Kristin Highley

Kristin is a servant of Christ who is blessed to currently be serving as Directory of Christian Education at Risen Savior Lutheran Church in Broomfield, CO. Originally a California native, Kristin has a master's in teaching from Biola University, as well as a master's in theology and a DCE certificate from Concordia Irvine. She spent several years in Georgia before being called to Colorado. She is overjoyed to be the mother of Samuel and wife of Colten, who also serves full-time at Risen Savior as Worship Director. In addition to enjoying her dream vocation, she also loves running, baking, music, history, and strong coffee. Education: Biola University: BA Elementary Education, 2008; MA Teaching, 2010 Concordia University Irvine: DCE Certificate; MA Theology, 2020

Children’s Sermon Object Lesson: Psalm 121 Trusting in God

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My Help Comes from the Lord! Children’s Message on Psalm 121 Main Objective: Where do we go for help? Young children are familiar with the concept of needing assistance with things, and depending on age, might be quite accustomed to asking for help. Sometimes we need support physically, or we might want help answering a question or figuring out how to do something. These days, people of all ages might seek help from the internet when questions

Children’s Sermon Object Lesson (Romans 5:12-21) Adam’s Sin and Christ’s Gift

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Jesus Paid it All! Children’s Message on God’s Grace and Romans 5 Main Objective: What does it cost to get to Heaven? How can we achieve salvation? Well, the bad news is that we all fall short of God’s glory, and no one is capable of earning or buying grace. Because of Adam, we are born into sin, which bears the consequence of death. The good news is that through Jesus, we have eternal life and righteousness!

Moses on the Mountain (Exodus 24:12-18) Children’s Sermon Object Lesson

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Finding God on the Mountain… Children’s Message on God’s Presence in All Places Main Objective: Mountains are pretty incredible places, and can be inspirational for Christians seeking deeper faith. The Bible contains a lot of significant stories involving mountains, and this message highlights a few of them. God often chose to meet people in special places, and made or renewed covenants there. However, mountains aren’t the only way to grow closer to God. He is everywhere! His

Children’s Sermon Object Lesson (Deuteronomy 30:15-20) Choose Life!

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Choose Life! Children’s Message on Embracing the Grace of God Main Objective: Some decisions should seem pretty obvious…and yet we don’t always opt for the glorious blessings that God offers us. Life or death? Good or evil? This message encourages students to make wise choices about life and loving the Lord. Our choices have important consequences! Consider the words of Deuteronomy 30 as they relate to everyday decisions and the importance of accepting God’s free gift of

Light and Salt… Matthew 5:13-20 Children’s Sermon Object Lesson

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Children’s Message on Making a Difference for Jesus For more teaching material for your Matthew 5:13-20 Sunday School Lesson – see the Bible craft ideas and Salt & Light Bible Lesson for kids. Main Objective: What do light and salt have in common? Both can make quite a difference in things, and are very much missed when not present. In addition to that, Jesus used them to describe our Christian lives! We are called to light the

Micah 6: Children’s Sermon & Bible Object Lesson

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Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly…Children’s Message on What God Truly Desires Don’t miss the full Micah 6:1-8 Sunday School Lesson, related Bible crafts for kids, and Bible lesson ideas for kids. Main Objective: What does God want from us? What kind of offering is good enough for the King of all creation? Kids might at times wonder what it means to be children of the Lord, or what (if anything) we should do or give to

Bible Craft Ideas: Fishers of Men (Matthew 4:12-23)

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Jesus is the lamb Jesus calls us to follow Him. We can be His disciples, listening to His instructions and calling others to do the same. We leave other work and hobbies to place Him first and foremost in our lives. The blessings He offers in return far outweigh any sacrifice on our part! These crafts celebrate the calling to be “Fishers of Men.” A “Whirlwind Pinwheel” considers how we can serve Jesus in our lives. A

There He is! Craft Ideas for Pointing to Jesus as the Lamb of God  John 1:29-42

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Jesus is the lamb of God, our savior, the hope of the world! These crafts celebrate the joy we have in knowing who Jesus is and what He does for us. A decorative “Joy Jar” offers a fun place to put thankful and joyful thoughts. A “Recycled Sheep” uses various supplies to create a lamb reminding us of our Messiah’s sacrifice on our behalf. Let’s get crafting! Don’t miss the full 16-page printable Sunday School Lesson on

All are Invited! Craft Ideas for Peter Proclaiming God’s Grace Acts 10:34-43

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Salvation is not exclusively reserved for an elite group of people, but God calls all to know and love Him. Everyone is invited to be part of the family of the Lord, which we can rejoice in. We see this illustrated in the story of Peter and Cornelius in Acts 10. These crafts celebrate that story and its truths. A special invitation recalls how we are all invited and embraced because of Jesus. A Peter Paper Puppet

The Light of the World: Craft Ideas for Being Protected by Christ’s Love (Matthew 2:13-23)

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Jesus is our hope, king, comfort, guide, and light! We know that God promises to guide and care for us when we listen to His voice, follow His word, and live in His love. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus remind us of this, too. We can focus on loving and serving Him in all things. These crafts reflect on how Christ is the light of the world and the light of our lives. A “Hidden

Jesus is the Star! Craft Ideas for Christmas and the Nativity

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Christmas is a joyful, blessed, marvelous time and day to celebrate. It can be easy, though, to get wrapped up in holiday hubbub and forget where our focus should be. As we anticipate and rejoice in the birth of Jesus, we should also think about the blessing of why He came and what it means for us. These fun crafts are great for anytime around Christmas, offering unique takes on the story of the Nativity. A “Star

