Category Archives: Parenting

Nelson’s journal 2/18/22

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Trying to apply what he’s learning in his new book, Nelson is wondering how to honor the Sabbath day while still being a pastor. Sundays are work days for him in that regard, yet he hopes he can find a way to blend work and rest.

The baby’s due date in early March is fast approaching, so he’s also wondering what kind of “work” that will add to their overloaded schedules.

He admits he’s never been good at resting on Sundays (or any day, for that matter), but the new book is challenging him to consider its importance.

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February 18, 2022

Been still reading the book, Elimination of Hurry. He’s at the application part, talking about rest and the Sabbath. Doing nothing that’s not either Rest or Worship. Pretty good idea actually.

Apparently, the Bible mentions it longer than any other command and God even blessed it along with just a couple other things like being fruitful and multiplying. Nothing that’s not worship or rest. Last week we skipped Costco and it was a refreshing break.

It’s hard being a pastor doing the church thing, which, for me, is work, but I don’t know really how to solve that one. Sunday seems to be the day, and it’s not to catch up on paying bills or other stuff that I never got around to during the week. That’s what Saturday is for.

Interesting concept that almost no one I know follows. Well, at least I don’t follow it. Annso has been talking about it forever. He (the author) talks about a meal with friends, but at this point, nothing about that seems restful to me.

In the sermon last week, Jimmy asked the question, “What do you need a break from the most?” and without skipping a beat, I leaned over to Annso and said, “That’s easy. People.”

We are trying to pass off the Kokua Crew lead position. Seems to be one of those things that we have to dump with or without a replacement. If she wants to work in the ministry still, it will be up to her under someone else. It’s hard to let go, but it’s time for sure, baby or not. We can use that as the excuse, but, for me it’s time to get out from under this one.

Maybe running grounds or some other tactical ministry for a while, but nothing like staffing DTS or what we’re doing now.

Lord, we have been given this amazing life here, and the last thing I want to do is throw it away to work a normal job as an electrician, but maybe taper off a bit and still pastor the church, I don’t know. 40 hours a week isn’t really full time to me, so maybe there’s some extra time somewhere to serve and keep in the game of YWAM. You always lead us so well and we want to do and be the best, not just the good.

Sabbath: Rest or worship: no exercise, no shopping, no working on vehicles, no heavy duty cooking, not even going to church because that’s clearly work for me. Maybe it’s Saturday. Nothing but rest and worship. Walking with my family, taking a nap, drawing or painting, playing music either through speaker or a guitar, having coffee and tea, talking, reading… and of course, prayer, talking to God about life and love.

Being together as a family is probably the main way to worship God. Casting off the shackles of productivity. I finished the 5 days with Tim and managed to get cocked in the eye with a large cable which sent me home. Eventually went to the OB with Annso, and then to the hospital with her to make sure there was enough fluid in there with the baby, which there was.

He’s a little under weight, but not bad. I think it’s because she doesn’t really eat or drink all that much, but it will be fine in the long run, I’m sure. She does a great job with this whole thing and, to me, it’s like a dream to be able to live this with her. And to be welcoming a new baby boy into the world is more than I can even comprehend. I’m glad it’s taken until now. I hope I live long enough to see a lot of it, starting out so late, but it’s easy to give that up to God.

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“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27)

Nelson’s journal 2/9/22

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While tackling each day, all of them overloaded, Nelson has one thing in the front of in his mind: finding more room for God in his life. As he takes Step One toward becoming an electrician, he is “mostly confident” he’s doing the right thing. But there are other questions swirling around in his head, too, like what name to give their baby boy when he arrives.

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February 9, 2022

Jesus turned water into wine in John 2. It’s what I’ve been reading in my morning quiet times. I extended it, and Annso and I added a Sunday night prayer time to our week in an effort to make space for God to speak and to move. Making space for God, less for everything else.

Tomorrow I start work for Tim in an effort to become an electrician or at least just to follow the leading of God. It’s not even important, so far as I can tell, to know the outcome of the move, just to do the next right thing. I am mostly confident that starting work for him to learn the basics of wiring a house is “the next right thing.”

I’m a little scared to put myself under a “boss” with a start and finish time. I feel a little like the children of Israel asking for a king. “We want what the other nations have!” And they got what they wanted. Well, I’ll try it out anyway and trust you, Lord, with the balance. All we have is today.

Lord, I am so grateful for new things and that your leadings never really take the same shape. We are excited for our little baby, and I’m excited to be stretched in some ways. There is probably nothing worse for us humans than stagnation. I pray we would never get entitled or stagnant in our faith.

Thank you for leading us on. We don’t know the destination, but we know you are Who we want. I pray for wisdom like the older set prayed for us last night at the Tuesday meeting. I pray for wisdom and for tender hearts.

