On December 3rd the first Levend Water Connecting Bulletin was delivered to all mailboxes in Delft. The Bulletin is written in Dutch, but for all our expat and international friends we are happy to translate the articles of John C. Maxwell en David Koerts in English. 

Read the articles below, or see the the Bulletin in Dutch as an pdf: Connecting Bulletin.

Everybody wants encouragement, right?

By John C. Maxwell, worlds foremost leadership expert.   In the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC, are the personal belongings of the Amercian President Abraham Lincoln on display which he had on them while he was murdered.  One of them was a worn news paper in which Lincoln was described as one of the greatest statesman ever. That even Lincoln, who during the civil war from both sides was overloaded by criticism, carried a news paper on him to encourage himself, speaks highly about the human need of affirmation.   The most important person which you can encourage is yourself. If you are discouraged and want to quit, yuo loose the opportunity to urge other people that hopes to find encouragement by you.    Here you find tree ways to encourage yourself.  

Make a monument. Hebrews sheperds engraved important milestones of their lives in the wood of their staff. This reminded them every day the victories they had over their struggles. We only can take encouragement out from peviously obtained sucesses if we are reminded of them.  Lincoln choose for a news paper article in the hem of his coat. Whatever you choose, you will see that visual reminders to important milestones in your life will ecourage you.   

Build your supportteam. Stay away from people that try to belittle your ambitions. That do little people. Big people give you the feeling that you can become big too. Every relation lift us or up or pulls us down. With supportes in your live you make more change to overcome difficulties.  

Sow encouragement. We are like our friends. If you want to receive encouragement from others, be general yourself in encouraging of others. People are willing to follow your positive example. Your envirement will look better and better with more poeple who share more courage and hope. Encouragement is reciprocal. I am always amazed again about how enthousiastic people are to do a favor in return after I encouraged them with inspiration. And their encouraging words give me the strength to go on.  

Hugo Grotius about change

By David Koerts, Pastor of Christelijke gemeente Levend Water Delft.   A special man, Hugo Grotius. It is not for nothing that there is a statue of him on the Market square. He is the founder of the international rights. In my opinion he deserves respect for this reason alone. But also by the following statement, he gets my respect. Themore because it seems that this statement more than 350 years later is still actual.  

Hugo Grotius: "You can not reign a Kingdom, if you dont know how you must control a province. You also can not lead up a province, if you can not lead a city. You also can not lead a city, if you not know how to manage a village. You also can not manage a village, if you can not lead your family. Nor you can lead a family, if you can not govern yourself."  

Govern yourself. That is different than self controle or restrain. This famous Delftenaar, sometimes he was called Huig, points with this statement to the inner man. If you are not honest in your heart, why should you be honest if you are allowed to reign a city or a country. There is no system, religion or goverment that can force you from the outside to be honest in your heart. To govern yourself is only possible if this govern starts in your own heart. Real change is change from the inside. That is what Jesus Christ is doing. He stands at the door and ask if He may come in, to live in your heart. That is the Jesus of whom we celebrate with Christmas that He is born. I whis everyone a good Christmas, werein also the world and the goverment heed to the words of Hugo from the statue.