Maddie Tolk

Maddie is a content specialist for LDS Living. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from Harvard and has published and edited content for the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, Macmillan Learning, HarvardX, Utah Valley University, and Adobe. Maddie enjoys reading, playing the violin and piano, and watching musicals.

Latter-day Saint Life

5 blessings of tithing that are easy to overlook but transform lives

By Maddie Tolk

December 07, 2023 06:00 AM MST

God promises to provide powerful blessings when we live the law of tithing. But the fruits of obeying this commandment aren't always what we expect.

7 Min Read

Sister Tracy Y. Browning speaks at the First Presidency's 2023 Christmas devotional.

From the Church

Depression had me in darkness—how Sister Browning’s Christmas message led me to light

By Maddie Tolk

December 04, 2023 12:24 PM MST

Whether you’re managing depression or struggling to find joy this season, the First Presidency Christmas devotional invites us to remember the light.

4 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

The crucial phrase we often forget from the second great commandment

By Maddie Tolk

May 17, 2023 07:00 AM MDT

“God’s commandment to love and serve His children includes loving and serving ourselves—not only because self-love fills us with more love to give others, but also because He wants us to love ourselves the way He loves us.”

4 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

How a World-Renowned Artist Converted to the Church and Shares His Faith Through Unique Art

By Maddie Tolk

November 13, 2018 02:02 PM MST

Latter-day Saint artist Jorge Cocco Santángelo (Jorge Cocco) has always felt the calling to create. “There isn’t one point in time when I became an artist. I just developed as one,” he says.

5 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

4 Tips for Managing Your Family's Screen Time

By Maddie Tolk

August 30, 2017 09:06 PM MDT

Technology can be an amazing blessing. It allows us to connect with family and friends, to spread the gospel, to participate in family history work, and to access spiritual and educational resources almost instantly. While technology can be a powerful tool for good, it can also be a distraction from the things that matter most. In a CES devotional for young adults, Elder Ballard taught:

5 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

4 Tips for Those Who Experience Anxiety in the Temple and at Church

By Maddie Tolk

August 12, 2017 09:00 AM MDT

Latter-day Saints are promised blessings such as peace, strength, and increased spirituality when we attend church regularly and go to the temple often. But for those who live with some form of mental illness, such as anxiety or depression, it is not always easy or comfortable to attend church and go to the temple and feel the effects of those promised blessings.

4 Min Read

Fun

LDS Friends Star in Their Own Food Network Show Thanks to Their Unbelievable Gingerbread Creations (Photos)

By Maddie Tolk

August 08, 2017 03:00 PM MDT

Elisa Barber and Brenda Nibley are receiving national attention for their unique cookie creations. Barber, who owns The Baking Hive, a bakery in the Salt Lake Valley, attended culinary school in Ireland and gained experience as a chef in a prominent London Michelin Star restaurant and leading London bakery. Barber's friend Nibley has a natural flair for creating gingerbread houses and owns an artisan cookie architecture company called GingerGiddy. Together they have created some spectacular gingerbread houses.

1 Min Read

Fun

Little-Known Hobbies and Hidden Talents of General Authorities

By Maddie Tolk

August 05, 2017 09:00 AM MDT

Many members of the Church feel a deep connection with the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. As we read their words and listen to them speak twice a year in general conference, we are able to learn from their unique spiritual strengths and distinct teaching styles. Since we are accustomed to seeing Church leaders in spiritual settings, it can be tempting to think of these men only in a spiritual light; however, they are multidimensional people with individual interests and personalities.

5 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

How an LDS Teen's "Happy List" of Over 19,000 Items Has Inspired Others to Live with More Joy

By Maddie Tolk

August 02, 2017 01:00 PM MDT

When the Church released the Christmas video "A Savior is Born" in December 2015, LDS teen Annie Weight noticed it repeated the word "rejoice" several times. She was touched by its hopeful message and felt inspired to live a more positive lifestyle. "Throughout the Christmas season and the beginning of the new year, I thought a lot about joy, what it meant to others, and what it meant to me," said Weight. "After a lot of thought, I decided that I wanted to be happier with my life and I decided to start keeping a list of all the things in my life that made me happy."

2 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

LDS Teen Makes History as North Dakota's First Musician to Perform at Carnegie Hall with NYO2, Shares Faith

By Maddie Tolk

July 17, 2017 11:51 AM MDT

On July 18th, 2017, LDS 17-year-old Kari Jenks will become the first musician from North Dakota to perform at Carnegie Hall with the National Youth Orchestra 2 (NYO2). Launched in the summer of 2016 by Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute, NYO2 is an intensive orchestral training program designed for talented young musicians ages 14–17.

1 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

Wife of WWII POW Shares How a Patriarchal Blessing and Her Faith in God Allowed Her to Sustain Hope

By Maddie Tolk

July 14, 2017 03:15 PM MDT

When Amber Richardson read a quote by J.O. Young in the best-selling biography Unbroken, she was initially surprised. Brother Young lived in her home ward and she had remembered hearing him tell stories about his experiences as a prisoner of war during World War II; however, she had never made the connection to Unbroken. As she thought more about Brother Young's experiences, she realized she had never heard his wife's side of the story.

1 Min Read

Fun

LDS Twins Perform Epic Fiddle Cover of "Toxic" on ABC's "The Gong Show"

By Maddie Tolk

July 13, 2017 06:52 PM MDT

LDS brothers Jason and Jeffrey Linford are not only identical twins but also business partners and rising musicians. In addition to performing music, they run and own a pest control company in Mesa, Arizona. Recently "The Hollywood Bug Guys" performed an exterminator-themed fiddle number on ABC's newly revived The Gong Show.

