by Maddie

Hi everyone, sorry about not posting last week! The end of the semester has been a bit crazy, but I'm back for this week. I hope you enjoy this springtime poem: Only Life My dad pours chemicals Onto the grass in our yard. The years have taken their toll, Grass scorched, A dry, brittle yellow. But they remain. I count them each day, Shuffling through the grass, Eyes glued to the ground So I don't step on one. Yesterday there were two, Today, seven. Hidden within their wafer-t

A thought to ponder on this Good Friday: "Innocence" We have lost our innocence. The purity of youth Tarnished by age. We have Thought Viewed Said Done Things we should not have. Things that stain. But God-- Oh those two small words, Immense in power-- He says He remembers No more , Condemns never, Forgives in full . He says Pure Righteous Beloved. Our innocence was lost, Now found in a manger of cloth And infant cries. Our tainted beings Replaced

You may not know this about me, but I love cardinals. Regardless of the season, you can catch me scanning the treetops, searching for their bright presence. And to me, they’re not just pretty red birds. God and I have a special thing going on with cardinals: for me, cardinals are like Jesus. In fact, whenever I see or hear one, I can’t help but smile and whisper “hi Jesus”. Now, before you call me crazy, let me explain. It all started when I went to college. I was having a ve

If you haven't figured it out already, I'm on a bit of a poetry kick right now. I'm not gonna say too much because I'm curious to see how everyone will interpret this poem. So, take this one in and enjoy! Thirst It stormed last night, All-powerful and fierce; For a moment, My unquenchable thirst Was soothed By the pitter-patter Of Living Water: With knees sinking into The damp emerald grass And my head tilted high, Mouth open and gasping Towards the luminous sky above, A sing

Hi friends! Be prepared for rom-com vibes in this post! I wrote this a few months ago as I was processing some relationship drama, and let's just say that the Lord taught me to reign in my romantic ideals. So often, we fall into the belief that our worth is defined by a significant other; when we finally have someone who loves us, then we will be complete. But here's the thing... That is a big fat lie from the Enemy! First off, we have someone, the One , who loves us more tha

Hi everyone, this week's post focuses on a poem I wrote called "The Nevers". I hope you enjoy! The Nevers I’ve never kissed a frog. But I wish I did. I found one once, Little girl traipsing through The garden. I made him A house, pebbles piled high, Leafen roof precariously placed. I gently caressed his slimy wart-covered skin Like he was a babe; but I did not kiss him. I was afraid My prince would not appear. I’ve never risked, dared, tried. The chains of fear Held tight: Ne

Hi friends, after a bit of a hiatus, I am excited to be back and share what I've been working on! As many of us are currently being impacted by a winter storm, it seemed fitting to share this poem about God's gift of snow. As part of the revamping of this site, I've also decided to add a meditative/practical application step (Pause and Ponder) at the end of each post, so look for that... Arctic Kiss The world is bundled In a blanket of white, My exposed palm The only color in

Hi friends, my post is a bit longer today, so I am posting it in file format. I hope you enjoy!

Hi friends! I wanted to share an article I wrote a few weeks ago. I hope God encourages you through it!

In honor of Father's Day, I thought I'd share a poem I wrote about our beloved Heavenly Father! I hope you enjoy this recount of Good Friday, where the expanse of Christ's love for us was fully displayed. "Finished Forevermore" The sky was dark Our Savior groaned Head weighed down By a thorny crown. Limbs outstretched Nailed to a ruthless tree Bloodied and torn He cries in agony. Gathering strength Body rises up For a fleeting breath Before sinking back down Lowering weigh

This was a really tough poem for me to write, as I was writing it in the midst of a lot of anxiety and pain. I was able to channel that into this piece, relating myself to a bird that was overcome by frigid chains. I felt weighed down by my fear, just like the bird; but I had hope that God would redeem and relieve me, just like He did with the bird. This poem renewed my trust in God, and I hope it does the same for you.

This piece is about a little yellow bird's journey to freedom. With the help of a homely old man, the bird escapes her cage and the chains that hinder her. I really enjoyed crafting this story, as I was able to embody my own struggles into it. I am the bird, burdened by fear, and the rescuer is God, my ultimate Rescuer. This is a sweet little story, and I hope it inspires readers to receive the freedom that God offers to us.

This is a short story that I wrote about a young boy. His mom forces him to paint a piece of pottery as a gift for his dad, and the boy pours his love into creating a clay shark. The story ends with the boy delivering his gift to his dad, and suddenly the shark motif makes sense...

This was my first writing assignment of college and I had to write about the impact books have had on my life. At the time of penning this paper, I was reflecting on my summer-- my life-changing summer. In the summer before college, I worked at an amazing camp for adults with special needs. This magical place is called Arrowhead Bible Camp, and my time there challenged me like never before. As I wrote about my experiences there, I was able to showcase how God used books to p

Here is a sample of my academic work; I was tasked to write a research paper on the renowned author Zora Neale Hurston. After spending an entire semester being immersed in Hurston's writing, I wrote about the author and her most notorious novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God . In my paper, I analyzed Hurston's relationship with God before relating it to her novel, arguing that Hurston reflects humanity’s innate yearning for unconditional love. And I extended my idea, claiming