Bending Angel

Prayer for the Unconditional Love and Loyalty of Dogs – August 30, 2020

August 30, 2020 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

Please click here for Jack’s video version of this prayer.

My grandfather, PawPaw, was far from a perfect man. Basically, he was good, like you and me. Yet he said things and held beliefs that were hard to accept.

He drove the most ugly and colorful mustard yellow automobile that was the cheapest one on Kitzman’s Chevrolet car lot. PawPaw had holes in the cuffs of his khaki pants, holes because he used his pants cuffs as ashtrays for his Camel cigarettes. In winter he used opened pages of the Houston Post to warm his legs in his recliner when he could’ve used a nice woolen blanket. Playing cards in the den and inconsiderately leaving cigarette butts burning in the ashtray to choke his fellow card players. After playing a game of cards, he would stand up from the table. Turn off the lights and the ceiling fan. Then, close the door and leave his guests behind him in the darkness and not say a word. That was his nice way of saying, “It is time to leave my house. The party is over. Don’t overstay your welcome.”

Although PawPaw’s family and friends had trouble accepting such behavior and imperfections, his dogs, Popeye, Smokey, and O.D. did not. None of that mattered to them. They unconditionally accepted PawPaw the way he was. They did not want or expect him to change. They fully loved him as their perfectly imperfect Master and Creature of God.

In return PawPaw loved and cared for his dogs in ways he was not able to do for his own family. PawPaw refused to give $20 to his wife, Jennie, to buy a dress at Sears. Yet, he would willingly spend $100 on a veterinarian to repair a dog’s broken leg or treat a dog’s illness. Popeye, Smokey, and O.D were family above all of PawPaw’s human family.

Every day after eating his breakfast, PawPaw would step out the back-screen door. The three dogs were waiting for him. They knew PawPaw had saved for each of them a little piece of toast. A little piece of daily bread to taste and to savor. All the dogs showed their appreciation in the wagging of tails. Popeye always went one step further.

To show his appreciation Popeye did much more every day than just vigorously wagging his tail when greeting his PawPaw. With his tail wagging behind him Popeye sauntered up to his PawPaw. Popeye always gently held a freshly fallen Live Oak Tree leaf in his mouth to present to PawPaw as if saying, “I have something to show you, PawPaw. In this simple gesture of giving you this leaf, I show you that you are highly valued and respected by me no matter what. You are mine and I am forever yours.”

In the doggie version of Driving Miss Daisy, PawPaw served as Popeye’s, Smokey’s, and O.D’s chauffeur. PawPaw always held open the car door for them to crawl into the back seat before he sat down in front behind the steering wheel. He made sure a soft wool blanket was placed on the back seat for their comfort. PawPaw treated them like royalty as he drove them everywhere in the car. That was because he knew his dogs saw him, their PawPaw, as their King, their Lord of the Manor. And because the dogs were so loyal and so in awe of him, the dogs never made a sound or complaint as to words they heard PawPaw scream in the car about those reckless and discourteous drivers on the road.

Like Sarah in the Bible, Popeye, Smokey, and O.D. went wherever PawPaw went. In the garden. In the car. Walking around the neighborhood to visit his children and grandchildren like me. They could not have loved a two-footed human being more as their owner, Master, King, or companion than any four-footed canine on Earth. Sitting in silence at PawPaw’s feet was to them the happiest place, the most sacred ground in Emmottville.

Suddenly, one morning in December 1978 I woke up. My son John, two months old, was crying uncontrollably. Something he had never done before. I looked out the window and saw my brother Gary sprinting across our front lawn running toward PawPaw’s house. I knew that something was terribly wrong. Dorothy and I immediately went over to PawPaw’s house. Popeye, Smokey, and O.D. were sitting on the back door steps of the house as if they were waiting for their usual pieces of PawPaw’s toast. The toast was not coming. I walked down the hall and looked into PawPaw’s bedroom. I saw PawPaw was laying on his right side clothed in his khaki pants and soft blue flannel shirt. A dog owner’s lifeless pose of a very old soul who had taken his last breath.

Soon the hearse from Waltrip Funeral Home pulled in the driveway. It parked by the three seated dogs and by the steps leading to the hall and to PawPaw’s bedroom. PawPaw’s body was placed on a gurney. After the gurney carefully navigated its way down the hall, out the door and down the steps, Popeye, Smokey, and O.D. witnessed PawPaw’s body being placed in it. The hearse’s rear door slammed shut. Yet, PawPaw’s loyal dogs did not flinch or move. They stood their ground in reverence for him.

