Learning Curve Feature: Laura Story
03-20-2008
by Kevan Breitinger
Interestingly enough, Laura Story didn’t even know she could sing until her early twenties, in spite of her musical background and her desire to be a symphony conductor. What she did know was that she wanted to follow and serve God. And that was enough, for the Lord took the young college student and Young Life leader from one open door to another, leading ultimately to the writing of a worship song classic to this generation (“Indescribable”), and to a marriage story that shines as brightly as any star. The latter is the focus of our recent conversation with the warm, friendly Laura Story.
In 2005, following the wildly influential and successful recording by Chris Tomlin of Story’s “Indescribable,” she released her second independent album and took a position as the women’s pastor for the arts and music community at Perimeter Church in Duluth, GA. She also married her high school sweetheart, Martin Elvington. Shortly after that, a wild adventure of faith began for the newlyweds.
Martin was in grad school, 4 or 5 months into his two year program of studies, and Laura was often on the road pursuing 
her music career. “I had the thought that God might be calling me to record another album,” she says. “But I didn’t know what I would write about.” The irony of that statement is obvious considering the details that follow. When INO Records approached her about doing an album a plan was set to meet shortly in Atlanta for further discussion. But things were coming to a head on another front.
“Not even a year into our marriage, Martin had started having health complications,” Laura shares. It began with seemingly insignificant fatigue and forgetfulness issues, but as months passed conclusive explanations eluded them. It was just a few days before the Atlanta meeting when the truth was finally discovered. “It took almost a year for him to be diagnosed with the brain tumor,” she recalls. “He needed to have surgery, and have it soon. The surgery seemed to go OK at first. They were able to retract most of the brain tumor, but some complications followed. He developed an infection, meningitis, and was in the hospital for an extra two months. We weren’t sure whether or not he was going to make it through for a while. He ended up at one point being taken off the respirator, unplugged from all the different machines.” Laura’s voice is strong even as she speaks of those painful months, but it is still a relief to hear the particulars of the outcome. “Eventually Martin was able to leave ICU, then finally the hospital. He had to go to a rehab clinic, where he eventually re-learned how to walk and do a lot of things. He still has deficits, short—term memory deficit, and vision impairments. And his energy level is increasing but he still struggles with lethargy and fatigue,” she adds honestly.
The long road ahead of the newlyweds contained both blessings and hardships. “So there’s a lot we’re still working through, as we try to figure how to live our lives in light of his new disabilities,” Laura continues. “But God has been really teaching us patience, teaching us that He has a plan, even though at times we may not like it. At times we may have no idea what He’s doing. There have still been a lot of blessings coming out of this, like in our marriage and our families. In nothing else, just seeing how precious life is. We really do have so much to be thankful for, as well as the fact that God spared Martin’s life.”
She goes on to say, “He’s given us a story to tell and a fervor to know Him better and tell other people about Him. Everything in life is so unknown and our faith is the only thing that lasts, the only thing we can cling to, be sure of. The Lord has really been instilling that into my heart in the past couple of years.”
When I mention how much I am struck by the way the couple honors one another, she knows exactly what I mean. Laura’s enthusiasm is contagious as she explains, “Because of his vision impairment Martin is unable to drive, and because of some of his disabilities he is unable to work right now. Especially as a man, it was really hard to accept these two big blows. He saw a lot of his dreams put on hold for right now, with no real sense of if or when he might get them back. Martin has struggled, and it has been a process of learning how to deal with those disappointments. But he has not been bitter, he’s not been ugly or distant towards me, he has been embracing new roles. With him not working, he’ll come alongside me and help me with the things I’m doing.”
“I can see how some people might choose to disengage emotionally,” Laura says, “just because it’s too much for them, but not Martin. He has really dug in and said, you know, one thing I do still have is my relationship with my wife, and I’m gonna be the best darn husband I can. I’ve learned so much about faithfulness from watching my husband.”
You wouldn’t think it would be an easy time to record a new record, but both Laura and Martin were determined to see their struggles be put to good use. The Lord had aligned the young couple with a label who shared their positivity. “INO was committed to us and our ministry, and saw the new record as part of God’s plan,” she explains. “So it was about nine months after all that that I finally went into the studio to record Great God Who Saves. We ended up chucking three fourths of the songs I thought I was going to record because God was bringing so much new music into my heart. I felt like my writing was coming from a much deeper place. There was so much He was doing at that time in my heart.”
“I haven’t gotten to the point where I can say, ‘I’m so glad Martin had that brain tumor,’” Laura admits. “But I can say I am seeing fruit from it, especially with this CD. It is an album about life and faith colliding. When the rubber meets the road, what does our faith really have to do with us? It is the very glue that holds us together, gives us hope. Psalm 27 gave me the title for this album, saying ‘I would have despaired if I’d not seen the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.’ That verse sums it up. We would have totally despaired if we didn’t know God and believed that He had a plan. He has been the one who sustained us through this trial. He is our reason for hope.”
That faith and the lessons that strengthened it heavily flavor Laura Story’s Great God Who Saves. But our conversation leaves me thinking that even more importantly, it has colored her life.
Please take a moment to read some of Laura's Devotionals, also featured this month on CMCentral.
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