Good Day
I’ve been thinking about graham crackers lately, thanks mainly to my wife’s interest having being primed by the students in first grade at Libertas. They were thinking about the graham cracker and that’s all it took for Debbie to pursue some timely research. Turns out that the famous cracker shares some common ground with those of us who appreciate the blessings of a classical Christian education.
Sylvester Graham was born just shy of the beginning of the 19th century (1794) to a family with 17 children, and his father died at 72 years of age, just two years after Sylvester was born. At a result, his early childhood was spent moving from one relative’s home to another, where during the course of one placement, he witnessed firsthand the ugliness of drunkenness. A self-taught minister, he eventually developed a following built around the benefits of a healthy diet and a rigorous lifestyle. Graham sought the simpler life that included bread made from wheat flour that had not been “tortured” by the presence of chemical additives. End of story right? Well, not quite.
Graham’s views were ultimately aimed at keeping families together, morally pure, and healthy. To that end, he advocated a rigorous lifestyle that encouraged sleeping on hard beds and avoiding warm baths; in fact, some of the earliest advice we find toward the practice of preventive medicine.
While Libertas cannot be considered a “Graham” school, we do seek to promote a lifestyle that is thoroughly Christian and intentionally classical. As such, it is an institution that without apology, seeks to challenge our students to excel, to set aside the ease associated with much of modernity, and pursue godliness, a disciplined approach to their studies and the joy of aligning their life with the principles exemplified in the Scriptures. We seek to promote the pursuit of hard things because we believe that such rigorous work will yield the worthiest ends. This toughness is not for toughness sake, but is consistent with the discipline that prepares the student to navigate a world of difficulty, without despair, but with grace, perseverance, and success.
Here’s to challenge of attempting hard things. If you read the quote above you can appreciate the value of such a commitment toward being godly in the moment.
Blessings
Dr. Mark J. Congrove
Pastor, Bethel Baptist church
616.546.0292
Adjunct professor: Cornerstone University/ Grace Christian University
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