Global Integrity--24

Living in Integrity

Moral Wholeness for a Whole World

Marley's Ghost, from Charels Dicken's A Christmas Carol (1843)

“The air was filled with phantoms, wandering hither and thither in restless haste, and moaning as they went. Every one of them wore chains…none were free…The misery with them all was, clearly, that they sought to interfere, for good, in human matters, and had lost the power forever.” 

Integrity is moral wholeness—living consistently in moral wholeness. Its opposite is corruption, the distortion, perversion, and deterioration of moral goodness, resulting in the exploitation of people. Global integrity is moral wholeness at all levels in our world—from the individual to the institutional to the international. Global integrity is requisite for “building the future we want—being the people we need.” It is not easy, it is not always black and white, and it can be risky. These entries explore the many facets of integrity with a view towards the global efforts to promote sustainable development and wellbeing.

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Living in Integrity as Global Citizens
Trio Gathering 16

In this entry we invite you to connect with the recent Trio Gathering at our home. Have a look at how we are engaging in the topic of global integrity with a diverse group of colleagues in the Geneva area.
 

Trio Gatherings (2013-current)

Trio Gatherings provide a relaxed place where colleagues can interact on important topics for mutual learning and support. They are informal and not sponsored by any organization/group. The gatherings are part of our commitment to encourage “global integration”—connecting and contributing relevantly on behalf of the major issues facing humanity and in light of our core values. The hosts (Michèle and Kelly O'Donnell) are consulting psychologists working in the areas of personnel development for international organisations, humanitarian psychology, anti-corruption advocacy/action, and global mental health.

Background and Content

Global citizenship is both a concept and a growing commitment that emphasizes our common identity and responsibility as humans. The Trio Gatherings this year (2016) focused on what it means to be global citizens, including educating global citizens, eradicating poverty, promoting peace, and living in integrity. Four of the main materials we used to guide our interactions: the Gyeongju Action Plan: Education for Global Citizenship (from the UN DPI/NGO), Poverty Inc. (film), materials from Geneva Peace Week, and various materials on integrity (10 pages).

Summary of Trio 16

Saturday 10 December (10:00-13:00) was the date for Trio Gathering 16. Thirteen people from various backgrounds participated (e.g., UN, civil society, health, education, business) The overall theme was Living in Integrity as Global Citizens with the particular focus being Moral Courage. We prepared some concise materials to guide our interactions and in consideration of Sustainable Development Goal 16, International Anti-Corruption Day (9 December), and International Human Rights Day (10 December). Our desire was to encourage us all to be people of integrity who as global citizens resolutely do good and courageously oppose corruption at the individual-institutional-international levels.

“Fighting corruption is a global concern because corruption is found in both rich and poor countries, and evidence shows that it hurts poor people disproportionately. It contributes to instability, poverty and is a dominant factor driving fragile countries towards state failure.” UNDP and UNCOC (2016)

We found our group interactions to be very thoughtful and challenging. As the group discussed integrity, we moved beyond more general definitions towards the deeper essence of character, morality, and living congruently with our core values and our “best selves”. We watched a challenging TedxTalk by Mukesh Kapila on Courage or Cowardice, based on his personal struggles and eventual resolve to blow a whistle as a high-level UN official on the atrocities in Sudan.

Take Aways for Michele

1. A message I picked up from our interaction is that character is key to integrity. Integrity is developed over time when we are faithful in the small things, or in other words, when we consistently choose to do the right thing. I wonder what influences subtly erode character, including my character, in contemporary culture, and why?

2. I am struck by the important role of deep reflection, which includes looking back over our lives to see the way forward, when we are at critical crossroads and decision points. I think reviewing the impact (positive and negative) of our personal history and past decisions in this reflection process is instructive and helpful. I want to make more space for reflection in my daily life.

3. Two meaningful quotes from Robert Jackall, Moral Mazes (2010)

“... bureaucratic work causes people to bracket off, while at work, the moralities they might hold outside the workplace... or privately and to follow instead the prevailing morality of their particular organizational situation. As a former vice-president of a large firm says: ‘What is right in the corporation is not what is right in a man’s home or his church. What is right in the corporation is what the guy above you wants from you.’

... Actual organizational moralities are thus contextual, situational, and highly specific, and, most often, unarticulated.”  (2010)

Take Aways for Kelly

1. I was encouraged to hear several talk about the personal challenge/responsibility to live in integrity. And that corruption is not just about the bad people, bad leaders, and bad systems “out there.” A drop of hypocrisy pollutes integrity. But a drop of integrity does not purify hypocrisy. ‘Like a trampled stream and a polluted well so are righteous people who give way before the wicked’ (Proverbs 25:26).

2. I am especially challenged by these quotes from the readings:

--“When we make mistakes, we must calm the cognitive dissonance [inner disharmony between our ideal self and actual self] that jars our feelings of self-worth. And so we create fictions that absolve us of responsibility, restoring our belief that we are smart, moral, and right—a belief that is dumb, immoral, and wrong.” (Tavris and Aronson, 2007)

“The air was filled with phantoms, wandering hither and thither in restless haste, and moaning as they went. Every one of them wore chains…none were free…The misery with them all was, clearly, that they sought to interfere, for good, in human matters, and had lost the power forever.” (Dickens, 1843) 

 Applications

Watch the 14 minute TedxTalk on Courage or Cowardice.

