Abrahams Wallet

In their last episode, our hosts tackled the Biblical/theoretical concept of retirement, and whether it’s good or not (it is). Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel now finish their one-two punch on retirement with this conversation about tactics (11:20): How do you know when your pile of money is big enough? Is it okay for retirees to take out new mortgages? When should you bring your children into your...

Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel discuss retirement (6:50) Why do people feel guilty about this concept? What are some common misperceptions? What is the Biblical purpose of post-earning years? They get into it with gusto …but not before reviewing Mark’s family trip to St. George, Utah, “The Brighter Side.” They also display their ignorance of all things Hawaii. Resources from this episode include:...

Given that inflation hit its highest level since 1981 this week, we wanted to give you a little bit of color on what that means for business, the market and even how it might impact you personally as you think about growing money. Stick around to the end for a hot tip on how to use this particular moment to turbocharge the returns you get on your medium-term investments! Join our Volley Channel: h...

Is church so dull you pinch yourself to say awake? Or so silly and thin on substance that you leave weak and hungry? Steven Manuel sits down with a bunch of guys every other week, and they argue about what the Bible really MEANS. He finds this recurring event so inspiring, exciting, and nourishing that he asks Justin Wolfenberg and Jeremy Pryor to explain the idea behind MIDRASH- a Jewish practice...

Mark Parrett and Amelia Parrett have a conversation about their various trials and successes in hiring house helpers. Is it RIGHT for believers to hire outside help for the running of their home? If so, how do you find the people? What kinds of things should you discuss and agree upon before hiring someone? What and how do you pay? Can/should they live with you? The Parretts go into all this and m...

Steven Manuel sits down with his old good buddy Mark Douglass to discuss the coming of age celebrations Mark has thrown for each of his 4 children on their 13th birthdays. What is the historical “bar mitzvah” celebration and what is its usefulness to us today? How can you pull this off in a way that properly rings in a new era of freedom and responsibility to our children? What discussions should...

Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel put to death the old myth that money can’t buy happiness. They’re sure that it CAN (6:45), and throw some Bible at us, list some great ways they’ve spend money… and even include Steven’s genius “how to celebrate your 40th birthday” plan (43:45).   PRODUCTS AND SERVICES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Marie Kondo, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up Freedom Families podc...

Steven Manuel barges into Jeremy Pryor’s living room to pick his brain about hospitality. Are believing homes really the headquarters for the Kingdom of God? If that’s the case, how do we invite outsiders in? What are the budget and family rhythm implications? And what can we learn from Father Abraham and his encounter with the 3 strangers in Genesis 18? In this episode, we referenced: The Gospel...

Steven Manuel and his old good friend Jeff Davenport talk about the importance of reading to your children and how fathers can get good at it. [The most important book you can read to your family is THE BIBLE, but other works are great too] (9:00). But first, they waste our time yammering on about Earnest Shakleton and Fuddrucker’s hamburgers. They also spend an inordinate amount of time in the mi...

Once they get past talk of the markets and fantasy basketball (5:45) and all things LoDo (9:45), Steven Manuel and Mark Parrett finally get around to talking about VACATION (12:00) Is it in the Bible? It is western laziness run amok? Or does God actually demand it? If it’s a thing, is there a way to do it better? Can you be STRATEGIC about VACATION? What types of vacations are there? What purposes...

We continue our very occasional series that has been dubbed “Abrahamic Tent Tours”, wherein we visit someone who has applied their Family Vision to the physical space of their home. Surely a home’s setup can oppose or serve your family’s purposes and goals… have you ever thought about yours? Join Tim and Dana Schmoyer as they give you up-close-and-personal insights about why they chose this house...

We believe that wealth is what happens when we follow Biblical financial standards… but that wealth is not the goal. Steven Manuel and Mark Parrett discuss this idea, identifying its cultural ubiquity, its downfalls, and how we can put money (and the expectation of wealth) in its proper place. (8:25) Mark also reviews his time in Austin with Jeremy Pryor et al. Products and resources mentioned in...

