A Present-Day Moses?

Stricken by politicians

Who can't see what's behind them.

Think back to every:

Political stupor perceived as a rock star tour,

Each political caller disrupting dinner hour, and

Each candidate promising a better tomorrow.

See; every politician has two faces;

The face that people see and the face that can’t face faces.

Pharaoh was a politician.

And Pharaoh was scared.

In his gut was fear, so out of his mouth came “slavery.”

His weakness of insecurity fed the power of genocide.

They say that out of a person’s mouth flows the condition of their heart.

Pharaoh felt helpless so he had the helpless killed.

Fast-forward to Moses, sailing down the river in his own infant-sized Ark in the form of a basket.

His small boat docks in the home of Pharaoh.

Here it becomes obvious that history repeats itself because following Joseph, a Hebrew is in Pharaoh’s house again!

And Moses’ rise to power is just more evidence that God’s people cannot be kept down, because we have a Father who doesn’t allow it.

In this family we breed leaders.

I’m talking about standing-in-front-of-a-classroom-leading-children-into-a-better-tomorrow leaders.

And restoring-and-preserving-the-land-that-God-left-in-our-hands leaders.

Being-a-shoulder-when-someone-needs-us leaders

And offering-a-prayer-for-those-who-don’t-pray-for-themselves leaders.

From the Oval Office to a west coast hospice.

From the preacher feature on CNN to the child serving in a soup kitchen.

This family breeds leaders.

So I ask you;

Could you be somebody’s Moses?

Do you have what it takes to take the hand of a brother? A sister, father, mother, son, or daughter?

Keep in mind that had fear prevailed we would not know the name Moses today.

Had a number of women not acted out of compassion and courage the extermination of an entire people would have been forgotten by history.

Christ calls us to do one thing above all else; to love one another as God first loved us.

This is a story about fear  of people who are different.

About people who look at others and see something that isn’t.

Fear of the encroachment of the so-called-outsider.

A lesson that shouldn’t be that difficult to decipher.

Because it’s happening. Now.

Through chilling with those whom social diseases were festering

Jesus teaches us to be that much more accepting.

But our churches tend to be cultural cocoons where we can escape the changes out neighborhoods, cities, and nations are experiencing.

So who will be Moses for the people out there?

Who will speak up when others simply don’t care?

This is a call to the future leaders of this tradition.

Future doctors, and teachers, and pediatricians,

Mothers, and fathers, and computer technicians,

Hasty environmentalists, and honest politicians.

This is a challenge to live a life worthy of the call you have received.

Because as a child of God, you were born to lead.

Emily Martin

Sept 28, 2011

Revised: Nov 29, 2011

This I Know

I have a confession
I still have questions
About the One who died for me.
About Creation vs. Evolution
And the Holy Trinity.
I know He's in the thunderstorms
But did He create the dinosaurs?
And was extinction some sort of punishment?

If a child asked me "What is God?"
Frankly, I wouldn't know what to say.
Whether it's 2012 or 6030
I don't know what to expect on that last day.
When three equals one, and one equals three
How can I possibly make that make sense?
But to confine God to the limits of our logic
Corrupts the idea of Faith.

I want to know why something we choose to believe in has caused so many wars.
Why this Book about Love and Compassion
Is the number one book stolen in bookstores.
After all, Christ calls us to do one thing above all else
To love one another, as God first loved us.
But we've created stipulations in small print for the Love Jesus says to share.
Like He's holding a VIP list to that amazing party up there.
"Love thy neighbor" wasn't written with excpetions
And I have a hard time believing in a God who hands out rejections.

But this isn't a me-thing,
This isn't a you-thing,
This isn't a we-thing,
And this isn't a them-thing.
This is an everyone-under-the-sun-coming-together-to-be-an-Us-thing.

If you look inside you're sure to find
That all-too simple,
All-too perfect nursery rhyme.
Because "Jesus Loves [Us], This I Know. For the Bible Tells Me Se."

-Emily Martin
(with the help of Haylee Martin)
July 8, 2011.