--How can the issues raised support your living in integrity?

--How do the issues raised affect your living in integrity as a global citizen?

MC: Global Letters for a Global Community--6

A Birthday Wish

We are writing to member care workers and all those with member care responsibility within international mission/aid who identify with the historic Christian faith. We write to encourage us all to stay the course in our service to God and humans and to take full advantage of the many opportunities to provide and develop member care. We write fully aware of the problems that can discredit, divide, and disable the church-mission community (CMC) and all of our member care efforts. We write with a commitment to the love that is necessary to resolve these problems and to promote health within the CMC.

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I was born in 1956. And today I am 56 years old.

It’s great to be alive! The photo above is me, Kelly.

Circa 1956 in California.

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So it’s my birthday and I have a special wish: for truth and peace to prevail in the Evangelical mission and member care community (Zech. 8:19). May the long-standing requests to meet with leaders be honoured--and for everybody concerned to do so with transparency, accountability, and courage. May healing light shine on the long-standing malaise. May we truly persevere in loving one another as Jesus Christ has loved us.

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So what are we waiting for?

Meeting would be a great gift—for everybody.

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Kelly for Michèle too

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PS  “Everybody….heals with love.” (Ingrid Michaelson) Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=438HDK6IVmU&feature=related

MC: Global Letters for a Global Community--5

Getting Stuck and Unstuck

 If you want to know which way to go,

then look where everyone else is going, and go the other way.

Irish Proverb

.....

We are writing to member care workers and all those with member care responsibility within international mission/aid who identify with the historic Christian faith. We write to encourage us all to stay the course in our service to God and humans and to take full advantage of the many opportunities to provide and develop member care. We write fully aware of the problems that can discredit, divide, and disable the church-mission community (CMC) and all of our member care efforts. We write with a commitment to the love that is necessary to resolve these problems and to promote health within the CMC.

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The image above is a reminder that sometimes we all get stuck in life. This is true in our member care community.

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Currently there is a protracted moral and relational traffic jam within the member care community. It became apparent trying to work through differences and management issues in the mid 2000s. Then it progressed into trying to sort through overlapping areas of health and dysfunction. And then with time it became clear that intertwined if not underlying so much of this malaise was a major international fraud (Nordic Capital Investment, NCI) that had wreaked havoc in the church-mission community. It affected a major part of the Evangelical member care community with which we have been closely associated over the years.

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The good news though is that there is much that can be done to help—to get unstuck. To do so we will need the courage to change course: getting informed, meeting together with professional mediation and documents, and acting on the facts of the matter—the truth. Here are three key suggestions that can help us as the member care community to do so.

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1.  Living as High Virtue-Humans (excerpt from this weblog, 25 January 2010). Resilient people have inner strength, good social support, and a sense of purpose and/or trust in God. These qualities have been essential for several of us as we have confronted a grievous situation within parts of the international Christian community that has striking similarities to the Madoff case: major [ponzi] fraud. We have all had to muster plenty of virtrios (perseverance, honesty, and courage) in the face of a malicious “trimangle” of corruption, cover-ups, and cowardice….We as a group have learned that prudently confronting trimangles (unmasking/exposing/reproving darkness, as commanded in Ephesians 5:11) is not without its risks. Defamation, dismissals, and distress historically accompany the actions of virtrios humans. We have also learned that the levels of risk and fear are not the main criteria for determining whether an action is right or wrong. Do not be afraid to go public as you stand up for what is right, Christ says. For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. Do not fear intimidation, discrediting, loss of livelihood, and even loss of life. Your task is to be true, not popular. I will take care of you. (Matthew 10 and Luke 6, paraphrases from The Message)….The exploitation of people (corruption), distortions of facts (cover-ups), and avoidance of responsibility (cowardice) do not simply go away on their own. They are resilient too. The world will not be any more safe—or virtuous-- until virtrios people act to make it so.

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2. Dealing with the NCI Fraud: The Facts and the Fallout. NCI is an affinity-based fraud that affected many people and orgnizations in the Christian community. Millions of dollars/euros remain missing. Although an important part of NCI has been succesfully prosecuted in Sweden, there is much that is still not being dealt with. Many organnizatons for example have not specifically and verifiably disclosed how they have been affected. We believe people deserve to know the fuller picture. There are plenty of documents (especially court documents) and testimonies that shine light on what has happened and plenty of support for those who have the courage to help. We are reminded of the saying that the only thing necessary for evil to prosper is for good people to do nothing. (For more information on the NCI fraud see the Summary on the PETRA People website. For updates and analysis see the PETRA People weblog)

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3. Speaking Truth to Power. This challenging reflection on living in truth is a three-minute podcast by author Rhidian Brooks on the BBC's Word for Today. (To listen, go to the Web Links section on the   PETRA People website. The mp3/audio is an attachment located at the bottom of this section). Speaking truth to ourselves as well as to others is risky. Yet it is necessary for true change—to get unstuck. As Rhiadian Brooks concludes: "Sometimes you have to give up your power in order for other people to hear the truth."

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Kelly and Michèle

Reflection and Discussion

Regardless of your familiarity with the issues in the member care community or the NCI fraud, what helps you get unstuck when there are "moral and relational traffic jams"?

