Jack Emmott – Page 2 – Bending Angel

Prayer for Our Daily Bread – January 19, 2019

January 19, 2019 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

Sister Carolyn, 4, and Jack, 3, on Old Donk

Lord – In my childhood my Grandfather owned a four hoofed creature named Old Donk. Old Donk was beloved because of her daily ritual of traveling from house to house in our family compound to beg for bread at each kitchen door. After feasting on her daily bread at each home, including mine, Old Donk returned to her barn.

God, with the onset of polio, paralysis, and the seemingly insurmountable challenges which accompanied it, You comforted me in witnessing Old Donk’s quest for bread take place every day. Her ritual was as constant, unchanging, and certain as Your love for me.

God, I thank You for giving me my daily bread after I prayed the Lord’s Prayer to You each day. You answered my prayers and gave me each day the strength I needed to overcome the problems I faced.

God, last I thank You for the example of Old Donk in our 100-acre wood. In witnessing her example I learned that Old Donk and I were on the same Holy path. To taste the bread of heaven and take nourishment from it. To one day find our way back Home to You and the comfort and light of everlasting love, hope, and peace.

God, please help all Your children know that what they need each day is only a prayer away. 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. 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 Not Argue Our Limitations – January 13, 2019.

January 13, 2019 by Jack Emmott 1 Comment

God – My grandfather was an amazing baseball pitcher. Known locally as “Wonder Boy Emmott”, he helped his team, Cargill and Company, win the Houston City Championship in 1917. My dream of becoming another Wonder Boy, like him, was seemingly crushed by polio at the age of 6.

At age 10, despite polio, I was still determined to earn a spot on the Cy-Fair Lion’s Club Little League Team. I took the pose of a baseball player as shown in this picture. I still tried to succeed and to make my dream come true. I was not going to allow failure to happen without a courageous fight. Despite my efforts, prayer, and faith in You, I did not make the team. My heart was broken but never was my faith in You.

In the days, months, and years which followed my loss, I learned many lessons. An earthly dream can die but in You another one is surely born. Dreams may be lost, but I will never lose You or Your plans for me.

God, please help me and all Your children not argue our limitations. There are no limitations on what can be accomplished on Earth if we believe in ourselves as much as You believe in us.

Lord, I give You praise and thanks. Because of You and Your love for me, I became a different kind of Wonder Boy than I ever thought possible. From polio, paralysis, the Iron Lung, and surgeries, I am now the best me I have ever been. Because You have always had the best plans for me. Amen

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Prayer to Search for the Holy Treasure – January 6, 2019

January 7, 2019 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

.God, when I was a young boy, my father told me and my siblings that pirates long ago had buried treasure on our family land of 100 acres. The vision of searching for and finding a treasure trove of riches of silver, gold, and jewels was something that distracted us from our daily routines and me from the burdens of polio and paralysis. For me, if only I could find that treasure, I would be consumed with wealth, happiness, and joy.

My father saw my excitement. He showed me an old authentic treasure map he had found. He said, “Son, follow the map. When you find the spot marked with an X, that is where the treasure will be found.” It did not matter to me that the map was not made of parchment paper or sheepskin but rather Nifty notebook paper, or that the treasure was always found inside a Maryland Club coffee can and not an ancient chest, or that the treasure inside the can was just a few pennies, nickels, and dimes and not gold doubloons. What mattered at the end of each quest was the sheer joy in the pursuit of the treasure.

God, in adulthood, I like many others, often think that if I accumulate enough wealth, a bigger home, a nicer car or the latest electronic device, all would be right in my world. My life would be perfect. I’ve learned that the riches which sustain me are not my possessions or the house at the end of my street. Rather, what matters most is the search for what treasure lies at the end of my search for the Holy treasure You buried for me.

It is the prayerful journey as much as the treasure found at the end of it.

It is in giving away the treasure to others after I have received it.

It is in the sharing of the treasure with others that I get to keep it.

God, please help me and all Your children pursue daily the quest for Your Holy treasure. For when the Holy treasure is found on Earth, that is not the ending. That is just when the greatest journey begins. We get to find and keep the most precious, everlasting, redeeming wealth in Your Kingdom. It is marked with a Cross, not an X. That is where Eternal Love is found. Amen

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New Year’s Prayer for Americans to Ask What God Would Have Us Do – December 31, 2018.

December 31, 2018 by Jack Emmott 1 Comment

Lord – As I prepare to step into 2019 and leave 2018, I thank You for the innumerable blessings and love from You and others I received. I have never been more grateful for the past nor more hopeful in my walk of faith in service to You in the future.