Steven Manuel and Mark Parrett discuss inflation (8:00) and all its implications. How does it start? How does the government cause it, then seek to control it? What are its effects? And for goodness’ sake, how should we respond to it? (1:03:45)  They also wax lyric about the new Ford Bronco and give us a LoDoFeb report!

Steven Manuel continues the series on Delighting in Small Beginnings by interviewing a man who started small (with zero dollars to his name) and has built an El Paso mainstay business. Never think you have to have huge financial capital and tons of experience to start a business. You have to have faith (which Fabian has in abundance) and, as you’ll hear him say over and over… WORK HARD!

Steven Manuel and Mark Parrett discuss the value in God’s sight of small beginnings (10:30). We all tend to cheer the ARRIVAL of a dream, the FRUITION of years of faithfulness… but what about the seeds? We need to see that every act of faithfulness is a foundation stone onto which more can be built- in both the spiritual AND financial (40:30) realms. They also spat about whether you can put mozzar...

Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel discuss whether or not there’s any spiritual or financial value in having a large family (spoiler: there is) (7:30-12:15, 19:30). This important shout out to the large family, and its leaders, is interrupted by a big advertisement for our new way of talking to AW listeners: the Volley app (12:15-19:30). This episode is with a conversation with Large Family Leader Mic...

Steven Manuel and Mark Douglass (his old friend from Texas) talk about the concept of ‘dominionism’ that’s moving around some circles and inspires a new group of books (listed below). This is NOT a thorough dissection of the subject; Mark is a novice at the topic and Steven is just trying to get his head around it. They discuss whether God wants his sons “taking over”, where godly ambition and sel...

Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel continue their series on training children financially (20:30). In PART THREE of this series, they review an overall plan of 11 teaching opportunities for fostering financial literacy among your progeny. They cannot help themselves, though, from discussing Christmas lights for about 20 minutes, wasting precious minutes of your day.  Mentioned in today’s episode are t...

Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel continue their series on training children financially. In PART TWO of this series, they discuss the HOW of financial training (9:30). Before they get into the actual, useful information, they talk about shower processes, and Orator’s Corner makes an appearance (5:45).  Mentioned in today’s episode are the following books and products: Smart Kids, Smart Money, by Dav...

Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel begin a series on training children financially. In PART ONE of this series, they discuss the necessity of training one’s children (17:30). The church at large doesn’t talk about this issue, but leaving a godly inheritance necessitates this kind of training. They also get into whether Christianity, as known in the culture, is going to make it or not (1:00), and the c...

Mark Parrett reprises his “best books I read this year” gimmick with AW friend Jeff Davenport . They discuss books old and new, fiction and nonfiction, funny and profane- basically, whatever they ingested in the past year. It’s a review of interesting books, and and advertisement for reading in general. it’s 2021’s Book List!

Mark Parrett gives a quick overview on an inflation hedge: iBonds. They’re treasury certificates and you can buy up to $10k worth of them annually. If you’re looking for short-term returns with good interests rates… Listen to this quick primer and consider iBonds!

Steven Manuel tells us what to look for, Biblically, as the promised “wolves in sheep’s clothing” come out of the woodwork to deceive the church. How can we recognize false teachers, how can we respond to them, and what kind of people are “false teacher-proof” in treacherous days?

Steven Manuel, in a live talk recorded 10/30/21, speaks on the purpose of the Gospel, the urgency of obedience, and the contemporary’s church misuse of the terms “grace” and “legalism”. He shares insights about what’s happening in the church today, and how God-fearing families can respond. (0:00-9:00 is introduction to the Abraham’s Wallet audience.)

Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel discuss the celebration of holidays (22:30): Biblical (25:00), patriotic (31:30), Christian-ish (36:00) (think Christmas and Easter), and totally UNChristian American holidays (1:01:45). There is a way to navigate each types for the good of your family. They also go into tangents about the moral implications of buying Nike sneakers (1:30), Steven’s newest credit card...