S3E9 - The Amateur: Reclaiming Joy and Pursuing Hobbies Outside of Work

S3E9 - The Amateur: Reclaiming Joy and Pursuing Hobbies Outside of Work

This week, we explore the importance of being an amateur, and doing things simply because you love them. In a culture that pushes us to monetize every skill and maximize every minute, many men have lost touch with hobbies that exist purely for joy. But God created us not only to work, but also to create, play, and enjoy the gifts He has given us. We discuss the barriers that keep us from embracing this part of life, including the pressure to turn hobbies into side hustles and a world that values consumption more than creativity. Whether it's woodworking, cooking, camping, golf, music, or working on cars, these pursuits can provide the kind of rest, fulfillment, and connection that passive, mind-numbing entertainment often cannot. We also talk about how hobbies can deepen our relationship with God, build community, and create meaningful memories with our children. As C.S. Lewis said, “Joy is the serious business of heaven.” This episode is an invitation to reclaim the things that make you come alive, not because they're productive, profitable, or practical, but because they remind you of who God created you to be. This Week’s Action Steps: 1. Reclaim one “useless” thing that you simply enjoy doing. 2. Schedule play like it’s a responsibility. 3. Invite your kids into it. Intentional Fatherhood Retreat [http://intentionalfatherhood.org/retreat]: November 12-14, 2026 in Austin, TX Scripture Mentioned: Ecclesiastes 2:24, 1 Timothy 6:17, 2 Chronicles 9 + Genesis 2:9 Books Mentioned: The Supper of the Lamb [https://www.amazon.com/Supper-Lamb-Culinary-Reflection-Library/dp/0375760563] by Robert Farrar Capon Submit Questions: Send a voice recording to hello@intentionalfatherhood.org [hello@intentionalfatherhood.org], mentioning your name and where you’re from. Intentional Fatherhood Website [https://www.intentionalfatherhood.org/] Follow @intentionalfatherhood_ [https://www.instagram.com/intentionalfatherhood_/] on Instagram Watch + Subscribe on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@intentional_parents] Intentional: Website [https://www.intentionalparents.org/] + Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/intentional_parents/] Justin Whitmel Earley: Website [https://www.justinwhitmelearley.com/] + Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/justinwhitmelearley/]

S3E8 - Family and Work: Is Work-Life Balance Even the Goal?

In this pivotal episode of the season, we explore the relationship between family and work, challenging the common idea of “work-life balance.” Rather than seeing work and family as competing priorities, we discuss how they are meant to be integrated and ordered rightly. The real question isn’t how to fit your family into your work, but what your work is ultimately for in light of your family. We answer common questions many fathers have about setting healthy work boundaries, staying present with your family after a long day, sharing the responsibilities of the home, and teaching your children the value of work. From establishing rhythms of rest to embracing the “second race” of family life after work, we discuss how fathers can faithfully serve both their vocation and their household. We also explore the importance of inviting children into meaningful work through chores, household responsibilities, and even opportunities to observe or participate in your work when appropriate. Family and work are not opposed to one another; they are deeply intertwined. And while fatherhood can often leave you tired and stretched thin, that reality is often part of the calling. The days are long, the years are short, and the work of raising children is some of the most important work you'll ever do. Intentional Fatherhood Retreat [http://intentionalfatherhood.org/retreat]: November 12-14, 2026 in Austin, TX Scripture Mentioned: 1 Timothy 5:8 + Philippians 2:5-8 Submit Questions: Send a voice recording to hello@intentionalfatherhood.org [hello@intentionalfatherhood.org], mentioning your name and where you’re from. Intentional Fatherhood Website [https://www.intentionalfatherhood.org/] Follow @intentionalfatherhood_ [https://www.instagram.com/intentionalfatherhood_/] on Instagram Watch + Subscribe on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@intentional_parents] Intentional: Website [https://www.intentionalparents.org/] + Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/intentional_parents/] Justin Whitmel Earley: Website [https://www.justinwhitmelearley.com/] + Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/justinwhitmelearley/]