Yet, my heart is gravely troubled at the divisions and indecisiveness which currently exist in our Nation. At times the problems we face in America seem insurmountable. I do not proclaim to have the answers or the directions we must take to restore trust in government or for our government to better serve its people. I do not know how to balance supporting our military at home and abroad against the cost of being the defenders of democracy in the world, or how to honor America’s humanitarian obligation to give refuge to immigrants fleeing from persecution or inhumane living conditions while still protecting our borders, or how to staunchly advocate liberal or conservative ideals and yet be willing to compromise for the benefit of America as a whole, or how to maintain the proper balance between the Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary Branches of government, or how to make sure America takes care of itself and its own needs and at the same time shoulders a sufficient amount of care for its loyal allies.

So, God, as our elected leaders, government employees, members of the military and all other citizens of the Great Nation Under You, Our God, face each challenge in the year ahead, I pray that every day we each say a prayer and ask, “God, what You would have us do?” For then, the actions taken or not taken would be more in line with Your will and Your ways on the Earth as well as in heaven. Amen

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Prayer for Room in the Manger in My Heart – December 24, 2018 – by Jack Emmott

December 23, 2018 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

Birth of Christ with Angels, Pedro Berruguete, Italian 15th century

Heavenly Father – As I pray in Advent darkness please help me make room in the manger of my heart for the light of Christ to soon dwell. I have brothers and sisters in Christ who have little or no food to eat or water to drink or a stable for comfort or shelter. Out of the fruit of my labors may I generously give in Your Holy Name my time and money to Your less fortunate children who have so much more of so much less. As Mary borne baby Jesus, the King of Kings, please make room in the manger of my heart for me to carry the love and light of Your blessed Son to others so in need of Holy hope, healing and sustenance. 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. 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 the Widows We Adore – December 16, 2018

December 16, 2018 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

God – Thanks for the widows we adore and for the wreath which hangs on our door.

This wreath came from the widow we adore. She is Barbara, my sister in law. Like widows around the world, she lost her true love Gordon in the summer of 2017. This is the second Christmas without him. Although the glimmer of Christmas joy dimmed with Gordon’s passing, she has kept on living and kept on giving of herself to others.

Her husband was my brother-in-law Gordon. In the strength You gifted Barbara, every day before he died, she made sure that Gordon lived a more complete and meaningful life even as he lost each toe, foot, leg, and organ to Agent Orange.

Sadly, I am unable to place Gordon under Barbara’s Christmas tree this year. But, in prayer I can place the praise I have for her in the manger of her heart and mine.

God, below I am reposting my previous prayer for Gordon in hopes that those who read it will see the power of Your abiding love and blessings which flow from Barbara and widows everywhere. Their healing works hang in our hearts with beauty as the wreath on our front door.
God, please strengthen Barbara and all widows on the Earth by filling the vacuum left in the wake of husbands departed with Your Grace and Your Holy, Healing, Comforting Spirit. Amen.

Prayer in Memory Carl Gordon Lansford.

Lord, please read these words to Gordon from me.

Dear Gordon,
My brother-in-law,
My brother in Christ,
I give thanks to God for you.

I am so proud of you.
At age 18 you fought so bravely in the Vietnam War.
America did not win that war.
But, you won three Purple Hearts.
Those symbols of courage were not enough
For the VFW Chapter in your town
To let you in when you came home.
Yet, thanks be to God,
There was always room in the inn of His heart for you.

As a decorated soldier, you fought your greatest battle
After you set foot again on American soil.
You courageously and optimistically faced, one by one,
The ravages of Agent Orange.
The amputation of your legs.
The loss of feeling in your hands and arms.
Kidney failure.
Scarred lungs.
Dialysis.
Doggedly fighting for the healthcare and governmental benefits
Every uniformed American soldier should be awarded
As a tribute for service to our Country.

As with my own bride, Dorothy,
God sent you an angelic wife, Barbara.
He made sure that when there was less and less of you in the physical,
There was more of more of God’s Grace and love in the spiritual
In Barbara’s inexhaustible devotion and care for you.

Today,
Gordon, you lost the final battle
Which you and none of us can ever win.
Yet, you received victory of eternal life over death
Because the God you served
Made the ultimate and greatest sacrifice for you.

God’s purpose for your creation has been fulfilled.

I pray that you enjoy the Heavenly peace,
The freedom of pain,
The joy,
You have so long deserved.

Peace. Love. The Light of Christ to you.

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. 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 Thanksgiving for the Life and Service of President Bush – December 9, 2018

December 9, 2018 by Jack Emmott 2 Comments

L-R Jack. President Bush. Senator Harkin.

Jack. President Bush. Houston Mayor Bob Lanier

L-R Jack. Barbara Epperson (Luncheon Chair). President Bush.

Dear God, when I received the news that President Bush, the Son of this Great Nation, died, my heart skipped a beat. Then, in prayer I rejoiced in celebration in knowing that President Bush’s spirit had been led back to You and into the heavenly arms of his bride, Barbara, and their daughter, Robin.

Thank You for ensouling President Bush with such a spirit that thousands of Your children, like me, have been touched with acts of love and kindness which flowed from You to us through his priceless legacy of service to Your creation. While his spirit rests with You forever in Heaven, we treasure innumerable memories of meaning and worth on Earth because of him.

