Bending Angel

Prayer, the Escape Ladder on the Wall of Worry – July 18, 2021

July 18, 2021 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

I believe in a perfect, always listening and ever-present God. Yet, God created us as His perfectly imperfect children. One of my imperfections and probably yours too is worry.

What good does worry accomplish for me? For you? What are the benefits of worrying?

The most annoying aspect of worry is that it happens at the most inappropriate and inconvenient times. Like when I am trying to enjoy family time, or watching a movie or when I should be enjoying the moment. When I should be fully present in the now; but I am hijacked to a far off location. A place where my mind thinks way too much but nothing is ever accomplished. The rocking chair rocks faster and faster but goes nowhere.

Even worse is when that worry begins at night. I just lie in bed. Then, a little worry begins and it grows and grows until I am consumed by it. Sleep is no longer possible. The frustrating thing about worry is that in the middle of the night I am completely unable to do anything about what bothers me. I am robbed of sleep. That allows worry to take greater hold of me the next time.

Attorneys like me have a common suffering. It is the night before a trial. Even if one is fully prepared, as sleep should begin the questions pop up. “Am I really ready? What will the judge think of my advocacy? Will the jury care about me, my client or the case? Will my client appreciate how I try the case? Even though I am a collaborative divorce attorney I worry about those I serve and what personal struggles there are navigating. The crescendo of anxiety causes me to climb an insurmountable wall of worry. Boy do I need an escape ladder to get me safely down from that wall.

That escape ladder for me is prayer. Relief from prayer is free and immediate. We may not be able to do something about what we are obsessing on at the time. But God is always listening and God can handle what we cannot. In the light of day. In the darkness at 2:00 am. That escape ladder is not acquired on QVC. It is our lifeline given to us from God. That is why I pray to God every time every day when worry gets the best of me. Prayer is always the answer for me to find the still, quiet place to be with God and others.

What if each of us could just surrender our worries to God? What if our first action to all our worries was to pray to God? What if our worries were surrendered to and borne by God alone? What would that escape ladder mean to you? To me? The result would be that you and I would surely receive the peace from God that passeth all understanding.

God has spoken to us in Scripture about finding God’s peace.

Philippians 4:6-7, 9

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus…….. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Let us pray together.

Dear God, in prayer please help us to surrender to You all our worries and the anxieties which cause us distress.

God, please empower us to let go of the things we worry about and let us trust in You to bear what we cannot.

God, thanks for hearing our prayers and granting us thereby Your heavenly peace on Earth so that we can be fully present in our service to You and to our brothers and sisters in Your name, now and forever. Amen

Prayer for Gratitude to Overcome Grief – July 11, 2021

July 15, 2021 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

Whether you are young, middle-aged, or old we all experience grief. We lose something or someone we love. Our loved ones depart. We bury our beloved pets. We are left behind. In that vacuum of loss, we suffer. We grieve. We cry.

Later in life, we see a life-long dream will not happen no matter how hard we work. The once possible becomes impossible. Financial security will not be attained. Physical health will not be restored. Some items on our bucket lists will die before we do.

Expectations of children being financially independent, or taking trips to Europe and far-off lands, or that career goal or big investment paying off become false hopes. That retirement with your spouse which you’ve looked forward to for many years ends with a divorce petition being served on you.

For me when I grieve for what I lost with polio and paralysis, I am sad that I cannot and will not ever run, jump, play golf, dance with Dorothy, play tennis, ride a bike or take a hike. Even now I cannot do what I did in my 30’s like walk a half-mile or ride a stationary bike for three miles.

Yet, what I can do to overcome my grief is to reflect and be grateful for cherished memories and times I have spent with those I love. For example, this iconic photograph of Dorothy and me in 1978 as we stood together smiling on Nob Hill with the San Francisco Bay behind us. On that magical day, I was able to walk the streets of San Francisco and Ghirardelli Square without the assistance of a motorized wheelchair.

At that moment all I needed was my walking cane, Dorothy, and her love for me.

