Image from This Party Started

I was recently at the University of Sydney studying a Dramaturgical perspective on leadership. Professor Ross Gibson (2012) stated that ‘there are three audiences in story telling: the teller, the cast and the audience’.

As I considered this concept and how it applied to me personally and to Metamorphic, my mind was drawn to the video gaming industry. As I contemplated the effect that gaming has had on the narrative, I was forced to re-think how we communicate, particularly to Gen Y.

One of the current challenges facing leaders is to be relevant in conveying our stories to every generation. In understanding that Gen Y tends to disengage if they are not fully involved in the story as participants, I am compelled to reassess our narrative from their perspective.

For my generation, the entertainment narrative was television. Control of the narrative was limited to switching channels and the main interaction was an emotional response to the story being presented. I was the audience.

Then came the advent of video gaming (and the introduction of a perennial favourite in our household for many years, Mario Kart). Now, gamers could actively affect the outcome, albeit in a limited fashion, as participants still had to take on someone else’s character and work within its limitations. We were the audience and the cast.

New generation gaming is totally different, with gamers now able to create their own characters and script the game as it progresses, thus not only participating as the audience and cast but actually driving the narrative themselves as the story teller.

So as I consider the ramifications for life, business and ministry, I want to move the narrative forward. I am therefore committed to creating an interface that causes the intersect of multiple generations, empowering them – our stakeholders – to paint their own narratives on the canvas of life, within the original brief of the Metamorphic community. This will take form in a tri-dimensional web site that allows people to script their own projects, their own fundraising initiatives, while still being part of a bigger community.

So I began to dream about creating a new, fresh, effective narrative. When had this happened in history previously? It seemed obvious – during the Renaissance, of course! The Medici family, who were bankers in Florence, funded a whole generation of creative expressionists such as artists, philosophers, sculptors, scientists and poets. This was a new world based on fresh and innovative ideas. Frans Johansson (2004) describes the effect of the Renaissance: ‘As a result, the city became the epicenter of a creative explosion, one of the most innovative eras in history. The effects of the Medici family can be felt even to this day.’

And so the journey has begun as together we build a new and innovative narrative that has the potential to change the world.

Next Blog: Sense Making, Jazz Improvisation, Fluxus and the Narrative.

A number of us are currently in Siem Reap for the Metamorphic Cambodia Program. While it’s a week late, we thought we’d wait and post a new wallpaper from Cambodia this month. This one was taken near the ancient temple of Angkor Wat. Enjoy

Click on the smaller image above to download the larger wallpaper version.

We are all part of a narrative, why not make it compelling?

The headlines read, ‘Dr. Sukarno Survives Fourth Attempt on Life’ (The Age, 1962); ‘U.S. Awaits Signal For Landing In Thailand’ (The Age, 1962). The letters to the editor that day were about the merits of using pipelines to move oil, and a discussion on hooligans in Russia. Hanna-Barbera (1962) in the Flintstones cartoon pointed to the issue of rising petrol prices and the concept of driving smaller cars. The date was the 15^th of May 1962; the day that I was born, the day a new and definitive narrative began.

Bryce Courtenay, when speaking about grabbing the moment, puts it this way: ‘Birth-Tic-Toc-Tic-Toc-Tic-Toc-Death.’ We have no choice over our birth, and are unable to parry off death, but the one numinous opportunity we all have is to influence the outcome of every ‘Tic-Toc’ we experience.

I grew up in a family that spent little time watching television and entertainment. We didn’t watch sport; we played sport. It was a family of storytellers. At an early age I discovered that people enjoyed my story telling, and thus began an exciting journey as I learnt that I could determine the narrative and, in so doing, move others.

