On September 10th, 2010, Gary Vaynerchuk (www.garyvaynerchuk.com) shared via Twitter, “Being a contradiction is the best thing that can happen to you.”
The journey I have been on has led me to the place where I am involved in a number of different pursuits, activities and projects that, to some, seem contradictory.
These days, I am very comfortable with who I am, apparent contradictions and all.
What we do with our time comes out of who we are. Below is some of what I do with my time and a window into who I currently am.
This is me today-
Writer. Writing at stevenshomler.com and others places. www.stevenshomler.com
Good Life Sage. Teaching others to Go Live The Good Life. www.golivethegoodlife.com
Food Cart Enthusiast. I live in the great city of Portland, OR and I love Portland’s Food Carts. I write about Food Carts at Portland Food Cart Adventures www.PortlandFoodCartAdventures.com
Great Marriage Advocate. Battle For a Great Marriage. If I can have a great marriage, you can have a great marriage! www.BattleForaGreatMarriage.com
Pastor. After a 4 year hiatus (2007-2011) and many personal changes I am once again working as a pastor. I pastor at Bridge City Community Church in Milwaukie, OR. You can get to Bridge City’s website by going to www.aplaceforsinnersandmisfits.com
In many, many ways I am not at all who I was in the Fall of 2004, it does seem that even with who I am today, God still wants me to pastor. Luckily for me Bridge City is a place for sinners and misfits and I have found a place where I can pastor and still be who I am, quirks and all. I started pastoring at Bridge City in 2010. I officially became part of the paid staff on April 1, 2011. I love it that my start date was April Fools day!
I share my spiritual perspectives on my faith website Warming Fire www.WarmingFire.com
Husband, Father, Grandfather. Last but not least - I am blessed with a great wife, wonderful children and one awesome grandson!
It has been a Long Strange Trip
Thanks to my friend Jerry Riecken, I saw the Grateful Dead in 1993 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, OR. Since then, I have come to love the song Truckin’ and the line, “Lately it occurs to me, what a long strange trip it has been.”
The road I have travelled has led me to be who I am today.
Professionally, I have been self employed – running my own business. I have worked in Sales. I spent about 5 years working in the Mortgage business as a retail Loan Officer.
Following my time working as a Loan Officer, I spent almost a decade working as a church planter. I started and pastored 3 churches in 3 different parts of the country – Olympia, WA, Maple Grove, MN and Portland, Oregon.
The first 2 churches I started were successful and doing well at the time I left each of them. They say that the 3rd time is a charm. Not this time. Sadly the third church I planted did not make it.
The whole journey of leaving MN in the Fall of 2004 and heading west to Oregon for a better life, planting Compass Community Church and having it fail while I crashed and burned out has impacted who I am tremendously.
Quite a bit of who I am today, including professionally and spiritually can be traced to that Fall 2004 to Spring 2007 time frame.
In 2007, I ended up back in the Mortgage business, this time in the wholesale side of the Mortgage business working as an Account Executive for First Horizon and then (due to a corporate buy-out), MetLife Wholesale.
In 2008, I doubled my funded loan volume (my sales volume) over my 2007 volume, and in 2009 I once again doubled my funded loan volume over 2008 figures. In 2009, I funded 998 loans totaling $254 million.
I subsequently qualified for both President’s Club and Chairman’s Circle, and I was the #4 wholesale Metlife Account Executive in the country. President’s Club was held in March of 2010 at the Fontainebleau Resort in Miami Beach, FL.
That trip and the accompanying week I spent in the Caribbean with my wife also impacted me. I had heard about President’s Clubs and Diamond Clubs etc. for about 20 years. It is one thing to hear about those kind of events/trips. It is quite another to actually experience that kind of lifestyle. I liked it (a lot), and I look forward to going back to both the Fontainebleau and to the Caribbean.
Recreationally, I have always enjoyed movies, cooking and books. Since 2004, I have also come to appreciate great dining, as well as cocktails, whiskey and the Blues. My current favorites whiskeys are Woodford Reserve and Ardbeg Ten. The music of artists like Joe Bonamassa and Janiva Magness speak to the deep parts of who I am.
I have a rich tapestry of experiences and passions, and these days my professional ambition is to draw on my journey thus far and become an author and a speaker.
I invite you join me on my journey as I - Go Live The Good Life.
Steven Shomler
Good Life Sage
sshomler@goodlifesage.com
“The posts on this site, including but not limited to images, links and comments left by readers are my own and do not necessarily represent my employer’s positions, strategies or opinions.”
“The posts on this site, including but not limited to images, links and comments left by readers are my own and do not necessarily represent Bridge City Community Church’s positions, strategies or opinions.”
stevenshomler
