HELLO

Hi,

 I am Kate Morgan from Benin republic, I am 23 years...My Father passed away willing all his wealth and money in the bank to me worth over five million, five hundred thousand dollars $5.5m..I do not have a family, I would love to start a new family with you in your country because  my uncle has threatened to kill me severally just to steal my inheritance..please get back to me if you can receive the money and invite me over to start a new life with you and your family. Please send your reply to the email below

katemrogan24@live.com

God bless you

 

Kate Morgan

Sad News.........(Marshall Wade)

Hello,

This message may be coming to you as a surprise but I need your help.Few days back we made an unannounced vacation trip to Manila Philippines.Everything was going fine until last night when we were mugged on our way back to the hotel.They Stole all our cash,credit cards and cellphone but thank God we still have our lives and passport.Another shocking is that the hotel manager has been unhelpful to us for reasons i don't know. I'm writing you from a local library cybercafe..I've reported to the police and after writing down some statements that's the last i had from them.i contacted the consulate and all i keep hearing is they will get back to me. i need your help ..I need you to help me out with a loan to settle my bills here so we can get back home, our return flight leaves soon. I'll refund the money as soon as i get back. All i need is $1,950 ..Let me know if you can get me the money then I tell you how to get it to me.

I'm freaked out at the moment

Regards.

Marshall Wade

Easter resurrected

It seems that this spring Easter has gotten kicked to the curb more than before. Holy Week is competing with the opening day of baseball season in the U.S., the NCAA National Championship game and the Master's Golf Tournament. Whatever time we have left after busy work days must be judiciously divided among these things or we might miss a crucial hit, a wicked fast break or a 40 foot put. May it never be! Instead, I will wither away my time pursuing these thrills at the expense of spending time in prayer, devotion, service or even thinking about the sacrifice Christ made for me, for us. C.S. Lewis said, "We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

Is it any wonder that the world looks at us, the half-hearted Christians, with disdain? The resurrection of Christ is the pivotal event upon which all our hope depends for if the resurrection is a lie our hope is in vain and our faith is worthless. Wouldn't it make sense for us to focus on the one event upon which our lives are based? To consider the sacrifice that was made and what we've done with that gift? To finally live as we believe Christ has called us to live?

There are 3 days remaining to sharpen our focus before the Celebration. It is neither morbid nor depressing to think of the love that led Christ to the cross and the strength that allowed Him to finish the task. Rather it is with thankfulness that we look at that feat and child-like wonder as we strain to see the risen Christ. As the old preacher once said,"Friday's here but Sunday's comin!"
Let's act like we believe it!

A Requiem for Marty Wade

  A friend asked me a few days ago why I wasn't writing on my blog anymore and I began to recite a litany of involvements in various activities that precluded any quiet writing time.  I paused to evaluate these activities and, while all are worthwhile endeavors, many were entered into for the wrong reasons.

  To better understand what I'm going to say it is essential that the reader gain some insight into how I was raised.  I was the first born of a brilliant, overachieving, highly capable mother.  A winner of 2 national debate titles and valedictorian of Coe College she held advanced degrees in 2 different disciplines even in the 1950s.  She instilled in me a deep desire to excel in all I did, not just to be involved but to lead whenever possible.  Since one of her advanced degrees was in child psychology she knew how to make these lessons stick and I learned that notoriety was rewarded.  

  Somewhere in my life I lost sight of the purpose for doing notable things.  Certainly there were exceptions when I knew I was doing the right thing for the right reason such as my work with Ukrainian orphans.  Other times I was just the most qualified to do the job but many positions I accepted because of the associated prestige.  I still worked hard to do a good job but I was always happy when the responsibilities ended.  Since I began speaking publicly I have worked to constantly promote myself, to make my self noteworthy, which is an inherent part of that business.  Through these efforts I have had the opportunity to present my materials at some of the finest dental meetings in the country and I have met many outstanding clinicians in groups large and small.  Speaking gave rise to writing opportunities in various journals but the constant pressure to remain notable can be likened to a hamster on it's wheel.  Unless you keep running the wheel will stop.  Well, it's time for the wheel to stop.

