Christian- Pursue spiritual, mental, and emotional depth.

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Christian- pursue spiritual, mental, and emotional depth.

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, August 10, 2025

Charles Swindoll writes:

Our image-conscious, hurry-up culture celebrates people with broad appeal and shallow character. Just look at the proliferation of reality shows featuring people who are famous for being famous. They do nothing, contribute nothing, stand for nothing, and accomplish nothing, yet television and tabloids can’t get enough of them. This is nothing new, of course. Every generation raises a bumper crop of superficial image builders. Standing in their midst, however, like oaks among scrub bushes, men and women of strength and dignity rise above their peers. They reject superficiality in favor of depth. They shrug off broad appeal and choose instead to be transparent and authentic. Rather than cut a wide, yet shallow, swath through life, they focus on what they deem important for the sake of deep, lasting impact. They waste no time polishing their image; their interest lies in deepening their character.

Compare, for example, the careers of two American writers—best friends, schoolmates, and neighbors as children—Harper Lee and Truman Capote.

Truman was a lonely, eccentric child with a natural gift for writing. After his parents’ divorce at age four, he lived with relatives in Monroeville, Alabama. While other children played, he pursued his obsession with words, grammar, narrative, and stories. The notoriously foppish boy and the tomboyish Harper became fast friends, sharing a great love of writing and literature.

By the age of twelve, Truman returned to New York to live with his mother and stepfather. While in high school, he worked as a copyboy in the art department of the New Yorker and continued to hone his craft. Not long after graduation, he completed several award-winning short stories and published his first novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms. While the book spent nine weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, it was his controversial portrait on the dust jacket that catapulted him to fame and earned him the public fascination he had always craved. He relished the attention he received from New York society, but he still could not gain access to the rarified company of the “jet set” elite he so envied.

In 1959, he enlisted the help of childhood friend Harper Lee to help him with the research for his “nonfiction novel” In Cold Blood. A few years earlier, Harper had moved to New York to become a writer. She supported herself as an airline ticket clerk until friends gave her a priceless gift. On Christmas, she opened a note that read, “You have one year off from your job to write whatever you please. Merry Christmas.” They supported her financially throughout 1958, allowing her to complete the first draft of To Kill a Mockingbird. Over the next year, she honed and perfected the manuscript, completing it in 1959. As her manuscript went to press, she helped her friend research his book.

In 1960, Harper’s novel debuted and became an instant classic, winning virtually every literary honor in existence, including the Pulitzer Prize. More importantly, however, her book became the most influential literary work in the black civil-rights movement since Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. But rather than seek glory for herself, she retreated from public view and gave her last interview in 1964. When asked about writing another novel, she declared, “I have said what I wanted to say, and I will not say it again.”

Capote, on the other hand, rode In Cold Blood into the stratosphere of fame. He finally achieved his goal, which was not to create a definitive literary work as much as to become celebrated and enshrined as a great author. In the seventies and early eighties, virtually everyone in America not only knew the name Truman Capote but also recognized the flamboyant image of an author who hadn’t written anything noteworthy since 1966. Meanwhile, alcohol, drugs, and celebrity consumed the man Norman Mailer once called “the most perfect writer of my generation.”1 In the end, however, Gore Vidal, Capote’s lifelong rival, called the author’s death “a good career move.”2

Two uncommonly gifted writers, two completely different approaches to writing. Lee wrote one world-changing story for its own sake and then chose to avoid public praise. Capote wrote for the sake of fame. Interestingly, To Kill a Mockingbird is still required reading in most schools.[1]

What are we focused on? What consumes us?

Today, my theme and application are:

Christian, be a person of depth. Pursue spiritual, mental, and emotional depth.