Six years later I was one of 100 000 polio survivors who suffered post-polio syndrome (PPS). With it came the sudden and unexpected weakness in the muscles I had regained after years of rehabilitation from polio. After feeling twice cursed and in deep emotional pain, my thoughts turned to gratitude. Gratefulness for being able to function so well for nearly four decades after polio. That gratitude overcame and overshadowed my grief. With gratefulness, I remained strong, courageous, positive, and happy.

Later, that gratitude enabled me to spend nights in an Iron Lung for five years with PPS and still ably serve as President of both the Gulf Coast Family Law Specialists and the Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists-Houston Chapter. At that time, because of that strength and support from God, I never felt the need to share this journey with my colleagues or the judges I appeared before in court for hearings and trials. All because of gratitude, the Glory, and the Grace of God.

God has spoken to us in Scripture about gratefulness.

Psalm 103:2-5
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.

Let us pray together.

Dear God, in prayer, may we be forever grateful for the blessings You have bestowed on us.

God, please open our eyes and hearts to see the experiences and the people who reside in the deep well of gratitude within us.

God, in time, may our gratitude overcome and overshadow our grieving for what once was and the hardships of life and love.

Last, may our gratitude be shared with You in prayers of thanksgiving; for with You in Heaven, ultimately, all our dreams will be fulfilled. 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 BendingAngel.com website.

Prayer to Weed Our Garden in Relationships with Others – July 4, 2021

July 3, 2021 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

I watch garden shows on HGTV and YouTube channels featuring programs on decluttering. I am often struck by how much of what is learned there applies to my life and yours too.

If one does not remove from home the clutter, what is important and needed cannot be found or seen. If one does not put away in an organized way the important papers, so much time and frustration is spent on locating them. I know at times I have had to go to the store and buy an item I knew I had but could not find.

What a waste of time and financial resources. Do you remember how you felt when you stayed in a nicely decorated and uncluttered hotel room?

If one does not weed the garden, the weeds take over. They hide or kill the plants that produce the herbs we eat and the fruit and vegetables we consume at the table. The beauty in the garden is lost, stifled, or dies.

Have you ever thought about how the lessons in weeding the garden or decluttering a home apply to your relationships with others? Your spouse? Your kids? Your parents and siblings? Your neighbors?

Dub Brooks, a dear friend, and minister said once, “God gives us a garden. But, we have to weed it ourselves.”

God wants us to declutter our relationships. To weed our relationships of the weeds. Like ongoing resentments. Like not forgiving others for past transgressions. Like bringing up over and over again old wounds to blame those we love. Forgiveness is like a pre-emergent non-toxic herbicide to end once and for all such things.

Weeding our relationships of other things too is important. Like not listening to others with our hearts. Like not overlaying one’s will over the wife or husband we love. Giving up on never losing an argument. Not being judgmental.

When we lead with love the weeds never have a chance to grow in the garden of our love for one another.

I recall a man who hired me to represent him in a collaborative divorce. His wife left him for another man. He said he was caught totally by surprise. On questioning, I learned quickly that he had stopped leading with love in his relationship with his wife of 25 years. I asked, “When have you last told your wife you loved her?” His reply, “I don’t need to do that. She knows I love her.” “When you have given her flowers,” I asked. His reply, “When her mother died ten years ago.” “When have you taken her on a vacation alone?” He said, “Never. We’ve only gone with the kids.” “When have you been intimate with each other in bed?” He replied, “Not in years.”

I am not saying this man was solely the cause of the beauty, the joy, and wonder of the marriage being lost. But, it was clear to me he had not decluttered, weeded, or cultivated the blessing of his marriage. He was a very good, church-attending man. He just had not been a very good gardener in his marital relationship. The weeds finally overtook what little was left in the marriage relationship.

God has spoken in Scripture about helping us to weed the gardens He has given us.

Isaiah 58:11
The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

Let us pray together.

Dear God, in prayer, please help us to lead with love in our actions with others, others who are gifts to us from You.

