1) What is your earliest memory about money?
Three memories come to mind. The first is savings coins in our tootsie roll bank, a cylindrical cardboard container with a tin lid. There was something satisfying about accumulating a full container of coins. The second memory is donating spare change I had into the poor box at the entrances to our church, without ever being prompted by my parents. I loved doing this. The third memory is when my parents help setup a savings account at First Fidelity (when it existed) to help us learn about money and savings. They had a children's account through which they provided us with this little book. Each time we went to the bank, they took our book and printed on it our deposits. It gave us something tangible to see what we possessed (albeit intangibly).
2) What is the core message about money you learned while in your formative (7-15) years?)
While donating was important, even as my parents always gave to our church, savings seemed to hold the higher regard. This certainly has been imprinted upon me. Being sure oneself is secure financially, so as not to be a burden to others in times of crisis, for the sake of oneself as well as family was certainly taught under the realm of 'independence.' Twist even supports that the ways in which we see our parents utilize money shape how we will use money. (pg 10) Through the process of saving into my first bank account and beyond, I witnessed my parent's always display concern over having enough money to pay for bills, etc. This certainly supported Twist's description of "scarcity" and the fear that "there's not enough" (pg 49). Perhaps my parents struggle pressed them to teach us to save more so that we would be in a 'better' economic position than they were. My guess is they thought they could teach us to manage money better earlier in life so that we would have more financial strength and less worry through life. Twist certainly argues there is no point of stress-free feeling with scarcity and the belief of 'more is better' looming (pg 50), but rather only with the understanding that comes from 'sufficiency' (pg 67).
3) What do you think this will mean for you as a leader?
I believe I will be challenged working on tight budgets, where I always feel a need to have a 'buffer' for 'rainy days.' This positioning will certainly force me to take a look at what we have already as a congregation. Maybe the discomfort in leaving behind the 'map' of money as a necessity to acquire and heading into the realm of 'money as a tool' (pg 8) will keep me in a more mindful and soul-filled place. In this reflection as an attempt to grasp peace in finding sufficiency, I am certain that the attitude of "you-and-me" (pg 60) will prevail through ministry, only enhancing the awareness and importance of relationships (as opposed to retention of monetary wealth).