Good News! Craft Ideas for Christmas Angels as God’s Messengers

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Angels are remarkable to consider, and are an integral part of the Nativity narrative. God’s messengers might not have been as “white and fluffy” as we typically imagine them, but whatever they looked like, they spread hope and good news of blessing to Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds. Celebrate the Christmas story with a couple of fun angel crafts. An “angel in a pail” uses creative supplies on hand to put together an unusual angel. An “Angel

Craft Ideas for Jesus and John the Baptist (Matthew 11:2-11) Proof of God’s Promises

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How do we know that something is true? Verifying predictions and promises takes observing the results of events. When we look at the life of Jesus, we see God’s covenant fulfilled and the hope of blessings past and present. When Christ was on Earth, He offered proof of who He was in the things that He did and the prophecies He lived out. These crafts remind us of how Jesus satisfied the promises of prophets. A “Matching

Shoots and Stumps… Bible Craft Ideas for Isaiah 11 Jesus is the Righteous Branch

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Ancient prophecy is not always a common topic of Sunday School lessons, but prophets can offer a fantastic way of looking at the power and plan of God. They show us that God is faithful to His word, and point us to the undeniable truth of the Gospel. There are some wonderful elements of hope in the book of Isaiah that point us to Jesus, making it great for the Advent season! These crafts celebrate Isaiah’s prophecy

Waiting for Jesus: Advent Craft Ideas from Matthew 24

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Time for Jesus! Craft Ideas for the Opening of Advent   As the Advent season begins, we look forward to Christmas joys, but even more so we eagerly await the coming of Christ! Advent is a season of waiting in happy and hopeful anticipation. As we wait, we live in the presence of God and carry out His work on Earth now. These crafts celebrate that anticipation and brainstorm ways to serve Jesus. A “Jesus is Coming

Be Still! Craft Ideas for Psalm 46 for Sunday School

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Psalm 46 is a beautiful promise from God that He is our refuge and strength, and wants to help us and be present in all things. God also wants us to be still and rest in Him, recognizing that He is powerful in our lives and desires to help us. These crafts remind students that we can have peace in knowing that He is God. Despite challenges or the busy demands of life, we can take time

No More Sorrows! Craft Ideas for Heavenly Hope Isaiah 65

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One day, things will be different…this is the theme of many hopeful and joyful promises that God gives us about the Resurrection and our future in Heaven. It is profoundly peaceful to consider that our Lord will make all things new, and will reverse and replace former things. There will be no more pain and sorrow, and enemies will be friends. These images are the inspiration behind two craft-able puppets. A “Reversible Mask Puppet” focuses on the

Craft Ideas 2 Thessalonians 2 Hope of the Second Coming

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Jesus is coming back someday! We know this, but there are many details of the Second Coming that we do not and cannot fully know.  We trust that He will return, but meanwhile hope in His daily presence and love for us. These crafts reflect that hope and trust. A “proclaim the goodnews trumpet” contains a listening and speaking component to reflect on our responsibility as Gospel proclaimers. A “Prayer Bank Cloud” considers the eventual coming of

Craft Ideas for the Story of Zacchaeus Luke 19:1-10

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Zacchaeus is a fun story to share with young children (and a great song, too!). As we look at the Bible lesson, we emphasize the change of heart that the tax collector went through after meeting the savior, and we recall how Jesus has power to impact our lives. These crafts help students recount and act out the story, and collect coins to help others, too. A “Find Zacchaeus in the Tree plate” places a moveable popsicle

Sweeter Than Honey! Bible Craft Ideas for Psalm 119

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God’s Word is sweeter than honey! The Bible guards and guides our lives, and when we let it fill us, it’s much more satisfying than the tastiest of sugar—and doesn’t give cavities! These crafts celebrate the verses of Psalm 119, reminding us that we should meditate on God’s law and love as a sweet source of strength. A “honey pot bookmark” can be used for Bibles to recall the sweetness of Scripture. A “honey nut bracelet” offers

Just a Mustard Seed!  Craft Ideas for Faith and Trust

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 “With the faith of a mustard seed, you can move mountains!” Taken out of context, this always seems like rather an odd statement. For one thing, how can mountains be moved? And for another thing, what does faith have to do with plant seeds? Jesus wants us to know that our faith is not about us, but about HIM. Amazing things are possible with just a little bit when we trust in God’s power. These crafts celebrate

True Contentment Bible Crafts from 1 Timothy 6

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 “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” These are wise words from Paul, but what do they mean? What is contentment, anyway? The Bible reminds us that the love of money is the root of evil, but we are to pursue higher things and be content with the blessings He provides.  These crafts focus on the joy of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord and following Him. A “Contentment Command Wreath” focuses on the positive elements that outweigh worldly

Pray for All People!  Bible Craft Ideas for 1 Timothy 2   

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This passage from 1 Timothy is a  wonderful reminder for us of the importance of praying. We should constantly communicate with God, not just begging for our own needs but giving Him thanks and praise. We should also make intercession for others around us, even (and especially) those who might not be as easy to love or appreciate! These crafts consider Paul’s words to Timothy on prayer, and also relate to his encouraging epistle as a letter

Psalm 51 Sunday School Craft Activities

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Use these activities when teaching children about repentance and how Jesus can clean from the Inside Out! These craft ideas are for Psalm 51 but will work on any Bible lesson about repentance. Watch the craft demonstration below, gather your supplies, and share these hands-on learning activities with your Sunday School class or kids church. You can also download a complete 18-page Sunday School lesson from Psalm 51 at the Sunday School Store. Psalm 51 reminds us that God