S3E7 - The Hidden Life of a Father: Spiritual Disciplines That Surround and Inform Your Work Life

Many fathers carry a deep sense of responsibility to provide, achieve, and work hard, yet often wonder how their faith should shape both their work and their family life. In this episode, we explore the spiritual disciplines that surround and inform the life of work: before you leave for work, while you're at work, and when you return home. We discuss the hidden life of a father and why spiritual formation matters when much of your most important work goes unseen. Drawing from poetry, teachings, and our own lived experience, we examine how spiritual disciplines reorder our loves, expose what is driving us, create space for God to interrupt our patterns, and quietly shape the kind of fathers we are becoming. Key Disciplines of Fathers (Which Also Apply to the Workplace): 1. Presence. 2. Blessing. 3. Repair. 4. Attention. 5. Slowing down. 6. Play. 7. Emotional awareness. 8. Saying no. We also talk about the transformative impact of prayer, Scripture, fasting, Sabbath, and generosity, as well as two practical rhythms for the workday: making prayer part of your work rhythm and making rest and reflection part of your work rhythm. Along the way, we explore why Sabbath is designed to help us work from rest rather than simply recover from exhaustion, and why our limits are a feature of God’s design, not a flaw. This episode is not a call to legalism or adding more to your to-do list. It is an invitation to start somewhere. Spiritual disciplines are a gift that help us live, work, and lead our families from a place of being deeply loved by our Father. Intentional Fatherhood Retreat [http://intentionalfatherhood.org/retreat]: November 12-14, 2026 in Austin, TX Scripture Mentioned: Mark 1:9-11 + Matthew 11:30 Previous Episode Mentioned: S1E3 - Habits, Rhythms, and Spiritual Disciplines for Intentional Fatherhood (YouTube [https://youtu.be/_LPhaFCDtwI?si=QGPJy0UiQzb_buT6], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5D6Lc5mKetruzeNDLpOqFx?si=509a09dff9fc4743] + Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s1e3-habits-rhythms-and-spiritual-disciplines-for/id1818945136?i=1000714315300]) Poem Mentioned: Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden Submit Questions: Send a voice recording to hello@intentionalfatherhood.org [hello@intentionalfatherhood.org], mentioning your name and where you’re from. Intentional Fatherhood Website [https://www.intentionalfatherhood.org/] Follow @intentionalfatherhood_ [https://www.instagram.com/intentionalfatherhood_/] on Instagram Watch + Subscribe on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@intentional_parents] Intentional: Website [https://www.intentionalparents.org/] + Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/intentional_parents/] Justin Whitmel Earley: Website [https://www.justinwhitmelearley.com/] + Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/justinwhitmelearley/]

S3E6 - What Makes Healthy and Unhealthy Leaders: Hard Conversations, Character + Servant Leadership