  1. Pursue spiritual depth.
    1. In reality, this whole message is about spiritual depth. The Christian mind relates to our spiritual condition. The corollary is true. The Christian’s spiritual state is linked with their mental state.
    2. But specifically, we have a problem. Christians are quite content to be shallow.
    3. I read a Gospel Coalition article titled: “Is There a Future for Church Grandpas and Grandmas?”[2]
    4. The article is about how we used to expect to have older people in the church with well-worn Bibles quoting Scripture.
    5. 1 Timothy 4:6–8 (NASB95)
    6. 6 In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.
    7. 7 But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;
    8. 8 for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
    9. Paul wrote this letter to Timothy.
    10. It is one of the Pastoral Epistles.
    11. Verses 6-11 (of 1 Timothy 4) are about discipline: discipline for godliness as opposed to this false asceticism and false regulations that are in 1 Timothy 4:1-5. A key verse in this section is verse 7- But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness…
    12. Paul was writing against this asceticism. Asceticism has to do with strict self-denial. Paul is now contrasting their self-denial. He was saying that the self-denial they were doing— it’s not even in the Bible. It is all from these godless myths.
    13. One writer says: the idea of myths: fit only for old women, this was a common saying denoting something fit only for the uneducated and philosophically unsophisticated.
    14. Then, Paul writes: But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness…
    15. The word “discipline” or “train” is an athletic term: this denotes rigorous self-sacrificing training. So now Paul says that spiritual discipline is the key to godly living.
    16. Instead of being stuck in ascetic practices, we are disciplining ourselves for godliness.
    17. We are not simply denying food and drink as ascetic practices, no, we are disciplining ourselves to grow in Christ.
    18. Look at verse 8 again: for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
    19. 1 Timothy 4:1-5 was about mere bodily discipline.
    20. But Paul is saying that it is of little value. Godliness is valuable for this life and for eternal life.
    21. We are a fast-paced, instant-everything society. But there is no instant godliness.
    22. We must disciplines ourselves to grow in Christ.
    23. This requires an ongoing relationship with the Lord.
    24. Are we spending time in His Word?
    25. Are we spending time in prayer?
    26. Are we spending time with our church family- Sunday School, small groups, preaching?
    27. I urge you to pursue spiritual depth.
  2. Pursue mental depth.
    1. These all go together.
    2. If we are spending time in the Bible, meditating on Scripture, we are also focusing on mental depth, but I want to go further.
    3. Many years ago Neil Postman wrote a book called “Amusing Ourselves to Death.”
    4. One author writes regarding the book:
    5. With the introduction of the television, Postman observed, entertainment did not merely become a bigger and bigger part of our lives — it became our lives. And everything else in our lives — news, politics, education, even religion — was increasingly forced to perform on its stage. Suddenly, everythinghad to be entertaining. Newspapers gave way to “the nightly news”; classroom lessons made their way to Sesame Street; worship services transformed into televised concerts with TED talks.
    6. The television slowly taught us that nothing was worth our time unless it was entertaining. And anything entertaining, almost by definition, requires less of us — less thinking, less study, less work. Entertainment, after all, isn’t meant to be taken seriously. But when everything is entertainment, doesn’t that mean little, if anything, can be taken seriously?
    7. For those who take the glory of God seriously, and our joy in him seriously, that becomes a very serious question.
    8. Postman warned about this devolution long before others noticed what was happening. He writes,
    9. [George] Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in [Aldous] Huxley’s vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity, and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think. What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. . . . In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us. This book is about the possibility that Huxley, not Orwell, was right. (Amusing Ourselves to Death, xix)
    10. Postman is comparing Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” and George Orwell’s book “1984.”
    11. Further, the same writer shares:
    12. As he attempts to summarize his warning to the ever-entertained, he says, “Our Ministry of Culture is Huxleyan, not Orwellian. It does everything possible to encourage us to watch continuously. But what we watch is a medium which presented information in a form that renders it simplistic, nonsubstantive, nonhistorical, and noncontextual; That is to say, information packaged as entertainment. In America, we are never denied the opportunity to amuse ourselves” (141).[3]
    13. So, are we deeper mentally than we used to be?
    14. I don’t think so.
    15. I encourage you to think deeply in two ways.
    16. 1) First, think deeply about “Special Revelation.” Special Revelation is the Bible. Get into the Bible. The Bible is God’s revealed Word to us.
    17. 2) Second, think deeply through “General Revelation.” Observe all truth. All truth is God’s truth. Study creation.
    18. “General Revelation” would be God revealed through creation.
    19. For example, the book, “The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind” shares this:
    20. When he was still in his teens, the young Jonathan Edwards wrote down an extensive description of the shape, construction, and purpose of a spider’s web. There are many true things we can say about the physical character of the web, but according to Edwards, the ultimate thing shown by the spider in its spinning is “the exuberant goodness of the Creator, who hath not only provided for all the necessities, but also for the pleasure and recreation of all sorts of creatures, even the insects.”[4]
    21. How often do we allow ourselves to think deeply about subjects?
    22. Some people tell me they do not like to read. I used to be that way. I encourage you to stretch your thinking.
    23. The ability to read is an amazing gift.
    24. Maybe you have problems reading. Then, try audiobooks. Come to Sunday School. Listen to podcasts. Get a tutor.
    25. Pursue depth mentally.
    26. Pursue depth spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.
  3. Pursue emotional depth.
    1. Again, these all go together.
    2. As we grow spiritually and mentally, we will be better emotionally.
    3. Are we emotionally available for our friends and family?
    4. What if our spouse wants to share their feelings with us? Are we there for her?
    5. I was raised to respect the older generation.
    6. I have now served in pastoral roles at three older congregations, two of which were as senior pastor.
    7. With respect, I do not think many in our churches are healthy emotionally.
    8. We can do better.
    9. We must do better.
    10. Just because you are older does not mean you are healthier emotionally.
    11. There is a book and a ministry called “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality.” I recommend it.
    12. We are not healthy spiritually if we are glossing over our lack of emotional depth.
    13. Notice I said, “glossing over.” I am NOT saying that we have to be emotionally healthy to be spiritually healthy. The problem is when we ignore things.
    14. Are we glossing over anger?
    15. What about anxiety?
    16. What about depression?
    17. I bet your children, spouse, or close friends can point these out- as long as you let them in.
    18. But how?
    19. We must be humble.
    20. I have repeatedly said this.
    21. We must transform our schedule so that we have more quiet time.
    22. Some of us are so busy that we do not have time to think.
    23. We are so busy.
    24. We need time to reflect.
    25. We need time to listen to the Lord.
    26. We need to be active in the daily offices that I spoke about several months ago. We need to spend time journaling.
    27. We must spend time in prayer.
    28. We must have people holding us accountable whom we can ask, “Am I teachable?”
    29. We must be teachable to receive that instruction.

