This is not a post about mutual funds – it is a post about mutual understanding between a husband and wife regarding financial matters. When you’ve done this exercise, you’ll be better informed and motivated regarding mutual funds, retirement, investing, spending, saving, and giving; but you’ll find no advice here about better or worse funds. We are more interested in you have a better understanding of each other – especially if that understanding is grounded in faith.
What we want you to do each day for the next 6 days regarding the six biblical concepts below:
1. Read the passages beside the concept out loud.
2. Each of you take a minimum of 3 minutes and a maximum of 10 minutes to paint your picture about that concept including how the scripture you read speaks to that concept.
3. As each spouse talks, the other listens attentively, and then, in their own words, summarizes what they heard. No agreement or disagreement comments. No defensiveness. Just reflection. The goal is not agreement. It is understanding.
4. When each of you has taken your turn, pray together about that concept:
If you need some help knowing how to pray, try the ACTS prayer. ACTS is an acronym that will help you pray beyond “thank you” and “please give.” Here’s an example:
At the end of the six days, you will have grown in your understanding of yourself, your spouse, and your God’s view of money; and , we believe, your conversations about money will go much better and be much more holy.
Day One: Earn Ethically (Habakkuk 2:6-9; Prov. 11:1)
Day Two: Resist Greed (Eccl. 5:10; 1 Tim. 6:9-10)
Day Three: Spend Modestly (1 Tim. 6:6-8; Hebrews 13:5)
Day Four: Avoid Debt (Prov. 22:7; Romans 13:8)
Day Five: Save Diligently (Prov. 21:20; Gen. 41:35-36)
Day Six: Give Generously (Prov. 3:9; Tim. 6:18)
(These concepts came from an article Richard liked in the journal Preaching, “God Lessons from the Great Recession;” Vol 26, No. 3; p. 23).
— Richard and JeannaLynn May