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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.

Sharon Eubank greets someone Mormon Women for Ethical Government conference at UVU
Latter-day Saint Life
The first thing Sharon Eubank tells people who want to help others more
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
September 24, 2025 04:05 PM MDT
Sharon believes this approach can lead to more lasting solutions.
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A young woman prays with an open Bible on her lap.
Latter-day Saint Life
A way to hear God’s answers more clearly when you’re making decisions
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
September 23, 2025 03:41 PM MDT
Elder Renlund suggests this approach will help us better recognize revelation.
1 Min Read
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Meditative senior man looking up at sky with serious expression
Latter-day Saint Life
One of the most important ways to prepare for life-changing revelation
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
September 16, 2025 09:43 AM MDT
“Life-changing revelation is not reserved for prophets,” Dale G. Renlund writes in his new book.
1 Min Read
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A graphic of a woman thinking next to a question-mark bubble
Follow the Prophets
Is a thought from me or the Spirit? Elder Renlund’s advice for when you feel uncertain
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
September 12, 2025 02:14 PM MDT
This counsel can help us move forward with confidence.
1 Min Read
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President Russell M. Nelson member devotional on September 1, 2018.
Stories of Faith
What it was like to be in President Nelson’s home ward
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
September 10, 2025 01:55 PM MDT
“Interacting with President Nelson—even briefly—has given me a glimpse of the Savior’s deep and abiding love.”
3 Min Read
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Ben and Chad Truman in the Give Me This Mountain music video
Help for Life Challenges
This music video will help you face your trials with more faith
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
September 09, 2025 04:19 PM MDT
Featuring stunning shots across New Zealand, the video honors a relative who passed away from terminal brain cancer.
4 Min Read
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President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is photographed in his office at the Church Administration Building in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, April 13, 2022.
Follow the Prophets
Read Pres. Nelson’s 101st birthday essay for ‘Time’ magazine
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
September 05, 2025 03:28 PM MDT
In the global publication, the prophet shared two truths that contribute to lasting peace.
1 Min Read
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President Jeffrey R. Holland, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, right, talks with Elder Brian K. Taylor, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Church’s Utah Area, before the closing devotional of the 2025 Utah Area Young Single Adult Conference, held in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, August 31, 2025.
Follow the Prophets
10 golden pieces of life advice from Pres. Holland’s new devotional
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
September 02, 2025 03:23 PM MDT
The Apostle shared pivotal lessons about how he came closer to Christ.
1 Min Read
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Jeffrey R. Holland Social Media Video August 28, 2025
Follow the Prophets
Pres. Holland’s comforting advice for staying calm in the last days
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
August 29, 2025 02:19 PM MDT
“It’s going to be OK,” he reassured. “Be still and know that God is God and all flesh is in His hands.”
2 Min Read
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A woman prays next to her bed near her open scriptures
Latter-day Saint Life
How to open your heart to receive more revelation
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
August 27, 2025 09:40 AM MDT
Are you receptive to all the beautiful possibilities God has in store?
1 Min Read
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Sun beams breaking through the clouds at sunset
Help for Life Challenges
3 words to remember when you can’t seem to feel God’s love
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
August 25, 2025 12:17 PM MDT
You can trust in this phrase even when God feels far away.
2 Min Read
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Jan and Kelly Wigington with Youngchan Kim and Jaehwan Jung
Stories of Faith
He mentioned his mission to a stranger. A cascade of miracles followed
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
August 13, 2025 04:10 PM MDT
Kelly often wondered if he’d made a lasting impact during his mission—now, he had an answer.
4 Min Read
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President Jeffrey R. Holland, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, sits down for an interview in Toronto, Ontario, on Monday, March 24, 2025.
Follow the Prophets
Pres. Holland answers, ‘How do I know when I’m forgiven of my sins?’
Maddie Tolk
By  Maddie Tolk
August 05, 2025 02:22 PM MDT
Here’s what President Holland shared to support anyone grappling with this personal question.
2 Min Read
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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
Maddie Tolk
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
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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.
2 Min Read
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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.
2 Min Read
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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.
2 Min Read
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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.
1 Min Read
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A woman holding a mug looks at a bill.
Latter-day Saint Life
5 blessings of tithing that are easy to overlook but transform lives
Maddie Tolk
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
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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
Maddie Tolk
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
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Latter-day Saint Life
The crucial phrase we often forget from the second great commandment
Maddie Tolk
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
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Latter-day Saint Life
How a World-Renowned Artist Converted to the Church and Shares His Faith Through Unique Art
Maddie Tolk
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
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Latter-day Saint Life
4 Tips for Managing Your Family's Screen Time
Maddie Tolk
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:
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Latter-day Saint Life
4 tips for those who experience anxiety in the temple and at church
Maddie Tolk
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
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