Morgan Bauer
Communications Coordinator
My story isn’t one about how the seed is at last planted and finally begins to grow. It’s one where that is the opening chapter and the rest of the story is how the tree grows; how its branches spread—sometimes straight, sometimes unruly, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly—how the roots are nourished in some seasons and others not as much, how the Gardener must prune the fruitlessness away…, and wow, sometimes that’s been painful. Yet He has been faithful to cut carefully, to prune and cut back in an exacting fashion so that there is more fruit. It’s been in the pruning seasons that I’ve learned to trust the Lord and walk with Him step by step—often a lot slower than I’d like!
The Lord led me to High Point during one of those pruning seasons. From kindergarten on, I excelled in school: Straight A’s, stellar standardized test scores, National Merit Scholar, you name it. Even through an engineering degree at UW–Madison. But when I got to college, I lost the deeply-rooted Christian community I had grown up with, and that brought some of my deepest flaws to the forefront. I realized that in many ways, I had tangled up striving and righteousness and intelligence and perfection. It was lonely, and I didn’t know how to fix it. Over those four years, the Lord pruned and staked and rewove these branches in me through the people of High Point and my now-husband Paxton. He used His people, and also serving them, to rekindle a passion for His image in people and creation.
After college, I had been working as a management consultant when God started to whisper that He was preparing me for a change.There have only been a few moments in my life where God has very clearly given me direction about a choice to make, and this was one of them. I had loved my job, but within a few months of God’s “heads up,” He made it clear that it was time to leave. Not yet knowing what was next, I quit my job. A few weeks later, He unexpectedly led me here! Now, in between cleaning up cereal spills and running after our three kids, I get to help tell the story of this place, these people, and—above all—our God. It’s a privilege, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store ahead.