by Maddie

I'm gonna be honest with you guys - I don't know when or why I wrote this mini's quote. All I know is that it proves true for what I'm going through right now. What do you do when you don't know where God's leading you? For me, that's a question pertaining to my books... specifically, how to publish them. For the last year, I've relied upon self-publishing to share my works; however, I can count on one hand the number of copies I've sold. A couple weeks ago, I was able to get

I'm not gonna lie, Christmas is not my favorite season. And it's not because of the barren winter weather, or the lack of sunlight, or even the gingerbread houses and trees and traditions. Simply put, I just don't like the rush - the hustle and bustle from one party to the next, feeling exhausted by December 9th because Christmas prep starts as soon as Halloween ends. This year I've had the odd experience of being in the 'business owner' world, so for me, I was designing Chri

This blog is going to be short and sweet because, honestly, there's not much to explain with this piece! Like all of the Motivational Minis , the words and artwork are both mine, and in this case, come in the form of a poem! A couple weeks ago, I was partaking in my nightly routine of doodling (great way to reflect and refocus on the Lord, by the way), and depending on my mood, my sketchbook may be filled with cartoons, prayers, random scribblings, or legit art pieces. In thi

There's a lot of bad stuff happening in our world (I don't think I need to list any examples because I'm sure you can come up with them yourself). And this bad. evil, sin, darkness ? Oh, how potent it can be. Recently, I've been noticing all the dark things. I mean, the sun is setting earlier, the leaves are darkening and crumbling, the garden that has become such a respite for me... is withering away before my very eyes. And yet, there are still a few resilient blooms. New c

Introducing a new product! Motivational Minis! Friends, I’ve had this one on my heart for a while. Unlike my other art products, these don’t have one purpose. They are not just prints, or stickers with cute quotes, or encouraging cards. No, these minis are everything and something entirely new… These are my quotes, my words—inspired by God, of course—that are interwoven with my also-God-inspired artwork. This is the only product that combines both the written and visual sides

This week I wanna talk about interruptions. Surprises. Shockers. Stressors. None of which I am very fond of (and I don't think I'm alone in this). Now, as I explained in last week’s post, I was shocked by my sudden lack of employment, and boy, have I been stressed about it. But the Lord has told me to stay the course and persevere in faith, so that’s what I will do.   But thanks to a handy dandy devotional by Max Lucado, the Lord has shown me another perspective on interrupt

God can be pretty funny. You know how I know this? Because I design my products weeks, if not months, in advance of posting them. And I post them randomly, no pattern of print, sticker, cards, sticker, or something like that. Plus, the day I write about them (which is here, in this blog, btw), is about a week after I post them on my website. And yet, all of this to be said, the design I created months ago, posted last week, and am writing about today… Is comprised of a holy m

Hi friends, I'm going to start talking about my artwork a lot more. After all, as anyone who knows me can attest, Maddie and art go together as perfectly as peanut butter and jelly, salt and pepper. Creating - either visually or though my written work - has always been a huge part of my life. I'm sure having an artistic dad plays into that. Or reading story... after story... after story (I really liked reading; still do) with my mom every night. With no siblings to play with,

Once upon a time, there was a guy named Joseph. He liked to dream, had a rainbow-colored cloak, was betrayed by his brothers, imprisoned, and ended up ruling over Egypt (Gen 37-41). We're picking up there - in Egypt... in the middle of a famine. In response to the famine, Joesph’s put in charge of grain conservation and distribution (Gen 41:55-57). So when his brothers travel to Egypt in search of food… guess who they’re about to see! Suffice to say, this family reunion does

Today we're going to talk about Jacob... who's just swindled his twin brother, Esau. The entirety of Genesis 27 documents this saga, but I’ll give you the abridged version: With the help of his mother (Rebekah), Jacob fools his elderly father (Isaac) into giving him the blessing reserved for the firstborn (Esau). As you can probably imagine, this plan has some major consequences... With a murderous Esau out for revenge, Jacob’s forced to flee from their home, hoping to find

