Laurie Ness

By Julie Overholt

Hi ladies,

The month of December sure has been a surprise for me. I must admit I wasn’t expecting the mild temperatures we experienced! Temperatures will fall again I’m sure though, as January seems to be the chosen month for frigid temps around here. :) While cold weather can be inevitable, it also can be a good reminder for us to check our hearts, to measure the temperature of the love that resides there. Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:12 that the closer we come to Christ’s return, the love of many will grow cold.

Part of guarding our hearts against the cold can include being challenged and encouraged by fellow believers. This month I want to introduce you to the special lady behind the encouraging and challenging words you read every month on this very blog! I know that many of you look forward to her monthly devotional that is published on the SGC women’s blog.   

Laurie and her husband Kevin have been attending Sugar Grove for about 21 years. They hadn’t lived in the Goshen area for very long before literally searching the yellow pages for churches to try. The Sugar Grove name sounded very familiar, and when they visited the church, Laurie knew why. Behind them, she heard, “I know you!” Laurie turned around to see Carlene (Perdue at the time) -who she knew from Moody Bible Institute – and her then fiancé, Paul Eager. Laurie says that even before they talked to Carlene and Paul, they felt so welcomed. Kerry Glassman was the first person to greet them, show them around, and introduced them to people. Either the first or second Sunday that they visited SGC they also attended an adult Sunday school class, and a couple invited them over for Sunday dinner after church. The friendliness and care of the congregation was definitely a big draw for them!

Laurie loves children, so naturally she has been involved with the kids at SGC from the beginning. She has consistently taught in the 2- and 3-year-olds class since then, as well as helping out whenever she can in VBS, the nursery, and Cubbies. ("Oh how that Cubbie Bear made me laugh when I was supposed to be teaching the Bible story!") She started on the Library committee way back with a precious group of ladies who are now with the Lord (like Carolyn Inbody, Gladys Zimmerman, and Bertha Lynn) and eventually found herself the team leader of the Resource Center. Laurie has also written for the printed women’s publication, “Heads Up,” which morphed into the SGC Women’s online blog, for which she currently writes and edits.

Laurie and Kevin have been married for 25 years. They met in the Student Dining Room at Moody Bible Institute. “The first day of my second semester there, this guy with a mustache sat down next to me at  dinner. He was one of the new guys on my "Brother Floor," but I was busy pining away for this guy from the previous semester, who chose to go backpacking through Europe rather than stay at school with me. (We actually had no understanding, but still…) I was polite to Kevin that evening, but that was it. We became friends really quickly though, and I couldn’t deny the connection we had. Unfortunately, I was really afraid of true love for some reason. Kevin, bless his heart, continued to gently pursue me until my love for him was greater than my fear of it.”

Kevin and Laurie have one son, Elijah (12), whom they adopted when he was a toddler. “Elijah is a wonderful blessing from God. God has taught me so much through motherhood. We waited so long for him, and tried to prepare ourselves for parenthood, but nothing really prepares you! It’s an amazing journey!”

When I asked Laurie what keeps love alive in their marriage, Laurie attributed a large part of it to prayer and surrender to the Lord.  She states that Kevin has been so diligent since day one about praying with her at the beginning and end of each day. “We made a pact at the beginning of our marriage that we would never discuss divorce as an option for the two of us. It’s a good thing, too, because I was really immature and selfish when we first married. I gave Kevin plenty of reasons to walk out if he had been a different kind of person.” Laurie also listed that giving up what you want for the sake of the other person is a big deal in marriage. “When the willingness is there, sometimes you don’t get your way and other times you do, but either way, there doesn’t have to be hard feelings. Forgiveness is key, and we’ve always had a rule that we don’t go to sleep angry – without working out our differences as much as possible that night.” Laughter too, plays a large part in their relationship. Kevin and Laurie have been through some really dark times in their life together, but they can always make the other one laugh and choose to look at the bright side of things!

Laurie originally grew up in Oak Lawn, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. At six years of age, her babysitter was over and Laurie didn’t want to go to sleep. She began to stall by asking her babysitter, Ruth, all kinds of questions. “God used even my rebellious motives to draw me to Himself. I was feeling guilty about stealing things from my friends’ desks in our first grade classroom, and though I think I knew the plan of salvation, I hadn’t made that choice yet. I began asking her about heaven and hell, and my heart was SO ready to be free in Jesus! I trusted Him that night. I didn’t understand all of the ramifications of that decision though (probably still don’t), and spent most of my childhood and teen years focusing on what I shouldn’t do because I was a Christian. It wasn’t until young adulthood that I finally got the concept of living a righteous life and serving Him out of gratitude and love for all that God had done for me, rather than trying to 'be good' in order to hold on to my salvation.”

