I woke up this morning with my mind stayed on Jesus!

It seems as if every day I relate to fewer people professionally. A cursory review of my calendar supports that. Only a few engagements are marked in “Outlook,” for my vocation. Younger men are carrying on – quite well and very creatively. Pat and I are experiencing a new season in life.

Now that every day doesn’t have a “To Do List” with dozens of tasks related to vocational responsibilities, prayer is different. I still pray, but the clutter of projects awaiting design, decision, and dispatch is less dense and more manageable. Musing, pondering, reflecting, listening is luxurious as we have fewer deadlines.

This morning, early, I awoke with the lyrics of an old spiritual wafting through my spirit. I cannot remember singing the tune more than a few times, once at a wedding ceremony, but I could hear it just the same – deep from within the wellspring of my soul.
I woke up this morning with my mind (Hallelujah) stayed on Jesus
Woke up this morning with my mind stayed on Jesus
Woke up this morning with my mind (Hallelujah) stayed on Jesus
Hallelu (Halle) hallelu (halle) Hallelujah.

Singing and praying with my mind (Hallelujah) stayed on Jesus
Singing and praying with my mind stayed on Jesus
Singing and praying with my mind (Hallelujah) stayed on Jesus
Hallelu (Halle) hallelu (halle) Hallelujah.

Music: Woke up this morning Traditional African-American
Words: Anonymous
From the first moments of early morning reverie, I moved to reading Scripture and pondering. A fresh reading of Acts 10 was startling. One of the most powerful moments in Peter’s lifetime occurred while he was in an unexpected trance. Vision happens when we are not working through strategies and enlisting team members. Vision starts in heaven and –

• Interrupts the status quo. A mentor in my youth frequently repeated, “Men spend a good share of their lives seeking status, and the rest protecting quo.” Said another way, “We live without divine interruptions.” The work of the Spirit interrupts all our plans! That is the nature of the world-Spirit conflict.
• Interferes with personal preferences. If you are looking for head-shaking material for your thought life today, re-read Acts 10 and consider Peter’s debate with the Spirit about the propriety of Peter’s pending visit to a group of Italians! It is a real stretch to believe Peter, or any of the few thousand Pentecostals, would have gone to the wrong side of the religious tracks to welcome Cornelius’ household into church membership.
• Initiates new possibilities. Friends, most of us (Gentiles) would still be lost without the singular event recorded in Acts 10. I am a third generation Pentecostal, my grandchildren will be the fifth. But, 100's of generations connect us spiritually to a prayer meeting in a living room of an Italian soldier.
• Involves new obedience. You and I may learn an important lesson. Visions are easy! Moving obediently from our comfort into the Spirit’s stream of release, newness and inclusion is challenging. Peter’s argument with the Spirit wasn’t his last. He had to argue with the brothers defending his obedience. But, aren’t you glad he did?
Remember? “I woke up this morning with my mind (Hallelujah) stayed on Jesus.” When that is our discipline and experience, we should expect the Spirit to gently and persuasively burst in and rearrange our lives. Pat and I are listening for the Spirit’s visitation. His visits always affect change. Let us share how He, the Spirit, rearranges our expectations, priorities and preferences!