If you've been here a while, then you'll know that I've been studying Genesis like a mad woman (because I'm determined to read through the Bible... no matter how long it takes me). So, today we're gonna talk about Sarah, the wife of Abraham. (Fun fact: she was previously called Sarai, but God renamed her Sarah , or Princess . So we have Abraham, the father of many nations , which might as well make him a king, and Sarah the princess. Look how God renames as He redeems!) While

Friends, I've been traversing the book of Genesis, and I have just gotten to the sibling rivalry (between Isaac and Ishmael) part of the Bible. Truth be told, I don’t know what to make of it. This chapter is so full of family drama, it’s like a soap opera… Isaac, the long-awaited child of our favorite elderly couple, has finally arrived. Woo-hoo! But with him, comes a lasting feud between Isaac and Ishmael (remember him? Abraham’s son from Hagar, his wife Sarah’s servant… w

Pain is unavoidable. Starting this off on a happy note, I know; but I’ve been pondering pain recently. A few weeks ago, I was talking to a dear friend of mine and something she said stuck out to me: she doesn’t like worrying because it makes her feel bad, so she just doesn’t. Period. Doesn’t like worrying, so she doesn’t. As someone with a biological and chemical presupposition to anxiety, I’ll admit, when my friend first said that, two thoughts entered my head: she’s naïve ,

What do you know about Sodom and Gomorrah, aka the salty cities of the Bible? Abraham's nephew Lot (who is the focal point of this blog) lived there, and well, let's just say that these two cities were extremely messed up. Wickedness prevailed in every way imaginable, so much so, that not even ten people in the cities were considered righteous ( Gen 18:22-33 ). As such, God decided to rain down destruction… on everyone except Lot. This man was  deemed righteous (because he be

Have you ever had someone tell you something with the aim of encouraging you… but it ends up doing the exact opposite? That happened to me yesterday. When a well-meaning lady told me to not give up  on my art.  Now, you may be wondering, what’s the big deal, Maddie? That sounds like a nice sentiment, and it was. The problem became noticeable to me later… as I began thinking, and thinking, and thinking.  You see, the overall conversation we were having was about the difficulti

God has a sense of humor. I know this because I’ve been keeping a secret. Now, it’s not a major secret, but it’s still a hidden thing, nonetheless.  My secret is that I really struggle with writing these blogs.  Week after week, when the day rolls around to write these things, I scramble. Without fail. And it’s not because I have no ideas; it’s actually the opposite. I have too many ideas…  But not enough content to flesh them out.  Hooks are easy for me to come up with. I ca

This week, I’m going to talk about something close to my heart: muscle imbalances.   (Ha, didn't expect that one, did you? Just trust me; it'll all come together in the end.) In case you’re curious about this newfound passion of mine, let’s just say it’s come about by three things - I got running shoes this week, tweaked my lower back, and am helping a friend learn about weightlifting (and not getting hurt, like me!).  Okay, so starting with the one that is probably most alar

Today is going to be different. Today is less about words and more about visuals. And if you know anything about me, you may see where this is heading… Artwork.   Truth be told, I have no idea when or why my passion for art began. Was it a particularly rousing preschool craft? Or a fun day doodling with my dad? No clue.  All I know is that God made me to make, created me to create. And as I was thinking about it, this blog only shows the written creations that God’s inspired…

I forgot to write this post. But thankfully, a bird reminded me to.  As I’ve mentioned before, I love being outside. Sitting in the garden, in the midst of God’s solace. I do this most mornings, as a nice little break, and I love it, especially now that a cardinal has made a nest in our yard.  In fact, this cardinal couple hasn’t just chosen our yard as a safe spot for their growing family, but chosen my spot… Where I sit in my Adirondack chair.  Where I rest in the shade pro

My teeth hurt. There, that's it; that's the blog post. (I'm kidding, of course.) I was at the dentist yesterday afternoon and wow, does that water flosser thing pack a punch.  I don’t know anyone who really looks forward to getting their teeth cleaned… and scraped… and sprayed. It’s a pretty invasive thing, to have someone picking inside your mouth like that.  But what’s cool, especially today, is that God taught me a life lesson. While an overhead light was blinding me and s