA.jpg?auth=0007bfe253c147c1e5d68f6a77405fceabeae932f19f614a3e97ede64c87ea7f&amp;focal=3080%2C1798&amp;width=1600&amp;height=1064 2x\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\"\/><figcaption class=\"c-media-item__fig-caption\"><span class=\"c-media-item__caption\">Shawna Edwards \u2014 composer of &#8220;Because,&#8221; a new addition to Hymns\u2014For Home and Church \u2014 smiles for a photo with her extended family in Alpine, Utah, June 2025. <\/span><span class=\"c-media-item__credit\">| Provided by Shawna Edwards <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"Technology-as-a-tool\" class=\"cn-article-body__h2\">Technology as a tool <\/h2>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Edwards\u2019 career has continued to take unexpected turns since her return to BYU nearly 20 years ago.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">She\u2019s now composed about 70 gospel-centered songs and publishes music videos on a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCC5HL71HWjuvLUOmPbRKfIw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">YouTube channel<\/a> with 149,000 subscribers and millions of views.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Similar to how the Lord guided her to join the music school and return to BYU, Edwards sees His help during her creative process.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cThere are miracles in every song,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"cn-article-body__oembed cn-article-body__embed-responsive youtube \" data-chromatic=\"ignore\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"I Won&#039;t Walk Away |#OfficialMV | Shawna Edwards - Inspiring Christian Music\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6Soq0LaEEww?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Edwards reflected back on her first year of college when social media didn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cIf you had tried to explain that stuff to me, I wouldn\u2019t \u2014 it would boggle my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Now, the internet is one of Edward\u2019s greatest tools in sharing her testimony.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">She recently received an email from a man in Sri Lanka who is the director of a Christian school for students in kindergarten through high school. He told her his school has been singing her songs for six years and plans to sing more at their Christmas program this year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">According to Edwards, he is just one of many people from around the world who have reached out to tell her how much her songs mean to them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s astounding what the Lord has done with technology and the ability that that gives us to share the gospel in different ways,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"cn-article-body__image-wrapper\" data-width=\"1175\" data-height=\"1876\">\n<figure class=\"c-media-item cn-article-body__image\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" alt=\"Shawna Edwards &#x2014; composer of &quot;Because,&quot; a new addition to Hymns&#x2014;For Home and Church &#x2014; sits at a grand piano in Ogden, Utah, August 2024.\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.63;background-color:#F6F6F6;cursor:pointer\" class=\"c-image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thechurchnews.com\/resizer\/v2\/RK2KOPPJQFEJ3PHXLGZEAUTIC4.PNG?auth=f8173b439848372e697955ede7b2bd0008f60a740f8cb9f4c66c36f8a43febea&amp;focal=502%2C859&amp;width=800&amp;height=1277\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thechurchnews.com\/resizer\/v2\/RK2KOPPJQFEJ3PHXLGZEAUTIC4.PNG?auth=f8173b439848372e697955ede7b2bd0008f60a740f8cb9f4c66c36f8a43febea&amp;focal=502%2C859&amp;width=1600&amp;height=2554 2x\" width=\"800\" height=\"1277\"\/><figcaption class=\"c-media-item__fig-caption\"><span class=\"c-media-item__caption\">Shawna Edwards \u2014 composer of &#8220;Because,&#8221; a new addition to Hymns\u2014For Home and Church \u2014 sits at a grand piano in Ogden, Utah, August 2024. <\/span><span class=\"c-media-item__credit\">| Provided by Shawna Edwards <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"All-good-things-come-from-Christ\" class=\"cn-article-body__h2\">All good things come from Christ<\/h2>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cBecause\u201d was Edwards\u2019 first song, written during her first semester back at BYU in 2006.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Her songwriting professor gave her class an open-ended assignment: write a song about any topic. Edwards knew she wanted to write something about the Savior.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">The verses came together quickly for Edwards.