Once upon a time there was a trip to the beach that felt like a glimpse of heaven…

Last weekend I journeyed with a group of seven writer friends to a tiny blue cottage on Lake Michigan.

Throughout our weekend we talked, laughed, cried, prayed, took walks along the lakeshore, rested in the sun, worked on our writing projects and ate lots and lots of delicious food.

Coffee and chocolate were always accessible, and the weather was so perfect, and the water was so blue we couldn’t ask for a better backdrop to our weekend.

This is the first time I’ve ever gone away for a weekend with a group of ladies who love to write as much as I do. It was amazing to share this time with godly women who are in so many ways are just alike and are also in many ways different.

We were married and unmarried. Some of us had young children at home and some had children almost grown. Some wrote fiction, some non-fiction. Some of us were city girls and some came straight from the farm.

No matter our differences three common threads remained. We all love to write. We all love the Lord. And we all love each other.

When I got home and unpacked my bags I found my prayer journal tucked away in my writing bag and realized I hadn’t used it all weekend. At first I felt a pang of guilt but then I thought, no.

The entire weekend was a prayer. It was constant worship. It was communion with God.

Coming home from such a great weekend can leave one feeling a little deflated. It’s sad to realize the moment was gone. It’s easy to believe that times like these are few and far between.

Perhaps there’s some truth to that. Life is hard and it has its way of beating all things precious right out of us. But I don’t believe this is what God has for us. I believe He deeply desires for us to access this kind of friendship, this kind of prayer and worship in the midst of our every day lives.

Especially in our every day lives.

And friends, it can be done. A line from an old Garth Brooks songs states,

“Heaven’s not beyond the clouds, it’s for us to find here.” (Lyrics from Belleau Wood)

I do believe that Heaven exists beyond this earth, but I also believe we are given glimpses of Heaven to find while we are here.

Kingdom moments are found when friends come together to pray. When loved ones gather round a table. When children laugh silly. When beauty unfurls across land and sky.

They happen when hellos make us burst with excitement. When heart level connections make tears flood our eyes. When joy flows freely from the work you do and beauty is offered to an ugly world.

These moments can be ours in abundance because prayer is not just for quiet time. Worship is not just for church. And communion with friends can be communion with God.

Moments like these…prayer, worship, and communion like this…are for every thing and every day. They are for the extraordinary and the mundane. They are for the weekends spent by the lake and the weekdays spent at the office, at the grocery, at the dinner table.

The glory I experienced during my weekend away does not have to end when I get back to every day life. And the glory of heaven doesn’t have to start when we reach our eternal home.

Every day can fill with God-glory when we seek it with all our hearts.

Brave Prince, Lovely Princess may you wake up this day to fairy tale found in kingdom moments. In laughter that feels like a prayer. In work that feels like worship. In friendships that feel like communion.

In days of heaven upon the earth.

Congratulations to Melanie, Alice, and Robyn  for winning the I Like Giving Giveaway. Your copy of I Like Giving will be on its way soon!

Thank you to everyone who left a comment on my blog and/or shared a link. Be sure to check back soon for more fun giveaways.