Hi, I'm Marissa

I was really hesitant to share this story, because I don’t want to imply that faith comes from anywhere but our good and gracious God. However, we all know of people that God used in our lives to share the faith with us. I was blessed enough to grow up in an LCMS home with parents who took me to church every Sunday, sent me to Lutheran schools all the way through college, and instilled a knowledge of the faith in me. As I prepared to become a teacher, I thought that my students would be like me. They would have a general knowledge of the Bible and need to further develop their faith.

When I stepped into my first classroom, I started with the story of creation like most elementary teachers do. When we go to the fall into sin, a little girl with with blonde, braided pigtails and missing front teeth raised her hand to ask, “Why is the snake talking?” This was such a shocking question for me. Here I was, over twenty years old, before I realized that someone I knew truly had never been exposed to the Bible. Sure, my Sunday school lessons taught me that some people didn’t know about God’s Word. However, at this point in life, I assumed that didn’t really happen in modern America. I had many friends who had fallen away from the faith after becoming jaded by the church. I was prepared to help apathetic students such as these, but I had never thought to prepare lessons for students who had never read the Bible before.

I can no longer count how many students that I have met like that little girl. Because of that experience, I start every school year with the books of Genesis and Exodus. I know that I don’t have enough time to teach all of the judges, kings, and prophets of the Old Testament when I make that decision, but I can’t imagine a student never knowing the foundations of the beginning of God’s people and their deliverance by a mighty Lord. 

How many of you have new Christians sitting in your classroom? Rather, do you have students with plenty of Biblical knowledge who need to develop their faith? More than likely, you have a mixture of both. For this reason, my resources help you meet those needs. The Bible lessons can be used by both types of students. In addition, there are early finisher units to extend the learning of some students or quickly review stories for new Christians. There are  theology lessons that incredibly engaging and relatable to all students. I hope these resources help you as you share the love of Christ with your ministry.