"Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away." — Mark 4:5–6 · NKJV
"These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble." — Mark 4:16–17 · NKJV
The stony soil is the soil with rock just beneath that will dry up and overheat, killing everything growing in this shallow soil. The seed germinates with apparent enthusiasm but has nowhere to go — no depth where roots can take hold and draw on moisture when the sun is high and hot. The soil's relationship with the seed is a mixture of yes and no, softness and hardness, acceptance and rejection. This soil immediately rejects the Word when it encounters difficulties or persecution because of the presence of the Word Seed in its life.
Depth comes from making room for God's Word to settle in rather than rushing past it — the practice at the heart of Strategy 4: SPACE. Silence, listening, and unhurried reflection are what let roots go down deep enough to survive the heat.