Please help us to recognize the clutter and the weeds in our relationships especially in marriage and family. In that recognition, please strengthen us to weed and remove the things which separate us from each other or worse kill the happiness, joy, and growth within ourselves and others.

God, we thank You for the garden in our hearts and in our lives. With Your help may we harvest the best in life and love for us and those You have sent our 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.

Prayer for Fathers Who Are Fishers of Men and the Women They Love – June 20, 2021

June 20, 2021 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

Don’t we all have iconic photographs which have etched in our hearts the way we remember our fathers? The pictures capture not only the way our fathers looked on the outside to us. They also reflect through the prism of a moment frozen in time the true essence of the children God made who became men and fathers of us.

My father died in 2015. The best part of him dwells in the father I am. I will never wade fish in the Laguna Madre or Topolobampo, Mexico like him. Yet, I can be that same exemplary rock of faith, hope, love and care for my children and grandchildren as he was.

So, today I share with you this image of my dad, the fisherman who loved fishing more than anything else except me and my brothers and sister and, of course, my mother.

I learned more from Dad than just how to fish. Dad showed me something that all great dads do for their children. He showed me how to love Dorothy as my wife and mother of our children. How to reel in, capture, love, caress and care for the woman who day in and day out is responsible for the kids when I am not with them.

God has spoken in Scripture of our fathers.

Psalm 32:7-7
You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Proverbs 4:11-12
I will guide you in the way of wisdom and I will lead you in upright paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered, and when you run, you will not stumble.

Dear God, the Father of all creation,

Your Son was a fisher of men.

On this Father’s Day

I am proud to say

My father was a fisherman too.

He lived a life in service to You.

5,000 could have been fed

From the rod he cast over his head.

Yet, his greatest catch was his faith in You

And of Your love and what it can do.

God, please tell my dad I miss him so

And all the fishing trips we used to go.

Every son needs a father as him

Who wore sunglasses and a hat with a brim.

Thanks for my dad never being lost at sea

For sending him to Earth and a son like me. 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 Simplicity in Our Complex World – June 13, 2021

June 13, 2021 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

When I was a young student in middle school I and my classmates read Walden by Henry David Thoreau, the great American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. Like most young souls I did not have any idea about the complexities of adulthood. After all, my parents took care of everything. What could’ve been simpler than that?

At the University of Houston, my wonderful Sociology Professor, Sheila Sheinberg, caused me to revisit Thoreau. Sheila warned her students about how our gadgets and possessions would soon pose significant barriers to experiencing nature. To live the simple life. Further, as we owned more of them, we would have to work ever harder to pay for them. All the hours and days spent working to pay for them would represent time away from the beauty of the Earth God created for us to enjoy. That Sociology class was long before the Internet of Things, Facebook, Google, personal computers, the iPhone, and other electronic devices.

With age and technology I find myself, like you, a human cyborg of sorts navigating a more and more increasingly complex and overly stimulated existence. My wheelchair has become my legs. My ear pods have become my ears. My iPhone and Google have become my augmented brain. I have to work hard to be fully in the present and to strive for the simple living in natural surroundings which Thoreau set as an example for all of us.

I do not know if Professor Sheinberg is alive anymore or where she lives. But, her love of teaching the good and simple life remains in my heart and mind so many years later.

God has spoken to us in Scripture about simplicity and contentment.

1 Timothy 6:6-8
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

Proverbs 11:28
Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

Dear God, when I awaken tomorrow, may my heart be ever grateful for Your gift to me of another day on Earth.

God, with prayer every day please help me to look forward to seeing, hearing, feeling, and touching the beauty around me.

To hold a young child.

To embrace one I love.

To hear a bird’s song or the notes of a beautiful symphony.

To listen in the silence of prayer for the beat of angel wings around me.

To plan at least one simple, small thing to look forward to or accomplish this day.

God, in being more mindful and present each and every day may I see a glimpse of the joy, pleasure and peace that await me in Heaven with You. Amen

If you like this prayer, please share.

