Abrahams Wallet

Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel discuss two kinds of groups: 1. A group in which you’re the designated leader and you’re shepherding men toward spiritual maturity, and 2. A group of peers who’re seeking God together. How can you participate with health and excellence so that the men around you sharpen you? They also discuss Alabama college football and the strange reality that is Disney World.

Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel discuss the many uses of a well-crafted Family Vision Statement (8:00). From affecting your finances (spending, saving, and giving), your physical space, your intellectual pursuits, the way you train your children, and your spiritual life, a Family Vision Statement can have a profound effect on a family. THERE’S ALSO A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT IN THIS EPISODE with a spec...

Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel wade into piranha-filled waters by discussing the wave of firings and resignations resulting from mandates sweeping the land (8:00). What’s the Biblical stance? Can Daniel be a model for us? Where do matters of conscience come in? Lest you think it’s all serious, they also discuss Steven’s recent music recordings, a standout recent email, and how large a man’s underw...

Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel discuss Anderson Cooper (and Daniel Craig… and Kevin O’Leary)’s idea that inheritances are best given to anybody besides one’s children. We’re convinced… otherwise. Also, orator’s corner makes its return.

Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel respond to 3 diferrent accounts of “my advisor told me…” anecdotes from viewers: (25:00) 1. How much should I invest in my new business?  2. Should I put everything toward retirement when my family wants to invest in real estate? (38:15) 3. Should I dump all my money into a LIRP? (51:00) They also gab about run-ins with celebrities (1:00), BBQ updates (6:00), and Ste...

Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel discuss the need for mentors, the Biblical paradigm of mentors/disciplers/spiritual parents, and give some tips for how to find them (32:00).

Steven Manuel opines about technology’s threat to your home life, then interviews David Russell about a book they’re both into: The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch. David shares some tips about how to create and protect peace and relationship in a home filled with technology.

Steven Manuel sits down with his old friend Jeff Davenport and discuss Jeff’s transformation from a shy youth who eschewed people to a confident and brave author and owner of a family business. They talk about Jeff’s communication coaching business, The Lighthouse Point , and miiiiiiiight go into a leeeeetle too much detail about the time they were on a game show together.

Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel discuss the Biblical idea that money is, among other things, to be a relationship sweetener. The Bible points us in the direction of using money to encourage good relationships… and Mark and Steven are here to give you concrete tips on execution. They also can’t help but talk about Sukkot and their lame NBA fantasy league.

Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel (who is speaking from Texas on a terrible audio connection, bless him) have a conversation about great funerals, what the Bible says about honoring the dead, how to maximize the opportunities that funerals present, and one recommended way to grieve communally, as Steven offers a guide for “sitting shiva”. Find our related article here .

Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel gab about the Mars Hill oral history podcast, both what it gets wrong by declaring some things as bad, and what it gets wrong by declaring other things good. They are fascinated, intrigued… and disgruntled.

Get to know one of the voices of Abraham’s Wallet (and by golly, the best Certified Financial Planner we know), Mark Parrett. Mark shares his background with God and money, how those uniquely intersect for him, and his heart for helping others navigate finances.

Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel finish their seres on 401Ks (17:00) and give detailed information about “rolling over” 401Ks into various products. We also hear about Steven’s daughter, Joy’s experience running a flea market stall (11:00), Mark’s new ski house, and more annoying pickleball talk (4:30).

Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel go into more detail regarding 401Ks, and the FOUR THINGS you should know and do about them (27:45). First, though, we check in on bear stories, and Steven rant about the “moratorium on evictions” (8:00) including Rudyard Kipling’s “The Gods of the Copybook Headings” (12:00). 

Steven Manuel drags Jeremy Pryor around his house, asking to hear the vision and goals that inform each area of his property. Jeremy has been extremely intentional about every square inch of his home, so we hear some of his insights around family spaces, how JRR Tolkien influences the Pryor house… and he and Steven both gush about pickle ball.

Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel warm your hearts, and the front of their microphones, as they discuss 401Ks. WARNING: THIS IS A MAJOR BANTER EPISODE, beginning with Mark’s personal updates, then 2 tales of Steven’s brushes with fame (12:15). When they finally address 401Ks (20:15), they talk about what they actually are (a government-sponsored retirement savings program), how to fund them (27:50),...

Is your home based on the unchanging Kingdom, or the swirling whims of a culture gone amok? Is freedom a more important value than Truth? Steven Manuel shares a message from 2015 that feels as applicable today as ever.

Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel discuss budgeting (9:15) and the three aspects of running it in such a way that money is left over at the end of the month: 1. Know What’s Going On (11:35), 2. Make A Plan (26:02), and 3. Execute Faithfully (50:20). Running a budget that serves the family vision, then submitting to it, is a sure way toward abundance!

Steven Manuel talks about himself this week (so you know… get ready for that)… he gives us his religious resume, talks about his ministerial experience (7:25), then goes on a CHURCH RANT about obedience vs. legalism (22:30). Enjoy this all-Stevie episode!

Steven Manuel and Mark Parrett talk (on the road, with road noise thrown in for FREE!) talk about children, including having a vision for them, curating your children’s friendships (10:15), the road trip Steven went on with his daughters (14:45), whether it’s safe or not to let your kids go to summer camp (19:45), monitoring your child’s inputs (27:45), and cross-pollination (32:30). Join us on ou...

Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel give listeners a review of their Texas road trip, then dive into a pretty-darn-rare event: the Mail Bag! (7:40) They field questions like “If I have $200K, am I rich?”, “What Bible should be my next Bible?”, “When do my new kids start earning me tax credits?”, “Should I discipline my children when they don’t hear me?” (31:30), and… others.

Mark Parrett, snug at home in Utah, talks to Steven Manuel, who’s driving south on I-55, about leaving poverty. Mark gives some tips about what to DO when you’re ready to put poverty into your rear view mirror (if you will. Ahem). Steven encourages repentance and prattles on about what he’s eating on his road trip.

Steven Manuel has a conversation with his parents about some basic principles of work, and their stories that illustrate them. How important is working for a father and family leader? Should you do just ANY job, or wait for the PERFECT job? What rights do you have? Does life owe you some opportunities? Sit under the wisdom of the years and learn some truths from Roger and Linda.

Mark Parrett and Steven Manuel have a very good time discussing child tax credit checks (14:00) but surround that with jawing on wide ranging subjects such as summertime golfing, nonalcoholic beer (4:00), Steven’s BBQ fetish (5:00), the Cincy cicada plague of ’21 (13:00), and Steven’s latest rant about his problems with modern Christianity (32:00).

Today, Steven Manuel talks through how to recognize a spirit of poverty… and how to kiss it goodbye, including what to pray and how to start thinking in Biblical paths of prosperity.