S1E8 - Finding Meaning, Art + Beauty in Fatherhood, You Were Created to Delight + Pursue Hobbies
The Intentional Fatherhood PodcastShow Notes
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 Heschel
Submit Questions: Send a voice recording to [email protected], mentioning your name and where you’re from.
Intentional Fatherhood Website (for Diagram of Framework)
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Justin Whitmel Earley: Website + Instagram
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