Faith, Fandom, And Finding Each Other With Derrick & Wendy Carrick-Hadinger

What if the comics and films you loved as a kid were training you to face the darkness you’d meet as an adult? We sit with Derek and Wendy—an illustrator–author duo whose faith and fandom collide in surprising, life‑giving ways—to explore how humor, grief, and spiritual warfare can live in the same story.

Wendy traces her path from clipping Calvin and Hobbes to building a career in live caricature and self‑publishing picture books and novels. She opens up about losing her father and how that pain became the spark for Somewhere in Between, a supernatural series that uses ghosts to talk candidly about guilt, forgiveness, and the unseen battle against fear and despair. Her take on film is refreshingly direct: the best scenes carry meaning beyond the frame, like the rainbow in E.T. that feels like a covenant of friendship you never outgrow.

Derek’s journey threads through a book‑rich childhood, a lightning‑bolt moment with a pencil line, and a nurse’s close view of human suffering. He brings a Spider‑Man lens to creativity—improvise, endure, care for the little guy—and a frank perspective on spiritual warfare shaped by mistakes he doesn’t hide. Together, they talk about love built on radical honesty, co‑creating children’s books, and launching a podcast to champion artists of faith who still geek out over Star Wars and Monty Python.

We also dive into AI art without the hype. Wendy respects AI as a tool that helps people ship stories, but she defends the irreplaceable experience of live caricature: the easel tilted to the crowd, the gasp as a likeness emerges, the human spark you can’t download. If you feel stuck, their advice is simple and brave—pray a short prayer, remove yourself from the outcome, and take one small step today. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves faith‑infused storytelling, and leave a review with your favorite formative fandom moment so we can feature it next time.

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For listeners looking to deepen their engagement with the topics discussed, visit our website or check out our devotionals and poetry on Amazon, with all proceeds supporting The New York School of The Bible at Calvary Baptist Church. Stay connected and enriched on your spiritual path with us!