As if Popeye, Smokey, and O.D. knew that this was their last time to spend with their Master and King, they needed to show their love, respect, and loyalty one last time. As the black hearse began to roll forward to leave the home, Popeye, Smokey, and O.D. stood up. Emulating what I saw when President Kennedy’s caisson carried his body to its final resting place in 1963, these three devoted dogs walked in silence and in unison with the hearse as it made its way down the driveway under the canopy of the Live Oak Trees PawPaw planted 50 years before.

As the hearse stopped before turning left on Emmott Road, the dogs stopped too and sat down. Popeye, Smokey, and O.D. knew that this was the end of following PawPaw, the one they unconditionally loved in all their dog years on Earth. The dogs watched the hearse turn left on Emmott Road. That marked the moment of final farewell, the final goodbye had truly come to them.

An hour or so later, the dogs were convinced that the hearse was gone and that their PawPaw was not going to return. Popeye, Smokey, and O.D. got up on their four paws and carried their collective grief and memories of their Master back home. Their unconditional love and loyalty for PawPaw was for them an Eternal Flame lit with grace and gratitude for him.

Many of you have dogs and know what I mean in sharing my story about Popeye, Smokey, and O.D with you. Haven’t you looked in your dog’s eyes and seen the unconditional love of God? Haven’t you seen in their wagging tails the joyous gift you are to them from God? Isn’t that what God wants us to see in our fellow men and women? In the kindness of others on Earth? In others’ acceptance of our faults, differences, and imperfections amidst the perfect spirit God has given you? How much do we need that today? In our families? At our workplaces? In our Nation? In our world?

In the Bible, God may not have directly spoken about our pet dogs. But, in Scripture God has abundantly spoken to us about unconditional love and loyalty. My favorite quote is:

1 Corinthians 13:4-5, 7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

God, in prayer we thank You for our dogs, Your four-footed angels that bring to us Your unconditional love despite all our human faults and imperfections.

God, please help us to extend to others those qualities within our dogs- qualities of love, acceptance, and tolerance of our fellow men and women in America and around the world.

God, please help us treat others the way our beloved dogs have treated us, for in doing so we honor You and show our loyalty to You and to all Your creatures, great and small.

God, may we bring offerings of love and acceptance to all our brothers and sisters, exquisite and sweet gifts, such as the Live Oak Tree leaves held tenderly in Popeye’s mouth to present to PawPaw and all his guests in the comings and goings of daily life and even in death. Amen

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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 Open Doors for Others – August 9, 2020

August 9, 2020 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

For the video of Jack reading this prayer, please click here.

Last week’s prayer was a Prayer for Dreamers and Dream Killers. I believe that dreams and the hope that they can come true are gifts to you and me from God. But having dreams and making them come true requires more than the vision of what can be and more than working hard to achieve them.

How many of you have lived your dreams because someone opened a door for you? Given you the opportunity to succeed. To flourish. To flower in God’s Kingdom. How many of you lost a dream because a door did not open? Worse, a door was slammed in your face?

Today, I sit here before you being the best me that I’ve ever been because a man of faith helped open a door for me at a time when I needed it most. His name was Ron Trull.

After graduating from the University of Houston, I applied to 5 law schools in Texas. Every one of the law schools to which I applied sent me letters denying my application for admission. I was devastated, frustrated, and bewildered. One of the reasons my applications for admission were denied was my low LSAT test results. This was partly due to the fact that I did not take a test which allowed for additional time needed because of my slowness in writing due to polio.

I pled my case to each of the law schools explaining why my LSAT test results were so low. I thought the admissions committees would understand. I would be given the chance to prove my worth as a law student and a future lawyer.

After receiving the 5 rejection letters, my sole focus was the University of Texas School of Law. My mother graduated from Austin High. My father attended the University of Texas. I knew that the University of Texas School of Law was where I belonged. A place that would surely launch a career would fulfill my dream if only the door to the Law School would open for me.

I filed a passionate appeal with the Admissions Committee to reconsider my application. Dorothy and I met with T. J. Gibson, Dean of Students. I pled my case. The Admissions Committee heard my appeal. Shortly thereafter, Dean Gibson called me. My appeal had been denied. I was crushed. Immediately after Dean Gibson’s call, I drove to the Law School. I parked in front of the Law School building. As we sat in silence together in the car, I looked up at the Law School and said to Dorothy, “I belong here. I cannot give up on my dream. I must find a way to make this happen.”

The next day I called my counselor, Ron Trull, with the Texas Rehabilitation Commission. I asked Ron if he would please go and meet with Dean Gibson to request that my appeal be considered a second time. A few days later Ron drove from Houston and met with Dean Gibson.

I asked Ron, “What did you say to Dean Gibson?” Ron said he showed the Dean a record of all the money the State of Texas had paid for my rehabilitation and for my undergraduate education. Ron said to Dean Gibson, “The only way for the State of Texas to get a return on its investment in Jack would be if the Law School reversed its decision to give Jack the chance to get an education and become a lawyer.”