Pete Scazzero writes:

The term Daily Office (also called fixed-hour prayer, Divine Office, or liturgy of the hours) differs from what we label today as quiet time or devotions. When I listen carefully to most people describe their devotional life, the emphasis tends to be on “getting filled up for the day” or “interceding for the needs around me.” The root of the Daily Office is not so much a turning to God to get something but to be with Someone. The word Office comes from the Latin word opus, or “work.” For the early church, the Daily Office was always the “work of God.” Nothing was to the Creator … prayers of praise offered as a sacrifice of thanksgiving and faith to God and as sweet-smelling incense … before the throne of God.”

David practiced set times of prayer seven times a day (Psalm 119:164). Daniel prayed three times a day (Daniel 6:10). Devout Jews in Jesus’ time prayed two to three times a day. Jesus himself probably followed the Jewish custom of praying at set times during the day. After Jesus’ resurrection, his disciples continued to pray at certain hours of the day (Acts 3:1 and 10:9ff).

About AD 525, a good man named Benedict structured these prayer times around eight Daily Offices, including one in the middle of the night for monks. The Rule of St. Benedict became one of the most powerful documents in shaping Western civilization. At one point in his Rule, Benedict wrote: “On hearing the signal for an hour of the divine office, the monk will immediately set aside what he has in hand and go with utmost speed. … Indeed, nothing is to be preferred to the Work of God [that is, the Daily Office].”[5]

The daily office includes stopping, centering, silence, and Scripture.

  1. This may be for 20 minutes a day, or maybe only a week at this point, but it is important.
  2. Scazzero shares: At each Office I give up control and trust God to run his world without me.[6]
  3. We center on God: Scripture commands us: “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7).
  4. We practice silence: Dallas Willard called silence and solitude the two most radical disciplines of the Christian life. Solitude is the practice of being absent from people and things to attend to God. Silence is the practice of quieting every inner and outer voice to attend to God. Henri Nouwen said that “without solitude it is almost impossible to live a spiritual life.”[7]

Christian, be a person of depth. Pursue spiritual, mental, and emotional depth.

Pray

1 Norman Mailer, Advertisements for Myself (Boston: Harvard University Press, 1992), 465.

2 Deborah Davis, Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2006), 256.

[1] Charles R. Swindoll, Living the Proverbs: Insights for the Daily Grind (New York, NY: Worthy Books, 2012), 27–29.

[2] See an article: Is There a Future for Church Grandpas and Grandmas?

Trevin Wax  |  May 20, 2025

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/future-church-grandpas-grandmas/

[3] Desiring God article on Feb 27, 2022 by Marshall Segall:

The Blissful and Trivial Life, How Entertainment Deprives a Soul

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-blissful-and-trivial-life

[4] Noll, Mark A.. The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind (p. 50). (Function). Kindle Edition.

[5] Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It’s Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature (pp. 143-146). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

[6] Ibid, 147.

[7] Ibid, 148.

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