The other night we went to sleep without praying together as a family. It doesn't happen very often. I used to feel very bad about it, even to the point of frustration, but I don't feel as bad anymore. I know this may sound spiritually negligent, but I've learned that I need to build an altar throughout the day, and give God my best, not just at key hours of the day.

An altar is anywhere you meet with God. It's intentional, but it doesn't have to be too structured. Sometimes it's all about praise. Sometimes it involves repentance and weeping. Other times we build an altar of thankfulness. Altar building can, and should, happen at any time during the day. It needs to be a lifestyle, springing forth from the heart, not a date/time on a calendar.

Don't segregate God. He is omnipresent. He is pleased with you wanting to please Him by being disciplined with your time and allotting a 'spiritual' slot into your schedule. But it's such a limited perspective of our deep relationship with Him. I enjoy it far more when I connect with my children throughout the day and take the time to be with them no matter how 'busy' I am. And I know they do too. I like it when they come to me out of the blue during the day - with a new drawing they just completed, or a game they invented, or an idea they had. This brings me so much joy and makes me smile.

Get in a holy habit of keeping God at the center of all your daily activities. Make Him smile. Today, 'surprise' Him and build an unscheduled altar.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words that I give you today. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you’re at home or away, when you lie down or get up. Write them down, and tie them around your wrist, and wear them as headbands as a reminder. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates. - Deuteronomy 6:5-9