Many years later, I worked in commission sales and gained a renewed respect for the narrative, for this was how sales companies were forged. There was a particular occasion when, along with my uncle Alan Favaloro, we designed a narrative that changed the way we sold Aluminum Siding. Hundreds of sales people were trying to sell this particular cladding product, but with little success. I pondered the reasons for this and discovered that they were selling a product (the what). I immediately went to work on a new pitch; a narrative that was based not on ‘what’ but on ‘why’. We would stand in front of people’s houses with a sign and a camera and make a commotion. The occupants of the house would come out and ask what we were doing. We would explain that we were taking before and after shots of the house for use in the media. The people would exclaim that they hadn’t ordered the product but within minutes would make the enquiry and buy. In reality, they didn’t buy the product, they bought the narrative – the ‘why’ factor. They were purchasing the prestige, the magazine image. They were purchasing the narrative that said, ‘You will be better than your neighbours.’ It was a devious narrative but it worked because it focused on ‘why’ instead of ‘what’.

Simon Sinek (speaking on Ted.com) says, ‘people don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.’ He goes on to say, ‘all organisations know what they do, some know how they do it, but most don’t know why they do it.’ It’s the ‘why’ factor that you and I need to reinforce in our respective narratives, particularly if we want to market to and influence Generation Y – a generation that is fixated on having choice and knowing why we do what we do.

If we consider some of the big brands, such as Harley Davidson and Apple, we discover that people never really buy the ‘what’, they actually buy the ‘why’. When people buy Harley Davidson, they buy attitude, they buy image, they buy a little piece of rebellion but in a safe way. The motor cycle is secondary. People don’t buy Apple computers, they buy innovation, they buy ‘dare to be different’, they buy ‘you too can be creative’. The computer is the extension of that.

As we go about scripting the narrative that we lead or are a part of, you and I should focus less on the what and more on the why. Our why leans itself to a much more compelling story, with far more effective outcomes in life and business.

Our next blog post will be about Gen X, Mario Kart and the Narrative – Who is scripting your life?

Being Easter, this month’s wallpaper  has an Easter theme to remind us all of the reason we do what we do at Metamorphic – Bringing people to Jesus. True transformation only comes through him.

From the whole Metamorphic Team, we wish you a safe and Happy Easter.

[ Click on the image above to download the full size wallpaper ]

Metamorphic is 10 years old today, and to celebrate we thought we would timeline our first amazing decade and outline a little of what drives us as a team. Click on the image above for a large visual representation of our historical timeline since Metamorphic was founded in 2002. Here’s a little more about what makes us tick:

The Vision

To be the largest, most influential Church planting movement in history.

The Mission

To outwork the gospel in practical expression by breaking the poverty cycle and producing innovative development solutions for all, regardless of religious and ethnic background or gender.

The Organisation

We are a non-government Development Ministry/Organisation that was launched on 1 April 2002. We have strategic partnerships in more than 20 nations and facilitate both Church-based and secular programs and projects aimed at building the capacity of the poor, disadvantaged and uninformed. We are driven by a passion to bring transformation and restoration to those in need. We consult with communities on four continents as cultural and change architects.

The Name

The name Metamorphic comes from the Greek word for transformation and encapsulates who we are as a transformation network. In everything we do, our intention is to empower people to transform their lives and communities and assist them to achieve their full potential.

The Culture

Our culture – who we are – is expressed in the way we operate, both as a team and with the people we serve around the globe. It’s also expressed in everything we do with and for people. Metamorphic culture is best summed up as ‘Grace, Honor, Affirmation, Abundance and Partnership’.

Grace is simply giving people favour and help regardless of their situation or background. It’s giving people another chance… and then yet another chance. Grace is believing that all human beings should have an opportunity to transform their lives. It is our commitment to help people achieve this.

Honor is showing respect to all people from every persuasion. It is about empowering people to move forward and reach their full potential by building their capacity and encouraging them to excel. It’s giving people permission to dream and achieve. It’s helping people to win in all areas of life.

Affirmation is helping people see the best in themselves and in others. It is opening people’s eyes to the amazing reality that every human life is valuable and full of purpose. At Metamorphic, we love to encourage people and assist them to build their self-esteem, on a personal and community level.

Abundance is what we see. It’s our understanding that there are enough resources on the planet to ensure all people can live healthy and prosperous lives. One of our primary focusses is to assist the poor to recognise the assets and opportunities that already exist in their communities. At Metamorphic, we always live generously and train others to be the same.