Neither Ron nor I knew what the outcome would be when the Admissions Committee reconsidered my appeal. My LSAT and grade point average were still the same. The members of the Committee were still the same. The dollars invested in my rehabilitation by the State of Texas were still the same. But, one thing had changed. Ron cared enough for me and had gone to meet with Dean Gibson. He asked that the Law School open its doors for me. He told the Dean that he believed in me and my ability.

Several weeks later when I had given up any hope that I would be admitted, a fat envelope from the Law School came in the mail. I called Dorothy on the phone and told her that I was about to open the envelope. I prayed over the envelope asking God for the letter to please say the words I needed to hear. I pulled out the letter. It said, “Congratulations you have been accepted to the summer class at the University of Texas School of Law.”

Sheer pandemonium broke out in my house. I called for my mother who ran down the stairs and to my bedroom. When Mom saw the letter she started screaming like the house was on fire. Or, like someone had just died. But in fact, a dream had just been born. My father was so alarmed by my mother’s screams he ran down the stairs and into my room clad only in his sleeveless t-shirt and boxers.

Today, as you look at me on this video, the person I am now and the person you see would not exist but for Ron Trull. I might have lived other dreams and contributed in other ways. But being my best and truest calling as a collaborative divorce attorney would never have been.

God has written in Scripture that the doors of Heaven are always open for every one of us who is faithful and asks for forgiveness of wrongs. In our births and in our God-given abilities seeds of Holy hope and opportunity are planted in each of us. Scripture says that we have a duty to open doors for others like Ron did for me. To help others harvest the fruit of their dreams.

John 10:2
But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

Revelation 3:7-8
I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

Matthew 7:7-8
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

These three Scriptural quotes demonstrate not only what God does for us but what God asks us to do for others. God holds the key to the Gates of Heaven. The place where we all will be. Our final resting place for us and in God’s dreams for us.

God, please help us to do for others what Ron did for me. He opened the door for me. Let us all be shepherds of Your sheep. Please show us how to walk others in need through doors of opportunity so that their dreams come true.

God, we thank You for all of those who have opened doors for us, as Ron Trull opened a door for me.

God, as we strive to keep Your word on our lips and Your hope in our hearts, let us all act to open doors of opportunity for others.

God, when we knock on the doors of opportunity for others, please use Your power and grace to cause those on the other side of the door to swing the doors wide open. To invite dreams of Your children to step in. For their dreams to come true. For a life without dreams is a life lived without hope. With You, our God, hope never dies. Amen

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Prayer for Dreamers and Dream Killers – August 2, 2020

August 2, 2020 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

For the video of Jack’s poem, please click here.

I love children. I often wonder whether my wheelchair has a magnet which attracts children to it. Within minutes of getting to know me, kids are seen riding on the back of my motorized wheelchair like it was an off-road four-wheeler!

But, I think what attracts children to me is not my wheelchair. It is the joy of the person who sits in it…..me. What attracts me to kids and causes me to love them is the joy in them. The unbridled and untarnished hopes and dreams which leap from their lips. Dance with their feet. Sing in their hearts. The stars in their eyes. Dreams children have which really can and do come true.

A young boy who believes he can become an archeologist exploring the pyramids of Egypt. A young girl as a second grader in a ballet class who knows her destiny is to perform like legendary ballerina Misty Copeland. A quadriplegic from polio who envisions being an attorney when he grows up.

At a young age, as children, don’t we all have dreams to dream? How many of us knew then and even now that God speaks to us in our dreams. I know I’ve heard God calling me to marry the one I love. To write a poem, a book, a prayer, or a song. What dreams did you once have as a child? What dreams do you have now? What happened to some of those dreams? Did you ever stop dreaming because you encountered another person who did not encourage you when you needed encouragement the most? Or worse, who by their words were your dream killers?

Despite being in a wheelchair in college, my dream was to become an attorney. So, at the University of Houston my freshman year, I took a course in pre-law. I just knew that my performance in that class would surely demonstrate to my professor and me how a successful legal career was destined for me.

My confidence and hope were shaken when I failed my first exam. Almost in tears, I went to meet the professor to ask his opinion on what my poor test score meant. Surely, one failed test did not reflect a verdict on whether I could become a lawyer. Did I have false hope? Was I being unrealistic and foolhardy?

I said to my professor, “I failed my first test. Do you think I have the ability to succeed in law school and become an attorney?” Without batting an eye the professor said, “Jack, the failed grade reflects that you do not have the ability to make it in law school. You should consider another career path.” I was shaken to the core.

After a day of prayer and reflection, I went to the Registrar’s Office at the University and dropped the class. I was not going to let my professor’s judgment kill my dream. I had signed up for a pre-law class not “Dream Killer 101.”

