Getting to Know...
Laura Rodgers
Favorite Non-Profit
Favorite Book
The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls because it's one woman's story of overcoming poverty, family issues, and so much more.
Favorite Movie
Anything with Cary Grant
Dirty Dancing (of course)
Personal Questions
Tell us about yourself - your family, marital status, your background... the basics.
Born 5th of seven children to a dairy farmer and his wife in rural Texas. I grew up roaming about a farm and was the first of my siblings to graduate from college. In the spring of my freshman year at college I met my husband, Anthony, and we married that fall. A few years later, we moved from Texas to Pennsylvania and before our furniture was delivered, learned we would be having our first born, Mason. Several years later, we added our daughter, Faith. We’ve had a “crazy straw” marriage for 29 years and are almost naturalized Pennsylvanians, having lived here for 23 years.
Where is your favorite vacation spot? Why?
I love any place that has lots of history and natural beauty. I’m an avid National Parks person, but one of the best vacations we had when our kids were younger was The YMCA of The Rockies, Snow Mountain Ranch.
As an empty nester, I’ve been enjoying taking cruises, something I never thought I would enjoy.
What is your #1 bucket list dream?
My bucket list is to walk the Appalachian Trail from start to finish, but I’ll be staying at hotels along the way, no tents.
Tell the readers one thing you would like them to know about you and/or your writing.
Writing is my way of getting things out of my head and heart. Most of my blog posts are about things that I’m struggling with or God is showing me. I don’t try to force it but let God lead the way.
What would you want your 5-word epitaph to be?
“Well done, good [and] faithful servant.”
Faith Questions
Briefly, tell us about your faith journey.
It was a hot Texas summer at church camp, listening to a sermon in a packed open pavilion. As was customary in that day and age, an altar call was given. I held onto the wooden church pew in front of me, white-knuckling it as God was dealing with my heart. The stubborn, stiff-necked child of God that I am bargained and resisted, but the words of the hymns Just As I Am and Have Thine Own Way melted my heart, and I invited God to be leader of my life. I cried for days because of the joy I felt! I still weep at hearing those hymns.
What is your favorite story from the Bible, the one that inspires, moves you?
There are so many. Every time I read the Bible it seems I find a new little nugget. I really enjoy the Old Testament.
Do you have a life's bible verse? If so, what is it?
Over the years and seasons of my life different verses have come to the forefront. For several years now, it has been:
Teach me to number days aright, so that I may gain a heart of wisdom. ~Psalm 90:12
Mainly because, I need wisdom in the “sandwich years”.
If you could have a long, leisurely dinner with a person from the Bible, who would it be and why? What would you talk about?
Greeted by Jesus, I would kiss his feet and cry for a bit. Jesus would invite Noah over, turning a couple of glasses of water into wine. While sipping our wine and eating cheese, fresh warm bread and olive oil with herbs, we would talk about Jesus first, of course, then move onto Noah. What it was like building the ark, how things got real when animals started showing up in twos, and that first raindrop. Was there anyone he wished he could have snuck onto the ark? How he had the mental strength to endure the time in the ark, the flood, and all the death. Lastly, that embarrassing situation with the sons.
And then Moses would join us for heavenly chocolate cake.
If you could pick one thing you deeply want the readers to know about God, what would it be?
Beyond God loves you - God changes everything! He redeems all the broken parts that you think can never be mended. He will show you great and unsearchable things.