<\/p>\n<div class=\"cn-article-body__image-wrapper\" data-width=\"828\" data-height=\"1472\">\n<figure class=\"c-media-item cn-article-body__image\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" alt=\"Shawna Edwards &#x2014; composer of &quot;Because,&quot; a new addition to Hymns&#x2014;For Home and Church &#x2014; speaks at a devotional for young adults in Spanish Fork, Utah, October 2025.\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.56;background-color:#F6F6F6;cursor:pointer\" class=\"c-image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thechurchnews.com\/resizer\/v2\/VCJCIUGNFZHYXAZZDP2Q5DSFGY.jpg?auth=2aae6d83c19d4b4080dbcf3b811592c7425197565315d7a028305324f84e0f61&amp;focal=346%2C832&amp;width=800&amp;height=1422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thechurchnews.com\/resizer\/v2\/VCJCIUGNFZHYXAZZDP2Q5DSFGY.jpg?auth=2aae6d83c19d4b4080dbcf3b811592c7425197565315d7a028305324f84e0f61&amp;focal=346%2C832&amp;width=1600&amp;height=2844 2x\" width=\"800\" height=\"1422\"\/><figcaption class=\"c-media-item__fig-caption\"><span class=\"c-media-item__caption\">Shawna Edwards \u2014 composer of &#8220;Because,&#8221; a new addition to Hymns\u2014For Home and Church \u2014 speaks at a devotional for young adults in Spanish Fork, Utah, October 2025. <\/span><span class=\"c-media-item__credit\">| Provided by Shawna Edwards <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cAll I wanted was to kind of link His actions and His character with all of the good things that we have,\u201d she explained, referencing lyrics from \u201cBecause\u201d such as \u201cBecause He walked the path, I know the way\u201d and \u201cBecause He died for me, I\u2019ll live again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Composing the chorus was more challenging, said Edwards.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">She wanted to sum up everything she felt the Lord had given her, but only had one line of music left to do so.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cThere\u2019s just no way to say it all,\u201d she said, adding that the Savior gave the world \u201ceverything He had to give.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"cn-article-body__image-wrapper\" data-width=\"4032\" data-height=\"3024\">\n<figure class=\"c-media-item cn-article-body__image\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" alt=\"Shawna Edwards &#x2014; composer of &quot;Because,&quot; a new addition to Hymns&#x2014;For Home and Church &#x2014; leads music for a primary in Portland, Oregon, July 2024.\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.33;background-color:#F6F6F6;cursor:pointer\" class=\"c-image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thechurchnews.com\/resizer\/v2\/XIXCGSO4UNFCPOAXZ6B2G774WU.jpg?auth=cf3e4d5855a821a07a007f6daa6a77b449adbd71b83d16d4ecb4b93b10fa1313&amp;focal=1731%2C1245&amp;width=800&amp;height=600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thechurchnews.com\/resizer\/v2\/XIXCGSO4UNFCPOAXZ6B2G774WU.jpg?auth=cf3e4d5855a821a07a007f6daa6a77b449adbd71b83d16d4ecb4b93b10fa1313&amp;focal=1731%2C1245&amp;width=1600&amp;height=1200 2x\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\"\/><figcaption class=\"c-media-item__fig-caption\"><span class=\"c-media-item__caption\">Shawna Edwards \u2014 composer of &#8220;Because,&#8221; a new addition to Hymns\u2014For Home and Church \u2014 leads music for a primary in Portland, Oregon, July 2024. <\/span><span class=\"c-media-item__credit\">| Provided by Shawna Edwards <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Edwards eventually came up with the closing line \u201cI breathe, I see, I hope, I love, I live.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cI felt like those were a pretty good representation of a million other things,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Edwards said she feels honored to have \u201cBecause\u201d included in \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/media\/music\/collections\/hymns-for-home-and-church?lang=eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">Hymns \u2014 For Home and Church<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cI just feel grateful to be a part of it and hope that congregations will sing it for years and years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"cn-article-body__html\">\n<h3>&#8216;Because&#8217;<\/h3>\n<p>\n        1. Because He walked the path, I know the way.<br \/>Because He calmed the storm, I\u2019m not afraid.<br \/>Because He made the lame to walk and caused the blind to see<br \/>And blessed the children one by one, I feel His love for me.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n         <i>And I will praise forever<br \/>The Savior of the world,<br \/>And I will sing together<br \/>With all the Saints on earth.<br \/>Because He gave to me ev\u2019rything<br \/>He had to give,<br \/>I breathe, I see, I hope, I love, I live.<\/i>\n    <\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-left: 1.75em; text-indent: -1em;\">\n        2. Because He died for me, I\u2019ll live again.<br \/>\n        Because He is my Friend, I\u2019ll follow Him.