School’s out! For the last few weeks, academies at every level have been marking the end of their school years, releasing their charges for Summer. In each setting, the finishers have been honored through commencements that recognized the students who were completing that phase of their get-ready-for-life season, under their care.

In the Shank Clan, we’ve had four-of-six grandkids recognized as graduates during this academic year. As a family, we’ve taken Solomon’s counsel to heart from the earliest days of our daughters’ school experience: “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6). They’re passing that legacy along to their kids as well.

We decided that we wanted the children God placed in our care to be hearing the same foundational messaging at home around the table, on Sundays at church, and Monday-Friday in the classroom. For us, Christian education was the best way to ensure that their educational intake would be consistent. Preschools through college: prepared for life with a biblical worldview.

Grandson #3 – Max – received his degree in communications at Biola a couple of weeks ago. As his mom revisited his archive of assignments, she found this report that he wrote 14 years ago, as a second grader. The question: what would you do if you were a missionary? His response:

“If I were a missionary, I would stay here, because my mom would miss me. I would teach God’s word by traveling around California, like in Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Sacramento and San Francisco.

“In Los Angeles, I would teach the Bible in the city. It will be hard because the cars are going so fast so I will have to yell quickly. When I get a lot of people together, I will bring them to a spot where I can tell them about Jesus.

 “In Palm Springs, I will go to golf courses. It would be kinda easy, because they go slow and there is a very short distance, but the hard part is that you have to be quiet. I’ll get them all together again, and I’ll teach them the Bible.

 “Then I’ll go to Sacramento, and I will go into the forest and will knock quietly on the houses because I might annoy them. Then when I have a lot of people following me, I will stop and tell them about Jesus.

 “Then I’ll go to San Francisco and I’ll go on the big bridge and I’ll yell at cars so I can teach them the Bible.

“Then I’ll go home, rest, and think about what happened today and what will happen tomorrow. I would be so happy that I could teach God’s word today, and I would be doing it a lot more. I would love to be a missionary.”

No edits; the imagination of an eight year old, before he was overly-exposed to the crazy world around him. What’s Max planning to do?

He’s onboarding now with an international missions agency that works at the tough frontiers, where sharing the Gospel is high risk. If you see him, ask him about it: be prepared to hear a passionate pitch for the Great Commission. He’s for real.

“Start children off on the way they should go.” Grandsons #1 and #2 have Political Science degrees from Biola, and are working today in the political policy arena, holding the banner for God’s truth as the flag worth saluting. Grandson #3 may end up half-a-world away; all are on-course with their individual Callings.

May your family’s grads find their Kingdom lane… and accelerate their journey toward glorifying God and advancing His cause!