Partnership is essential in everything we do as it is one of the cornerstones of Metamorphic’s culture. Metamorphic is founded on amazing relationships, which is why we don’t have donors; we have partners. Even the beneficiaries of our programs and projects are trained to refer to themselves as partners rather than recipients or clients. At Metamorphic we are committed to partnership as our belief is that together we are better..

Metamorphic is 10 years old today. Let’s rewrite history in the next 10.

- Lindsay Clarke, President & Founder

]]> http://www.metamorphicinternational.org/blog/2012/04/10-years-of-metamorphic/feed/ 0 http://www.metamorphicinternational.org/blog/2012/04/burundi-program-update/ http://www.metamorphicinternational.org/blog/2012/04/burundi-program-update/#comments Mon, 02 Apr 2012 01:43:42 +0000 Martin Press http://www.metamorphicinternational.org/blog/?p=1100 This year, Metamorphic started its first church planting program in Burundi. Burundi has been through years of civil war, including mass genocide paralleling the events that took place in Rwanda (made famous by the movie, Hotel Rwanda – if you haven’t seen it, I would encourage you to do so).

As a result of its history, Burundi has major economic, social and health issues, including HIV. Bishop Telesphore, Metamorphic’s partner in Burundi, has achieved some amazing things and is passionate about reaching his country and helping its people to reach their potential both economically and spiritually. With the Bishop, we believe that this is Burundi’s time!

Bishop Telesphore

In January, we started our first program with 26 church planters. These men and women are passionate about planting churches, and were so open to what we taught them that they have gone from this program determined to change their communities and plant other churches that will do the same.

Burundi Church Planters

I have never seen people so impacted and changed then those we trained in Burundi. The training Metamorphic provides has an emphasis on changing the way leaders think. We want these men and women to go away from the program with fresh vision and strategies to bring change to the communities in which they live. As with most programs we run, we taught them about building churches and leaders, building strong communities, and building successful businesses.

By the time we had finished our training, these men and women left believing in themselves, in the power of God and His calling, and with a determination to empower their communities to bring change! Please pray for these men and women, they really are pioneers – and have the potential to impact their country for the better!

A Church Planter in Burundi

Metamorphic – A Transformation Network! – That is what I witnessed over the time in Burundi, and I am looking forward to being back there in June when we will gather these men and women again and hear all that has transpired in their lives, churches and communities.

HIV Medications Arrive

View from the Church

Enjoying dinner together

2012 started in a fantastic way for us at Metamorphic, as we were able to gather most (120) of the church planters that have been trained in Kenya for a celebration dinner, conference and service in which we issued certificates and diplomas. At the dinner Lindsay Clarke, along with some of the leadership from our partner church here in Kenya (Word Of Faith), shared and cast vision for the future of the program in Kenya, including the expansion of the program to the west of Kenya. Expanding the program will enable Metamorphic to draw people from surrounding nations, such as Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda. Metamorphic’s first program in the west will begin in June this year.

Celebration for Church Planters in Kenya

Church Planter receiving his certificate

Another Church Planter receiving his certificate

One pastor from the first group trained here in Kenya has been able to break into the “Mungiki”, a militant and violent gang that terrorizes Kenya. This pastor took it upon himself to reach out to these gang members and spent his time building relationships and, when possible, sharing some of the stories from the Bible. He also gave some of them opportunity to train for athletics, as this pastor is also the chief athletics developer and trainer for the area. In fact, he has been very successful in this venture and has raised several athletes that are competing in international events. The Mungiki have since asked the pastor to plant a church in the area that they live in so that they can hear more about God. He has seen many of these men change and even come into the church. The government were so impressed with his work and efforts that they have made him the liaison between the Mungiki and the government for the entire area.

This story is typical of the many stories shared with us by the church planters over the few days that we were with them. All of them have managed to build great churches, impact their communities in practical ways, and start businesses to help sustain them and their families. It is an exciting thing to be a part of and I can only imagine what it will be like in another few years as we add more programs and release more men and women into this nation and beyond.