I cannot candy coat this event by saying the professor’s proclamation just spurred me on. The truth is that if I had lesser faith in my ability and in God, I could’ve easily given up. I could’ve quit and not fulfilled the gifts God gave me to serve others in my calling as a collaborative divorce attorney.

I chose to drop that class as I did not want to spend my precious time and energy trying to overcome the negative energy of the professor or his view of me or deal with one who was unwittingly a killer of dreams.

God has spoken to us in Scripture as to the importance of building each other up. We have a duty to lift others up when they fall and not tear them down, diminish their hopes or destroy their dreams.

1 Corinthians 14:26

What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

God, please help all Your children to overcome dream killers. Dream killers do not do Your work.

God, please strengthen those who are discouraged by others to persevere. To have as much faith in Your plans for them as they have faith in You.

God, please help all those, who in the name of honesty, dampen, diminish or destroy the hopes and dreams of others. By Your love, may dream killers be transformed into co-creators of Your dreams for humankind.

God, please help Your children ignore and overcome dream killers. Then, may they follow the path which leads to the living dreams on Earth and peace with You in Heaven. Amen.

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Prayer for Teamwork in Fields of Dreams – July 26, 2020

July 25, 2020 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

For the video of Jack reading this prayer, please click here.

Friday evening, Dorothy and I watched the Houston Astros play the Seattle Mariners. The Astros won. Although the game was only attended by cardboard fans, other fans, like us, across America watched the teams they supported on their televisions. Of course, we liked that our team won. But, especially now, that is not what was and is most important.

As Dorothy and I watched the Mariners game, I reflected on the baseball game my father took me to in April of 1962. This was the second game of a three game series between the Houston Colt .45s (now the Astros) and the Chicago Cubs. Dad had checked me out of the hospital that evening to see the game. Soon, my mind transported me back to feel the cool breeze under the glow of the outfield flood lights. The taste and smell of hot-buttered popcorn. Shelling and consuming too many roasted salty peanuts. Hearing the loud voices yelling, “Ice cold beer.”

It was the evening before a risky 5-hour surgery for my orthopedic surgeon, Dr Paul Harrington, to carefully place three steel rods along the spine in my back. As Dad and I sat behind home plate, neither of us knew what the outcome of the game would be or how I would benefit from the surgery over my lifetime, if I survived the operation.

Dad and I knew the next day at Methodist Hospital would begin with the team of doctors, an anesthesiologist, and nurses working together as one to bring their different skills to perform my operation. Dr. Harrington could not have done the surgery alone anymore than a team of only one player could have beaten the Cubs that night.

My operation was an outstanding success because everyone on Dr. Harrington’s team did their best for me. The medical team did the very best to provide me with the best opportunity to have a life well-lived. I am still here today living and loving in the field of God’s dreams for me. Writing books and these prayers too. Helping couples divorce one another without destroying the families, harming the co-parenting relationship between parents or needlessly hurting their kids.

The Cubs most notable player was Ernie Banks, the great Hall of Famer. Ironically, the final Colt .45 pitcher for relief that evening was Richard “Turk” Farrell. Turk had polio like me. That night, Turk represented hope to me that one day I might be an athlete like him. With one large leg and one small withered leg, Turk at the time was one of the league’s most outstanding pitchers. Turk was named to represent Houston in both All-Star Games held that season.

Late in the game with Colt’s Bob Aspromonte in left field and Ernie Banks on 3^rd base, the Cub’s batter at the plate face Turk at the mound. The batter hit a long drive deep to left field. In a play I will never forget, Bob Aspromonte caught the ball near the left field fence. As Bob Aspromonte threw the ball to home plate, Ernie Banks tagged 3^rd base and headed to home plate. Hal Smith, our catcher, fielded the perfectly thrown ball. Ernie Banks was called out. That play saved the game as the Colts won 2-0.

As demonstrated in the movie Field of Dreams, we all need hope. Lives in which teamwork is valued. Where all of us joined together can do more than anyone of us can ever do alone. The prospect of sports being played under the cloud of the Coronavirus, shows us the value of teamwork. Teamwork that is far more important than the team who wins the game. For it is teamwork which will get us out of the Pandemic. It is teamwork which provides the best chance for everyone to succeed on the field of play, on the field of life and in the fields of our dreams. Whether it’s the Houston Astros, the Seattle Mariners, the Texans, Manchester United or any other sports team around the world, we need to celebrate the achievements of teamwork and the role each of us have to play at this time and forever.

God has spoken to us in Scripture about the importance of teamwork.

1 Corinthians 12:14• says; For the body is not one member, but many.

Additionally, in 1 Peter 4:10 it is said that: As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.