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 Feed the Best Wolf within Us – June 6, 2021

June 6, 2021 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

My wife, Dorothy, loves to watch murder mysteries on television. One of her favorites is Death in Paradise. After she watched Episode 6 of Season 6, Dorothy said to me, “You have to watch the scene in this show.”

While on a stakeout, in passing the time, Jack said to Humphrey “My grandfather told me a story once. About these two wolves fighting inside all of us. One of them was anger, envy, self-pity, regret. And the other one is love, truth, faith, hope. That sort of thing. I asked him which one of the wolves would win? You know what he said? He said, ‘Whichever one you feed’.”

The tale of the two wolves existed long before the screenplay was written for Death in Paradise. To me, the wolves represent the heavenly voice in each of us. And the earthly voice which speaks to all of us in our walks of faith. One part of us is self-centered. Focusing on the self. I am the most important. My needs come first. I have every right to express my anger. To blame others for what happens to me. To hold a grudge. I am never part of a problem I face. I know the solution to everything. I have the right, in all honesty, to share my opinion and judgment with and overlay my will on others.

Which wolf inside of you and me will win the race? Which voice will prevail? The one which reflects God’s love? Which speaks His truth? The one that brings us closer to God and one another? Or the one which takes us the wrong direction. The path of indifference, intolerance, and even hate. The self-righteous and judgmental which is really closer to Hell on Earth for us? The one in you who will win is the one you feed. The good and Godly one who receives from you food for the soul. Nourishment of the spirit.

What can you do to feed the good and Godly part of you? Go to church. Read scripture. Take a Bible class. Pray daily. Do acts of kindness for others. Volunteer at a food bank or soup kitchen. Listen to or sing hymns. Seek your own way to nourish the best part of you who God created.

As to the heavenly voice in me, I use prayer and scripture every day to hear it. To deafen my ears from hearing the earthly, spiritless and dark voices which separate me from others and most importantly, God.

With Facebook, social media, NBC, CNN, FOX News, podcasts galore, being left, middle, right, liberal, conservative, Democratic, Republican or Independent we hear so much. With God’s help are you able to protect yourself from words or acts of hatred that feed the lesser, the bad wolf in you? In listening to certain dialogue or viewing certain online videos are you feeding the best wolf in you? Are you feeding the part of you which is love, gives love, and lives life closer to God and your neighbor?

God has spoken in scripture as to the importance of feeding the spirit in You and me.

Matthew 4:4
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Dear God, as Your children we have the need to hear Your word.
God, in prayer please help us to hear Your word. If we are not feeding our soul, we are feeding something else.

God, please help us to be ever mindful to feed the good and sacred part in us. For that is necessary for our spirits to grow and to magnify Your love on Earth. For our service to You to be acts of love, truth, faith, hope.

God, in the story the better wolf which is fed by us will live. In Your story of the birth, death, and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our spirits which are fed by You will live and love forever. Amen
If you like this prayer, please share.

Photo credit: Movemequotes.com

Prayer on Pentecost Sunday, for Peanut the Hamster, and to Help a Child to Grieve – May 23, 2021

May 30, 2021 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

Click here to watch Jack’s video of this prayer.

The opening hymn at today’s Pentecost Sunday church services at St. Francis Houston was “Come Spirit Come.”

As I was listening to the hymn on Facebook, Ellisa walked in the room and was crying. She was grieving over the death of her pet hamster, Peanut. I recalled yesterday’s vivid memory of Ellisa holding her dead hamster in her open hands, a death anointed with Ellisa’s tears of grief. What could I say or do to help her grieve? Grieving is something children of all ages experience whether age 7 or 99. What could Ellisa do to let go of her loss and move forward just a little bit happier today?

From my prior posts you know that Ellisa is very good at art. So, I asked her, “What do you think about drawing something to put next to Peanut’s grave? What about including a Cross like the one Jesus was crucified on which gave us and all His creatures eternal life with God?” Ellisa’s eyes lit up. She responded, “Yes. Yes. Yes.” A smile replaced the sadness on her face.

