This morning, I joined Tommy “Rivs” Puzey on an iFIT walk through Stephen’s Grove in the heart of the California redwoods—towering trunks reached toward heaven, some standing for centuries. Along the trail, we passed fallen giants—massive logs with hundreds of rings visible inside. Each ring marked a year of growth, each scar a season of fire or drought endured.
John Muir once wrote,
“As soon as a redwood is cut down or burned, it sends up a crowd of eager, hopeful shoots… and the strongest of them would finally become giants as great as the original tree.”
These trees grow from the inside out, adding strength each year while protected by thick bark that resists flame and decay. In the same way, God forms us from within—layer by layer—through His Spirit. Every hardship, scar, and triumph becomes part of the story He’s writing in our lives.
“Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” — 2 Corinthians 4:16
Fire doesn’t always destroy; sometimes it refines. Our trials often become the soil where new life springs up. Like the redwoods whose roots intertwine for stability, we too are made to stand together—rooted and grounded in love.
“That you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength… to know the love of Christ.” — Ephesians 3:17–19
Each ring in our lives—whether marked by sorrow, joy, or waiting—tells of His sustaining grace. The scars remain, but they no longer define us; they reveal His faithfulness.
“They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.” — Isaiah 61:3
What spiritual “rings” are forming in you right now?
Where has God used fire to refine rather than consume?
And that’s the mid-week memo.
Steve