The message is very clear and simple, yet profound. We are God’s team. The body of God’s work and spirit on Earth. The body of God’s work is not supported by one person, but by every one of us. We are as one. We are our strongest, most victorious and formidable when we work together in unity. Teamwork is the key to opening the door to God’s heavenly love on Earth. To the fields of God’s dreams for us.

God, we thank You for those teams which have assembled to play their respective sports during this time of Pandemic.

God, we thank You for the courage and sacrifice of every athlete who has brought his or her talents on the field of play for us to enjoy, to celebrate, to be inspired by and to hope for what lies ahead of us at this time.

God, we thank You for the hope that one day soon the cloud of the Coronavirus will be lifted by Your grace through the teamwork of talented health care professionals. Professionals who bring their individual talents to serve as one team to win the deadly game the Coronavirus is playing against humanity.

God, in prayer, please guide us to act as one and to do our part in controlling the spread of the Coronavirus.

God, we pray that one day soon, may we all attend games of sport, sit in the stands, eat hot-buttered popcorn, and shell roasted peanuts as we watch America’s favorite Pastime. Let us be Your best team members in the field of dreams which dwell within each one of us because of Your love and spirit in every one of us. Amen

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Prayer for Honeybees and Orchid Trees – July 12, 2020

July 12, 2020 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

For the video of Jack’s prayer, please click here.

One morning this week I woke up grateful to be alive and healthy. But, as you probably are too, I was preoccupied with the concerns for the safety and welfare of my family, friends, and all people affected by the coronavirus. As I was pondering such heavy thoughts of the Pandemic, I sat at the breakfast table next to a large window in my home to eat my usual breakfast.

Soon, Dorothy sat next to me. She placed the bowls of oatmeal and blueberries on the table. As Dorothy and I were discussing our worries and plans for the day, I looked up. The Texas orchid tree outside our window was full of white blossoms which cascaded from the top of the tree down to its lowest branches near the ground. Looking more closely at such a beautiful sight, I noticed an army of honeybees were diving headfirst into the blossoms with great enthusiasm and purpose.

There were two kinds of honeybees. One small. The other large. Though different, they were all doing the same thing. Instinctively, all of the honeybees were looking for something beautiful. The orchid blossoms. All of the honeybees were searching for something sweet. The nectar inside the blossoms. All of the honeybees had a common purpose. To take the nectar they harvested back to the hive. To share it with their community of other bees in the hive. To provide nourishment to young and old bees alike and even to the unborn, the little bees which would one day emerge from larvae. The little ones who would soon exit the hive and do what their parents did before them. To search for beauty. To taste something sweet. To share nourishment with all the others in the hive

My tasty bowl of oatmeal and blueberries was soon consumed. As I looked down to the emptied bowl of oatmeal, my mind, body, and soul were filled with the wonders of this moment of honeybees and Texas orchid blossoms. In nature doesn’t God place before us unexpected glimpses of grace and love? In moments as this, we are suddenly overcome with the profundity of sacredness in the ordinary. Something as ordinary as looking out the window at breakfast. To see a small miracle God has placed before me. Unexpected. Full of connectedness with God, with nature, and others.

But, the story about the honeybees and the Texas orchid tree did not end with the bowl being left empty. For we know that from the hive comes the honey for us to taste. Then, there is the beeswax from which candles are made. Candles which light the world with God’s love. In churches. In synagogues. In other places of worship. In our homes on special occasions. . Candles lit for others in prayer. Prayers said in the darkness illumined by Holy light.

There are many quotes in Scripture about honey. One which I think is most relevant here is:

Proverbs 24:13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.

Although this proverb invites sons to eat honey and to consume what is sweet to the taste, I know that honey, like God’s love, is good for women and daughters too. For everyone. All of God’s children.

God, I thank you for the honeybees and the orchid trees. For when I looked down at my empty bowl I was full of recognition that I’d witnessed what I so much needed to see that morning and every day. For it is in the very nature of every child You have created to yearn for, search for, and share with others something beautiful, something sweet, and something to nurture body and feed the soul. Your love which is the sweetest, most beautiful, and nurturing thing on Earth and in Heaven.

God, every day please guide each of us to find sacredness in the ordinary things You place before every one of us. In finding, sharing, and consuming the love we discover in such moments, may we all be nearer to You and to one another.

God, may we all look outside of ourselves and through the windows of our lives and see and find all of the unexpected messengers and messages from You. Even those messengers of honeybees found in orchid blossoms and the messages of Your love they carry with their wings outside my window. Amen.

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Prayer for Father’s Day, June 21, 2020

June 21, 2020 by Jack Emmott 1 Comment

Click here for the video of Jack’s prayer.