So, Ellisa found a small picture frame in one of our dresser drawers. She gathered some paper, scissors and fine-pointed ink pens and began to create a Memorial for Peanut. Ellisa wanted no help from me. She wanted to do everything by herself. Grieving was her problem to resolve, not mine.

Over the next half hour she drew a Cross, the outline of Peanut, added the colors God and Peanut would like best, cut out the drawing, and placed it in the frame. The photograph of the Memorial to Peanut is shown with this prayer. You may notice that all of the Cross is not visible and is hidden by the frame. But, some of the truest and most real things cannot be seen either. Like, the love of God or the spirit which dwelled in Peanut.

Next, Ellisa found a candle to shine on the framed Memorial. She walked out the back door and stood next to the grave. Solemnly she placed the framed picture and candle on the ground above where Peanut’s body laid. Ellisa created a piece of art. A work created by her grieving heart. A little bit of the loss she felt had been replaced with God’s love and Grace. Ellisa loved Peanut for a little time on Earth. Now, God will love Peanut forever.

God has spoken to us in Scripture about receiving the Holy Spirit, the power of the Holy Spirit in death, and grieving in times of loss.

Acts 2:33
Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

Romans 8:11
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Let us pray together.

God, in prayer, please help us to assist children to deal with grief. For letting go of those they love, including pets, is one of life’s most important lessons.

God, in prayer, please open our eyes, ears, and hearts to see when a child is grieving. For we cannot know to do our part as Your messengers of love unless we are aware that the child is grieving.

God, in the hustle and bustle of life, please help us to take the time to be truly present when a child suffers a loss, even a loss such as Ellisa’s of a small pet that held a big place in her heart. God, in that moment of presence, please help us to find creative ways to have the child do a memorial or tribute to his or her pet, family member or friend who has died.

Last, God, as in the dark moment of Ellisa’s sadness this morning, or in church today on Pentecost Sunday, and in all times of grieving for children, young or old, may we all say and sing in our hearts together, “Come, Spirit Come.” Amen

If you like this prayer, please share.

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 Accidental Tourists – May 2, 2021

May 2, 2021 by Jack Emmott 1 Comment

Click here to watch Jack’s video of this prayer.

Last Friday we celebrated the life of my brother-in-law, Rick Sutherland, a 1965 Cy-Fair graduate. Family and friends gathered at the Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery. The place where Rick’s body was buried. The fact that his casket could not be seen after the burial did not cover up the bravery, the service, or the Purple Heart he earned in Vietnam.

As we drove to the area to see Rick’s flag-draped coffin, I was humbled and moved to see the thousands of headstones of men and women like him who served our Country. Some lives ended too soon as casualties of war. Others living long lives and finding their final resting places here – to be remembered and honored as heroes of America.

The silence suddenly shattered by the firing of the three-gun salute. The bugler playing the final taps. The solemn folding of the sacred American flag. The presentation of the flag to Rick’s beautiful and broken-hearted daughter, Amanda. Amanda’s cheeks wet with tears of grief running down from her eyes. Rain pouring from the clouds above as if the angels were shedding their own tears for Rick.

Following the burial service, we attended the Memorial service at the Foundry United Methodist Church. Pastor Scott Basso led the service for Rick. Scott’s opening words inspired this prayer. ‘We are all accidental tourists. We each live our lives on Earth. Yet, this is not our home. Our home is where Rick is now. Rick’s home is with God.”

Aren’t we all accidental tourists? We have no voice in deciding the time, the date, or place of our birth. We do not select our parents or our brothers and sisters. We have no say in the body God selects to ensoul with our spirit. Our nationality or the color of our skin is not our choice either. Regardless, we are all the same. We are all children of God. Whether we are rich or poor. Have long lives or die too soon. Whether we are disabled or able-bodied. Book worms or athletes. Confined to a wheelchair with polio. A Purple Heart recipient. Live lives of privilege or poverty or sacrifice. We are all truly accidental tourists. We are born. We all will die. We struggle as best we can to navigate the labyrinth of life. Then, the angels guide us Home to be with the Father of all of us.

