Brio: How did you first get involved with music?
Laura: I grew up in church, and I learned a lot about music through our children’s choir. When I was 10, I started playing string bass in the school orchestra program, and I did that for about 10 years and loved it. I think that gave me a love and understanding for music and a view of how it all fits together.

“Indescribable” is a powerful worship song declaring the majesty of God. What’s the story behind those words?
I was driving through the mountains in North Carolina, and my car radio was broken. So if I wanted there to be music in the car, it had to be my singing. It was this incredibly beautiful, worshipful day as I looked at the Blue Ridge Mountains. I was trying to sing, and this concept came to my mind that any words that I say to describe God are so feeble compared to who He really is and what He really looks like. Creation declares His glory, and that really is an indescribable concept.

What’s your favorite or most meaningful song on your album, Great God Who Saves?
The most upbeat song on the CD is my favorite right now, and it’s the title track, “Great God Who Saves.” It’s taken from Psalm 27. The past couple years of our lives, with me and my husband, have been so crazy, and at times we totally would’ve despaired if we hadn’t believed that God is good and that He’s never going to leave or forsake us. The promises of God are so rich, and they’ll keep us from despairing in discouraging situations.

You encountered a tough time in your life when your husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Looking back, how did you see God work, and what did you learn from that experience?
Martin was diagnosed with a brain tumor almost two years ago and had to have surgery. There were some complications from the surgery that have left him with some hard deficits that we deal with on a daily basis. In the midst of that, and even in those things that have been really hard, there’s still a lot of ways we’ve seen God’s faithfulness. Martin, and I have fallen in love deeper than we ever imagined. For probably the first year after he got out of surgery, we were together every day, probably every hour of every day.

In terms of my relationship with the Lord, He really taught me that you can say you have faith in something, but until you’re brought to a point where that faith is tested, you really don’t know what you believe. You really don’t know what it’s like to cling to your faith until your faith seems to be all that’s there. I always think about the old hymn that says, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” You look down and realize you’re standing on the rock, and everything else has kind of sunk away.

Somehow in the midst of these trials, we’ve seen God’s goodness, and it’s not just that we’re hanging on to Him, but He’s hanging on to us. He’s not letting us go. Things have been hard but not too hard. We still see glimpses of His goodness every day.

If you could give any advice to teenage girls today, what would it be?
Hang in there! I remember being a teenager, and there was the big question of “Who am I?” God was all in that. He was constantly bringing me back to himself. I felt like I was constantly asking the question, “Am I normal?”

Also, if girls had any idea of how much God loves them, it would completely transform their lives. If they had any idea that they don’t have to look to guys for that value, they don’t have to look to a certain weight for that value, they don’t have to look to drugs or alcohol. And if they had any idea of how much their heavenly Father loves them, their lives would be completely changed.

What advice would you give to girls who are interested in the music industry?
I didn’t come right out the gate doing concerts by myself and writing. “Indescribable” is certainly not the first song I wrote; there were a lot of terrible songs before that! And even when I started doing music, I was playing bass in a band, and I was also doing back-up vocals for the female lead singer. That’s what God had called me to at that point. It probably wasn’t until five years later when I started singing solos in front of people.

I think it’s good to get involved where you can. If [your church] needs a PowerPoint person, if they need someone running the sound, get in there. Get in there and do whatever you can; don’t think that you always have to be the one with the microphone.

Laura’s Favorites
Reason to love spring: My wedding anniversary, May 8
Vacation spot: Charleston, S.C.
Candy bar: York peppermint patty
Flip-flops or high heels: Flip-flops