Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

This was the final verse in yesterday's Daily Light.  So perfectly placed.  It was the final thing I read before going to bed last night, on my first day back to work after a two week break.

One of the reasons for the creation of this blog and the beginning of my quest to love the Lord with ALL of my mind is that I had become very overwhelmed with the stress of my job in late November/early December.  My anxiety levels had risen to the point I knew I needed to make some changes.  I have planned a few things to help balance my stress levels, including exercise - swimming in particular, which I love! 

Just like during Sunday's sermon, I heard something new in this very familiar verse.  God's peace will GUARD my heart if I allow.  I will not be able to understand how or why, as it surpasses all understanding, but this promise I can cling to.

I cannot let stress or anxiety rob me of the joy of loving Him with all my mind.  Stress cannot move in and set up house on the property already bought and paid for by my Savior.

It is one thing to have faith and to love the Lord with all your heart, but yet another to love the Lord with all your mind.  It never occurred to me as severely as it did during a church service in January 2014.  I consider myself an intellectual. Therefore feel I must delve deeper into the Scriptures, my doctrine, and my faith; intellectually.  In college, I spent many hours exploring my faith intellectually.  College for me, however, was quite some time ago.  This marks the beginning of my pursuit to meet my intellectual, spiritual need to love the Lord with all of my mind.

I have a few books that I plan to read over the coming year and expect many of my blog posts will be related to them.  My husband and I are reading The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. We plan to read a section every two weeks, then have dinner and discuss.  We've read many books together and I so enjoy learning from his insights, which are often different from my own.

I am reading Daily Light, a devotional by Anne Graham Lotz.  This is a short collection of verses strung together based on a common theme.  There is a morning and evening reading fro each day.  There are no additional comments or words from the author, just scripture.

My husband and I will be joining with friends beginning this week as we meet together to support one another in prayer and fellowship.  We may decide to read something together as well.  I will post that title should we decide on one.

I have yet to decide if I will venture to read the Bible through in its entirety this year.  I'm sure future posts will indicate my decision.

So this is more of an introduction post.  I expect in future posts you can look forward to my ramblings about what I'm learning, how I am being challenged, and how I hope to apply my understandings.

Thank you for coming on this journey with me.