Intentional Fatherhood

• Finding Meaning, Art + Beauty in Fatherhood, You Were Created to Delight + Pursue Hobbies

  In the final episode of season one, we explore what it means to find meaning, beauty, and art as fathers.In response to last week’s episode on work, this one turns toward the life-giving pursuits that bring us joy. This conversation is an invitation to remember that you were created to delight — that deep within each of us is a longing for beauty and a desire to pursue what lights us up from the inside out. Whether it’s music, poetry, travel, fitness, writing, reading, camping, cold plunging, or even mushroom hunting, discovering what brings you joy is part of becoming a whole, grounded father.We also touch on the tendency to overdo hobbies as a form of escape — and how, when rightly ordered, these passions aren’t distractions but sacred spaces where peace, contentment, and even healing can take root.We share some of our own hobbies — both the ones we enjoy alone and the ones we share with our kids — and how they’ve helped shape the fathers we are today. More than that, we explore how delight can become a doorway into deeper connection with your children.Because in the end, our family may be the greatest thing we ever create — and life itself may be our most meaningful work of art.We close season one with a final blessing — a prayer to remind us that we simply cannot do fatherhood without guidance from our Heavenly Father.Book Mentioned: The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man by Abraham HeschelSubmit Questions: Send a voice recording to [email protected], mentioning your name and where you’re from.Intentional Fatherhood Website (for Diagram of Framework)Follow @intentionalfatherhood_ on InstagramWatch + Subscribe on YouTubeIntentional: Website + InstagramJustin Whitmel Earley: Website + Instagram

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• Made to Work, Sanctification Through Your Vocation + Staying Busy But Balanced

  Fatherhood is more than raising children — it’s about showing up in the world as a worker. You were created to work. Not just to earn a paycheck, but to cultivate, build, and serve others through your vocation.This week, we explore the vocational calling within our Intentional Fatherhood diagram, focusing on God’s original design for work starting in Genesis. From the very beginning, we were made to “garden” the world — to shape it with care and intention.But work isn’t always easy. We talk about the pain, frustration, and resistance we encounter — what Scripture calls the “thorns and thistles” — and how that struggle can actually become a place of deep sanctification. We reflect on the pursuit of the vocational “trifecta”: doing what you’re good at, what you love, and what the world actually needs.Each of us shares personal stories from the early, often hidden years of our careers — seasons marked by uncertainty, obscurity, and growth. Looking back, we see how God used those years to develop humility, dependence, and deeper intimacy with Him.We also wrestle with the tension between overwork and idleness. Sometimes we throw ourselves into our jobs to avoid the demands of home life. But Scripture reminds us: idle hands aren’t the answer either. So how do we stay “busy but balanced”?We get honest about work, purpose, and presence — in our jobs and in our families — in this week’s episode.Scripture Mentioned: Genesis 1, Genesis 3:18 + Lamentations 3:27Submit Questions: Send a voice recording to [email protected], mentioning your name and where you’re from.Intentional Fatherhood Website (for Diagram of Framework)Follow @intentionalfatherhood_ on InstagramWatch + Subscribe on YouTubeIntentional: Website + InstagramJustin Whitmel Earley: Website + Instagram

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• Marriage, Digital Hygiene, Discipline, Rhythms, and Dating Your Spouse

  Feeling overwhelmed as a father? Like you’re constantly reacting instead of leading with intention? Maybe you lose your temper more than you’d like or feel like you’re just running a daycare with someone you used to date. You might even wonder if you’re failing as a dad.In this episode, we get honest about the struggles of fatherhood and explore how simple, consistent habits can shape the atmosphere of your home. From bedtime liturgies and breath prayers to marriage rhythms and boundaries around technology, we unpack small yet meaningful habits — often formed through our own failures and weaknesses — that have become tools of spiritual formation in our families.The truth is: we become our habits, and our children become us. The routines and rhythms in your home aren’t just daily tasks; they’re shaping the hearts and minds of your family. You already have habits unfolding — responses, defaults, routines. The question is whether you’re being intentional about them. In moments of conflict or chaos, these habits often determine your reaction. So how do we practice our way into something more grounded and loving?God isn’t waiting outside the mess of our homes — He’s right in the middle of it. The gospel lives in the ordinary friction and beauty of parenting. These small habits, practiced with consistency and grace, can begin to rewire how we love our spouse, our kids, and the God who’s with us in it all.These rhythms won’t change God’s love for you — but God’s love for you should change your rhythms. So be intentional.Scripture Mentioned: 1 Peter 3:7Book Mentioned: Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms by Justin Whitmel EarleyResources Mentioned: Bottom-Up vs. Top-Down Parenting Resource, Hang 10 Movement + Digital Rule of Life PDFBedtime Liturgy:Father: Do you see my eyes?Child: Yes.Father: Can you see that I see your eyes?Child: Yes.Father: Do you know that I love you?Child: Yes.Father: Do you know that I love you no matter what bad things you do?Child: Yes.Father: Do you know that I love you no matter what good things you do?Child: Yes.Father: Who else loves you like that?Child: Jesus.Father: Rest in that love.Submit Questions: Send a voice recording to [email protected], mentioning your name and where you’re from.Intentional Fatherhood Website (for Diagram of Framework)Follow @intentionalfatherhood_ on InstagramWatch + Subscribe on YouTubeIntentional: Website + InstagramJustin Whitmel Earley: Website + Instagram