1 Min Read

Famous Latter-day Saints

Returned Missionaries Star in Popular Discovery Channel Reality TV Show "Diesel Brothers"

By Maddie Tolk

July 08, 2017 01:00 PM MDT

LDS entrepreneurs David Sparks and David Kiley are not exactly what you might think of as stereotypical returned missionaries. Better known as "Heavy D" and "Diesel Dave," these two friends own and operate DieselSellerz—the world's largest marketplace related to anything diesel. In January 2016, Discovery Channel aired the hit reality TV show, Diesel Brothers, which highlights the friends' custom vehicle builds, crazy stunts, and elaborate pranks.

1 Min Read

Fun

5 Songs We Don't Sing in Church Anymore

By Maddie Tolk

July 03, 2017 09:38 AM MDT

The Church has used many different hymnals throughout its history. In July 1830, the Prophet Joseph Smith received the revelation known today as Doctrine and Covenants Section 25. In the revelation, the Lord instructed Emma Smith to compile a selection of sacred hymns for the Church. She completed a hymnal in 1835 with the assistance of William W. Phelps, a writer and newspaper editor. The collection of hymns included 90 hymn texts, with 39 hymns written by LDS poets as well as adaptations of several other non-LDS texts. The preface to the 1835 Collection of Sacred Hymns states:

2 Min Read

Fun

Watch: LDS Family Performs Beautiful Acapella Rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner"

By Maddie Tolk

June 30, 2017 04:06 PM MDT

Music plays an important role in the lives of LDS opera singer Debbie Siebert and her husband, Jim Siebert, who works as the chief meteorologist for Fox 26 News in Houston. They love to sing together with their four children—Ashley, Emmie, Grant, and Dallin— and enjoy sharing their testimonies of the gospel through acapella hymn videos, which they create as a Sunday family activity and post on social media using the hashtag #hymnselfie.

1 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

First-Ever Mormon Arts Festival Set to Open in New York

By Maddie Tolk

June 27, 2017 03:08 PM MDT

On June 29 through July 1, 2017, Mormon artists, musicians, and scholars will gather from all over the world to participate in the first-ever Mormon Arts Center Festival. The festival will take place in New York City at the recently established Mormon Arts Center and is co-directed by Richard Bushman, the Gouverneur Morris Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University, and Glen Nelson, the founder/director of the Mormon Artists Group.

1 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

LDS Teen with Disabilities Heading to the 2017 National Miss Amazing Pageant

By Maddie Tolk

June 23, 2017 04:23 PM MDT

Earlier this year, 17-year-old Abigail Manery was crowned the 2017 Idaho Miss Amazing Teen Queen. She is currently preparing to compete at the National Miss Amazing Pageant, which will take place this August in Chicago, Illinois. Abby will be featured in an upcoming documentary highlighting her preparations for the pageant, as well as her life and the disabilities she lives with daily.

1 Min Read

Fun

11 Incredible Mormon Moments Caught on Google Earth

By Maddie Tolk

June 21, 2017 07:56 PM MDT

Thanks to mybestlds.com for the story idea.

1 Min Read

Famous Latter-day Saints

LDS YouTuber on Forbes' 30 Under 30 Launches New eSports Gaming Brand

By Maddie Tolk

June 20, 2017 02:49 PM MDT

LDS YouTuber and social-media celebrity Shaun McBride, better known by his online name Shonduras, has made a large impact in the internet community. Recently he launched an eSports gaming brand called "Spacestation Gaming," which will start competing in the Smite eSport professional leagues with a top tier North American team and aims to expand eventually into other games and opportunities.

1 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

LDS Actress Shares How Playing Emma Smith Helped Her Develop Empathy, Overcome Postpartum Depression

By Maddie Tolk

June 09, 2017 07:55 PM MDT

Lindsay Farr Harper, known for her portrayal of Emma Smith in the movie Joseph Smith: Plates of Gold, recently shared her experiences and testimony in a segment of Splitting the Sky, a YouTube documentary series that aims to share authentic stories of faithful women.

1 Min Read

Fun

Why an LDS Weatherman and Opera Singer Are Getting a Ton of Attention for Their Family "Hymn Selfies"

By Maddie Tolk

June 08, 2017 04:00 PM MDT

The Siebert family loves to sing together. Jim and Debbie, and their four children—Ashley, Emmie, Grant, and Dallin—enjoy sharing their testimonies of the gospel through videos of acapella hymns, which they post on social media using the hashtag #hymnselfie.

1 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

16 Tips for Helping Children Suffering from Anxiety and Depression

By Maddie Tolk

June 07, 2017 11:00 AM MDT

Mental illnesses and emotional disorders can be difficult to understand, especially for children who are still learning to identify and understand their emotions. How can parents and leaders help their children to become resilient and learn to cope with difficult emotional issues?

4 Min Read

Famous Latter-day Saints

Why Latter-day Saints Are Dominating Billboard's Classical Music Charts, and People Are Taking Note

By Maddie Tolk

June 05, 2017 04:00 PM MDT

Latter-day Saints are dominating the classical music scene, and people have begun taking note.

5 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

"VICE" Features LDS Couple for Defying Cultural Expectations, Balancing Faith, Family

By Maddie Tolk

June 02, 2017 07:25 PM MDT

Recently VICE News featured an LDS couple and their courage in “bucking stereotypes” and cultural norms as the husband, Robert Wood, pursues his passion by creating $5,000 violins in a converted tool shed in his backyard.

2 Min Read