School News

There is no shortage of books out there that are focused on, well, focusing. Indeed, it seems we live in a culture of inattention and distraction. There are reasons to be concerned. A day—or days—of endless screen scrolling can negatively impact one’s health: physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual. But if we are honest, smartphones and other devices have only amplified what has long been a reality of the human condition: our hearts do not always seek the good. But that said, is a lack of focus or attention necessarily bad?

We invite you to read this recent blog post, “Attention to our Limitation,” from Don Tellinghuisen, professor of psychology at Calvin University, and yes, Mrs. Tellinghuisen’s husband. A cognitive and experimental psychologist, his area of study is attention and distraction. He is currently working on a book that examines these topics from a faith perspective. And he offers us a little encouragement as we struggle to attend to the things we know we should (and turn from those things we know we shouldn’t). It’s actually good—and necessary! —that we have limited attention. Professor Tellinghuisen invites us to consider how we have been created and to think about focus and attention through the lens of Christian discipleship and stewardship. (Spoiler: We aren’t God. We can’t do it all. And that’s a very good thing!)

A quintessentially classical way of doing things is to begin with the end. And so, as we consider the possibility of a Trinitas Classical High School, we begin with a Portrait of a Graduate. The cultivation of those virtues we illustrate in this portrait already begins in kindergarten, and it is a joy to see them grow throughout students’ elementary and middle school years with us. It is our hope, God willing, to be able to play a role in the continued cultivation of these qualities throughout students’ high school years.  

Portrait of a Graduate: Trinitas Classical High School seeks to educate and spiritually form young adults with ordered hearts, courageous voices, and ready hands for obedient discipleship as they faithfully take the next steps in their education, work, and service. 

Young Adults 

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” (I Timothy 4:12) 

The idea of a young adult perhaps brings to mind a person who is full of potential, someone who is a “future leader,” rather than a leader right now. Or it may make one think, a little negatively, of someone with a fair amount of freedom but with less responsibility. At Trinitas, we recognize that young people can be leaders now, and that freedom and responsibility should increase together. In a world that is reluctant to ask much of our teenagers, TCHS seeks to graduate young men and women capable and desirous of being examples for others both younger and older than they.   

Ordered Hearts 

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8) 

Education in the classical Christian tradition seeks to guide our hearts to love what is true, good, and beautiful. Our hearts are formed, in large part, by what we spend time thinking about. At Trinitas, we seek to engage excellent and praiseworthy material. We also do this because we know, as St. Augustine observed, that only a heart that is ordered toward its maker is truly at rest. In a world of restless striving, TCHS seeks to create a place of rest, a place of scholé where students, teachers, and families delight in their maker and in what is good and true and beautiful. 

Courageous Voices 

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (I Peter 3:15) 

Our desire is for TCHS graduates to seek first the Kingdom of God, to revere and proclaim Christ as their Lord. The Rhetoric stage of their education is particularly well suited to help them share their testimony in written and spoken words and by living lives of love and service in whatever places and roles they are called. In a world that tempts us to cowardice or encourages aggression, TCHS seeks to equip students with courage that speaks truth and treats others with both gentleness and respect. 

Ready Hands 

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” (Colossians 3:23) 

Since the time of the ancient Greek philosophers, classical education has elevated the life of the mind. The cultivation of our intellect is indeed an important part of what it means to live a flourishing life, but it is only a part. As Scripture tells us, human beings were made from both the breath of God and the dust of the earth—we are beautifully and mysteriously both immaterial spirit and physical body. And so, the work of our hands is also an important part of what it means to live a flourishing life. The Lord of the Sermon on the Mount was also a carpenter. But neither the life of the mind nor the work of our hands is our ultimate end. In a world that identifies and classifies us by what we do, TCHS seeks to form graduates who know their identity lies not in their work, but in the One they work for—graduates who work for their Lord and serve others with all their hearts, graduates who know they are loved by the One who first loved us and who find their joy and rest in this ultimate truth. 

© ALP 

“The Most Wonder-ful Time of the Year?” by Rebecca Tellinghuisen

When you think of “spiritual disciplines,” what comes to mind? Prayer? Reading the Bible? Fasting? Journaling? These are all good spiritual disciplines, or faith practices as they are also called. But what about wonder? I sometimes think — wonder! — if wonder is foundational for all spiritual practices. When the Spirit of the Lord moves in us and acts through us, any response of devotion on our part comes from, or should come from, a place of gratitude, reflection, and wonder. And isn’t Advent the very season of wonder?

We hope your household is spending time in the Gospel of John this Advent. And we hope that you are practicing wonder as you read and discuss together. Ask questions. Share stories. Draw pictures. And most of all, give thanks, for this wonderful gift: the Word made flesh who made his dwelling among us to bring light and life to all.

Wonder is certainly a spiritual act, but here’s the “discipline” part. Sometimes it takes work. Wonder can hit us out of the blue, without any effort on our part. It’s hard not to be left amazed while standing at the rim of the Grand Canyon. But what about an ordinary Monday when you feel overworked, underprepared, or just generally out of sorts? You may wonder how you are going to make it through the day, but you might struggle to stop, reflect, and wonder how God can use you – and even bless you — in life’s busier moments.

Speaking of busy, here we are halfway between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This can be a very full season. Lots to see. Lots to do. Lots to buy. Lots of this is good, of course. But does it leave us time to wonder? We invite you in the coming week to set aside time to pause and reflect on the beauty of this world, and specifically the beauty of the Incarnation, by reading or listening to “Recovering Wonder,” a short blog post from the Reformed Journal (and then taking a walk outside!) and by contemplating the words of the carol, “I Wonder as I Wander.”

© RRT, December 2024

“I Wonder as I Wander”
A Traditional Appalachian carol adapted by John Jacob Niles

I wonder as I wander, out under the sky,
how Jesus the Savior did come for to die
for poor ordinary people like you and like I;
I wonder as I wander, out under the sky.

When Mary birthed Jesus, ’twas in a cow’s stall
with wise men and farmers and shepherd and all.
but high from God’s heaven a star’s light did fall,
and the promise of ages it did then recall.

If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing,
a star in the sky, or a bird on the wing,
or all of God’s angels in heaven for to sing,
he surely could have it, ’cause he was the King.

I wonder as I wander, out under the sky,
how Jesus the Savior did come for to die
for poor ordinary people like you and like I;
I wonder as I wander, out under the sky.