I thank You for the one such memory when I served as Chair of Houston’s Committee for Employment of Persons with Disabilities. I was blessed to Host the Committee’s Annual Awards Luncheon. As the keynote speaker, President Bush sat next to me.

The President had selected this occasion to present to Senator Tom Harkin the Bush Medal in recognition of the Senator’s authorship and shepherding through Congress the ADA, The Americans with Disabilities Act.

Seated next to the President for an hour that day, he treated me with the same respect and worth as a head of state, a friend, or a member of his family.

During lunch, the President asked, “Jack, may I squeeze the lemon in your tea?” I paused and asked to myself, should I show my independence or graciously accept the President’s offer? I replied, Mr. President, “Yes, I would be honored if you squeezed the lemon in my tea.” At that moment I wondered just how many people in the world ever had the chance to receive such a simple act of kindness from a great American hero.

God, thank You for such a great man, leader, peacemaker, hero, family man, patriot above partisan, and example for all of us to follow. He never boasted or bragged. His actions spoke for themselves of his greatness and of the remarkable gifts You placed in the deep well of his person hood at birth.

By the President choosing You to follow all the days of his life and in his devotion to Barbara, the love of his life, he and we are redeemed in Holy Hope that true love never dies.

President Bush, thanks for sharing lunch with me on that glorious day. I look forward to breaking bread with you again at the Lord’s Table when God calls me Home.

Oh, and thanks again, President Bush, for squeezing the lemon in my tea. Amen

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Prayer to See and Be God’s Light and Love – November 25, 2018

November 26, 2018 by Jack Emmott 1 Comment

God – Scripture proclaims that You made me and all Your children in Your Divine image. Yet, as an earthly being, I too often find myself being less a vessel filled with Your Spirit and more a body full of meeting my wants and not the needs of others. I frequently struggle with accepting those who are different than me or who do not share my values and opinions. I am often too quick to judge, too slow to forgive or unable or unwilling to see beyond the imperfections of others.

Lord, please help me to not be “me” but to be a creature of Your Divine Spirit and to see others as You. In Your love for all creation, please help me see You in others so that they may see more of You in me.

If I was made in Your image, please help me, as Your servant, reflect Your light and love in my faithful service to You.

If I and all of Your children did this, then the unloved, the unlovable, and the not so easy to love would be loved. The differences, diversity, and imperfections in me and others would be reconciled in the wholeness and unity of Your Holy Spirit, now and forever to the glory of Your Holy name.

Yes, Lord, please help me see and be Your light and love in who and whose I am. Amen

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Prayer in Thanksgiving for Polishing Mom’s Silver – November 17, 2018

November 18, 2018 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

God, in my youth, before every Thanksgiving, my mother forced me and my siblings to polish her silver. The spoons, knives, forks and serving pieces were dull and needed to be polished for the family table. At the time I resented being separated from watching TV, listening to the radio or playing card games.

As Mom pulled the silverware from the cedar chest and cooked in the kitchen, I sat for what seemed like hours doing this chore. Now, years later, I realize that my mother was teaching me a deeper lesson than just doing a job. Looking back, Mom was teaching me about being thankful for the possessions we had, taking pride in our work, and joy in seeing a dining room table set with clean china, sparkling crystal and shining silver. Living the artful life and creating beauty for others to see. How even the simple mundane things we do over time have the greatest impact in life. Mom taught me that life is a lot like that. Little actions produce big results. Small things matter – more than we know.

As I approach another Thanksgiving, I thank you God for the lessons I learned from polishing Mom’s silver. After her death, in the wake of sorting out Mom’s possessions, and in the aftermath of untrustworthy hired caregivers, I have no idea where her silver is or the cedar chest she stored it in. But, the lessons I learned from polishing her silver are everlasting. The blessings of polishing Mom’s silver will be seated at our family Thanksgiving table next week and at every other holiday dinner to come.

God, for those of us who do not have silver in need of polishing, please help us to do our part in creating beauty and special memories at our holiday tables. There are napkins to fold. Silverware to set in place. Tablecloths to lay. Vases to fill with flowers. Hands to hold. Loved ones to embrace. The giving of thanks to You for the harvest of hope as we break bread together. 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. For more information about Jack or his latest book, Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love, go to the Bending Angel website.

Jack Emmott is a Child of God – an Interview with Dr. Stem Mahlatini

November 15, 2018 by Jack Emmott 1 Comment

DrStem “Life Plus”, is all about Motivation, Inspiration, Education, Empowerment and Encouragement. DrStem is on a mission to inspire, and empower teenagers and adults alike to feel the fear and go after their passions and dreams anyway. Her work is designed to bring HOPE, boosting confidence to speak and live fearlessly out loud.

Follow Dr. Stem at https://americaoutloud.com/drstem/ and on Facebook.

Click here to enjoy the beautiful interview between DrStem and Jack. 57 minutes.