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When is changing course not appropriate and staying the course is?

Global MC—Pearl Seven

Supporting Good Governance
and Good Management

Read it. Discuss it. Apply it.

We are exploring member care by using brief quotes from the book, Global Member Care: The Pearls and Perils of Good Practice (published February 2011). Drawing on the metaphor from Rev. 21:21, each quote is like a huge pearl--a pearl gateway--that allows us to enter more fully into the global field of member care. This seventh entry is from Part Two in the book, “Promoting Health in Mission/Aid.” https://sites.google.com/site/globalmca/

Pearl Seven

“Keep in mind that any guidelines are only as helpful as the skill levels of the managers who use them. I also note, sadly, that when guidelines are bypassed or inadequate, we may tend to make them up to our own advantage rather than with impartiality and in the best interests of everyone in mind. As one colleague has shared with me, somewhat skeptically, “Poor organizational management is all about the other “golden rule” in which the person with the most gold, rules.” ” (page 117)

“I really appreciate a Middle-Eastern proverb which says. “The greatest crime in the desert is to find water, and remain silent.” I would like to suggest a rejoinder to this proverb: “The second greatest crime in the desert is to find poisoned water and remain silent” (see also Prov. 25:26). Sometimes mission/aid workers at all levels of organiza¬tions can get into trouble by blowing a whistle and confronting the poisoned water of dysfunction. This is not easy to do as we have said repeatedly. Neither is it easy to do well, nor to do well by oneself. It is often scary, risky and easy to make mistakes in spite of good intentions. There is often a high cost to pay when advocating for personal and organizational health, People need integrity and skill (Ps. 78:72) to consistently and resolutely act with moral courage both publicly and privately.” (page 135)

Reflection and Discussion

**Recall one aspect of your life/work that relates to the quote above.

**Have a go at connecting the above quote with a current international area that interests/concerns you.

Member Care and Lausanne 3: Blog Five

Porn as Mission and Porn in Mission:

We are as Healthy as our Secrets

The Lausanne 3 Conference brought together some 4000 people this past October in South Africa. Here are excerpts from one of the seven MCA blogs at the Global Conversation portal at Lausanne 3.

The main question of this particular blog: How do pornography and other sexual addictions affect the people involved in mission?
Are they really such an issue? Yes, No, or Probably?!
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Porn as Mission? You bet. In fact, there is a major multi-billion industry whose mission is to convert you into a regular, paying, porn-using consumer.

Porn in Mission? You bet too. It’s insidious, ensnaring tentacles pop up almost everywhere it seems--in our daily lives, media, our thoughts--and even if we do not seek it out.

Here is a quick tool to help assess sexual addiction.

More on Porn. There is a continuum of involvement in pornography (or any other addictive behavior such as food, substance use, work, control). At one end some people include porn as part of their daily “coping routines.” Towards the other end some may “lapse” into porn periodically, minimizing its potentially lethal and addictive impact. Where are you and your colleagues on this continuum of porn usage? How freely can you discuss this reality in your mission/church setting?

Mission/aid workers are certainly not immune! Pornography destroys the beauty of our human sexuality, replacing it with a haunting, incapacitating bondage. The humans that create and proliferate porn want your money—they could care less about you. Pornography exploits millions of people including those whom mission/aid workers are trying to assist.

Like any serious addiction, you cannot overcome porn by sheer will power, or by yourself, or simply by exhorting yourself to never do “it” again. Healing takes time and discipline, strict accountability and utter honesty, close friends and tight internet controls. It requires understanding emotional and environmental triggers, learning/relearning healthy behaviors and healthy human sexuality. Take action now to help yourself and also others.

Courage! Remember, we are as healthy as our secrets.

http://www.covenanteyes.com/ (accountability tools for internet use)
http://www.sexhelp.com/ (resources and includes a self-assessment tool)
http://www.arabicrecovery.com/ (many resources for recovery in Arabic)
http://www.sa.org/ (support for sexual addictions including locations for support groups)
http://www.christianrecovery.com/ (resources/links for healing from addictions, abuse, trauma)
http://www.xxxchurch.com/ (Christian resources for sexual purity including podcasts/interviews)
http://www.safefamilies.org/ (oriented towards child protection/families, plus free internet filtering)
http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/ (addiction resources; free courses for education/accountability)

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Reflection and Discussion
1. Take the assessment tool above. What did you learn about yourself?

2. How can porn use and sexual addictions be helped in your setting? How does culture play a role in identifying and dealing with such sexual issues?

3. Review the web sites above. What materials and resources seem to be the most helpful for you or others?

Member Care and Resiliency—Part 5

High-Virtue Humans

Virtrio: A trio of core virtues.
(goodness)

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Human resiliency is the ability to face reality:

to deal with and grow through life’s challenges.

How resilient are you?

You may never know until you confront evil.

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Member care is primarily concerned with promoting health by practically supporting mission/aid workers. It involves doing good by carefully and competently helping workers grow.

At times our member care work may also require us to engage in the difficult task of confronting personal/systemic dysfunction. Big matters or even small matters, no one likes to do this. ‘Someone else will handle it,’ ‘This is too complicated,’ or ‘Just wait a bit and it will hopefully go away,’ are some of the default reasons for not getting involved. Our reticence to tackle “tough stuff” is even more apparent when the stakes are raised and we are faced with the choice of whether or not to confront serious deviance and evil.

