(This week I am excited to welcome our guest WholeLifeWorship blogger, Pastor Michael Westfall, to share his insights with us. I've known Michael for 14 years, having served with him on our church pastoral staff. Michael is currently Associate Pastor at GracePoint Church near Portland, OR. He and his wife, Krista, are dear close friends … Continue reading Renewing Our Thinking Through Thankfulness

Everyday worship is not something we can practice during the day, but also at night. I don’t know about you, but there are times at night when I can’t fall asleep. Or there are times when I wake up in the middle of the night (usually to go to the bathroom – yeah, old age!) … Continue reading Everyday Worship When You Can’t Sleep

A very impactful song I learned as a young worship leader was an African-American spiritual taught by my mentor, Dr. Byron Spradlin. The title: “Woke Up This Morning (With My Mind Stayed on Jesus).” My first reaction was, “Now, that is a cool way to do a hymn!” Byron always did souped-up, rock style versions … Continue reading Keeping Our Minds “Stayed on Jesus”

(This is a series on what WholeLifeWorship is about. To read other blogs in this series, click here) Don’t you love getting invitations? Whether it’s a wedding invitation or a party or even going on an adventure, there is a certain thrill and happiness when you get an invite from someone you love. I remember … Continue reading A Divine Invitation

Over the past few weeks, I've had conversations with those desiring to do great things for God but are constantly confused or unsure of the how, when and what. We came to the conclusion that what was needed is "discernment." But discernment is difficult because our minds are constantly occupied (and pre-occupied) with a myriad … Continue reading Clearing the Mechanism -Stilling the Mind for Discernment

Over the past few weeks, I've had conversations with those desiring to do great things for God but are constantly confused or unsure of the how, when and what. We came to the conclusion that what was needed is "discernment." But discernment is difficult because our minds are constantly occupied (and pre-occupied) with a myriad … Continue reading Clearing the Mechanism

(This is part four of an ongoing series called “Whole Life Worship 101.” If you would like to read previous blogs in this series, click here) One of the frustrations I have in living out the Christian life is connecting with Jesus outside of my one-on-one Personal Worship Times. After a great time with Jesus … Continue reading Inviting Jesus into Everyday Life Moments

In continuing with the series, “Whole Life Worship 101,” I’m going to dive into talking about Personal Worship Time – our one-on-one time with Jesus. (If you missed the previous blogs in this series, click here) Having a daily, one-on-one time with Jesus has been the most impactful spiritual rhythm in my life. I find … Continue reading Keeping My Eyes on Jesus

(This is the second part of a series called “Whole Life Worship 101.” If you missed last week’s blog, click here) Last week we looked at the “genesis” of how Whole Life Worship (WLW – I’m going to use acronyms for the sake of simplicity) came into being. This week I want to give an overview of how … Continue reading How Whole Life Worship Works

You might be wondering, “What’s up with Doug and this ‘Whole Life Worship’ deal?” After all, this blog is called “Whole Life Worship.” And my website is: wholelifeworship.com. Even my email address is wholelifeworship@gmail.com (and feel free to send me a note). Over the next few weeks, I want to share what Whole Life Worship is all … Continue reading How Whole Life Worship Began