Bending Angel

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Prayer for Heroes Not Forgotten – November 11, 2019.

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God – Last Thursday would’ve been Gordon’s 75th birthday. In honor of him I dedicate this prayer to You for him and all soldiers who served with honor in times of peace and times of war to preserve the peace we all hold dear.

God, please guide all leaders in Congress and in the Executive Branch to provide the medical care needed by those who have sacrificed so much and yet returned home to America’s shores with dismemberment, PTSD and much less good health.

Please spare our Veterans the war they have had to fight to win the benefits, care, and recognition which should have been simply provided to them in gratitude for their selfless service.

God, please shine your light and love on all heroes not forgotten on Earth or in Heaven including my brother in law, Gordon.

In Gordon’s memory and as my 75th birthday present to him I repost my poem of June 3, 2017 following his death.

May he and all other heroes be not forgotten.  Amen

A Decorated Vietnam Soldier Died Today, June 3, 2017 –

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Prayer to Bear the Price of Love….Grief–November 3, 2019

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God – Recently, three exceptional humans in Houston, Rusty Howard, Will Cannon, and John Fedorko, died.  Rusty’s Barbara, Will’s Jane and John’s Jana and their family and friends are grieving.  They have hearts in need of our prayers and Your healing.

Just yesterday, I learned that a longtime friend and unnamed World War II hero and one of America’s last living Ace’s is in hospice care.  Preparing to make his final flight on the wings of angels to Heaven.  To salute You, the God he served.  The God who gave him the Land and Country he dearly loved.

The inspirational quote posted here has an unknown author.  But, the children You have gifted with loving hearts know what it means to grieve.

Grieving is not confined to the death of those we have loved or who loved us.  Grief is born in the separation from a close friend.  Divorce.  The loss of a job.  The death of a dream.  Bankruptcy. The onset of cancer or other illness.  Although the sources of grief are many, You are the One True God.  The source of life over death.  Holy light over the darkness of grief.  The beacon of hope to those who struggle in the dark to navigate the process of grief.

God, in prayer, please assure all who grieve that grieving does change; but that Your love for them never does.

God, in prayer, please give peace to those who grieve.  That their loved ones dwell with You. That life and the living of it do not end with death.  Yet, in You, the ending is a new beginning for their departed in Heaven.  A blessed opportunity to grow in their faith in You and Your plans for them on Earth.

Jesus died.

Yet He lives.

We live and love.

So we can die in You.

In dying we live eternal life.

Amen.

If you like this prayer, please share.

If you want to purchase for yourself or a friend a copy of Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love or Prayerful Passages: Asking God’s Help in Reconciliation, Separation or Divorce, please click on here to go to Amazon.

Jack H. Emmott is a Senior Counsel of Gray, Reed & McGraw, LLP, a 145-lawyer full-service firm in Houston, Dallas, and Waco, Texas, a Board-Certified Family Law and Master Credentialed Collaborative Law Professional Divorce Attorney, Mediator, Author, Entrepreneur and Inspirational Speaker.  For more information about Jack or his latest book, Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love, go to the Bending Angel website.

Prayer for Wives Looking for Something in Red – October 27, 2019

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God – Today, as I listened to Looking for Something in Red by Lorrie Morgan I heard the angelic voice of a gifted female singer.  Though very blessed by You with amazing vocal talents, Lorrie has had her share of broken marriages and the unexpected, early, and tragic loss of her singer-husband, Keith Whitley.

What resonates in this song is the longing of wives throughout the stages and ages of marriage to be loved, to be the heart’s desire of their husbands, and to have intimacy and passion in their marriages.

Lorrie, like every wife, is looking to wear something in red to turn her man’s head and to feel that same romantic feeling, child after child, year after year and no matter what.

God, in prayer please help every husband to see his wife as dressed in red, as beautiful and as lovely as when she wore white on their wedding day.

May husbands keep love alive in doing special things for their wives on ordinary days and not just birthdays and anniversaries.

May husbands do ordinary things for their wives which make days special….a kiss, a warm embrace, a compliment and sometimes just listen to them, really listen.

May husbands know that intimacy and passion are important to their wives and marriage and that foreplay starts at sunrise and ends when the lights go out. 

Please help all wives to keep looking for love and for something in red.

God, please help all married couples preserve the passion they had for each other on their wedding day and to share their love for You and each other in every way. Amen

If you like this prayer, please share.

If you want to purchase for yourself or a friend a copy of Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love or Prayerful Passages: Asking God’s Help in Reconciliation, Separation or Divorce, please click on here to go to Amazon.