The trio of virtues in the virtrio illustration above (perseverance, honesty, and courage) are essential for dealing with life’s challenges. These three qualities are core parts of “high-virtue humans”—virtrios humans—who excel in moral goodness. They are especially necessary when we encounter evil in all of its forms, be they blatant or disguised.

Evil is not the opposite of good but the distortion of good.

Sadly, distorted forms of good may go undetected for a long time.

Resilient virtue is needed to confront the many facets of such evil.

Resilient Evil and Resilient Virtue

Evil is also resilient. One recent example of resilient evil is the long-term fraud promulgated by Bernie Madoff. All the “good” he was doing to benefit investors-colleagues was actually faked. The deception has come back to haunt the business and banking sectors, university endowment programs, and many private citizens across the world. Unfortunately Madoff’s scheme was both resilient and malignant, a horrific combination.

Contrast Madoff’s despicable behavior to the praiseworthy actions of Harry Markopolos. Markopolos and his colleagues spent 12 years tracking Madoff, convinced about the illegitimacy of his money-making scheme. They persevered. They sought transparency (honesty). They were courageous. They were virtrios humans whose skills and resilient virtue, in spite of being ignored for years, eventually helped to expose the evil.

Trimangles

As we have seen in the previous entries, resilient people have inner strength, good social support, and a sense of purpose and/or trust in God. These qualities have been essential for several of us as we have confronted a grievous situation within parts of the international Christian community that has striking similarities to the Madoff case: major fraud. We have all had to muster plenty of virtrio (perseverance, honesty, and courage) in the face of a malicious “trimangle” of corruption (collusion, cover-ups, and cowardice). As the author of Hebrews says, ‘God hates wickedness just as much as He loves virtue’ (Hebrews 1:9, Jerusalem Bible). Created in His image, the same disdain for evil and passion for good is true for us.

Trimangle: A trio of core evils.
(corruption)

We as a group have learned that prudently confronting trimangles (unmasking/exposing/reproving darkness, as commanded in Ephesians 5:11) is not without its risks. Defamation, dismissals, and distress historically accompany the actions of virtrios humans. We have also learned that the levels of risk and fear are not the main criteria for determining whether an action is right or wrong. Do not be afraid to go public as you stand up for what is right, Christ says. For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. Do not fear intimidation, discrediting, loss of livelihood, and even loss of life. Your task is to be true, not popular. I will take care of you. (Matthew 10 and Luke 6, paraphrases from The Message).

Resilient virtue: perseverance, honesty, and courage

prevails against

Resilient corruption: collusion, cover-ups, and cowardice.

Governments have an important responsibility in matters that involve major deviance/evil. So also do virtrios humans in civil society (e.g., media, regulatory bodies, organizations) and the Christian community (church, mission agencies). All three entities have a major and often overlapping responsibility to deal transparently and skillfully with trimangles. The exploitation of people (corruption) via joint deception (collusion), distortions of facts (cover-ups), and avoidance of responsibility (cowardice) do not simply go away on their own. They are resilient too. The world will not be any more safe—or virtuous-- until virtrios people act to make it so.

Courage.

Trust God.

Stay the course.

May you espouse virtue and expose evil.

Quotes, Notes, and More

1. Conference. Here is a summary of a presentation that we have proposed. It complements the resiliency theme from last year’s Mental Health and Missions Conference (19-22 November 2009). The title is Future Directions for Member Care: Going and Growing as Resilient Practitioners.

“What lies ahead for the member care field, and indeed for our world at large? In this presentation we discuss future challenges and opportunities for member care. The field needs “good learners-practitioners” who are growing in their character (virtues and resilience) and competency (skills and knowledge). These folks need to be willing to “cross sectors” (e.g., international health and humanitarian sectors), cross disciplines (e.g., human resources, management), and “cross deserts” (e.g., internal journeys of faith and struggle) in order to work effectively in unstable locations often permeated with conflict and calamity. These diverse, resilient, member care workers will have clear ethical commitments as they provide/develop quality services to mission/aid personnel in many cultural settings.”

2. Book. Here is another brief quote is from John Fawcett’s edited book, Stress and Trauma Handbook: Strategies for Flourishing in Demanding Environments (2003—click here to see a book review).

“Faith-driven or secular, the workers who bring aid to individuals, families and communities are the living embodiment of a human conviction that wrongs not only must be righted, but they can be righted." (p. 1).

3. Video. Have a look at this short photo report from the World Health Organization (WHO)—2009 Year in Review: Key Health Issues. The 12 photos and brief descriptions reflect some of the concerted efforts of humanity via the WHO to tackle major health issues facing the world. Other examples of personal stories and international media reports are listed on the Media that Matters section of our Member Caravan website.

4. Tool. How courageous are you? Consider this question via Matthew 10: 24-33. Christ addresses the importance for his followers to speak the truth openly and to identify with Him publicly. Have a look and give some examples where you have had to deal with fear and act with courage.

**Don’t be afraid:
a. of being discredited and maligned (v. 26)
b. of being killed (v. 28)
c. of being undervalued and overlooked (v. 31).

