By Clare BruceTuesday 23 May 2017Hope BreakfastGuests and ArtistsReading Time: 2 minutes
Renowned worship artist Laura Story has had a four year break between albums, but she’s not apologising for that.
That’s because she’s a mum, and her children take priority.
The singer-songwriter, who co-wrote the song Indescribable that Chris Tomlin made famous, has a hubby and three children aged between two and four, and she decided long ago that they came first—even if it meant turning down touring opportunities.
“I have turned down a lot of tours,” she told Hope 103.2’s Laura Bennett and Duncan Robinson. “If a tour doesn’t make sense for our family we’re not going to do it. I travel with my kids, which works for some people, and with some it doesn’t.
“But so many sweet churches get the fact that I’m not going to set aside being a mum, just because God’s called me to be a speaker and performer. This is how my husband and I raise our kids. They’ve never known anything different.
“It’s sweet raising them on mission for the cause of Christ.”
Laura and her husband decided they would take this approach to family and ministry, before they even tied the knot.
“Before we married, our pastor said, ‘Never sacrifice your family for ministry, but it’s always good for your family to see that you’re willing to make [other] sacrifices’.
“It’s good for them to see that we get here early to lead God’s people in worship.”
“Gods’ not going to call me to something where I’d be a better missionary, but a lousy mum—but it’s good when I drag my little kids with me to an early morning rehearsal for Sunday morning worship and they’re eating pop-tarts on the stage with mummy at the microphone.
“It’s good for them to see that we get here early to lead God’s people in worship. That’s’ what we do as a family because God is worth it.”
It’s a principle that also slows down her ability to work on her music, but she’s happy for it to be that way.
“I am really slow when it comes to songwriting and recording, because they’re both things that require a lot of quiet, and that’s not something that happens at my house,” she laughed. “I have a four-year-old and twin two-year-olds. And I work at a church. So I’m thankful I get to make albums but I don’t make them really quick!”