Jack H. Emmott is a Senior Counsel of Gray, Reed & McGraw, LLP, a 145-lawyer full-service firm in Houston, Dallas, and Waco, Texas, a Board-Certified Family Law and Master Credentialed Collaborative Law Professional Divorce Attorney, Mediator, Author, Entrepreneur and Inspirational Speaker.  For more information about Jack or his latest book, Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love, go to the Bending Angel website.

Prayer to Exit Spiritual Darkness and Domestic Violence – October 20, 2019

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Click on the photo to go to the complete story on ESPN

Prayer to Exit Spiritual Darkness and Domestic Violence – October 20, 2019

Lord – As a family law attorney I witness firsthand the profound and everlasting effects of domestic violence.

Domestic violence is not confined to the wives of a few high profile professional athletes.  It exists across all social-economic groups, all races, and from the least to the most educated couples in America.  Men can be abused by their wives as well.

In many ways one who has not personally experienced physical and verbal abuse cannot understand why the abused do not leave the abuser.  But, I have learned that those caught in the most abusive relationships have the most difficulty separating from it.

Victims find themselves in a kind of spiritual darkness without hope and with hearts that are unable to distinguish between love and hate: where stepping out of the cycle of violence appears much worse that staying in it. A place contrary to reason and common sense, where the more violent the relationship is, the harder it is to leave.

Sadly, children who have witnessed the abuse within their parent’s marriages often unwittingly seek out and marry spouses who recreate the violence in their own married relationships.

Lord, in prayer please help the abused to step out of spiritual darkness and into your healing light and everlasting love.

Lord, in prayer please help the abusers to find the strength to control their anger and allow Your will of peace and compassion to replace their will to do more violence and harm.

Lord, in prayer please help the children caught in the underbrush of violence to break the cycle of violence in their own marriages by not coupling with spouses who do not possess kind and loving hearts.

Last, Lord, may You please bless Sabrina Greenlee and her son, DeAndre Hopkins with the Houston Texans, and their amazing work on and off the field to help others exit spiritual darkness and domestic violence as described in ESPN Cover Story, “The Unbreakable Bond” by Mina Kimes.

Sabrina was blinded by a bucket of bleach mixed with lye. But, Sabrina after many of years of struggle, still saw the way to find You and lead others to victory over abuse and to Holy peace.  Amen

If you like this prayer, please share.

If you want to purchase for yourself or a friend a copy of Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love or Prayerful Passages: Asking God’s Help in Reconciliation, Separation or Divorce, please click on here to go to Amazon.

Jack H. Emmott is a Senior Counsel of Gray, Reed & McGraw, LLP, a 145-lawyer full service firm in Houston, Dallas, and Waco, Texas, a Board-Certified Family Law and Master Credentialed Collaborative Law Professional Divorce Attorney, Mediator, Author, Entrepreneur and Inspirational Speaker.  For more information about Jack or his latest book, Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love, go to the Bending Angel website.

Prayer for Parents to Break Bread with Their Children – October 13, 2019

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Lord, when my son, John, attended St Francis Episcopal Day School, he invited a middle school classmate to spend the night in our home. His friend was a fine young and respectful boy. By all accounts he had everything he needed.  He lived in a million dollar home in Memorial. He had very successful professional parents who were involved at his school, in their church and in his extracurricular activities.

John had told us that his friend had a nanny and the best clothes, the best toys and the best video games.

As was customary, at 6 o’clock in the evening, everyone was summoned to the dinner table. Our family, including John’s friend, stopped what they were doing and gathered round the table. There was no need to “dress for dinner”.  Everyone came to the table as they were.  Everyone took their places. We bowed our heads. We held hands. We asked God to bless our food and those who prepared it. We thanked God for the fruits of our labors and for the circle of family, friendship and love sitting around the table.

Years later, I no longer remember what was said or the number of times we laughed. But, I will never forget what happened next. At the end of the meal, my son’s middle school guest raised his head with a look of longing and an aching heart and said, “I wish my mom and dad would come home from work and have dinner with me each day. I wish we could do this in my home.”

That’s when I realized that this young man had every material thing he could wish for except for the spiritual and loving thing he needed–a time each day to sit and enjoy a meal with his parents, to hold their hands and pray. To just enjoy being together.

God, please help parents to make time daily to break bread with their children.