**Be courageous:
a. by confessing Christ without waver (v. 32)
b. by loving Christ more than anyone (37)
c. by taking up our cross and giving your life for Christ (38,39).

5. Music. Two songs by Dougie MacLean.

Ready for the Storm. Dougie is an incredible folk musician from Scotland whose songs are creative, beautiful, and inspirational. He is joined by Kathy Mattea, another gifted musician, and others in this video version of the song, circa 1995/1996.

No No No by Dougie is a powerful call to confront those who exploit people. To listen you must purchase/download this song on the artist’s site, for about one dollar. I think it is really worth it, as is the 1990 album on which it first appeared, Whitewash.

Reflection and Discussion
1. Give an example of a vitrios human that you know. Which virtues contribute to his/her resiliency?

2. How are virtues and developing virtues related to the fruits of the Spirit and walking in the Sprit (see Galatians 5:22-25)?
3. Discuss the notion of trimangles in terms of your personal or work experience.

4. Is resilient virtue always stronger than resilient evil?

5. Which of the above “notes, quotes, and more” are the most meaningful for you and why?

Member Care and Resiliency--Part 4

Salquatic Humans

Tear system for the right eye,
including the lacrimal gland (top left) and tear ducts (center right)—Wikipedia.

Human resiliency is the ability to face reality:

to deal with and grow through life’s challenges.

How resilient are you?

You may never know until you weep.
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Sometimes its helpful to create new terms, like salquatic. Its roots are Latin-based. This term is made up of two words: salis for salt and aqua for water. When you combine and contract them a bit you get the adjective/word salquatic, meaning "capable of crying"—ranging from being tearful to having tear flows.

Let’s combine the first two entries on resiliency (16, 28 December 2009)--emphasizing water and salt metaphors. We want to now focus on our special capacity to cry as humans.

Tears are a hydro-saline substance comprised of water (H20) and salt (NaCl). You know, saltwater. They are formed and stored in special repositories (glands, see illustration above) from which this substance is emitted, especially during times of strong emotion. I like to think of our tear glands as being filled with emotional saltwater.

Humans are salquatic.

And some are more so than others.

It is an amazing, healing, resiliency-building ability.

Resiliency and Pain

Resilient people are able to express their pain to others and to share the pain of others. They can cry. They can weep. They can express a vast range of “healing feeling” as humans, including deep sadness. They can certainly be negatively impacted by injustice and abuse, lost friendships, death of loved ones, and a host of other wrenching experiences. Yet because resilient people endeavor to squarely face their challenges, they are not usually overwhelmed. Their hearts can break but not be shattered. Their hearts can wound but also mend. They can call upon three intertwining qualities to help them manage reality:

1. inner strength, especially perseverance

2. good social support

3. deep sense of meaning in life, including belief in God.

Crying and at times weeping are key parts of human relationships, the healing process, and the further development of resiliency. Resilient people embrace all of their emotions and they help others do the same.

We along with other colleagues have certainly been learning what it means to be salquatic humans over the last few years. At times we have felt very much like Jeremiah, known for his broken heart as he persevered unsuccessfully in exhorting Judah to return wholeheartedly to YHWH (e.g., ‘but if you will not listen my soul will sob in secret and my eyes will bitterly weep;’ Jer. 13:15-19). We can also relate very much to “Paul et al” who were so often ‘afflicted but not crushed, perplexed but not despairing…so that the life or Christ would be more fully manifested through them’ (2 Cor. 4:7-12). Like the many Biblical models, we do not give up. We persevere until truth and justice prevail.

Jeremiah, by Michelangelo, 1508-1512

Quotes, Notes, and More

1. Conference. Here is another entry from Dr. Vance and Dr. Bethyl Shepperson’s weblog, The Encouragers (22 November 2009). It is a notation from a presentation by Scott Shaum on resiliency at the Mental Health and Missions Conference (19-22 November 2009).

“Comfort does not mean removal of trouble. Comfort means Presence in midst of trouble. God’s presence requires my presence. God with skin on Him. My and your arms, legs, ears. So in midst of trouble look for God at work. It’s a construction zone. Slow down. Hard hat, open heart—the path of Gospel ministry. Don’t assume you are doing something wrong, bad, or are being punished. Look with the eye of a miner who is digging for treasure. The whole book of 2 Cor provides the best glimpse of suffering’s superiority. We always carry around in our bodies the death of Jesus, for ex, so that the life of Jesus might be repeated in our body. 4:10-12."

2. Book. The next brief quote is from John Fawcett’s edited book, Stress and Trauma Handbook: Strategies for Flourishing in Demanding Environments (2003—click here to see a book review). The quote is from the chapter by Cynthia Eriksson et al. It summarizes research on the adjustment of World Vision aid workers from over 30 countries:

"...for each of the mental health risk adjustment measures (depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and burnout) 30-50 percent of staff scored in the moderate to high-risk range. This is a significant number of people who are working and 'surviving' while experiencing considerable emotional distress. These staff may not be incapacitated by these symptoms presently, but we cannot deny the effects that depression, burnout, and PTSD can have on relationships, work, and personal health. An NGO's commitment to people includes the welfare of beneficiaries around the world, but it also includes the well-being of staff who commit their lives to serving and saving others." (p. 95)

3. Video. As we enter into a new decade we recommend watching the 13 minute United Nations Year in Review (located in the “See the Latest” section on the homepage of UN’s webcast site). This Review summarizes several major world challenges and the efforts of the United Nations in 2009. We see many disturbing events yet many encouraging examples of human courage and resiliency throughout this Review. Other examples of personal stories and international media reports are listed on the Media that Matters section of our Member Caravan website.

