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In the early years Kingserve tended to be engaged more in hands-on practical support work and administrative and managerial head work, the kind of things you could measure by the financial or time resources they required. Over the years, however, there has been a move more towards  what could be called heart work – the kind of things that cannot necessarily be measured in finance and time - things like encouragement, hospitality, networking and just walking alongside people. Perhaps such a progression follows the seasons of our lives through which we all pass.

This hands-head-heart perspective gives us an insight into how we as people are made and operate –  the integral working together of hands, head and heart and, for those of a spiritual leaning, the domain of the soul. How are they related?

When Jesus describes the greatest commandment as to love God He says that we must do so with everything we have – all our heart, all our soul, all our mind and all our strength. When He says this, Jesus is quoting from the Old Testament 'Shema' of Deuteronomy chapter six..

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart” (ESV)

Note how the 'heart' occurs first in all these verses and that the words to love God should be on our hearts rather than in our heads. Could it be that it is the passions of the heart which direct the intellect of the mind which then drives the activity of our hands?

The Western preoccupation with reason, logic and science has helped put the head before the heart. Obviously we need to use our heads – we would not enjoy all the benefits gained from science and technology if we did not. But could there be a case for putting the heart before the head in how we live our lives?

Heartsense therefore, is an exploration of ones own heart and of relating to the world, people, and God primarily through the heart but also in regard to the head. As John Piper puts it “The mind serves to know the truth that fuels the fires of the heart”

Heart, Head and Hands

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