Thank you for our little boy who is coming into the world. I pray for a good name for him that we both like. I was wanting Willard Nelson Nyman out of respect for Papa, but Annso isn’t sure. Anyway, last night we came across Noah Nelson Nyman, which has a nice ring to it. I can get down with that.

I pray for a good name for him, Lord, but more, I pray for a ‘good name’ as your word tells it, meaning the reputation he’ll have. I’m thankful for the improved reputation I have after all those years of craziness. You changed everything, and I’m thankful for it.

I would like to pray about what to do with the extenders here with us in ywam. What can we do to value them, but not have anyone come to a place of entitlement? Should we cap the ‘time-in-a-row’ a person can live at Hale Ola? Should we move people to different rooms? Different buildings?

I pray also for young moms Annso can be friends with, once little Nel comes into the world. I pray that she would meet and like some women who are not in ywam or trying to advance their own kingdoms. I pray she could link up with girls who love you, Lord, so they can sharpen each other.

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“I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” (Psalm 32:8)

Nelson’s Journal, 2/3/22

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Nelson has no idea that by the end of this month, he will begin feeling poorly in several ways. His symptoms are mysterious and unwelcome, and they don’t even hint at the disastrous diagnosis they will ultimately reveal.

Heavily on his mind at the beginning of February is whether or not he and Ann Sophie should schedule a break from the day and night pace of working with YWAM while pastoring a church. Soon they would become parents, and Nelson planned to be very much involved in parenting the little boy God was preparing to them.

Repeatedly in his journal he has asked what God thinks about making a big shift. Logic tells him that with the baby coming soon, there’s no time like the present to tackle the decision. The problem was all the questions that came to mind when he tried to puzzle it out. Should they give up one of their commitments? And if so, which one(s)? And when? And if they left, where would they go? To do what?

Nelson senses big changes coming but has no idea how extensive they’ll be. He is also unaware that in the end, he won’t have to decide anything, because God Himself is going to step in and do it for him.

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February 3, 2022

Early morning, still dark at our place at Hale Ola. Annso in the next room, pregnant as all get-out.

We’re packed up for the termite tenting today [all food double bagged, right], but first a beach staff meeting. Should be better than usual, with just 4 of us today.

Seems that whoever we have on staff over the years, people really need these meetings to unload and get stuff off their chest, though sometimes it lands on us. That can be really stressful, but it’s part of the job.

I am looking forward to a break from YWAM but not sure what exactly it will play out like. It’s the 3rd day of February, 2022. The date seems unreal. The 1990’s seems like ancient times. Actually, time is going so fast, 2019 seems like the old days but it was just 3 years ago.

Lord, I’m thankful for all of it. Thank you for the uncertainty and the certainty, although there is much more in the first category. Thank you for the joy you brought through Annso and the prophecy from Mom years ago to that effect. You are so nice to me, and I deserve none of it, especially not her. We have our little challenges here and there, but mostly, we get along so well.

I pray for the wisdom on how to do our taxes. Seems I vacillate between being overly honest to the point where we hurt ourselves and don’t need to, and just not reporting things we probably should. You have been so kind to me after all my trouble with the IRS in the past. We have no debt, no financial trouble at all, and you have given us all sorts of income streams. Being in Hawaii, it’s easy to rent things out [scooters, cars], and that helps.

I pray you would guide us in this transition, possibly into living off campus and not running the Kokua Crew anymore. It’s not our ministry anyway. It’s yours.

I pray for our little guy who is about to come into the world and that the delivery would be quick and easy for Annso. I’m sure millions of people pray for things to be easy, and maybe what’s the point, but I’d feel bad if I didn’t at least ask. You have been so nice to us and for us, that it seems the beginning of stuff is the hard part—like when we were dating and spending all that time apart being the worse part, and the marriage itself being the easiest. I pray the same thing for our little baby.

We had such a hard time getting pregnant, and if it follows the same trend, you would make the delivery easy. Why not? At least I can ask.

I pray for my meeting with Jimmy today about church and the time we have left in his internship. We’ve hit an all-time low in attendance. I have felt we should quit pastoring for some time now, and maybe the writing has been on the wall much too long. Same thing for Kokua Crew. We had a good run at it, but I don’t want to stay with it until maybe someone asks us to leave.

Please give us the wisdom to know what to quit and when to quit, if anything. You know what’s coming and have put us in the right positions at the right time. You also know the boundaries we should set, both with work and with personal relationships. Just let us know what to do.

I pray for a kingdom mindset with taxes, faith, possessions, status, location, what we do with our time, everything. Thank you for our invitation to spend a little time up north at Steve’s place for a day and a night away. I know it will help us.

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“The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.“ (Proverbs 16:9)