4. Tool. Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing After Loss. This resource is a creative and powerful way to help people work thorough grief. Tear Soup tells a simple story—with beautiful illustrations and trans-cultural relevance—of a women’s experience with deep loss in her life. Many important principles for dealing with loss are woven into the story. We highly recommend and regularly use this resource, available as a book and in DVD. Published by Grief Watch.

5. Music. Jon Foreman. The Cure for Pain. Jon Foreman is a 33 year old musician--singer, guitarist, songwriter. His music is creative, evocative, and varied. Struggles, yearnings, friends, and God are central themes which he effectively and often somewhat divergently weaves together in his lyrics. Listen to his above song (YouTube link) as well as to brief samples of his latest, superb CD: Limbs and Branches.

Courage.

Trust God.

Stay the course.

May your tears strengthen you and others.

Reflection and Discussion
1. How salquatic are you---how “well” are you able to cry? What in life has influenced your ability to cry?

2. Describe a time when you wept (“tear flows of emotional saltwater”) or supported another person who was weeping.

3. List three of your main worries right now. Then rate them on a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of:
               Difficulty to resolve  Emotional pain  Impact on you/others
Worry 1:
Worry 2:
Worry 3:

If your worries could talk, what would they say to you, in a couple sentences? What would you say back to them, in a couple sentences?

4. What is Jon Foreman’s “cure for pain” in his song? (see link above, point 5)

5. Read the short and thoughtful piece linked below. It overviews the life of Jeremiah. List a couple ways that your life or the life of someone you know is like that of Jeremiah. www.frontlinemin.org/jeremiah.asp

Member Care and Resiliency—Part 1

High Salinity Humans

Molecular structure for NaCl compound—Sodium Chloride—Salt (Wikipedia)

Human resiliency refers to the ability face reality: 
to deal with and to grow through life’s challenges.

How resilient are you?

You may never know until you are salted with fire.

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Resiliency is like salt. Salt flavors and preserves the quality of food and helps disinfect harmful materials. In a similar way resiliency enhances and protects the quality of life and helps detoxify harmful matters.

Resiliency is developed by working through the difficult and at times "fiery" experiences of life. Indeed, "everyone will be salted with fire," as Christ says in Mark 9:49. The path to developing resiliency is usually circuitous, marked by pain and uncertainty.

Resiliency includes three core parts which can be described in terms of the New Testament metaphor of salt.

1. Perseverance—inner strength to not give up and to benefit from hardship. Having salt in yourselves—Mark 9:50

2. People—social support from/as encouraging role models and true friends. Relating graciously with salt—Colossians 4:6

3. Purpose—strong sense of meaning in life and/or strong belief in God’s goodness. Being the salt of the earth—Matthew 5:13

Resilient people are characterized by salt.

They are high salinity humans.

 Notes, Quotes, and More

1. Conference. Resiliency was the theme of this year’s annual Mental Health and Mission Conference in the USA (19-22 November 2009). To see some summaries of the presentations, check out the November entries on “The Encouragers” weblog from Dr. Vance and Dr. Bethyl Shepperson. Here is a notation from 20 November 2009 about the presentation given by Duncan Westwood.

“Ultimately the resiliency of another human being remains beyond the abilities of scholars to describe or define. Just as each symphony creates a particular and a special sound, so too is the marvelous, complex interweaving of each person’s bounded resources and limitations.”

2. Book. Here is a quote on celebrating life and challenging cynicism. It is from Stress and Trauma Handbook: Strategies for Flourishing in Demanding Environments, 2003, by John Fawcett, published by World Vision. (for book review click here)

“In the context of complex humanitarian emergencies and the rigours of life in developing nations, aid workers arrive on the scene expecting to enhance life, not just to neutralise pain. Humanitarian work is, afterall, a celebration of life, not homage to death and despair. …International aid is a challenge to the power not only of hunger, war, and poverty, but to cynicism. Faith-driven or secular, the workers who bring aid…are the living embodiment of a human conviction that wrongs not only must be righted, but that they can be righted.” (p.1)

3. Video. The BBC is one of many media services that provide incredible video reports and stories about real life and international issues. On relevant example related to heroic resiliency is described below. Click on the link for the six and a half minute video story. Other examples are listed on the Media that Matters section of our Member Caravan website.

“Mariatu Kamara a 23 year old woman from Sierra Leone, had her hands cut off by rebel soldiers when she was a child. With no parents or living adult to support her in the aftermath, and living in a refugee camp, she turned to begging in the streets of Freetown. 'Biting the Mango' is her story of survival against all odds in which she shares the details of her attack, her road to recovery and her eventual move to Toronto where she now lives.” (Source: BBC)

4. Tool. The Authentic Happiness website offers a variety of self-assessment tools for free. Many of these tools are directly related to resiliency. For example, the Brief Character Test measures 24 character strengths. The GRIT Survey measures perseverance. You will need to register on the site (one minute process) in order to access the tools and other resources online.

