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.

A returned LDS missionary with her sister on her homecoming day

Latter-day Saint Life

The best thing to do with your missionary as soon as they get home

By Maddie Tolk

July 31, 2025 03:32 PM MDT

“This may be the most memorable thing we did when my sister returned home from serving her mission.”

2 Min Read

Young women from the LDS Firth Idaho Stake

Latter-day Saint Life

Watch: Moving song written at girls camp by 200+ young women

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.

2 Min Read

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

By Maddie Tolk

July 29, 2025 02:35 PM MDT

These verses may be just what the youth in your life need to hear.

2 Min Read

Elder Gary E. Stevenson “Come, Follow Me” 2025 video

Follow the Prophets

The perfect scripture for when challenges feel too hard to bear

By Maddie Tolk

July 28, 2025 09:09 AM MDT

Elder Stevenson recently shared some beautiful counsel from the Doctrine and Covenants.

2 Min Read

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

By Maddie Tolk

July 23, 2025 03:40 PM MDT

This week marks 50 years since the building was dedicated.

1 Min Read

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

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.

1 Min Read

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

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

Temple Worship

5 beautiful blessings of temple worship

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

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

By Maddie Tolk

July 14, 2025 03:29 PM MDT

This framework can provide greater insight into our relationship with the Savior.

2 Min Read

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

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.

4 Min Read

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

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.

2 Min Read

Illustration of a happy woman smiling at herself in the mirror.

Latter-day Saint Life

The myth of searching for your ‘true self’

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.

2 Min Read

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

By Maddie Tolk

June 30, 2025 03:03 PM MDT

For a hymn centered on joy, the lyrics originate from a surprising place.

1 Min Read

Stories of Faith

A quadriplegic man’s faith to not be healed

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.

2 Min Read

A woman pondering during an LDS sacrament meeting

Help for Life Challenges

This new hymn is a must-listen if you have anxiety

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

Help for Life Challenges

A 2-word mantra to help you recognize personal revelation more often

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

Temple Worship

Practical advice for first-time temple goers

By Maddie Tolk

June 20, 2025 02:13 PM MDT

These two suggestions can help you find more joy in your temple worship.

2 Min Read

Shelby Stroud in front of "A Sure Foundation"

Stories of Faith

Must-see portrait of Christ made with seashells

By Maddie Tolk

June 11, 2025 02:22 PM MDT

This breathtaking image is composed of stones, seashells, fossils, and wood.

4 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