What is Heart & Mind?

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mk. 12:30)

I grew up in a larger city, in a church where having some post-secondary education was common and in a family where it was the norm. After completing degrees in Psychology and Medical Rehabilitation, I moved to a smaller, more blue-collar community, and a church where people were more mistrusting of post-secondary education. It was here that I also first encountered the ‘head knowledge’ vs. ‘heart knowledge’ debate, and got the distinct impression that the former was highly suspect.

I love my community, and that church turned out to be the first one in which I ever felt like I’d found my niche. That sense of connecting and belonging came largely through participating in, and later leading, Bible study with other women.

In studying the Bible, I crave both head and heart knowledge. I get excited when I’m reading a passage in its bigger context, or digging through study notes or commentaries, and a piece of the puzzle – something I never understood before – falls into place. And I’m overwhelmed by God’s love when I experience him in a deeper way through his care, provision, and even his discipline.

Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” We need both head and heart knowledge to build a solid foundation for faith and to grow deeper in our relationships with God.

In writing “Heart and Mind”, I’m excited to share what I’m learning as I engage with God’s word with both my heart and mind (and soul and strength!), and experience its truth in my life, in hopes that you’ll be encouraged to engage with God’s word, too

You’re not a trained theologian? Neither am I. But God invites each of us to spend time with him in his word, to lean in and dig deep into his truth, and we have a wealth of resources at our fingertips to help us do just that.

My prayer is that, as we engage with God with our hearts and our minds, we’ll grow closer in our relationships with him, encourage one another, and be better equipped to do his kingdom work.

Dig in!