In Scripture God has spoken to us about the heavenly home He has prepared for us.

John 14:1-2
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?

2 Corinthians 5:1
For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Let us pray together.

God, in prayer, we thank You for the gift of life in the presence of Your love on Earth.

God, in prayer, we thank You for our earthen bodies, bodies you have ensouled with Your spirit and love to shine and share with our brothers and sisters.

God, just like Rick, we all may be accidental tourists on Earth. But we know it is no accident that You have plans for us. You will be our final resting place when our hearts stop beating.

God, we thank You for preparing a place for us in heaven. For in heaven we will no longer be accidental tourists. Rather, we will be Your children. Children wrapped in Your spirit of love, of light, and unconditional acceptance forever and ever. Amen.

If you like this prayer, please share.

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 Noah’s Flood, Enemas, and Cleansing Prayer – March 28, 2021

March 28, 2021 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

God and mankind have been dealing with messes forever. In the Old Testament God was so dissatisfied with the level of sin of His children on Earth He brought about a flood of waters so deep and powerful that only the humans and animal inhabitants on the Ark survived. God used the flood to wash away the mess mankind had made on Earth.

My dear mother was of German descent. Somewhere in her upbringing, she must have learned to believe that an enema was good for whatever ailed the body. In fact, there was no limit on the condition I had as a child to justify getting another enema from Mom. A fever. Yes. A runny nose. Yes. A cough. Yes. Lethargy. Yes. At those moments Mom was always prepared to say, “Bubba, drop your drawers. It’s time for an enema.” No need for me to complain. It was going to happen.

In fact, the benefit of enemas was also embraced by one of my aunts to address one of my first cousins repeatedly getting a sick stomach at school. For three straight days, my aunt received a call from the school. The nurse said, “Billy (not his real name) is complaining his stomach hurts. You need to come and get him.” On the third day, upon arriving home from school with my cousin, my aunt informed him, “I need to give you an enema now since you are too sick to stay at school.” My cousin replied, “I feel much better now.” That offered no relief in avoiding the enema. My aunt stated frankly, “If you don’t feel good enough to stay in school, you must feel bad enough to get an enema.” The enema must have cured my cousin’s stomach problem as he never had the nurse call home again for the rest of his education.

I personally deal with the messes of others in my calling as a collaborative divorce attorney. I have learned that the benefits of prayer are profound. Whether the divorce is caused by adultery, an addiction, insensitivity to meeting the needs for affection, or other breaches of trust, it naturally causes anger, bitterness, lack of forgiveness, and anxiety. Those emotions do not help resolve divorce in a constructive or loving way. The emotional weeds get in the way of seeing the big picture. What is most important? The children. Showing the kids how to end legal relationships. Acting to effectively co-parent the children with a former spouse. To protect the kids from being involved in parental conflict. Or, alternatively, using the lawyers, the courts, the legal system, and even worse the kids to punish the other spouse. To focus on blame and the problems instead of on peacemaking and finding solutions.

In my practice, I have witnessed that prayers in divorce have cleansed the hearts and minds of the emotional mess of the spouses I have served. Their divorces were resolved because of the results of prayer. Forgiveness. Compassion. Empathy. Understanding. Even mercy.

God has spoken to us in Scripture about such things as the cleansing of the Earth, the body, and the spirit.

Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

Psalm 107:28-30
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Let us pray.

God, in prayer please help us to wash away our sins which separate us from You and others in our lives and in our greater world.

God, in Baptismal water, we are marked as Yours forever. May we as Your children be made purer and more reflective of Your love in what we think, in what we say, and in what we do because of daily prayer. Last, in prayer may we find the most powerful cleansing agent on Earth. Your love for us despite our messes, our faults, our failings, and our imperfections. 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 www.BendingAngel.com website.