This week, we dive into leadership and why it matters for every man. Most people think of leadership as something reserved for business owners, managers, or people with authority, but the reality is that we're all leading somewhere. As fathers and husbands, the way we show up influences the people around us and shapes the culture of our homes, workplaces, and communities. In this conversation, we unpack what healthy leadership actually looks like and why so many leaders get it wrong. We explore why leadership is less about competency and more about character, why servant leadership creates healthy cultures, and how many of the same qualities that make someone a good leader also make them a good father. We also discuss some of the common reasons people struggle in leadership, including insecurity, performance-based identity, a need for control, and the tendency to avoid hard conversations. Along the way, we talk about the responsibility leaders have to bring calm in moments of chaos, make difficult decisions when necessary, communicate clearly, and put the needs of others ahead of their own. Ultimately, we look to Jesus as the model for healthy leadership. By paying attention to how He lived, served, spoke, and led in the Gospels, we find a perfect example of leadership rooted in humility, courage, conviction, and care for others. Whether at home, at work, or in the community, His example challenges us to lead in a way that helps others flourish. 7 Practices of a Healthy Leader: 1. Practice daily self-leadership by managing yourself well before leading others. 2. Clarify and repeat the vision consistently so people know where they are headed. 3. Have hard conversations early, addressing issues with both kindness and honesty. 4. Create healthy feedback loops and invite others to speak openly. 5. Serve in unseen ways, looking for opportunities to put others first. 6. Filter complaints wisely, discerning which concerns need action and which do not. 7. Be available and present with the people you lead, investing time in relationships. Intentional Fatherhood Retreat [http://intentionalfatherhood.org/retreat]: November 12-14, 2026 in Austin, TX Scripture Mentioned: Proverbs 29:18 + Proverbs 11:10 Previous Episode Mentioned: S3E3: The Dangerous Lie About Calling and Success (YouTube [https://youtu.be/eUWQmSL8IrA?si=Ga9LafiDum3mzQpO], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/4mjtwxeXGIYrYEpMQK51S1?si=6d20bdfe952f4a08] + Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s3e3-the-dangerous-lie-about-calling-and-success/id1818945136?i=1000768519680]) Submit Questions: Send a voice recording to hello@intentionalfatherhood.org [hello@intentionalfatherhood.org], mentioning your name and where you’re from. Intentional Fatherhood Website [https://www.intentionalfatherhood.org/] Follow @intentionalfatherhood_ [https://www.instagram.com/intentionalfatherhood_/] on Instagram Watch + Subscribe on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@intentional_parents] Intentional: Website [https://www.intentionalparents.org/] + Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/intentional_parents/] Justin Whitmel Earley: Website [https://www.justinwhitmelearley.com/] + Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/justinwhitmelearley/]

S3E5 - You Have Enough Time for the Life God Actually Called You To

In this episode, we continue our conversation on stewardship by looking at one of our most valuable and limited resources: time. Time is the currency of our purpose, and stewarding it well means finding the balance between laziness and anxiety. While some of us need to embrace greater ambition and intentionality, others need to embrace the gift of limitation. Rest, sleep, Sabbath, and slower rhythms are not flaws in our design, they are part of it. Drawing from Ephesians 5:15-16, we discuss what it means to “redeem the time.” The goal is not perfect productivity but faithful stewardship. You may not have enough time to do everything you want to do, but you do have enough time to do the things God is calling you to do. Wisdom helps us release unrealistic expectations, trust God with the future, and use our days with greater purpose. We also explore the importance of using mornings and evenings well, building life-giving rituals, and developing habits that shape a sustainable rhythm of life. Because in the end, we redeem time not to become more productive, but to become the people God has called us to be. Practical ways to steward your time: 1. Structure important blocks of your day. 2. Track where your time goes. 3. Put your phone out of sight when working. 4. Sit with difficult problems instead of escaping them. 5. Write by hand to improve focus and clarity. 6. Create intentional phone settings for work, home, and Sabbath. Intentional Fatherhood Retreat [http://intentionalfatherhood.org/retreat]: November 12-14, 2026 in Austin, TX Scripture Mentioned: Ephesians 5:15-16, Psalm 90:12 + Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 Book Mentioned: The Writing Life [https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Life-Annie-Dillard/dp/0060919884] by Annie Dillard Submit Questions: Send a voice recording to hello@intentionalfatherhood.org [hello@intentionalfatherhood.org], mentioning your name and where you’re from. Intentional Fatherhood Website [https://www.intentionalfatherhood.org/] Follow @intentionalfatherhood_ [https://www.instagram.com/intentionalfatherhood_/] on Instagram Watch + Subscribe on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@intentional_parents] Intentional: Website [https://www.intentionalparents.org/] + Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/intentional_parents/] Justin Whitmel Earley: Website [https://www.justinwhitmelearley.com/] + Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/justinwhitmelearley/]