Lindsay Clarke ministering at Word of Faith Church, Kenya

Celebration service at Word of Faith Church, Kenya

Starting this month, we are re-introducing a monthly wallpaper. February’s wallpaper features an Impala, and comes from Nairobi National Park just outside the City of Nairobi, Kenya, where some of our team are currently just finishing off a training program with another fantastic group of Church Planters. Keep on the lookout for an update on how that program went in the coming weeks! I made this image late June last year, when we were in Kenya to train a previous group of Church Planters.

Click on the small image above to access and download the wallpaper. Enjoy!

At the rise of a new year, so many of us set grand resolutions of things to be accomplished. Usually, let’s be honest, those resolutions are fairly self-centred: loose weight, get a new job, make myself more comfortable / happy, etc… All good and noble pursuits.

But have you considered, as you approach 2012, how many of your pursuits are of eternal significance? Among all that you are aiming for this year, have you allowed space to contribute to the world in a meaningful way?

Even for the most committed of us, it is very easy to let the passion wane while we focus on the immediate demands of life. I am known by my friends as the one with the grand and passionate aspirations to ‘save the world’. And yet, in my present state of mind I could very easily lay aside the convictions that have stirred my heart in the past, relegate them to a ‘not relevant at the moment’ shelf, and comfortably pursue my many other, perfectly noble, desires. You know, the ones that don’t require too much investment, or my heart to be open to the deep discomfort of being broken by a cause so much bigger than me.

Given that you are reading the Metamorphic blog, it is my suspicion that you, like me, have already had your heart stirred by a cause that calls for your sacrifice.

And, because life is what it is, I would bet that there are times when the everyday distractions of life have shone brighter in your vision than the deep convictions that have stirred your heart.

And I wonder where you are placed on that journey as you begin this new year.

It seems to me that passion and purpose require intentional pursuit; they are not often our default disposition. As I drag my reluctant brain out of holiday time, I am very aware of the need to remind myself again of the things that are most important.

My first step to that end is to keep myself in the path of information, and be aware of what is happening in the world. Information like the fact that more than 3.5 million people die each year from preventable illnesses because they lack access to clean water, and 84% of those deaths are in children under the age of 14. That’s about 1 in every 8 people in the world.

And then I remember that all of the statistics and stories, news footage and photos, represent fellow humans, just like me. Imagine 1 in 8 people in your neighbourhood dying from a lack of clean water! Although those who suffer across our world may look different to me, when I have held their hands, sat in their homes, looked in their eyes, and listened to their stories, I have seen hearts no different to my own. It is a deep awareness of our common humanity – our common, and God-ordained, value – that keeps my heart soft.

I think that Jesus was also connecting to this idea of a common humanity when he said, ‘For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me… When you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ (Matthew 25:35-40).

What interests me is that this encouragement immediately follows the parable of the talents, where Jesus admonishes us not to bury the talents and resources that we’ve been given, no matter how small they seem (Matthew 25:14-30). Though the need is great, we are never asked to give beyond what we have. But if I can invest a talent, or a dollar, or an hour of my time to champion the cause of the oppressed, do I not have a responsibility to do so?

The exciting news is that the seemingly small and insignificant actions that we take can have powerful and lasting impact, when we work together. Just think, a mere $20 can provide 4 people with water for life!

There are a whole bunch of precious lives soon to be turned from powerlessness and despair to hope and a future, through the work of Metamorphic this year. And it is your support that makes this possible.

There are many ways that you can partner with us in 2012. Firstly, we would love you to share our blog, Facebook and Twitter posts with your own networks. You can also partner financially, or contribute your skills and resources to one of our projects, such as Water 4 Water. We invite you to take a look at our website for information on our projects and, if something strikes a chord, we would love to hear from you.

We pray that you have an abundantly blessed, fulfilled and purposeful 2012. May it be your best year yet!

We have now planted 2300 Churches in 10 years, helped more than 40,000 people gain access to clean safe drinking water, and this year embarked on a HIV project in Burundi that saw more than $1,000,000 in pharmaceuticals distributed.

But the best part of this year has been the people, not the projects. So many valuable individuals, team members, volunteers and prayer partners. And then there are the precious people we serve – the disenfranchised, poor and marginalized. For me, it is the greatest honor to serve each of these people as, together, we make the world a better place.

2011 has been amazing. 2012 will most definitely be awesome!