A Vision at Mid-Day

One afternoon, while contemplating, I imagined myself giving a copy of an inspirational book to inmates in prison. In my mind I saw young kids and men who had made tragic mistakes, and they needed hope — they needed a new vision in their hearts.

As I contemplated this, my mind opened to a glorious vision of my own. I was walking through the snow, through an electric fence with barbed wire. I stopped while a security guard examined me and patted me down, and a big steel door opened for me. I envisioned coming face-to-face with a young man who had a copy of my book. He told me how much the book had changed his life. He cried, expressing regret for his decisions but determination to make the future better. I envisioned the tears of the young man, the expressions of gratitude, the overwhelming abundance of spirit, and his commitment to try to turn his life around. I saw the nod of his head, all the features and expressions of the young man, and his glance back at me as we departed. I then witnessed the subsequent prayer he spoke audibly in the jail cell.

I felt the joy of a life enlightened. I felt the hope of a life transformed. This feeling was a real spiritual experience, and it was powerful! It had the same effect on my soul as if it had actually happened.

My dream of the mind continued: I imagined others learning from this inmate’s advice. I envisioned support groups and organizations forming, dedicated to helping those starting down the path of drugs and crime by planting in them a new vision.

I realized from this vision that so many people need hope! And I need to be a contributor to God’s will, to help bring hope to those that are struggling.

A few weeks after the mid-day vision described above, a man came to work at my office. I was out of town at the time, and the general manager at my office put him to work on a temporary basis. On my return, I was encouraged to “interview” him before we could give him a more permanent position. Nobody would tell me why this was necessary, just that I needed to do it.

The man walked into my office — a pleasant fellow with a very soothing voice. He told me an amazing story. He said that in the midst of marital troubles and general low self-esteem, he had made a terrible error and groped his step-daughter, she being a teenager. He described his act of selfishness, told me how it happened, and discussed his road to repentance. He said that because of the poor choice he had made, he was arrested, lost his church membership, and served a prison sentence of six months.

Before he left home to serve his sentence, his local church leader (Bishop) gave him a blessing by way of prayer and told him that he would be a leader in the prison and help convert many souls to the cause of Christ. In the prison, he quickly noticed that most people there did not have hope. They had lost it when their family and friends shunned them, disowned them, or simply withdrew their support. Most of the prisoners didn’t have regular visitors, nor regular letters of encouragement. This man, being filled with the testimony of Christ, saw an opportunity. He started holding prayer meetings and group services, and replenished the library with positive reading materials. He felt like he was on a mission and that this was his “calling” for this period of his life.

He told me of the great need in the prisons for literature that involved “hope, faith, and vision.” He had no idea that a few weeks earlier I had had my own remarkable mid-day vision; he just freely shared his experiences. I believe that this was a sign from God directing me down a path that I needed to follow. About seven to eight years later, I would serve for three years as a “prison minister” at the Norco, CA, Men’s Prison, teaching the Bible and Christian principles. I taught hundreds and hundreds of men, giving them hope and encouragement. We helped them learn the Bible.

Fuller account of this event (the complete account as preserved in Todd Morgan, 'A Vision at Mid-Day'):

One afternoon, while contemplating, I imagined myself giving a copy of an inspirational book to inmates in prison. In my mind I saw young kids and men who had made tragic mistakes, and they needed hope — they needed a new vision in their hearts. As I contemplated this, my mind opened to a glorious vision of my own. I was walking through the snow, through an electric fence with barbed wire. I stopped while a security guard examined me and patted me down, and a big steel door opened for me. I envisioned coming face-to-face with a young man who had a copy of my book. He told me how much the book had changed his life. He cried, expressing regret for his decisions but determination to make the future better. I envisioned the tears of the young man, the expressions of gratitude, the overwhelming abundance of spirit, and his commitment to try to turn his life around. I saw the nod of his head, all the features and expressions of the young man, and his glance back at me as we departed. I then witnessed the subsequent prayer he spoke audibly in the jail cell. I felt the joy of a life enlightened. I felt the hope of a life transformed. This feeling was a real spiritual experience, and it was powerful! It had the same effect on my soul as if it had actually happened. My dream of the mind continued: I imagined others learning from this inmate’s advice. I envisioned support groups and organizations forming, dedicated to helping those starting down the path of drugs and crime by planting in them a new vision. I realized from this vision that so many people need hope! And I need to be a contributor to God’s will, to help bring hope to those that are struggling.