by Maddie

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

Do you ever do something that you regret? Or maybe you don’t do something and you regret it. We’ve all been there, right? Well let me share a little story from my week; let’s call this story... The Time I Messed Up and God Loved Me Anyway. Okay, let’s set the scene: Maddie is sitting on the couch, bundled in her fuzzy pink blanket. Her laptop is on her lap, its blue glare reflecting on her blue-light blocking glasses. This is hour six on the computer, as she muddles her way t

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!

I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel like a mess. Life seems to be going so well, but then one measly thought or action can send me spiraling. Do you ever feel like me, like this painting? Do you ever feel peaceful and settled, only for an unforeseen storm to spin you out of control? I think we all feel this way sometimes. And its disappointing, isn't it? It makes us feel weak and messy, ugly and unworthy. But these are lies. Take this painting, for example. Comprehen

Happy Sunday, friends! In honor of our Savior's sabbath, I though I would talk about rest today. A few months ago I painted this little watercolor bouquet and adorned it with the name "Enough". Why would I chose such a word? Because I need that reminder every day. I need to remember the fact that God has gifted me with His love and nothing I do can change that. He will never love me more and He will never love me less. And the same is true for you. Oftentimes, we are busy. Bu

Happy Sunday, friends! This week I wanted to share this painting, titled Mustard Tree. God gave me the idea for this painting a few weeks ago, and I knew that I would need it as I ventured into my sophomore year of college. Let me explain. As many of you can probably guess from the title, this painting is inspired by Jesus's comments in Matthew 17:20 and Luke 17:6: if you have faith as small as a measly mustard seed, you can move mountains and uproot trees. Nothing will be im

Hey friends, I wanted to share a digital illustration I recently made. This was created for a new friend of mine and I just had to put his cute dog in it! I hoped to brighten his day and encourage him with this Scripture/dog combo. And as I was creating this, the Lord revealed something to me. For as long as I can remember, I have loved creating works of art. But I have not always been willing to give it away. When my passion for art making became more serious, I was possessi

Hey everyone! This week I'm sharing a commission piece that I recently finished, and the Lord has inspired me with an analogy I will share with you. The road in this painting is the road of life. There are many twists and turns, desolate corners and joyous expanses. As we traverse this road, sometimes we will bask in the sun. The way will be scenic and majestic. We will march proudly, heads held high. But other times, perhaps even oftentimes, our road will lead us to dark woo

Hi friends! I wanted to talk about the power of thoughts. The Lord says "I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts" (Heb 8:10). Our hearts and minds are connected because what we think determines what we believe. Over the past few months, I've witnessed how potent our thoughts can be. I struggle with anxiety and OCD, and this covid season has really challenged me. Before covid, God gave me this intense desire for community, but then quarantine hit and s

Hi friends! This is "Masterpiece" and I love how God worked! I sketched this rose out almost 3 years ago but there was never a good time for me to paint it. In His wisdom, the Lord recently inspired me to finish it, and I treasure the meaning behind this piece. This magnificent "Masterpiece," in all its blooming glory, is how God sees us. We are this rose, brilliant and bright and beautiful. Flawless. We are flawless. Friends, our Abba declares that we are FLAWLESS! How amazi

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

Hi friends! I wanted to share my testimony and I pray that God speaks through me. I've always been a worrier. The fear, dread, and unease are as natural to me as my own heartbeat. When I was 14, I invited Jesus into my weary heart. Since then, He has been growing and freeing me, and this last year has been a wondrous testimony to that. Ten months ago, I was preparing to go to college. I was scared out of my mind, but hopeful that God would make a way at Messiah College. Start

Friends, this week we're going to be talking about waiting. Waiting on God (instead of doing things our own way) is so difficult because we cannot see the final picture. Believe it or not, we aren't all-powerful and all-knowing like He is. And faith is hard. Especially when life seems dark. But I have an analogy for you (which involves art. Shocker, I know): We are like a painting. Ephesians 2:10 supports this idea by stating that we God's masterpieces. Or, in other words...

Hello friends! In light of the trials our world is facing, I wanted to remind you all (and myself) of the hope our Heavenly Father has promised us. Please take heart as you read my writing from a few years ago: "Holy Healer" There is a holy book, a Holy Bible. His Holy Word. Holy is His Name. His Name is Jesus. King Jesus, our Savior, our Healer, our Redeemer. Nothing I ever say will encapsulate Him. He is too great, too awesome, too mighty, too glorious. Who is God? The Grea

A few years ago, I took this picture minutes after a severe rain storm. The sky was ashen and the air went frigid. As my family and I...

In my art class, I had to create a series centered around a theme. For my theme, I was inspired by kintsugi, which is an Asian art form where broken pottery is remade with gold. The gold bonds the shattered clay, and suddenly, the cracks and imperfections in the pottery are embraced. The ruined remains are enhanced by the gold, being transformed into a priceless work of art. I aim to prove the beauty in flaws, so I began my Divine Kintsugi series by taking inspiration from im

As I am heading back to Messiah tomorrow, I'm not gonna lie, I'm scared. My first semester had a lot of hardships and pain. But God got me through, and I have hope that this next semester will be better. One of the main challenges I had this fall revolves around my own thoughts. I tend to be a worrier, and the transition to college skyrocketed my anxiety. But through that time of panic, the Lord planted the seeds for something that will be a lifelong journey of mine (and prob

Who am I? Who are we? Are we who society says we are, how others say, or how we say? That was the prompt for this art assignment, to capture how you are defined differently based on who is defining you. I kinda went a different route. While I did incorporate chains into the background (representing the stereotypical societal view of Christianity, that is is all about binding rules and rituals), I didn't focus on how I view myself, because honestly, that would be pretty depres