Dad,

Here you are at age two.
Happy Father’s Day to you.
I am proud to bear your name.
To know the man that you became.
I inherited your faith in God above.
You gave me all your care and all your love.
You left me for your Father at age 96.
Gave me strength after polio when I was 6.
As I get older
This picture speaks to me.
For under my aging skin
There is a boy who once was two.
Who grew up to be a dad like you.
Thanks for the lessons
In fatherhood.
For showing me that
God is great.
That I was always good.
The child in you
Lives on in me
As you’re with your Heavenly Father in eternity.
Your Father is the same as mine.
May you be that child again
With the angels and the divine.
You were a great fisherman
With reel, line, and rod.
So blessed we are both
Thankful children of God.

Lord, on this special day I honor those who have carried the cross of fatherhood.

Lord, I give thanks to You for my father and for his example of stewardship for me to follow.

Lord, as my Heavenly Father, I give thanks to You for the gift of Your Son Jesus Christ. For in His birth, death, and resurrection we, as father and child, will always be together in Your Eternal Love and Light. Amen

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Prayer to Not Be Weary and To Be A Loving Hero – June 14, 2020

June 13, 2020 by Jack Emmott 1 Comment

To see the video of Jack reading this prayer, please click here.

I do not know about you, but I am getting very weary of my new normal with COVID 19, a new normal which has gotten old in a hurry.

I can clearly identify with everyone in America wanting to resume normal activities, going to restaurants, to the beach, to music concerts, and to be with friends. I see large crowds of people protesting racial inequality and injustice. In some cities, like Houston, there are literally thousands of protesters who all seem to be wearing masks. Others, in crowds in which it is hard to see a mask being worn at all.

When I see people wearing masks, I remember the television heroes of my childhood. The Lone Ranger. Zorro. Those heroes were fictional. Then, there were the other heroes in my life who wore masks. The surgeons. The anesthesiologists. The nurses in the operating room. All who stood over me as I was administered anesthesia to put me to sleep before surgery and who wore them during each of my several five-hour operations.

I am sure those masked medical staff disliked the protocols they followed and having to endlessly wash their hands and wear masks. But, after all, they were healers. They were not wearing masks to protect themselves from me. Rather, they wore masks to protect me from being infected by them. I am certain that day in and day out these masked medical caregivers grew weary and disliked the inconvenience of doing these things to keep me and their patients safe. But, they did so anyway.

As you and I grow tired and weary about what is being asked of us to endure in the coronavirus Pandemic, we are now seeing the alarming increase of hospitalizations and cases throughout America. There has been talk about a second wave of the coronavirus coming. But, we have not even exited the first wave of the virus which has taken over 120,000 lives. Lives that mattered to their loved ones. When will it ever end? How long can we go on this way until there is a vaccine? How long must we adorn masks that fog our eyeglasses or make us uncomfortable?

To that end I think about Galatians 6:9: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

When I ask why should I or anyone else wear a mask or continue to refrain from returning to normalcy in the face of the resurgence of the coronavirus, I find purpose in reading the words of John 15:12: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

So, I say, when you are weary of assuming the role of a masked hero to others, remember God’s promise that you will be rewarded in your perseverance.

God has given each of us free will. You and I have a choice to do as God would have us do. One of the hardest things for us to do is follow God’s will instead of ours. We each have a choice to wear a mask in public or not wear a mask at all.

We also have a choice to pray to ask God for reassurance that wearing a mask imparts to others the love God has given us. Will wearing a mask in our comings and goings clothe others with the kind of love God has given us?

We can each find strength in Scripture, in God’s example, and in receiving answers to our prayers.

God, we ask that You give of us the strength and the perseverance to be strong in the face of this Pandemic. In that strength may we each be rewarded now and in the future as You have promised us in Scripture.

God, may we pray to You each day to ask for Your reassurance that the burden of wearing a mask to protect others mirrors our duty to love others as You have loved us?

God, please help us turn away from our human voices to do as we want to do and not wear a mask. Please open the ears of our hearts to listen to Your call to be Your love on Earth and to think more of others than ourselves.

God, please help us to honor You and show our faith in You by acting as Your loving masked heroes to others on Earth as You love all of us in Heaven. Amen

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Prayer for an Inward Journey – June 7, 2020

June 7, 2020 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

Click here for the video of Jack’s prayer

The last two weeks have been filled with life and death, light and darkness, hope and despair, love and hate, the beautiful and the profane, unity and separation, trust and distrust, peace and violence, eyes looking up to space to the wonders in the stars and tearful eyes looking down on the streets in chaos and destruction, people who try to treat everyone the same and those who have not overcome prejudice or racism. Broken promises and hardships still exist in America. America, the land of liberty, freedom, and equality. One Nation under God.