Respect is the Movement

Bitch, Whore, Dyke, Twat
hushed by what God gave us
Called by what we're not.
Ugly derogatory terms used to misrepresent beautiful parts
And we wear these labels because society hands them out
Because after all, negative attention is still... attention.
$7 billion is what we spent last year trying to reach the unrealistic expectations set before us.
Always behind closed doors
Painting attempts at perfection accorss our faces.
Bleaching, frying, and straightening our hair till it falls in all the right places.
An hour is what the average girl spends daily just to look presentable.
As if to say that without all the effort, products, and time the face God gave her isn't worth seeing.
Who's idea was it in the first place that with like-face paint,
Clowns were more beautiful than women?

And you see,
All this is done for that three second first impression
Which then work just as hard to maintain.
And guys, while you sit by watching
I have some news.
Contrary to popular belief,
this is no longer for you.
It used to be miniscule,
but now the only ridicule we fear
Is from our fellow females.

We've learned to compare, to laugh, and to judge.
To do everything we can to lift ourselves up.
No it's out of our mouths that you hear
Bitch, Whore, and Dyke.
It's through secrets and rumors that we ignite the fight.
It's this obsession with prosthetic perfection
That has turned Venus into a battle field.
See beyond the casualties of self-confidence and behind the front lines in something very real.
But when first impressions only last three seconds
It become very difficult to find
The sexiest piece of human anatomy,
... I'm talking about the mind.
See with blackened lashes and bronzed skin
It doesn't matter what you put on your mouth
What matters most is what comes out.

I think it's obvious that the issue is trust
So let's make the solution faith.
Faith in ourselves that we can treat each other with the respect we deserve
Faith that out of all of this, you'll end up stronger in the end.
Faith that with a different vision, you'll be a better friend.
I challenge you to sign the unpublished pact
That one-by-one we'll change our act.
The work of the women before us can't have been in vain
So we can't be vain
We need to watch what we say.
We need to take responsibility of the attitude society has for future girls.
So while there's definitely importance in "Going Green," equal marriage rights, and the anti-war scene.
This world needs more importance
Let's make RESPECT the movement.

A Toast for Valentines Day

This is for those of us who miss holding hands

For the guy who wants to hug her just because he can

For the people who look into each other's eyes hoping to find more than merely a reflection.

For all the girls who have completely over-analyzed every single one of his actions.

For those of you in search of the accompanying beat to the rhythm of your own heart.

For that diary entry that wonders when your life will start.

This is for the single people

And for the "I-love-them-more-than-life" people

For the "just-for-fun-on-the-weekends" people

For the "might-as-well-be-married" people.

But more importantly;

This is for the strong people

For the "I-can-stand-on-my-own" people

For the "I-complete-myself" people

For the confident, but shy

For those who aren't too timid to say "I."

For those of us who have a relationship with Life.

This is to let you know that no matter what they told you

Out there, somewhere, there is somebody who loves you.

Out of 6 billion people, at least one is thinking of you.

To prove my point, I just said, that this poem was written for you.

This is for the people who are going home alone

For those people who tend to fall asleep while on the phone.

For the red-hot-lovers

for the body-pillow-huggers.

For the "Not-tonight-I-have-a-headache" pretenders.

This is for your roommate,

This is for the waitress,

For the guywho sits next to you

This is for the President.

This is for your lover,

This is for your crew

But most importantly my friends,

Let's toast to you.

-Emily Martin

February 11, 2011

Rehab's Not an Option

I recently had a friend come to me and ask me to write a poem for him. See, he had all the feelings that he wanted to share with his girlfriend, he just wasn't linguistically creative.

So here is Rehab's Not an Option, written by me for Dave for Teigan.

When I look into your eyes

I can't help but see the lies that we've shared.

The pain that's been contagious through these years,

but I swear;

Those same eyes drive me wild

I can't look away

I'm an addict for your love

In the worst possible way.

And when we're apart

Withdrawal is a Hell for me

Because me without you

Isn't how it's supposed to be.

And all those screaming matches

Baby, that's just me

Realizing I don't deserve you

Forgive me, I'll make you see

All I need is one more chance,

just one more song, one more dance.

When it comes to addictions,

I've had my run

Out of all the narcotics,

My soul only craves one.

See, weed can take me places,

But I travel alone.

Alcohol makes me forget the sound

of your voice on the phone.

The only evidence of crack,

is the one you left on my heart

You're a habit I need to indulge in

Just tell me where to start.

Babe, open those hazel eyes

And see that I'm right here

I will always love you

I will always be there.

-Emily Martin

January 7, 2011