May every child and parent make lasting and cherished memories of love and connectedness at the table together.  Times in prayer and in sharing a meal when You are present with them.  When they are present with You.  And they are present with each other to the nourishment of their bodies, their souls, and one another.  Amen

If you like this prayer, please share.

If you want to purchase for yourself or a friend a copy of Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love or Prayerful Passages: Asking God’s Help in Reconciliation, Separation or Divorce, please click on here to go to Amazon.

Jack H. Emmott is a Senior Counsel of Gray, Reed & McGraw, LLP, a 145-lawyer full service firm in Houston, Dallas, and Waco, Texas, a Board-Certified Family Law and Master Credentialed Collaborative Law Professional Divorce Attorney, Mediator, Author, Entrepreneur and Inspirational Speaker.  For more information about Jack or his latest book, Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love, go to the Bending Angel website.

Prayer to Separate Us from Our Stuff – October 6, 2019

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God – This week Dorothy and I are making room in our home for a dear family member who needs to live with us for a while. We have had to focus on decluttering, giving away, and pitching items we have acquired and which take up space in our rooms, closets and drawers.

The sheer magnitude of this task and the size of the piles of stuff we have to deal with is overwhelming.  Thankfully, it is at the time in our lives when we truly want simplicity. To find joy and the sacred in the simple and in the ordinary. Not yielding to the belief in advertising that long-lasting happiness is found in getting the latest gadget, the newest iPhone, the newest car, an expensive piece of furniture or high priced fashion.

We discover items we bought years ago, but never used. Items saved for later use, but never needed. Moneys spent on possessions which could’ve been better spent on others in need. Hours spent at the office to pay for possessions, time we could have used looking at more sunsets and rising moons, walking through the Houston Arboretum and Emmott Circle, or taking family trips, going to concerts, and being with others we love, just to name a few.

Lord, like millions of others, we love our stuff. But, except for the joy at time of purchase, things are not what make us happy. We find happiness in our experiences. We find value not in what we own but in who we share our lives with – our families and friends.

God, please help separate us from our stuff so we can be closer to others and nearer to You.

For those of us with too much stuff, please help us give it to others who have so much less.

With serving and working for our stuff less, we can spend more time in our service to You.

God, please help us refrain from buying things we do not really need. To clear the clutter from our lives and in our homes.

In doing so we make room for others in our hearts, for You and for Your love and light which bring us everlasting joy.  Amen

If you like this prayer, please share.

If you want to purchase for yourself or a friend a copy of Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love or Prayerful Passages: Asking God’s Help in Reconciliation, Separation or Divorce, please click on here to go to Amazon.

Jack H. Emmott is a Senior Counsel of Gray, Reed & McGraw, LLP, a 120-lawyer full-service firm in Houston, Texas, a Board-Certified Family Law and Master Credentialed Collaborative Law Professional Divorce Attorney, Mediator, Author, Entrepreneur and Inspirational Speaker.  For more information about Jack or his latest book, Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love, go to the Bending Angel website.

Prayer in Thanks for Forever – September 29, 2019

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Casey O’Brien
Photo by Minnesota Gophers Athletics

Lord, last Saturday on ESPN College Game Day I was moved beyond words on a segment devoted to Casey O’Brien, the University of Minnesota’s Football Team third string placeholder. 

Against all odds, Casey has been cancer free for 15 months.  As Casey kept his childhood dream alive to play football, over the last six years he has experienced cancer four times, survived 17 operations, 500 stitches, cancer in his knee and lung, loss of hair and chemotherapy to cure his cancer.

In visiting pediatric cancer victims in the hospital Casey has given hope to children and their parents of continued life. Casey said that, in his work with the kids who’ve lived and died, he learned that “Tomorrow is not promised.” 

God, please bless all your children who suffer cancer.  Those who care for them. Those who’ve lost loved ones to this deadly disease.

God, let us rejoice that, even though “Tomorrow is not promised”, thanks to You, Forever is.  Amen
Click here to see the ESPN segment on Casey O’Brien.

If you like this prayer, please share.

If you want to purchase for yourself or a friend a copy of Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love or Prayerful Passages: Asking God’s Help in Reconciliation, Separation or Divorce, please click on here to go to Amazon.

Jack H. Emmott is a Senior Counsel of Gray, Reed & McGraw, LLP, a 120-lawyer full service firm in Houston, Texas, a Board-Certified Family Law and Master Credentialed Collaborative Law Professional Divorce Attorney, Mediator, Author, Entrepreneur and Inspirational Speaker.  For more information about Jack or his latest book, Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love, go to the Bending Angel website.