<br \/>\n        Because He fills the world with light, I\u2019m filled with hope and peace.<br \/>\n        And when He comes to earth again, I\u2019ll kneel before His feet.<\/p>\n<p>\n         <i>And I will praise forever<br \/>The Savior of the world,<br \/>And I will sing together<br \/>With all the Saints on earth.<br \/>Because He gave to me ev\u2019rything<br \/>He had to give,<br \/>I breathe, I see, I hope, I love, I live.<\/i>\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"Heavenly-and-familial-support\" class=\"cn-article-body__h2\">Heavenly and familial support<\/h2>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Going back to school and putting her songs on the internet was scary for Edwards. She attributes much of her growth to her husband.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cHe\u2019s been really the force behind me moving forward with all this music since I started,\u201d she said. \u201cIn fact, I tell people that if it wasn\u2019t for him, I would never have done any of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"cn-article-body__image-wrapper\" data-width=\"1158\" data-height=\"1160\">\n<figure class=\"c-media-item cn-article-body__image\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" alt=\"Shawna Edwards &#x2014; composer of &quot;Because,&quot; a new addition to Hymns&#x2014;For Home and Church &#x2014; and her husband, John Edwards, pause for a photo in Glacier National Park, Montana, July 2019.\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.00;background-color:#F6F6F6;cursor:pointer\" class=\"c-image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thechurchnews.com\/resizer\/v2\/4C7LAHQX3BDYBPNZS5Q73FBRAQ.jpg?auth=0a7a4af81859fd724428bbb081a7dfef809e6fc8e6452c7f2ba5a525604139ad&amp;focal=642%2C650&amp;width=800&amp;height=801\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thechurchnews.com\/resizer\/v2\/4C7LAHQX3BDYBPNZS5Q73FBRAQ.jpg?auth=0a7a4af81859fd724428bbb081a7dfef809e6fc8e6452c7f2ba5a525604139ad&amp;focal=642%2C650&amp;width=1600&amp;height=1602 2x\" width=\"800\" height=\"801\"\/><figcaption class=\"c-media-item__fig-caption\"><span class=\"c-media-item__caption\">Shawna Edwards \u2014 composer of &#8220;Because,&#8221; a new addition to Hymns\u2014For Home and Church \u2014 and her husband, John Edwards, pause for a photo in Glacier National Park, Montana, July 2019. <\/span><span class=\"c-media-item__credit\">| Provided by Shawna Edwards <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">John Edwards said it\u2019s been wonderful to see his wife doing missionary work \u201cin her special way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cShe has a lot more confidence now when she releases songs, and I think that comes from knowing that the music will bring the Spirit to people and be a source of encouragement and strength when they need it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Shawna Edwards also acknowledged that the Lord has guided and magnified her through her career.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cOver and over and over and over, I can see how willing the Lord is to help us when we\u2019re on His errand,\u201d she said. \u201cI tell people all the time, \u2018You\u2019ve got a talent that He blessed you with \u2014 use it, and He\u2019ll help you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"form__wrapper form__wrapper--article-newsletter-widget\">\n<div class=\"form__icon\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thechurchnews.com\/pf\/resources\/churchnews\/assets\/images\/church-news.svg?d=317\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"form__title-text\">Newsletters<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Subscribe for free and get daily or weekly updates straight to your inbox<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.thechurchnews.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Music swelled around Shawna Edwards as she sat in the Conference Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City. It was the Saturday morning session of the October 2025 general conference, and the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square was singing an arrangement of \u201cBecause,\u201d a song she wrote in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[374833],"class_list":["post-2189849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music","tag-sacred-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2189849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2189849"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2189849\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2189850,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2189849\/revisions\/2189850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2189849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2189849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2189849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}