  Requiem is a word derived from the latin requies which means rest, especially after labor.  Unfortunately it is more commonly interpreted to mean a mass for the dead but I assure the reader that any anticipation of my death is premature.  For me, specifically, it means to put aside many of my present pursuits and to begin to pursue those things God has appointed for me to do.  Not for my own notoriety but for a purpose beyond what I could have planned. I don't know what that looks like now but I know that I need the time to read and pray and listen for God's voice and I can't do that while I'm involved in so many different activities.  It is amazing how much preparation time goes into each lecture before I ever set foot on stage and, with the clinical lectures, it is essential that all my material be current which requires constant updating.  Add in travel time and the inevitable delays one encounters and it amounts to a lot of time away from the things I love the most, namely God, family and my practice.

  Therefore, I am planning to end my speaking career in it's present form, as soon as I have honored my commitments in 2012.  Additionally, I am resigning from the boards of which I am a member and will be limiting my writing to my blog and occasional posts on social media.  I'll be posting new blog entries online and I would be honored if you, the reader, would be interested enough to return to my site.  Until then I will be grateful for your prayers as I sort through this new chapter in my life.

  Jim Elliott, a missionary and martyr in South America, made a statement shortly before his death that has echoed in the hearts of those deciding whether or not to give their lives over to God.  Elliot said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."  May it be so!  Godspeed dear friends!   

Give Your Life To Your Work, Not For It: The Death and Life of Dr. Dan Leafblad

I had dinner a couple nights ago with my long time friend Dan Leafblad and his wife Barbara. Though our lives have moved apart a bit lately they are the types of friends where you can pick up right where you left off. Dan and I trained as residents together, he in OB-GYN, me in Oral Surgery. Our kids grew up together and we shared the stresses and strains of private practice though Dan's road was much, much harder. He was up delivering babies so often and having to see more and more patients in the clinic to satisfy his partners until one day his body decided it was through doing that. Dan and Barbara had been moving a big TV at Costco and, when he got into the car, he felt nauseated. Thinking this was just another bout of reflux he had his wife take him to the hospital where he so frequently spent his time. Luckily the woman at the front desk was his patient and got him directly into the ER where, while the nurse was out of the room, Dan suffered a cardiac arrest. His wife heard him thrashing against the bed while she was outside the room and immediately got help. He was in for the whole nine yards, intubation, defibrillation and chest compressions but he survived. After extensive hospitalization and rehab as well as an implantable defibrillator Dan was declared fully disabled, unable to function in the high cortisol world of surgical stress.
We reminisced about how when we were young in this business we thought we were immortal. We worked hard and there was a certain amount of pride associated with how hard we could work....for a while. Neither of us realized that one day we would be sitting across the table celebrating the fact that he was dead but now alive. Six years earlier I had developed an arrhythmia related directly to surgical stress and it gave me permission to cut back my hours and eliminate major facial reconstructive cases, for which I am thankful.
As I sit this week with 700 dentists and team members at the Seattle Study Club International Symposium I wonder, "How many of my friends here realize that how they treat their bodies now may determine whether and how well they will function in the future?" Secondly, I wonder, "How can I tell them? How can I keep them from making the same mistakes that Dan and I made?" This blog is the initial attempt at telling everyone that our bodies will eventually say, "No, I can't do that anymore!" When your body makes that decision is largely up to you and me.
Functional Strength© will be a focus for Lionsgate Leadership Coaching this year. I'll write more about the program and how to get involved soon.

An Amazing Act!