Prayer for Purity of Heart – September 22, 2019

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Heavenly Father – Please help me be with You in prayer so that I and my heart can be and become one with You. My human emotions, self-centeredness, anger, lack of forgiveness and fear do not allow me to fully invite You and Your Son, Jesus Christ, into my heart. In faith I know that Your love, if seated in my heart, will transform and purify my heart. Then I can love others as I wish to be loved. I can be at peace with my self so that I can be at peace with my neighbor. I can be Your child and walk in the peace, love and light in the footsteps of Your Son, Jesus Christ.  Amen

This prayer was inspired by the sermon given on February 12, 2017 by Stuart Bates, Rector, Saint Francis Episcopal Church-Houston.

If you like this prayer, please share.

If you want to purchase for yourself or a friend a copy of Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love or Prayerful Passages: Asking God’s Help in Reconciliation, Separation or Divorce, please click on here to go to Amazon.

Jack H. Emmott is a Senior Counsel of Gray, Reed & McGraw, LLP, a 140-lawyer full service firm in Houston, Dallas and Waco, Texas, a Board-Certified Family Law and Master Credentialed Collaborative Law Professional Divorce Attorney, Mediator, Author, Entrepreneur and Inspirational Speaker.  For more information about Jack or his latest book, Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love, go to the Bending Angel website.

Prayer for Barbara Runge and Rusty Howard – September 15, 2019

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Lord – This morning I learned that Rusty died after a courageous battle against cancer.

Barbara and Rusty were and are much more than a remarkable married couple. They are an inspiration to others in what can be overcome with devotion to each other and to You.

Throughout the years Rusty faced stem cell transplants, blood transfusions, traditional and experimental treatments to kill this deadly disease; Barbara showed Rusty that nothing was more important to her than him and her love for him.

The faith in You that anchored Barbara and Rusty in Holy hope provided Rusty the strength to stay strong and to reflect Your peace to others in an unbelievable and inconceivable way.

Rusty was an extraordinary land man. No doubt his greatest discovery was Barbara. His richest find was the love deposited in the deep well of Barbara’s heart for him.

Lord, today let us pray for Rusty that Your angels guide him Home to You in Heaven.

Lord, let us pray that Your angels wrap their wings of light and love around Barbara’s grief.

Lord, we thank You for the love given by Barbara to Rusty before and after contracting cancer.

For when there was less and less of Rusty’s health, there was more and more of Barbara and her love and care of him.

Rusty may have lost the war against cancer. But, thanks to You, Rusty won the ultimate victory of everlasting life in You due to Your sacrifice in the death and resurrection of Your precious Son, Jesus Christ. Amen

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Jack H. Emmott is a Senior Counsel of Gray, Reed & McGraw, LLP, a 120-lawyer full service firm in Houston, Texas, a Board-Certified Family Law and Master Credentialed Collaborative Law Professional Divorce Attorney, Mediator, Author, Entrepreneur and Inspirational Speaker.

Prayer for Stewardship and Tithing – September 8, 2019

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All across America churches are asking their members to tithe, pledge and to give back to God the gifts we have received from Him. This Prayer for Stewardship and Tithing is inspired by a sermon given by Rector Stuart Bates in 2016 at St. Francis Houston. In saying this prayer may you called to place the fruits of your labor into the hands of your church ministries. It is in giving to others that we shall receive the gifts of love, humility and thankfulness.

Giotto – St. Francis Giving His Mantle to a Poor Man

Heavenly Father, please open our hearts in thanksgiving for all that we have received from You. All we are and all we have are solely due to the life You unconditionally gifted to us. Some of us have little. Some of us have plenty. But just as You sacrificed Your only Son Jesus so that we may have everlasting life beyond our deaths, may each of us prayerfully and sacrificially pledge, tithe or gift to our churches a worthy sum. Because of such stewardship, may our churches better serve You and lovingly minister to the needs of all Your children. Amen

If you like this prayer, please share. If you want to purchase for yourself or a friend a copy of Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love or Prayerful Passages: Asking God’s Help in Reconciliation, Separation or Divorce, please click on here to go to Amazon.

Jack H. Emmott is a Senior Counsel of Gray, Reed & McGraw, LLP, a 120-lawyer full-service firm in Houston, Texas, a Board-Certified Family Law and Master Credentialed Collaborative Law Professional Divorce Attorney, Mediator, Author, Entrepreneur and Inspirational Speaker. For more information about Jack or his latest book, Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love, go to the Bending Angel website.