The MAD Society Ink, No.5

"If only I had MAD when I was a kid”

Statistics show that children can be wildly successful when they have even one adult who believes in them and their ability to do the impossible; it just takes one grown up to call out the gold they see in them.

Now imagine this adult is also a believer who knows the Lord and wants that gold used to bring the gospel to all the world!

If only I had been in a MAD when I was a child, how much further along could I be in the journey to live out the plans the Lord has always had for me? I was 39 years old when I was blessed with a series of authors who gave me the lens and strength to dream God-sized dreams.

The MAD Handbook and all things MAD are written from the perspective of a Heavenly Father (combined with my 41 years of life experiences).

My short list of qualifications: a BFA from the Columbus College of Art & Design, 5 kids (2 adopted) who come with unique gifts and challenges, each child with a different education journey ranging from public to private to homeschool, several small business endeavors, and a testimony that includes a 9-year wilderness journey that took me to a place of unexplainable despair to where I am now…my promised land! Praise His name!

MAD Testimony: From my oldest son, “I love the community that MAD Society creates. It has given me a new friend group to surround myself with, and another way to be myself.“ ~Pierce Baldwin, age 15

Q: Can I start a MAD Society if I’m not a Christian?

A: MAD Society will not carry the atmosphere or blessing it was intended to have if its coaches are not believers in the gospel according to the Bible. It won’t produce the same outcomes of a MAD that is attempting to nurture God’s identity in students through the arts.

Earthy “Success” can be the result of many different kinds of “seed” that were planted. MAD Society aims for the seed planting that comes directly from God himself. So the answer to the question is “no.”

We have so much FUN!!! Enough fun that my MAD Society students (11-18 year olds) give up their Friday nights for MAD Meetings, a weekend night! We have “weekend level” fun!

Don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns you have about being a MAD Coach or MAD Society in general at [email protected].

~Bethany Baldwin, Owner & Creator of all things MAD