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Category Archives: Preaching/Teaching

The God of Jacob

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Heather

I rarely ask my readers for any favors, but today, I’m asking for one small request. In about 10 hours, we leave for our Uprising Student Ministry Getaway. Could you lift just a quick prayer for our students and our … Continue reading →

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Theology and the Power Ballad

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Heather

Your prayer life and eighties rock music are linked. I’m not even kidding. Here’s just a little window into Heather Zempel’s sermon prep process. The process is always a little bit different, but it always includes lots of Biblical study, … Continue reading →

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The Preaching Calendar

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Heather

At NCC, we map out our sermon series in a gathering of the creative and teaching teams at a weekly meeting called Big Idea. We talk about branding, content, music, and other creative ideas. This summer, we are doing a … Continue reading →

Posted in National Community Church, Preaching/Teaching | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Spirit of Peace

Posted on December 10, 2010 by Heather

We’ve entered into a season where we start to feel the “Spirit of Christmas.” For Ryan and me, it started on Thanksgiving night with a family viewing of Elf and continued with a tour of the Christmas lights at the … Continue reading →

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The Methodology of Mythology

Posted on November 10, 2010 by Heather

Go ahead. Send the emails now. I recognize from the outset the danger of using the term “mythology” in this post because most of us equate the word “myth” with “a story that is not true.” In the proper understanding … Continue reading →

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The Porch and the Platform

Posted on September 17, 2010 by Heather

I’m learning that there is a critical connection between my porch and my platform. My porch is not a metaphor. It’s quite literally my front porch, which I never imagined I would have in DC. While I technically have an … Continue reading →

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Miracle in the Mundane

Posted on May 4, 2010 by Heather

As many of you know, we are reading through the Bible in a year at NCC. It’s called From Garden to City, and it’s kinda a modified NCC Liturgical Plan. Right now, we are reading through Numbers, Joshua, 1 Kings, … Continue reading →

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Why I Manuscript

Posted on April 25, 2010 by Heather

I was meeting with one of “my girls” the other day– I’ve got a handful of girls in my life that have fantastic leadership and teaching gifts and every conversation I have with them encourages me– and we were talking … Continue reading →

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The Walk

Posted on March 1, 2010 by Heather

Last week, I had the honor of speaking at The Walk- the collegiate ministry at Sevier Heights Baptist Church and near the University of Tennessee. I avoided the fact that I actually went to Louisiana State University as I feared … Continue reading →

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Book List- Communication

Posted on December 1, 2009 by Heather

In 2008, I focused on developing my communication skills. The books listed here reflect a wide variety of preaching philosophies, but I found them all to be helpful: Communicating for a Change (Andy Stanley) The Passion-Driven Sermon (Jim Shaddix) Preaching … Continue reading →

Posted in Curriculum & Books, Preaching/Teaching | Tagged , | 1 Comment