Tag: Pastor’s wife

Summer Summary.

Michelle Collins5 Comments

A summer of…

Mommy did you see me. Watch me, watch me. Mommy…mommy!  Time me. Catch me.

Of Somersaults and splits. Cartwheels and headstands.
Of Wiggly teeth. Wobbly emotions.

IMG_1637Bella

Of God chasing wonder. Anchored faith. Heart lake community capturing her heart. Junior leaders. Prayers answered. Life friendships forged.

Of too many sleepovers. I give in when those visiting mascara laden, cropped top wearing, fragile ones whisper ‘please Mama Collins’.

Of befriending King David. What did he teach me?
That the opposite of fear isn’t courage, it’s trust.
That friendship is built on a safe place. Envy and jealousy will eat you up and Worship is at the heart of who we should be.
That a heart after god is integrity, love and humility.
That none of us can afford to be complacent with our holiness. Listen to our summer series here.

Of understanding myself like never before, accepting that it can often feel like a burden and envisioning a redeemed version.

Of blog posts that open eyes and offer understanding.
And…understanding that occasionally the posts I throw out fast are the ones heaven throws a flashlight on.

Of my new fave place in Vancouver. Kitsilano. Rock pool exploring and sushi on the beach. Mesmerizing sunsets and flexible people.

photoSunset on Kitsilano Beach

Of training for the Kelowna Wine Country half. September 7th is.next.week. Why didn’t you tell me we’re nearly at the end of August?

2846420a0aab11e3aaa822000a1fb0dd_7Cheered on by these views during training

Of family visiting. Respite and insight, acceptance and grace. Mom and D loving Kelowna, establishing friendships, praying with locals on street corners, encouraging at the hope centre, worshipping with the young adults.

Image 3Mom and D – a colourful couple. 

Of Green Bay bible camp. We enjoyed our week there and met some great people, the campers loved Phil’s speaking.
It was here I saw daily miracles in her. I saw a new freedom – restoring the years. Swinging high, star gazing, losing fears.

Of our new car. Everyday I drive this car I thank God for his goodness. For the prayers of a six year old and for those who listened to the whisper.

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So, as we draw to a close and the Collins clan squeeze the last drops of summer in Seattle.
I am thankful.
I know that all good gifts come from my Father in heaven.

IMG_2527Seattle from the top of space needle. Photo creds. Emily Collins.

This is my summer highlight reel.
And we know not to compare our behind the scenes with others highlight reels don’t we friends?! I will take you behind the scenes soon enough, just need to spend some time there – on my own…

Now, let me know some of your summer highlights.

I can hear September revving up.
I am not ready… but I will be next week.
Embrace the remaining summer days.

Love, Michelle xoxo

INFJ thoughts.

Michelle Collins25 Comments

Thank you for your responses and sharing of last weeks post ‘Please don’t hug me (not your way) ’ Click here to read if you missed it. It doubled my highest ever hits for one post and was shared over 50 times on Facebook. It is so encouraging to know that understanding is increasing!

On the subject of being unique…understanding ourselves is so important.

I love the Myers Briggs Type Indicator in giving me insight into my personality.  Not to box me in but to help me grow in my God given uniqueness.

What is your MBTI personality? You can take a simple online test here – although not the original and I’m sure MBTI specialists would have something to say 🙂 But it does point us in the right direction…and it’s good fun!

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Me: INFJ. Introvert:iNtutative:Feeling:Sensing.

INFJs make up about 1% of the total population, making it the rarest of the personality types.

People with INFJ personalities tend to exhibit the following characteristics:

  • Intuitive. Sometimes they are not even able to pinpoint how they know and read people. They are usually right, and they usually know it. They get feelings about things and uncanny insights into people and situations – the mystic or the prophet. So that explains my camel hair maxi dress.
  • Highly creative, poetic and artistic. Usually self-expression comes more easily to INFJs on paper, as they tend to have strong writing skills.
  • Reserved. Can be hard to get to know, often appearing withdrawn, whilst not necessarily the case. INFJs do care what others think – often too much.
  • Private. Can appear to be closed or walled… even unapproachable.
  • INFJs value close, deep relationships and often keeps sharing of ‘true self’ with a few close friends.
  • Energy is gained from these close friends, meaningful conversation with one or two and also from art and solitude.
  • Personal Growth. Enjoys thinking about the meaning of life, Personal growth drives them and anything short of that pursuit is meaningless to them. Expectation of self is (often too) high, with feelings of discontent and not finding peace in self. Come on! Take time to revel in present accomplishments.
  • Leadership. INFJ’s can be good leaders, even when they don’t take on overt leadership roles, they often act as quiet influencers behind the scenes. Particularly influencing the spouse who happens to be an extrovert leader!
  • Future focused. INFJs will continuously press on to make everyone’s life better. With their tendency to hope for better things, INFJs may be perceived as overly idealistic and stubbornly principled. Although, this can be inspiring in a world with an attitude of ‘things never change’ or ‘it’s hopeless’.
  • They are very sensitive to conflict, and cannot tolerate it very well. They may tend to internalize conflict into their bodies, and experience health problems when under a lot of stress. IBS anyone?!
  • People. INFJs are caring, good listeners and kind, they can make people feel safe and valued. In addition, the sensitivity of INFJs allows them to connect to others quite easily. Their easy and pleasant communication can often mislead bystanders, who might think that the INFJ is actually an extrovert.
  • Humor. Yes. INFJs are said to be witty, sarcastic, and a little dry in their humor. I think so don’t you?
  • Appear extrovert. This could be that people often equate good people skills with extraversion. As my family and friends know. I love a party. I love to celebrate…and while the extroverts keep going, you’ll find me retreating to my world to recharge. You’ll find me in the treehouse… or near water…or running…(for exercise, not away – kinda) The key for me is to allow those extroverts around me to bring me out of that retreating world.
  • Family/parenting: …Is another post. Imagine all of the above and parenting teens. Goodness.