We are visiting relatives in Florida this week and we were fortunate that our grandkids from Chicago could join us for a few days. I spent a lot of time with 4 year old Luke who has become Papa's (me) buddy. When he left he was in tears because it would be so long until we saw each other again and I found myself crying too. I thought to myself," I would die for this kid!" In fact, we had seen an alligator in the pond close to where we are staying and that night I had a nightmare that I was playing with the kids and the gator tried to get Luke. With no hesitation I let the gator attack me so he wouldn't get to the kids. No remorse, no misgivings just a clear sense of my duty as a grandparent in love with his kids whether Luke, Faith, Elijah or Noah.
All of us would give our lives for the ones we love. But the greater question is which of us would give our lives for the ones we don't know, let alone love. Perhaps as a hero or heroine in a plane crash we would give our lives. At least I like to think I would have the courage to do so. But would I give my life for those who hate me or want to actually harm my family? Again, maybe under the absolutely right circumstances but, honestly, it's unlikely.
Yet God sent his only son to do exactly that. I know some who are reading this are not Christ followers and I respect that but isn't it amazing that the Being that created all we have or see or are, who could choose to punish or redeem humanity however He wanted, would choose to send His son to die for those He loved, those who did not believe in Him and those who outright hated Him. That is not human-like. That is not God-like. That is God!

God bless you all!

Marty

Luke running

When Dollars Dictate Our Decisions

I had an uncomfortable conversation with a clinician a couple weeks ago in which he tried to justify his inadequate treatment of Medical Assistance patients based on the fact that he is so poorly reimbursed by the state. He kept trying to tell me that he is the ONLY clinician seeing these patients and he had to see a lot of them to meet his expenses. It's no wonder he has had disciplinary action taken by the Board of Dentistry because his thinking has a terminal defect; it is just not true. One of the essential pillars of LionsGate Leadership teaching is to tell yourself the truth. Making an error at this threshold leads to multiple poor decisions moving forward.
The siren song of these difficult economic times is that each of us must somehow cut our costs or see more patients or do something to make more money. At one level these are prudent business decisions but, as with many other things, when taken to their extreme they become destructive to both the patients and the clinician. My personal feeling has always been that my patients deserve the best I can give regardless of their socioeconomic status and if it costs me a little more or my profit margin is a little less, so be it. This doesn't mean giving away the farm because the situation doesn't come up that much. But I will never allow myself to determine treatment based on my income. We'd like to think that all our colleagues behave that way as well but, after more than 3 decades in dentistry I know that is not true.
Who is the biggest loser in these situations? Interestingly it's not the patient, it's the dentist. Once their integrity has been compromised it is easier to compromise it again, and then again and then... Rather, I would prefer to pursue a level of character defined by C.S. Lewis when he said," There is a difference between doing some particular just or temperate action and being a just or temperate man. Someone who is a good tennis player may now or then make a good shot. What you mean by a good player is a man whose eye and muscles and nerves have been so trained by making innumerable good shots that they can now be relied on....In the same way a man who perseveres in doing just actions gets in the end a certain quality of character.
May we all be known as people of that kind of character!

It's All About Expectations

This weekend I played in our golf club's Championship event. Don't get me wrong. I am a bad golfer. I was placed in the 6th (and last) flight. If there had been enough people for a 7th flight I would have been in that one. But I went with high expectations because I had been playing better and had taken some lessons. Each flight awards winners as well as the overall Club Champion so I thought I might be able to beat the guys in my flight and win something. At least to have the honor of being the "Best of the Worst". What I didn't count on was that since this was the club championship the course was left to be as hard as possible. The rough was long and the holes were placed in the most difficult positions and the greens were made VERY fast. The competitors played over 2 days in hot weather which was a test of everyone's stamina.
Suffice it to say that I didn't play as well as I had hoped although I finished in the top five (of the worst flight). Initially I was angry at myself but I realized that this was the first time I had played under such extraordinary circumstances. I played the best I could, kept a great demeanor and learned a lot about the Game and myself. I was only angry because I had unrealistic expectations.
Whether we are playing golf, working in the office or just trying to get along at home, life is about expectations. How many problems could be avoided if we knew what was expected of us and could communicate our expectations to others! It is unreasonable for me to be frustrated with my assistant if I haven't told her what my expectations are. And at home I need to know what my wife expects of me so I can stay in her good graces.
So I urge anyone reading this to be simple and direct in your communication about your expectations. Most people will welcome such communication and if they don't, especially in the case of an employee, a more serious conversation needs to occur. In your "self" conversations, give yourself a break, be realistic in what you can accomplish and give it all you've got!

The Best Reason to Speak!

