Photo by Trent Erwin
Fellow Bereans,
Thank you for your prayers, comments, gifts, and assistance to make The Berean Test what it is! You are truly remarkable people.
In an attempt to be completely transparent, a recent life event may have an impact on the future of The Berean Test reviews.
I’ve never shared this before, but I work for the United States Federal Government. I take pride in the fact that I don’t use Government time to maintain The Berean Test. Where I work, I get 15-minute morning and evening breaks, as well as 30 minutes unpaid lunch. I also have the flexibility to “flex out” of work for any reason as long as it doesn’t impact work/meetings/etc. Given that I am able to telework, I found time during my breaks and the occasional flex-out to maintain this website, which includes completing reviews, responding to comments, addressing technical problems with the site as they pop up, and tax preparation.
Why am I bringing this up now?
Some of you may be aware of what’s happening in the Federal workforce. Employees are being asked to work onsite full time. Translation: I will lose all telework privileges in the future. Meaning that I’ll need to find extra time at home to work on this website. The nice benefit is that I’ll be able to use my breaks to, well, take a break! However, I’ll need to figure out where I’ll find the time to work on The Berean Test without taking extra time away from my family.
I haven’t been called back into the office full time yet, so I still have time to prepare. However, I’ve been informed by management that full time work onsite is coming and I cannot escape it without leaving the Federal Government, which I have no intention of doing.
I’d like you to pray for me, that I select the best path forward that balances job obligations, familial obligations, and my sanity. I do not wish to suspend reviews moving forward, but it’s currently on the table for my consideration.
If anyone has any suggestions, I’m all ears.
Edit: Thank you everyone for your prayers and thoughts!
Comments
Ron
Hi Vince,
I used to accept any song from Christian artists as long as it was labeled that way—until I came across your website. Wow, what a difference! I’m so grateful for your ministry. It’s really opened my eyes to be more mindful of what a song is actually saying.
Thank you! I pray that God gives you wisdom and guidance as you navigate the decisions before you.
I would love to be of help. We can discuss further—you’re welcome to email me at the address I provided in my comments.
May God bless and strengthen you!
Jolee
Praying for your situation Vince! Thank you for all you do
Robert
You are the man. Thank you for your dedication to this and willingness to figure it out. I’m sure the telework vs. in-office has some pros and cons. But hey – maybe you’ll be able to have more conversations about Jesus and even this topic of music with folks around the coffee maker, etc. Also – I have some ideas and would love to be on a team under your guidance that reviews songs once a month or so! I am constantly (as I’m sure others are, too) critiquing songs for my own use – but would love to see HOW you do it and be part of a team doing it on this kind of public forum. I think we could even move your posts to something else like Medium and even YouTube (extra work needed, of course). Let me know if you’d like to talk – r.a.hampshire@gmail.com.
Erin
Hey Vince– I have never commented on here but I find your reviews to be an incredible resource and tool as I plan worship services. I have recommended this site to many fellow Worship Leaders and will continue to do so. I just want to say I will pray for your situation and I trust that the Lord will guide you. Thank you for all you have done!
Eka
Not sure what your commute looks like but if you can take the train or bus, you can use that time to work! And I am happy to hear you are going to get your breaks back, you should have them!
Elijah
I wish you the best in this time. I pray that you will find the right balance. Know that your work has been a splendid resource to many people and has showed the truth of God’s Word in today’s worship lyrics.
Whatever is decided, I wanted to thank you for the time that you have poured into this ministry. I hope you make the decision that God leads you to. While this site is a priceless resource, spreading God’s Word should be a privilege, not a dreaded obligation. Maybe at this time you are being called to focus your ministry in the spheres of your workplace and your family. There is nothing wrong with that.
What I am trying to say is although this is a splendid ministry and I would love to see it continued, I do not want to lose sight of what is truly important out of some sense of loyalty.
I liked the suggestion that Nate had. If there is someone you trust who is willing and has the time, it would be a good consideration to hand over the reigns, at least for a little while. Obviously, you would still have the final say and editing power. Moreover, it could be an excellent way to help someone else grow in their walk with the Lord while still keeping this outreach going.
jennifergrichmond
Thank you for your thoughtful note. Your efforts and ministry have been so valuable to us all! I agree with all that has been said before, and echo what Nate said about being like Moses and delegating.
I have been thinking about all those, like you, who are being asked to return to in-person work. I’ve been thinking about how stressful this transition must be on you all and, while much is needed in getting our government back, there are so many honest, hard-working, people like you who have been God-honoring in how you’ve worked and I pray that you all will continue to be a light in this lost world! We need godly men like you where you have been place.
I will absolutely be praying for you during this time. – for wisdom, miracles, clear thinking, and creative solutions that continue to honor the Lord.
I cannot thank you enough for your willingness to share this update. It has given me the answer to my own prayers as I have wanted to prayerfully support men and women like you who are Lights in our government.
May God bless you as you seek to honor him and love Him – heart, soul, mind, and strength – at home and at work.
Eyes on Him,
Jennifer Richmond
Linda Melcher
The Berean Test is such a great resource. Prayers for you Vince, going forward. May God bless you greatly.
Tabitha
Thank you for all you have already done here (very much appreciated), and thanks for giving us advance information. Just please don’t sacrifice your sanity.
Adrian Fox
Vince- prayers for your situation. Your reviews have been immensely helpful to me and I’m sure many others. I would be more than happy to volunteer to help write reviews, as I’m sure others would. There would of course need to be a vetting process. At minimum, agree with your statement of faith on your about me page. You would, as well, reserve the final approval before a song review is posted. I, for one, know that this is a resource that needs to continue! Thanks for all you do.
Ron
Vince. Praying God’s guidance and provision for you. Also, your reviews are important work in the Kingdom. I am sure God is pleased.
Neal Cruco
Vince, thank you for all the time you have put into this site. I hope you are able to continue this work, but I am praying that you make the right decision on how to use your time in the future.
Nate
Be like Moses?
1. Delegate.
Find someone you trust, to share the load, and whom will respond faithfully to your requests. You still retain control, the content is still yours, but you’re using a scribe instead of a keyboard.
You are Senior Reviewer.
They are Personal Assistant, Scribe, Editor, Technical Click Clacker. Community outsource. Could have multiple.
Voice recordings. NDA. You can decide if they are paid or unpaid. It’s essentially a data entry role to take your instructions and put them into action in exact ways. Time consuming but critical to your operations.
Have a system that you can add to backlog Reviews (dedicated SSD), what’s completed, who did, paid?, be super organised on the management side, and God will bring the right people to you.
This is scalable. Mobile. Global.
Vince Wright
Nate,
Thank you for your suggestion!
While I appreciate this idea (and it seems to be gaining traction), there are a lot of legal hurdles I’d need to look into and overcome to make this possible.
The good news is, I still have time to prepare. We haven’t been given an official date yet. My best option at the moment is to work an alternative schedule. 5/4/9 to be specific. I’ll work eight 9 hour days, one 8 hour day, and receive a day off every two weeks. I’ll work a bit later each day, but this will give me a day off work to write two reviews biweekly. If I hate it, I could revert back and try something else.
-Vince Wright