Music is at the heart of who Laura Snyder is, and through it she celebrates her love for the Lord.

by Laurie Beyer

Also read: • Caught in the Whirlwind? • To Have and Not To Hold

You could say that Laura Snyder lights up the stage. But you'd also have to say that she lights up a room. For this interview it was her living room, but it could have been any room! People are drawn to her. Laura exudes a confidence which she passes on to her audience--that the One she sings about is real, awesome, powerful and worthy of praise. And praise she does! On any given Sunday, you are likely to see Laura and various members of her family (Fred, her husband of 27 years, and children: Jenny, 24; Jon, 21; and Jared, 16) leading worship at Elmbrook Church in suburban Milwaukee, Wisconsin. With Laura and Jenny, singing, Fred at the piano, and Jared on the cello, Jon might open with a forceful reading of God's Word. You get the impression though that they could all trade places, and not miss a beat!

But as I came to realize through our time together, this multi-talented family is also a very real family, and Laura is as casual and sincere off-stage as she is a commanding presence on-stage. As we talked, she would occasionally burst into song as if that were normal. I couldn't help but nod in agreement that, yes, it was normal--well actually better than normal -- and wonderful! After all, how can you not nod in agreement when someone shares of her assurance in Christ as Laura did when she sang, "And it's real, it's real. I know it's real. Praise God my doubts are settled, and I know, I know it's real." It's this depth of love for Jesus and joy of living for Him that touches so many lives.

As Laura settled in to share about her life, she recalled that as a girl growing up in New York, she was a student at a music specialty school, where she was required to play in a string group. After the teacher demonstrated each instrument, students were allowed to choose what they wanted to play. Laura raised her hand first for the violin, but wasn't chosen. Next for the viola, but again was overlooked. Finally she showed interest in the cello, but once again she wasn't chosen. All that was left was the bass, which was what she was assigned. Upon asking the teacher why he had overlooked her interest in the other instruments he replied, "I looked at the size of your hand and I knew you were going to be my bass player." Laura accepted that then, and even today seems to have a contentment that comes from accepting things that you may not have chosen for yourself, but trust are God's opportunities to do His work. His work, in fact, led to her becoming a string bass player for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

As a singer, Laura draws people to worship the Lord with her deep, rich, contralto voice. She loves the opportunity to share Him through music wherever she goes. She told of a time that she and her daughter Jenny were in a restaurant bathroom. Laura started to sing a praise song. Then, Jenny responded to make a duet. As they finished the song, people out in the restaurant were clapping! Laura claims it was embarrassing to return to the dining room, but somehow that's easy to doubt. Not only is Laura confident of who she is in the Lord, she loves people, loves sharing with them and exudes a joy that is totally infectious when among them. Through this love she serves both Him and others.

In a recent interview with Just Between Us, Laura shared from her heart about her first love. Much of the conversation was interspersed with laughter, not of triviality, but of well-being and peace. As E. Peterson said in A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, "Laughter is the delight that things are working together for good to them that love God." In Laura Snyder's life, that means there's much to laugh about.

Also read:
• Caught in the Whirlwind?
• To Have and Not To Hold

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