This week I had the honor of speaking to the New Jersey Dental
Forum, one of the original Seattle Study Clubs led by Drs. Tony and
Buck DiCesare. The setting was perfect and the location, the historic
Molly Pitcher Inn, lent itself well to the event, the year end dinner
for their study club. My subject was one of my favorite keynote
topics, T.O.R.C.H.E.S.; How to deal with Any Crisis, Any Time! From a
speaker's standpoint I felt the presentation went well in that people
were attentive and stayed for the entire 90 minutes in spite of the
fact that it was a beautiful evening and a Wednesday night at that.
For those who may not be acquainted with T.O.R.C.H.E.S. it stands for
tell yourself the truth, establish order in the situation, take
responsibility to deal with the situation even though it may not be
your fault, act with courage, embrace humility, empower others, and do
it all with stamina. Afterward a dentist came up to me and confided
that 7 years ago he and his wife had lost a son at 18 months to sudden
death. The depth of sadness over this was so apparent in his face
that my own heart was filled with deep compassion for him and his
wife. But rather than telling me more of his issues he said that what
I had talked about in T.O.R.C.H.E.S. had helped him to put a framework
around his life, where he'd been and where he was now. He thanked
me for helping him to look at things in a new way, we exchanged cards
and we will definitely stay in touch. I had other great conversations
with folks and several mentioned events in their lives that had rocked
them as well. Then it was time to pack up and get ready for a 6 am
trip to the airport, an all too common routine for speakers.
Sitting in my room I recalled what I always pray before I speak,
that God would make my words meaningful to at least one person in the
room that night. That's all I ask, just one person. Thankfully,
people often come up to talk about what happened to them or their
family and how the T.O.R.C.H.E.S. presentation touched them.
That is why I keep speaking! I believe in the value of
T.O.R.C.H.E.S. not as an end, the final word on crisis management, but
rather as a vehicle to open some of the doors of people's hearts that
they have vowed never to open again. The opportunity to hear me speak
about the trials our family has endured and how we have dealt with
them often brings hope to my listeners. And with hope we can
accomplish many things.
So, even though the speaking engagements make my life busier than I
want to be and pull me away from my practice more times than I desire
I wouldn't trade those opportunities for anything because
opportunities lead to relationships and that is what this is all about!

The Essentials of Leadership 1

Too often I am impressed by a person who exhibits foundational
leadership talents yet goes unnoticed. My best laid plans to
reference these people in my writing many times falls victim to the
tyranny of more urgent matters and I thereby contribute to their
ongoing anonymity. Such will not be the case today.
As the medical consultant for a group of 60 high school choir kids
I fill lots of roles. Baggage handler, behavior modifier, counselor
and van driver could all be used to describe my duties. Along with
one of the teacher/chaperones, Ken Myrhe, our assignment was to
transport 60 robes and stoles to Disneyland where our students were to
perform. After a few false starts such as driving in the wrong ramp
we finally made our way to vehicle inspection and then to a charming
guard named Missy at the gate to the back lot. We were a bit
flustered but she introduced us to a marvelous gentleman, Max. He
looks for all the world like Walt Disney himself and his demeanor was
as warm and inviting as Mr. Disney used to seem when I watched him in
the '50s. All our worries abated as he welcomed us and instructed us
in where to go and where to park. In fact, he walked alongside us to
make sure we got there. Max then acted as our stage manager and we
became his responsibility.
Here is where Max's leadership talents shone, in his ability to
encourage, guide and even correct our kids while never once appearing
to be frustrated or upset. Soft spoken as he was, there was never a
question as to his authority nor did any of us doubt that, if we
disobeyed, we would be standing alone and forlorn outside the gate!
What skill it requires to balance authority and grace in our
interpersonal relationships. Max knew he would not likely see us
again and he could easily have told us that it was his way or the
highway but he chose instead to be the type of person that that we
didn't want to disappoint! Do you see the difference? Our kids
behaved because we respected him and did not want any misbehavior to
reflect poorly on Max.
Oh, that I could lead like that! The Essential to be learned
here? Balance authority and grace to inspire people to follow you.
Then hang on for your skills will be in high demand.