Laura Story - So Long, Normal: Living and Loving the Free Fall of Faith

Laura has been a friend of mine for quite a while. This is a beautiful story of love and hope and Jesus. As you read these pages you are going to laugh, you are going to cry, and best of all, you are going to think.

Bob Goff

Author and speaker; Sweet Marias husband, dad of several kids, and grandpa of a couple more

Change, upheaval, and tough transitions. Theyre Gods favorite way of shaking you up and out of whats normal. Yes, its hard, but its necessary if we are to grow in grace. My friend Laura Story speaks to this beautifully and powerfully in her wonderful new book, So Long, Normal, and I give her work a double thumbs-up! Read it and youll understand why saying goodbye to normal is your passport to a faith-filled life of surprise and adventure.

Joni Eareckson Tada

Joni and Friends International Disability Center

With a lightness of touch akin to her piano playing, Laura Story helps us to stay steady in a world turned upside down.

Alistair Begg

Senior pastor Parkland Church, Cleveland, Ohio

Laura is a voice I trust, so much so that I invite her to join me every chance I can at Fresh Grounded Faith. And this book is another affirmation of why I love her! Its a guidebook for navigating the unknown written by one who has traveled that land herself. So if youre struggling to feel secure in an uncertain world, Lauras wise and gentle voice is for you.

Jennifer Rothschild

Author and founder, Fresh Grounded Faith Events

What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops?

When God Doesnt Fix It: Lessons You Never Wanted to Learn, Truths You Cant Live Without

I Give Up: The Secret Joy of a Surrendered Life

So Long, Normal

2021 Laura Story Elvington

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ISBN 978-0-7852-4861-3 (audiobook)

ISBN 978-0-7852-4857-6 (eBook)

ISBN 978-0-7852-4852-1 (TP)

Epub Edition May 2021 9780785248576

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2021937078

Printed in the United States of America

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To Martin, Josie, Ben, Griffin, and Timothy

Our lives have been anything but normal, but I wouldnt

miss this adventure for anything in the world!

The church where I work has an adventure treetop ropes course. I know, its kind of bizarre. When I first started working there, I noticed the shiny steel wire crossing over a massive swimming pool and assumed the church had some crazy way of doing baptisms. But I soon discovered that Presbyterians use less water when baptizing, not more.

The zip line had been built for the churchs camp ministry, which serves thousands of kids every summer, teaching them the truths of the gospel in a fun, engaging way. Honestly, I didnt really care what they used it for, as long as I never was required to do it! I like the ground. And I especially like when my feet are firmly planted on it. But sure enough, I got that dreaded email one day: Staff Team-Building Opportunity.

My coworkers and I would be going through the ropes course in an effort to bond, or something like that. And it was mandatory.

I hadnt signed up for this.

I put on my bravest face and headed out to bond with my team. Im pretty outdoorsy anyway. What could go wrong? The first few exercises were easy, including a trust fall and a small rock-climbing wall. But our last challenge? You guessed it. The dreaded zip line. As I crawled up to the tower using the cargo net, many things ran through my mind. Im unbelievably out of shape. Would it have killed me a do a few push-ups over the past few years?

As I ascended higher, the groundmy good old friendseemed to be leaving me. Should I have made a will like my parents encouraged me to do? Is it more probable Ill die from shock or the impact of my body splatting on the pavement? Many such thoughts rolled around in my head as I climbed to the top of the sixty-foot platform. By the time I made it, my whole body was shaking.

At the top, a young man with a kind voice greeted me. Are you ready for this?

I wanted to smack him. Are you seriously asking me this right now?! But considering there was no easy alternative way to get back down, and my life was literally in his hands, I kept my mouth shut and just smiled. While connecting my rope lanyard to the 1,350-foot line, he noticed my anxiety. Perhaps what gave it away was the tears welling up in my eyes, or the trembling from head to toe, or the way I was gripping the poor guys arm so tightly he was no doubt losing circulation in his right hand. Whatever it was, I will never forget his words prior to gently nudging me off the platform.

Laura, he said, I could tell you that this zip line can hold up to five thousand pounds, but thats not going to reassure you. The step you are about to take requires courage. And having courage isnt about the absence of fear. Its acknowledging that fear and being willing to take the next step anyway.