Last week I had one of my best prayer times of this whole year—and I wasn’t even praying.

God told me to take Amber and Madelyn to Golden Spoon.

Actually, it wasn’t quite as clear as that, but the message still came through. It was a Saturday night and I was finishing my sermon notes for the next morning and beginning to pray for our upcoming church services. As I started praying about church stuff I felt a pang of conviction that I hadn’t spent any time that day with my daughters. Saturday was over, I seldom see them on Sundays, and they both had plans for Monday, my usual day off. As guilt shot through me for spending more time focused on church than them, I decided to push pause on my prayers and whisk them away to Golden Spoon instead.

If you’ve ever been to Golden Spoon you know that it’s heavenly, and on this particular night it was especially spectacular. We ordered gigantic scoops of candy bar-laced frozen yogurt and then sat outside and laughed together for about an hour.

I felt God’s presence. I felt reconnected with my girls. I was as refreshed as I’ve ever been from a quality prayer time, and I went to bed that night feeling as “prayed up” and prepared for our church services as I would have felt after an hour of focused prayer and intercession.

I’m not suggesting we trade in our daily devotions for a daily trip to Golden Spoon. However, the moral of the story is that you and I are in a relationship with a living God, and if He prompts us to go to Golden Spoon it will undoubtedly be the most spiritual appointment of our week.