I hope this short insight helps fellow INFJ’s and also to help those in our church understand this pastor’s wife a little better.

Let me know your personality type in comments.

Have a great week!

Love, Michelle xo

Info drawn from following sites:

http://16personalities.com

http://typelogic.com

http://www.personalitypage.com

Rainbow Falls

Michelle Collins1 Comment

“The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard” Psalm 19

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Our view.

Phil and I have just returned from a few days at the beautiful Harrison Hot Springs. Phil spoke at the ‘Pastor and Spouse retreat’ with 250 from our BCMB family. We got to meet and hang out with some brilliant pastors, church planters and ministers, and felt very welcome. It was great to see how the conference really look after and care for their pastors.

We also got to hang out with some of our staff team, which we loved of course!

One of my highlights was renting a boat with our crew for an hour and heading out onto Harrison Lake. After half an hour we came across ‘Rainbow Falls.’

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We disembarked our Glastron and looked for adventure.

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We walked the well worn path into the Northern rain forest. Enormous trees chopped down decades ago to make way for explorers. Mist and sunlight drifted through the trees and ferns. We marveled at the life filled scene which appeared to be set on Instagram  Xpro II. As our magical path turned a corner, it was easy to imagine the Sasquatch right at home, lounging on a cushion of moss.

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Instead, we faced a different giant. Rainbow Falls. The deafening waterfall cascaded, pushing and heaving, forced into the river below.

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We were drawn to the moment. That deep response we feel in our soul? It has to be a deep stirring of spiritual awe for the Creator, God.

Making Himself known. 

Creation singing His story. 

Have you known that response?

In Psalm 42, David asks questions of himself, his soul – his evident depression. He understands the intensity of the imagery of the waterfall before him as wave upon wave figuratively pounds upon him, cascading over his soul, pushing him deeper.

At this point of tumultuous torrents, the Psalmist acknowledges that deep calls to deep. We can know the deeper we go down, that God meets us, having known deeper still.

The Hebrew word for deep is “tehowm,” which refers to a deep place, an abyss (an immeasurable deep chasm, depth, or void). The Hebrew word for calls is “qara” which means to call unto, to summon, to invite.

The Strong’s concordance says that “qara” also conveys the idea of someone accosting you by boldly and aggressively calling you to come closer and meet.

Deep calls to deep.

Our depths are quickened to life. And we hear the whisper. I am here.

A couple of final thoughts on my waterfall musings… The closer I got, the power of the waterfall reverberated and the area took on new life.

There is a richness that is produced when we hit the depths and it’s not just about you, when we can bring forth riches from the depths of our inner life, we will find that other lives will be deeply affected.

The closer we got we caught glimpses of rainbows. Sometimes just momentarily. We needed to be in the right position to catch that glimpse.

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The rainbow? It’s there…

As you know, I am a rainbow chaser. I challenge you to look out for rainbows this week, sometimes it’s simply about altering our perspective.

Be encouraged!

Love, Michelle xoxo

Thick skin, Soft heart.

Michelle Collins35 Comments

‘LOOK’

‘You don’t look like a Pastors wife’.

I smile.

I wonder is it because I wear make up, say the wrong thing on occasion, roll my eyes too often, laugh at the wrong time during conferences?

What springs to mind? Here’s the stereotypical criteria I have realized.

As Pastor’s wife one must:

Smile continually and produce lots of perfect children by pain-free supernatural childbirth.

Play piano, sing like an angel, work in the church nursery.

Organize women’s events and carry an endless supply of Kleenex.

Bake on demand.

Produce a real baby Jesus if one isn’t available for the nativity.

There’s more but you get the idea.

I’m currently writing an assignment for my course, a fictional piece called ‘Confessions of a Pastor’s wife’. In researching I have found a number of things – pastor’s wives put themselves under massive amounts of pressure, feel isolated, alone and often resentful. I read that 8/10 PWs’ feel unappreciated or unaccepted by their husbands congregations. According to  survey by the Global Pastors Wives Network 80% responded that they wished their husbands would choose another profession, and 88% struggle with depression. 88%…

I came to realize a long time ago that I’d never meet the criteria and as Pastor’s wife I would be not allowing other people’s expectations to define me.

Because in being me, I am honouring the one who created me.

Unique and precious in His sight.

Don’t get me wrong, I know lots of piano playing, sensitive, singing PWs and that is who they are meant to be. It’s not about rebelling against stereotypes and trying to be cool.

It’s about authentic living.

So, take a good look at your Pastors wife (you do anyway) and…

Lay off on the expectations, throw lots of grace her way and bless who she is.

And I’ll end with this.

If I’m made to live a goldfish bowl. Please throw me some food in occasionally.

Love, Michelle xoxo

I am joining the free writers over here today.

Five Minute Friday

My friend Melissa also wrote a beauty today. Read her blog here…she’s a legen…I mean I really love her.