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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.

Young women from the LDS Firth Idaho Stake
Latter-day Saint Life
Watch: Moving song written at girls camp by 200+ young women
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
July 30, 2025 03:41 PM MDT
More than a campfire sing-along, the experience solidified the participants’ confidence as disciples of Jesus Christ.
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President Jeffrey R. Holland speaks about a scripture passage from the Doctrine and Covenants in a social media video on July 15, 2025.
Follow the Prophets
A scripture passage President Holland often shares with youth
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
July 29, 2025 02:35 PM MDT
These verses may be just what the youth in your life need to hear.
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Elder Gary E. Stevenson “Come, Follow Me” 2025 video
Follow the Prophets
The perfect scripture for when challenges feel too hard to bear
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
July 28, 2025 09:09 AM MDT
Elder Stevenson recently shared some beautiful counsel from the Doctrine and Covenants.
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The Church Office Building in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 11, 2025.
Latter-day Saint Life
10 facts about the Church Office Building that might surprise you
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
July 23, 2025 03:40 PM MDT
This week marks 50 years since the building was dedicated.
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Elder Patrick Kearon and Sister Jennifer Kearon hiking in Cebu, Philippines
Follow the Prophets
Watch: Elder Kearon visits a family’s home in mountains of the Philippines
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
July 22, 2025 02:46 PM MDT
“To be here, and to be enveloped in the light and the love and the faith of these people, is just the most beautiful blessing,” said Elder Kearon.
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A close-up of female hands holding a Bible in a field of flowers
Latter-day Saint Life
3 scriptures to soothe your soul when life feels heavy
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
July 21, 2025 04:02 PM MDT
Here are a few encouraging verses to save for when you need a pick-me-up.
1 Min Read
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Temple Worship
5 beautiful blessings of temple worship
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
July 15, 2025 10:24 AM MDT
President Nelson has shared specific blessings we can receive from temple worship. Here are just a few.
1 Min Read
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Painting of Jesus Christ holding a staff standing in front of mountains and a lake
Latter-day Saint Life
What the Hebrew idea of truth teaches us about Christ
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
July 14, 2025 03:29 PM MDT
This framework can provide greater insight into our relationship with the Savior.
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A large group of people kneel around the Savior Jesus Christ during His Second Coming.
Latter-day Saint Life
4 signs of the Second Coming that will fill you with hope
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
July 09, 2025 12:37 PM MDT
While we often focus on scary “signs of the times” like wars and earthquakes, we can find comfort in the many hopeful signs of the Savior’s return.
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Calm senior woman in a red sweater sitting on couch and writing in journal
Latter-day Saint Life
Why living the gospel is about writing a script—not following one
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
July 07, 2025 04:16 PM MDT
“I don’t think it’s about getting the ‘script’ right. I think God gives us a blank canvas and says, ‘Here, paint a beautiful picture,’” says Terryl Givens.
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Illustration of a happy woman smiling at herself in the mirror.
Latter-day Saint Life
The myth of searching for your ‘true self’
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
July 03, 2025 02:48 PM MDT
“We’re not searching to uncover some ‘true self’—we are deliberately and consciously aspiring to a self,” says Latter-day Saint scholar Terryl Givens.
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A male hand writes in a notebook with a pen
Latter-day Saint Life
This song from the new hymnbook was written in a jail
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
June 30, 2025 03:03 PM MDT
For a hymn centered on joy, the lyrics originate from a surprising place.
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Chad Hymas 2
Stories of Faith
A quadriplegic man’s faith to not be healed
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
June 26, 2025 02:52 PM MDT
Chad says that his circumstances have allowed him to focus on what truly matters and serve in new ways.
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A woman pondering during an LDS sacrament meeting
Help for Life Challenges
This new hymn is a must-listen if you have anxiety
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
June 24, 2025 02:11 PM MDT
The composer based the song on a turning point in her experiences with anxiety.
2 Min Read
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A confident Black woman with curly hair
Help for Life Challenges
A 2-word mantra to help you recognize personal revelation more often
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
June 23, 2025 01:54 PM MDT
This framework helps remind us that God is always reaching out to us.
2 Min Read
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The Hartford Connecticut Temple
Temple Worship
Practical advice for first-time temple goers
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
June 20, 2025 02:13 PM MDT
These two suggestions can help you find more joy in your temple worship.
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Shelby Stroud in front of "A Sure Foundation"
Stories of Faith
Must-see portrait of Christ made with seashells
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
June 11, 2025 02:22 PM MDT
This breathtaking image is composed of stones, seashells, fossils, and wood.
4 Min Read
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Elder Patrick Kearon smiles while speaking from a church podium.
Follow the Prophets
Watch: Deeply moving clip of Elder Kearon testifying of Christ’s love to Filipino Saints
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
May 29, 2025 02:00 PM MDT
“You are loved so much more than you can imagine,” Elder Kearon affirmed.
1 Min Read
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Easter Peg Doll Set with Tomb
Latter-day Saint Life
6 simple ways to make Easter as magical as Christmas + an Easter-themed set you’ll love as much as your nativity
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
March 20, 2024 02:42 PM MDT
Looking for creative Easter traditions focused on Christ? Try these seven easy ideas, like getting a peace lily or enjoying Easter “carols.”
5 Min Read
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US Olympic Trial: Track & Field (Marathon)
Latter-day Saint Life
2 Olympics-bound runners boldly testify of faith on CNN: ‘There is more to this life than running’
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
March 14, 2024 02:58 PM MDT
Former BYU distance runners Conner Mantz and Clayton Young spoke with CNN about how the gospel has impacted their journeys to the Paris 2024 Olympics.
1 Min Read
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Latter-day Saint Life
Keep calm, renovate a cabin—newlyweds rely on (and share) their faith in new reality show ‘Cabin Wars’
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
March 14, 2024 07:53 AM MDT
When Jessica and Jeremy Rock competed in a new reality series, they had opportunities to share the gospel and strengthen their own foundation.
5 Min Read
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Feature Stories
5 new paintings of the Savior so striking they stopped us in our tracks
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
March 06, 2024 12:57 PM MST
Art makes it easier to sense how personally the Savior loves us. Five artists, each with a distinct style, share how and why they paint Jesus.
11 Min Read
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LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 26: Manti Te'o #51 of the New Orleans Saints looks on from the sideline during the second half of a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 26, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Latter-day Saint Life
Former NFL and Notre Dame star shares how he found hope after public humiliation and depression
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
March 01, 2024 09:13 AM MST
Manti Te’o was targeted in a high-profile catfishing scam in 2012. The experience brought him to a dark place, but he found light again through Christ.
3 Min Read
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Elder Ulisses Soares and Sister Rosana Soares at the Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults in Mexico City, Mexico, on Sunday, February 18, 2024.
Latter-day Saint Life
Elder and Sister Soares answer a question on perfectionism in the best way
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
February 20, 2024 01:41 PM MST
“We know that the space between His arms has been consecrated through His loving, atoning sacrifice, as a place for us.”
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