Another defining moment in Laurie’s life was when she understood that joy is not a feeling, but an attitude, and that we can choose to experience joy even when our emotions don’t match up. This understanding proved to be life-changing in Laurie’s life.

Someone that influenced Laurie’s life greatly was her Grandma Hulse. “She lived a simple life and, though she had walked through some deeply sorrowful times before I was born, she showed no evidence of bitterness or anger toward God; or anyone else for that matter! She lovingly served people, without worrying about her own needs or desires – she trusted God to meet those. She almost always had an incredibly positive attitude, too. She’s been gone for a long time now, but her words about how there is something good in every situation, if you look for it, have lived on in my mind and heart, and I try to live by them still.”

Some Bible verses that are meaningful to Laurie relate to the subject of wisdom, particularly James 1:5: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given Him.  “I just love James 1:5 because I am constantly in need of wisdom. How wonderful it is that God gives it to me freely without thinking I’m ridiculous! I also read the Proverbs often for the same reason. The wisdom to be found there is unbeatable! And I love the word pictures – some are really amusing and others so poignant.”

Laurie’s life has been colored with various jobs, the first being babysitting. She can’t remember how old she was when she started, but she babysat her own sisters and lots of other children during her teenage years. Other than that, her first regular job was in the apparel department at Kmart. When she was attending Moody Bible Institute, she worked in a hosiery shop in the Water Tower Place, loving it for the diversity of people she saw and the languages she heard. Additionally, she worked for an elderly woman  - a lady with a lovely combination of tough and sweet - who lived in an apartment on the Gold Coast. She cleaned for her, sorted meds, and did grocery shopping for her as well.  Since being married, Laurie has worked in special education, preschool education, and more babysitting.

These days, Laurie is an independent author of eBooks for teens and women, which is challenging and rewarding for her. It’s a dream-come-true, in an unexpected way! “Still surreal," she says.

In her spare time, Laurie’s hobbies and passions include writing and editing, encouraging people, cooking for people she loves, Bible study, and photography when she has time as well. “I also love to read, though it takes me forever to get through a book.” 

Laurie’s favorite holiday is Christmas. “It’s so nostalgic for me. I love the old movies, the old songs, and the memories of all of my sisters, my parents, and me in the same house carrying out all of our traditions each year. I like to try to remember these traditions, but also create new memories for my own household. I love the lights glowing on the snow and seeing families gather together as I pass their houses. It’s wonderful to celebrate Jesus’ birth, but I must admit I have to purposefully focus on that because the real purpose of Christmas can easily become lost in the distractions of the season.”

Something people may not know about you? More people know it now, I guess, because I’ve been using it as my author name, but my real name is Laurel.

What makes you laugh? My husband and son are hilarious! Their stories about things that have happened to them or things they have done just crack me up! Elijah’s sound effects enhance his stories even more.  Funny stories in general make me laugh, especially when someone trips on something (but doesn’t get hurt, of course!) or has an awkward moment they find amusing. I have dozens of those stories myself, and they make me laugh to recall them. I often find sarcasm really funny too, but in recent years I have made an effort to not be sarcastic myself. I definitely slip up on that sometimes, though!

The best thing about being a woman? Not being a man! I mean, I think it’s so cool that God made men and women differently, has different roles for each, and has gifted each accordingly. In my younger years, I was a bit of a “women’s libber,” but then God helped me understand that the only “liberation” I really needed, I already had. I don’t need to be a man, or try to act like one, to be important. God loves and values men and women equally.

Three words to describe yourself? Indecisive, caring, loyal

Shy or outgoing? An introvert who loves people!

Tomboy or princess? A tomboy who morphed into a princess.

Coffee or tea? Definitely tea.

Oceanside or mountainside? I love both.

The perfect meal? Mexican is my favorite.

Worst food ever: Beets and liver tie for the worst.

Morning person or night owl? I seriously go back and forth on this one!

I’d love to travel to: Prince Edward Island; The places the Ingalls family lived; Israel, Ireland

Listen, read, or watch to learn? All three

Favorite Bible character? The woman who touched Jesus’ robe

3 Things that bring peace to your life and/or help you relax? Writing, talking with a loved one, beautiful scenery.

Thank you Laurie, for allowing us to get to know you better! Thank you as well, for the time and effort you put forth to bless us with your words, as well as your creativity, as you publish the SGC women’s blog every month.

As we all head into a cold month, let’s remember to take extra precautions to guard our hearts against cold love and to encourage one another and build each other up as the opportunities arise. Encouragement warms hearts!