There is every stripe and type in the body of Christ, and we need to recognize that our diverse gifts are essential and needed. We can realize our strength and full potential only as we come together, work together, and stay together. It is held at one of the most beautiful campgrounds in North America. On the way to the camp, you drive through a grove of redwoods-the most magnificent giants of all the trees in the world. They're not the oldest trees, but they are the tallest, and very impressive.
Redwoods are unique trees for several reasons.
For one thing, they grow successfully only in groves. One of the ranchers near my house in Covelo planted a redwood tree, and it grew very quickly to be hundreds of feet tall. But then a storm came along and blew it right over. This is because the coastal redwood does not send down a taproot. Its roots are only a few feet deep, even though the tree itself might be 360 feet tall.