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• Your Fatherhood Needs You to Know Your Story, Facing Generational Sin, Trusting God to Bless What’s Been Broken, and Practical Steps Toward Health

  Note: This episode contains mature themes that may not be suitable for younger listeners. Please use discretion.We are storied people, living within the grand narrative of the kingdom of God. And as a father, you need to know your story. Not just the highlights or heroic moments — but the whole of it. The truth is, your past shapes your present: in your work, your marriage, your friendships, and your fatherhood. To lead well, you must face the story that formed you — including both your own childhood and the generations that came before.In this powerful episode, we look back to move forward. Together, we explore how our family of origin — with all its beauty and brokenness — deeply influences the families we are building now. Brook opens up about the story he comes from: one marked by abuse, secrecy, and chaos. He shares honestly about the slow and painful work of healing, and how unaddressed generational sin began to surface in his own work, relationships, and family — which nudged him toward the hard work of transformation.Justin shares a different story: one of inherited blessing, and how he nearly squandered it. But ultimately, he chose to surrender and let God build something new from the foundation he was given.Together, we reject the lie that we’re doomed to repeat the past — that we’re destined to become our fathers or perpetuate the cycles we grew up in. Through grace and intentionality, there is a better way. God longs to redeem what’s been broken and restore what’s been lost.This Spirit-led conversation offers practical steps for examining your story, seeking help, and moving toward healing. It’s an invitation to believe in the promise of Joel 2:25: “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten.”Scripture Mentioned: Joel 2:25-26, Romans 8:28 + Matthew 25:14-30Books Mentioned: The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction by Justin Whitmel EarleySubmit Questions: Send a voice recording to [email protected], mentioning your name and where you’re from.Intentional Fatherhood Website (for Diagram of Framework)Follow @intentionalfatherhood_ on InstagramWatch + Subscribe on YouTubeIntentional: Website + InstagramJustin Whitmel Earley: Website + Instagram

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• Your Fatherhood Needs Your Exercise, Eating, and Physicality to Shape a Life of Love

  Believe it or not, caring for your physical body is essential to becoming the intentional father you're called to be.In this episode, we explore the deep connection between physical discipline and spiritual formation — and why your body isn’t just a shell, but an integral part of your discipleship. We push back against the gnostic idea that separates the material from the divine, grounding our conversation in Genesis 2:7, where God breathes spirit into dust to form a whole human being.Drawing from Justin’s upcoming book, The Body Teaches the Soul: Ten Essential Habits to Form a Healthy and Holy Life, we talk about the spiritual implications of everyday physical habits — from how you eat and sleep to how you rest and move. We also highlight the link between physical health and mental well-being.Like a gardener entrusted with land he didn’t choose and weather he can’t control, you’ve been given a body — with all its genetics, limitations, and challenges. But just like a garden, it’s worth tending.We encourage you to prioritize rest as the foundation of physical discipline. Step away from the pendulum swing between indulgence and shame around eating, and embrace a rhythm that allows for both fasting and feasting — as well as the steady habits in between. And finally, push your body through physical exercise, knowing that pain and endurance often form what comfort never could.This isn’t about self-optimization. It’s about faithful stewardship — of the body God gave you, and the life He’s called you to live.Scripture Mentioned: Genesis 2:7, Romans 6:13, Genesis 3:6, Romans 6:13, Romans 12:1Books Mentioned: The Body Teaches the Soul: Ten Essential Habits to Form a Healthy and Holy Life by Justin Whitmel EarleySubmit Questions: Send a voice recording to [email protected], mentioning your name and where you’re from.Intentional Fatherhood Website (for Diagram of Framework)Follow @intentionalfatherhood_ on InstagramWatch + Subscribe on YouTubeIntentional: Website + InstagramJustin Whitmel Earley: Website + Instagram

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