These tools are available in different languages. They are easy to use although note that their applicability to international settings/populations is not established. We use such tools to help workers get a general sense of how they are doing and to discuss strengths, weaknesses, and coping strategies.

5. Music. Iona. Strength

Iona began recording in 1990. Their music is a progressive and distinctive mix of Celtic, rock, folk, and jazz with Christian themes. The song above, Strength, is on video from their live performance in November 2004 at the University of London. It is also included on their CD,  The Circling Hour, which is available from the Iona web site. The song begins with a lyrical description of the strength found in nature and proceeds to describe the strength of people and finally the strength of love--or more than likely, the Author of Love.

Courage.
Trust God.
Stay the course.
May your salinity soar!
*****

Reflection and Discussion

1. In the BBC video, what types of “salt” have helped Mariatu Kamara to recover from the traumatic injustice she experienced and to productively re-engage in life?

2. List a few experiences in which you have been “salted with fire” and through which you have developed resiliency.

3. Respond to Fawcett’s assertion in the above quote that “Humanitarian work is, after all, a celebration of life…”

4. Define resiliency in your heart language, and in your own words, in one sentence.

5. Recall a tiime this past year when a friend's strength (as mentioned in the Iona song above) has helped you when you were weak.

Member Care and Transparency—Part 4

Developmental Musings on Blowing Whistles

Whistle blowing is a difficult and risky aspect of transparency.

It takes moral courage, skill, and support.

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Whistle blowing is a term taken from the sports world. A referee overseeing a game will blow a whistle when some type of wrong behavior (breaking the rules) is committed by a player or even by a coach. The game is temporarily stopped when the whistle blows. The infraction is pointed out clearly and “publically” to all the participants. There is usually a consequence—a penalty.

One example of a misbehavior meriting a referee’s whistle would be intentionally or accidentally kicking someone in a football match. Another example would be intentionally or accidentally pushing someone down during a basketball game. Still other examples would be the far more minor violations like being off sides in a football match or dribbling the basketball with both hands at the same time.

Referees can blow whistles without fear of reprisal because they have recognized and legitimate authority to do so. Their job is to enforce the rules and ensure fair play. Staff in organizations on the other hand, do not usually have the authority of a referee. Neither do staff usually have a set of rules (recognized organizational guidelines) regarding how to do whistle blowing and handle grievances. They can thus be reticent to query/challenge possible misbehaviors and if they do so they may be vulnerable to reprisals. The same applies, as well, to leaders in many organizations. Could such reprisals happen in faith-based organizations and others that espouse good relationships, justice, compassion, and high ethical values? Well, quite possibly!

Whistle blowing in organizational settings can include lots of things. It might mean an employee talking to a supervisor about someone’s inappropriate sexual comments or relentless teasing of others. It could be confronting a leadership team that is withholding information about environmental damage or undisclosed political contributions related to the organization’s activities. Or it could entail filing a formal complaint with the governing board or an external regulatory or police body about possible inappropriate allocation of funds. Whistle blowing serves as a protective function. It is a call for transparency and accountability.

Moral Courage and Moral Cowardice, with Lots In-Between

Let’s imagine that there were some major international frauds in the faith-based sector. Many people were devastated by them. What would people in the sector do who heard about the frauds? Would they inquire more about the frauds and confront the frauds in spite of possible negative consequences? What if there was very little response in terms of transparency and accountability by people who had been involved or affected? Is it OK then to just let things be and to move on? What if the situation malignantly spread to also involve various overlapping issues including discrediting, wrongful dismissals, cover ups, and other injustices? How involved would people likely become in order to do something about it? What would you do? Or what would you want if you were one of the victims?

Note that there have in fact been numerous financial scandals that have affected the faith based sector. This year, 2009, for example, marks the 20th anniversary of the start of the New Era scandal in the USA. As you will see in the staggering information linked below, fraudsters in the more recent news like Bernie Madoff certainly have had their predecessors in people like New Era’s John Bennett who embezzled some 135 Million US dollars from over 1000 donors in the Christian charities and organizations.

Thank goodness for the courage, determination, and research of whistle blowing people like Harry Markopolis and Albert Meyer. Markopolis was a financial analyst who “chased” Madoff for some nine years and Meyer was an accounting teacher who insisted that Bennett’s scheme was fraudulent. In spite of being ignored or opposed by others (especially people/institutions benefiting from these “amazing and benevolent” profit-making investments), their ethical commitment to confront wrongdoing and to protect others continued to impel them to take a stand.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Madoff

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_for_New_Era_Philanthropy

Fortunately in major situations like this the details usually go public in due course. The concerted voices from the citizen sector, often with support from people of influence, usually win the day. Government investigators/agencies begin to investigate then prosecute and the international media carry the story. The wheels of justice turn slowly yet the state ultimately does not wield the sword in vain upon those who practice evil (Romans 13: 4).

What could we learn from such situations in the faith-based sector? First we probably have to acknowledge that we may not in fact have learned very much from previous history. We continue to be vulnerable to unscrupulous people who we “trust” and of whom we find it difficult to believe that they could intentionally dupe others and cover up. So we would have to be transparent about the reality that these things do in fact happen, even as the New Testament, business sector, governments, and history warn us over and over again. (See the weblog post from 6 November 2008 for example on New Testament warnings. Go to this internal link and then scroll down to the date: http://coremembercare.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-02-18T21%3A06%3A00Z&max-results=25).