For me, two events in the last two weeks have given birth to this prayer. One is the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. The other is the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 manned flight on May 30, 2020

At first blush these two events may seem disconnected. Not relevant to one another. Books placed on different shelves. After all, one is full of death, darkness, and despair. The other is euphoric eyes looking up to the heavens. To the mysteries in the stars. To the hidden treasures far beyond the gravity of the Earth.

In the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, we saw the amazing launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 pictured here. For a brief moment we took our eyes off what was happening on the streets of an America in crisis and on social media. For a few moments we stepped away from a journey far more important for each of us and within each of us than going to outer space. For any discovery mankind may find within or outside the boundaries of our solar system can never be more extraordinary than the sacred wonders of the spirit which dwell in each of us. To know who each of us are. A child of God. To know whose all of us are. Children of God. To find and attain the limits of our ability to deeply love others as deeply as God does.

God, we ask that You help us to pray every day. To be with You. To guide us in prayer to know how special each of us is to You. To know that we are all different, but You love us and see us all the same.

God, we pray that You accompany us in prayer to travel to the farthest depths of our capacity to love others as You love us.

God, in prayer may we know that no journey into space or on Earth can be more powerful, healing, or joyous than each of us finding You and sharing Your love with others.

God, we pray that one day no other child of Yours will suffer or die as George Floyd did. To that end may all human hearts find and claim the most sacred gift You ensouled in our hearts. Love.

God, may our inward journeys in prayer enable us to find that love You gave us. Then, to give Your blessed, healing, unifying, love to all Your children. In doing so our eyes need not look to the stars above to find wonder and awe. For Your heavenly love will be seen and shared on Earth with everyone and with our feet planted firmly in our faith in You. Amen

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Prayer for COVID 19 Lessons Learned from my Iron Lung – May 17, 2020

May 17, 2020 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

To see Jack read this prayer, please click here.

This is the picture of the kind of iron lung I was in each day for four years. Thankfully, my journey in the iron lung ended in 1992. My iron lung rolled out the front door of my family home in Emmottville nearly 30 years ago. But, the iron lung and my journey in it left behind lessons in the darkness which changed my life forever. As God has said in Isaiah 45:3, I will give you hidden treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, who calls you by your name.

I hope these lessons from my iron lung will help you at this time.

Lesson 1 – We can overcome fear and uncertainty by trusting in God – When Dr. Vallbona placed me in the iron lung in 1988 at TIRR, I was overcome with fear. I felt that if I got in the iron lung I would never get out. Likewise, there is a great deal of uncertainty and fear in the Pandemic. Will it ever end? What will it do to me, my family, my job, my relationships with friends, and my ability to pay the bills or keep my business going? In the midst of this COVID 19 mess you can pray to God, as I did every dark day in the iron lung, and ask that God be with you. We are all on a greater and more important journey in life with God. God has special plans for you which are far above what is going on in the depths of the Pandemic.

Lesson 2 – When carrying the burden is too much for you to bear, you can ask God to carry the load you cannot bear alone – When I could not breathe for myself, the iron lung breathed for me. Likewise, God’s strength supplanted my weakness until I could exit the iron lung. During this Pandemic, when you feel vulnerable and weak, you can pray to God to receive strength, the newness of life, and the zest for living

Lesson 3 – When looking for hope in the Pandemic, all you need to do is turn to God in prayer and you will find hope – Every day I searched for the light at the end of the metal tunnel I was in for 4 years. In this Pandemic wherever you are you can turn your eyes in prayer to see God’s face. Just like a sunflower instinctively turns to face the sun to receive what it needs to thrive and survive, in facing or turning to God in prayer, you will receive the hope you need. The things to live for. To look forward to.

Lesson 4 – Do not fight what is required to succeed in the Pandemic. Be flexible – With God’s help, I learned that I could not fight the process of my recovery in the iron lung. I had to yield to the process. If I fought the iron lung, I would be a part of the problem and not part of the solution to recovery. Choose to be the best part of the process of handling the Pandemic. In prayerfully submitting to my iron lung, the iron lung became an unexpected place of worship. My sanctuary. Its breath became my breath. Its skin became my skin. The iron lung had no purpose in life without me. I could not fulfill my purpose without it. Moving through the Pandemic is a process too. Rigidity and resistance only make things worse. With flexibility during the Pandemic, you will be much better on the other side of it, but only if you submit to and agree to do what is required to make the most of it.

Lesson 5 – The Pandemic can be a teacher and an invitation to learn important lessons – In the iron lung, I asked God to show me things I could take with me when I got out of it. God answered my prayers. During the Pandemic, you can each learn lessons in this dark time. Happiness and success may be measured by what you gain in the Pandemic and not by what you’ve lost. For me, I am the best me I’ve ever been. My full-time calling as a Collaborative Divorce and family law attorney has never been more rewarding, productive, and helpful to others. That is because of the lessons I learned during my time in the iron lung.

