Shamá: Hebrew
to listen, hear, follow, and obey the voice of Love
Welcome. We are so thrilled that you are here.
Shama’ Collective was birthed out of countless hours of conversation between dear friends and colleagues. Hours spent together in our homes, restaurants and dive bars. Hours talking, seeking counsel, praying, listening and discerning. We worked hard in the day as we dreamed deep into the night. After several weeks of this it occurred to us that we’d spent virtually no time at all discussing what we would actually do. We had spent our time talking about who we are, what we are about, who we are being called to be, and what we hope for others who come seeking our help. We were listening to our hearts’ deep desire.
Shama’ is a Hebrew word that means “to listen intently, hear, follow, and obey the voice of Love.” And we believe that this is where LIFE is found. Deep healing starts the moment we begin to tell (and grieve the truth of) our stories, relationships, style of relating, dysfunctions and addictions. But this must be followed up with the questions of celebration … Who am I? Who am I not? What do I really want? And who am I being called to become? Then, as we listen intently, “Now what do I do?” Healing is found in both naming truth but then in listening and following the difficult but beautiful voice of Love showing up in our awakening desire. And desire awakened is a dangerous thing. It’s painful - guaranteed. And it takes us into the terrifying domain of freedom and risk. This freedom comes at the great cost of time and resources - the greatest of which is the investment of our hearts. One doesn’t feel less, but more. Greater joy as well as deeper sorrow. But more full. More whole-hearted. More willing to suffer for something bigger than ourselves.
Henri Nouwen once said, “The work of healing isn’t about the right thing to do or say but about creating enough inner space within oneself where the stories of others can be held.” And this is the space we continually seek to create for you. Every person who is a part of this collective has done and continues to do the work we invite our clients into. We don’t believe we can take you to a land we’ve never been. We’ve invested years, resources and energy into receiving prayer, counseling, healing and training. We’ve grieved dead children, tragic stories of abuse, and lost relationships. Our marriages have been on the brink of disaster and failing. We have moved across the country without jobs or homes more than once because we were being called to “go.” It’s been a painstakingly difficult but glorious process. And so many we have worked with have risked the same once their hearts were captured and found … not unlike the man in Matthew 13:44 who sold everything he had to buy the field where the treasure was hidden. And it has been so worth it. For we’ve also known beauty, restoration, joy, laughter and freedom. So much is still undone, but we are getting our hearts back.
As Shama’ Collective we work hard to help our clients find deep inner healing of heart, mind, and body for the sake of arousing longing, hearing “the voice of Love” and in so doing find the courage to live with meaning and purpose. We do this as a collective of voices out of our unique personalities, our very different skill and gift sets, and out of our stories, wounds, and callings. This happens through one-on-one counseling, group therapy, classes, writing, AromaTouch therapy for women, counseling intensives, an internship training program and more.
So will you join us in telling a bold and courageous story with your life? The question Jesus would so often ask, “What is it that you want me to do for you?” Do you want to live in freedom?
What do YOU want?
Shamá Collective Mission and Vision
Henri Nouwen said, "The work of healing isn't about the right thing to do or say but about creating the space within oneself where the stories of others can be held."
Shamá Collective mission is to create space for stories to be heard and held for the purpose of healing in order to live out our distinct and collective craft to grow beauty.
Our vision is also distinct and collective:
1 We strive to individually and cooperatively listen, hear, and respond to the voice of Love, equipping others to a life of play and calling.
2 We work to create a space where each person works uniquely but collectively out of their story and gifts as prophet, priest, and king.
3 We live from a collaborative place of friendship, vulnerability, and creativity.
4 Through this space we work toward training, teaching, supervising, counseling, and attending to the whole person toward integration and ongoing healing of the individual but far greater corporate body, heart, and mind.
5 We train and teach with the humility of learning from each other and our clients.
Further, we exist to grow the body of Christ toward deeper life in freedom, creativity, and beauty. We work as an organism that is not stagnant but becoming, growing, and developing.
We do not work from a hierarchy but instead recognize that each person’s contribution stands on its own yet is further incorporated into a family where our total power and strength is far greater than any individual alone. We work as a unit.
We teach each other and have the humility to learn from each other. We work out of our unique individuality as well as far greater as a body.
Please let us know how we can help!
Clint, Jonathan, and Lori