Second we would need to acknowledge our limitations, mistakes, and fears in addition to what we have done well. How have we responded and why? Have we acted with moral courage or have we acted with moral cowardice, or something in-between? In other words we would have to be willing to openly review the specific fraud situations and how they have been handled. We would have to minimize rationalizations and making excuses for not confronting those who are guilty or getting more involved to protect vulnerable people. This individual and group commitment to soul-searching, including doing external independent reviews and internal “morbidity and mortality” consultations, would be one of the best safeguards for preventing similar injustices in the future in which people and organizations get exploited and damaged.

For some related thoughts on fostering organizational health and for dealing with serious deviance and dysfunction, see the article and links at the Reality DOSE web site (link is below). This material goes along well with the recent research by Transparency International et al on Preventing Corruption in Humanitarian Assistance. See the link below for the research report, especially the two-page "Executive Summary". By and large the mission and humanitarian sector, for all our admirable and exemplary qualities, can be vulnerable, naïve, and lack the basic training and recognized protocols to report and deal with serious misconduct.
http://MCAresources.googlepages.com/realitydose

http://transparency.org/publications/publications/other/humanitarian_assistance_report_2008

God is Pro-Transparency

The main actor in situations where there is serious injustice and a paucity of transparency/accountability would seem to be God Himself. He truly hears the cries of the afflicted. He really hears the whistles blowing loud and clear. He Himself will be transparent about the truth even if people are not. Psalm 37 is very instructive here. The promises in this Psalm on the part of God are encouraging and substantial. Here are some excerpts that can be of much help to anyone who is struggling with life’s injustices.

“Do not fret because of evil doers…
they will wither quickly like the grass.

Trust in the Lord and do good…commit your way to the Lord.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light
and your judgment as the noonday.

For the Lord loves justice and does not forsake His godly ones.

He delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in Him.”

Transparency—The Book

Consider carefully this next set of quotes from Bennis et al in Transparency: How Leaders Create a Culture of Candor (2006). I think that this is a timely book for all of us in member care and mission/aid. Remember too that it is not just about the “them” out there somewhere or the “bad” people in our midst. It relates to all of us.

“But legislation alone [the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the USA] cannot make organizations open and healthy. Only the character and will of those who run them and participate in them can do that….If a culture of collusion exists instead of a culture of candor, participants will find ways around the rules, new or old, however stringent.” (p. 8)

…Glazer's study revealed that they [whistleblowers] almost always found the courage to speak out in their deep commitment to the core values of the organization. Even when labeled traitors by their colleagues, such tellers of unsettling truths often feel passionate loyalty to the organization and act because they feel the secret activity violates its mission and ethical core.” (10)

“The charge of disloyalty is as easy for leaders to bring against followers as it is difficult for the accused to counter and disprove. Moreover, as loyalty is typically an admirable trait, it is also a convenient blind for cowardly followers to hide behind.” (p. 79)

For more information on whistle blowing see the helpful suggested policy/white paper on the web site of the Evangelical Council for Finacial Accountability (ECFA):

http://www.ecfa.org/TopicDisplay.aspx?PageName=TopicPolicy_SuspectedMisconduct

For some additional perspectives on fraud in Christian circles, see the June 2009 article "Popping the Fraud Bubble" and related links in the magazine Christianity Today.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/june/4.14.html?start=1#related

Reflection and Discussion

1. Recall a time when you blew a whistle. What was it like and what happened?

2. What protocols exist in your organization for grievances and whistle blowing? How adequate are these protocols?

3. List three thoughts from Bennis et al that make the most sense to you. How can you apply these in your setting?

4. Respond to this statement and give an example: Often times there is not a need for more light to shine. Rather the need is to act upon the light that is already clearly shining.

Member Character(s)—4 of 4

A Glimpse at the Character of Saint Micaiah

Honourary Feast Day 25 March
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Have you heard of this Old Testament prophet—and saint?

Probably not.
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That’s because after being publicly ridiculed, publicly accused of not having the Spirit, and publicly struck in the face for not prophesizing favourably to Ahab the king of Israel, he was thrown into prison and never heard of again in Biblical history (1 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 18). Ahab later died in battle, according to the word of Micaiah as opposed to the false assurances of hundreds of other “prophets.”

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Nathan and Nothing
Micaiah was a “Nathan” who risked like Nathan, obeyed God like Nathan by confronting a king, yet did not fare well like Nathan. He is a forgotten Nathan. He is like, Nothing. That is why we are remembering him, and all those like him, on this his honourary feast day, 25 March.
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Courage as Strangers and Pilgrims
“All of these died in faith, without having received the promises, but having seen and accepted these promises with pleasure from afar, they confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13). May we too have the courage to follow in their footsteps, even in the face of risk--by speaking the truth in love to ourselves, to God, and to fellow humans. Such love is the measure of our member care, and of our member character.
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Reflection and Discussion
**Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, what the Lord says that I will speak.” Give an example of when you had to speak and act with such determination.
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**Micaiah’s concluding words were, “Listen, all peoples.”
What were the people then (and what are we) supposed to listen to?

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Note that Micaiah is not the same as the author of the Book of Micah.