God, please help each of us, the world, our nation, and the communities in which we live emerge from the Pandemic as better reflections of Your love on Earth.

God, please help us to find the treasures You promised were hidden in dark times. Treasures that deepen our relationship with one another. Lessons that bring us ever closer to You. Lessons to exit the Pandemic with which enable us to serve You better. To be more able to love others more deeply and live life more richly than ever before.

God, time like mine in an iron lung or our time today in facing the Pandemic is too important in Your kingdom to waste. May we not fail to find the riches within us You promised were waiting there for us. Amen

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Prayer for Teaching and Learning to Love at Home – April 19, 2020

April 18, 2020 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

To hear Jack read his prayer, please click here.

God – Because of the Coronavirus Pandemic 1.5 billion children and 60 million teachers around the globe are not in schools. In America 30 million public school students are now in need of learning at home. Their parents who need to be earning a living outside the home are now learning to teach their children inside the home. Even if children have a parent who is a public school teacher, teaching at home is so very different and more challenging than in the classroom.

Polio became my stay-at-home order which required me to be home schooled from ages 7-11. Dorothy Carlton, a Pioneer in homebound teaching, was brought into my home by the Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District to be my teacher. Mrs. Carlton’s visits to my home for those 5 years taught me many lessons in learning to share with others today.

First, Mrs. Carlton and my mother brought a desk from school to my home. The screened in porch became my classroom. But, at least I had a desk like all the other students had in public school. The important thing was not that I had the normal school desk. The important thing was that Mrs. Carlton and my mother made me a room or place in my home which was suitable for learning. This was the place in which to learn. It was safe. It was quiet. It was mine. So, God, please help all parents to find suitable places in their homes for their children to learn.

Second, Mrs. Carlton, put in place for me a daily and weekly schedule to be with her. When I was not with her, it was my responsibility to get my homework done. Her responsibility was to teach. My responsibility was to learn. Over time my mind, spirit, and body became in sync with this structured routine. Though difficult at first, over time it became more natural. My nature was to become a better student each day. So, God, please help all parents establish a consistent daily schedule for learning, including a time for play.

Third, although Mrs. Carlton had a clearly defined in-home classroom schedule, each day she made allowances for my personal and mental health. Like their parents, kids have good days and bad days as well. So, God, please help parents in their homes to have a set schedule. But, help parents to remember that having a set schedule is not as important as having, building, and maintaining a good relationship with their children. Please help them discern when flexibility is needed and how to avoid the kind of words and rigidity which cause harm. To their children’s hearts. To their children’s minds. To their children’s desperate need to have a loving relationship with their parents.

Fourth, God, every child is a precious gift from You. In every child there are treasures and talents to be found, nurtured, and developed. No parent or teacher should diminish the beautiful and sacred gifts within the children You have bestowed in them. I am reminded of Anita Wheatcroft, wife of the Episcopal priest, the Rev. Richard Wheatcroft of St. Francis Episcopal Church Houston. One of the gifts You gave her was creative writing. In that gift she was born left-handed in nature. During that time in history being left-handed was scorned and squelched when possible by parents and teachers. In her childhood Anita’s nanny was instructed to tie Anita’s left-hand behind her back forcing her to use her right hand all day. Anita overcame all of that as an adult and became a successful author of children’s books. Not every child is able to overcome the stronghold a parent or teacher can place on the flowering of a child’s inner gifts and talents. So, God, please help parents nurture their children’s nature and natural talents.

Fifth, in 2020, it seems like a poor reward for a teacher to give to a student. But, I cannot tell You, God, what it meant to me when Mrs. Carlton gave me those sticky Gold Stars to reward my achievements, even the small ones. Each time she placed a Gold Star on a satisfactory homework or test page, it said to me, “You are a good boy.” So, God please help parents to show their appreciation to their children when they succeed in tasks well done.

Sixth, my teacher, Mrs. Carlton, loved to teach. So I, as her student, loved to learn. Students, including children at home, do not learn from people they do not like, including their parents. So, God, so please help all parents display joy, zest, and love for learning to their children.

Seventh, God please help parents learn and practice patience in the teaching of their children. Please help parents who teach to schedule their own times for rest and relaxation. All work and no play is not good for children or for their parents.

Eighth, God, thankfully in parents educating their children at home, there is no separation of Church and State. That is because at home, the state of their relationship with You is most important and always worthy of celebration and observation. So, God, please encourage all parents who teach their children at home to schedule daily prayer and Scripture reading to be with You.

God, You are the best teacher for all Your children. May all parents lead, learn, and love by Your amazing Grace and perfect example. Please guide all parents in teaching and learning to love at home. In that way their children will learn to love and serve You. Amen.

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