Photo credit: WalMart

Prayer for Dimes for Times to Reflect Kindness – March 19, 2021

March 19, 2021 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

Click here for Jack’s video of this prayer.

My mother knew that my favorite birthday cake was chocolate with her smooth dark buttery chocolate icing. Every year in my youth she placed before me a beautiful single-layer homemade chocolate birthday cake. I blew out the candles which glowed with the light of her love for me. As I was her birthday boy she cut the first piece of the cake just for me. Mom always gave me the piece which contained a shiny dime wrapped in aluminum foil. That tradition for me and my siblings and that dime reflected my mother’s kindness. That simple act made me feel special and valued by her. Even though polio changed me and the number of the candles on each cake in the years which followed were different, I always received from Mom that same simple token of love and kindness from her.

My mother died in 2010. Yet, the remembrance of the dimes she placed in my birthday cakes keeps reflecting her acts of kindness to me.

After the polio epidemic in America, the March of Dimes campaign raised millions for victims like and thousands of others. Those acts of kindness in donating dimes even paid for the Iron Lung I used for four years after contracting polio.

In the early 1990s, I took a Rainbow Trout fishing trip on the White River with my dear friend, Bill. (I name him Bill as he and his beautiful wife are private people). Bill and I had one of the best guides on the river, “Hot Dog Curtis.” As we peacefully floated down a portion of the White River near Bull Shoals, we were catching Rainbow Trout right and left. Bill was so impressed with Hot Dog’s talents he asked for his business card. As Hot Dog leaned across the boat and pulled his card out of his wallet, a dime fell out of it and into the river. The water was moving nearly 14 miles an hour because a large number of flood gates were open at Bull Shoals Dam. The spring-fed water was nearly 40°. When the dime hit the water, Hot Dog screamed, “Oh, No. I’ve lost the dime my father gave me before he died. It’s my good luck charm.”

Instantly Bill said, “Don’t worry, Hot Dog. I’ll jump in the water and get it for you.” Hot Dog replied, “No, you don’t have to do that for me.” To that Bill said, “Yes, I do. No problem.” To my amazement, Bill took off his shirt and jumped into the frigid water. Under the conditions, I thought the chances of recovering the dime at the bottom of the river was impossible. After the first dive into the water, Bill came up empty. After a deep breath, Bill dove back in. Again, for the second time, Bill came up empty. Then, on his third attempt, Bill rose to the surface with Hot Dog’s dime in his right hand and gave it back to him. Hot Dog profusely thanked Bill for his sacrificial act of human kindness.

I had an occasion to speak to Hot Dog last week. Hot Dog is 62 years old now. We spoke about the trip he took with Bill and me many years ago. Hot Dog said that he doesn’t know where the wallet or the dime is anymore. But, he said he will never forget Bill stepping out of the warmth of his comfort zone that day, diving into the frigid water, and doing an exceptional act of kindness for him.

Acts of kindness never die. They keep on living and keep on giving to us purpose and self-worth. Acts of kindness are not confined to those from my mother or those from Bill. All of us have received them from others. We all have the capacity to be kind to others.

God has spoken to us in Scripture about kindness.

Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such, there is no law.

Let us pray,

God, in prayer please help our hearts to see and seize opportunities to be kind to others. It is in giving acts of kindness to others that we receive pleasure in knowing we have truly helped them.

God, please enable us to know that when we are kind to others for their sake, not ours that we are serving You, our Creator of everlasting life, love, and light.

Last, God, may we acknowledge that a small act of kindness can have profound consequences for another. Stopping to give a bottle of cold water to a homeless man or woman on a hot day; paying for a cup of coffee for the person behind in the line at Starbucks, or just listening to a person recounting a loss or personal difficulty, or a receiving a dime in a birthday cake for a young boy. Well, God, like Your love for us, our kindness can shine in the memory of others for a lifetime. Kindness can even author a prayer like this. Amen

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