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!