Meet Me in St. Louis

Highlights from my trip to St. Louis to interview with Joyce Meyer Ministries.

Rediscovering Humidity
Friday morning, 8:30am. I step outside to head off to my appointment. I am shocked at very cold it feels. I swear it's 15-20 degrees colder than any morning so far in Colorado this fall and it has already snowed here. Winter is bad...Summer is worse.

Fun On An Airplane
I rode there and back on an EMB145 which if you're not familiar, is the equivalent of a flying MRI machine. At least I had a window seat...oh, wait, they're ALL window seats.
Other observations from my window seat

• The Missouri river is BIG. Very, very large. Certainly large enough for riverboat casinos for every state it traverses.
• My inbound flight path took us over downtown St. Louis where I had a unique, bird's-eye-view of the new baseball venue and the former, soon-to-be-demolished-into-dust Busch Stadium. The new ballpark is being built adjacent to the old Busch and from an airplane I swear it looks as though it's one stadium shedding its skin and emerging fresh and new.
• Anyone who says we're running out of room on Earth to hold any more people has never flown from St. Louis to Denver in the daytime with a window seat. There's nothing out there, folks. Go start your own city, there's plenty of room.

The Spirit of St. Louis
Overall, it reminds me of Kansas City a lot. It's a major city, on a river which bisects two states with a lot of highways to get around. I visited "The Hill" which is the Italian section of St. Louis. I stopped at Amaghetti's (thanks Cade) and it was wonderfully delicious although the employees resembled Northern Europeans more than Italians which ruined the atmosphere slightly.
I drove by the Arch. It's still there. In fact, it was the 40th anniversary of its opening. Congratulations, St. Louis. You not only build the country's largest tourist trap, you've kept it upright for 4 decades. "They" say it has generated a lot of revenue for the city. In that regard, I find it slightly more honorable than the lottery.

Joyce Meyer Ministries
The overall outdoor appearance of this facility is amazing. The landscaping is pristine. It could be a golf course. There are no fewer than 60 fifty-feet-tall flagpoles lining the entrance road which comes complete with a gated and manned security entrance a quarter-mile from the building. Dark red brick with dark grey reflective windows backdrop a rock fountain providing the island of a covered rotunda entrance.

Inside, just as fancy. Faux (I'm assuming it's fake) marble tile reflect the overhead lighting provided by two crystal chandeliers. The broadcast area is painted awesome shades of green, crimson and blue. In fact, one hallway might was well be Jayhawk Blvd. the colors match perfectly (reminds me of Vagabond Records). The bathrooms are immaculate and more opulent than some of the nicest restaurants I've been to. They did an excellent job constructing this place.

Concerning employment...

pluses

• Cadillac health insurance. 100% paid by Joyce Meyer Ministries (JMM)
• Top of the line equipment, video and audio editing facilities second to none.
• Big offices, a consequence of a recently constructed building no doubt.
• Dress code. This is a big deal for me having been forcibly confined to a shirt and tie my entire career in an industry where khakis and a dress shirt is the equivalent of a three-piece-suit. They have a business casual with Fridays being totally casual. I happened to visit on a Friday and it looked more like a college campus than a workplace. Men are allowed to don earrings...open toed shoes are ok. I cannot tell you how progressive this is for a Christian ministry workplace.

Minuses

• 2 weeks vacation. I'm used to 3, maybe I'm spoiled, but it's a decrease no matter how you look at it.
• Pentecostalism - a majority of employees are Pentecostal (charismatic) Christians. This only bothers me in an emotional way as I've had poor experiences with this type of Christianity in the past. I think it will be different in a non-church environment, but it will no doubt be something I'll have to work through.
• Compensation - only in that I have no idea what this job pays. I was hoping to gain some insight but no information was freely given. This could turn into a plus depending on the number.
• Location - Fenton, MO. It seems nice but the nearby housing is limited and expensive which undoubtedly means a commute of 30+ minutes would likely be involved. Also, Missouri is not Colorado. As hard as I've been on St. Louis in the past, I'm conceding that it is a great place to live, but it's not Colorado.

Unfortunately, as in most cases, it comes down to money. I wish it didn't, but it's the only unknown factor that I can ascertain before deciding. Of course, there is no formal offer on the table as of this post, but I'd be surprised if I didn't hear from them very soon.

In the meantime, it's good to be back home.