Show Notes
This episode wraps up our conversation on the spiritual foundation of work before we move into the practical side of vocation and calling. We explore the tension between ambition and idolatry, and how we were created to pursue meaningful things, yet how easily ambition can become self-centered. Together, we discuss how Scripture reframes ambition as something good when it’s rooted in humility, service, and faithfulness rather than ego, pride, or status.
Justin reflects on how his understanding of “making it” was shaped by watching his father’s success and notoriety, while Brook shares how parenting a child with special needs has reshaped his view of ambition, rhythms, and career expectations. We also talk through the things that often hold us back from healthy ambition: fear, comfort, distraction, comparison, exhaustion, financial pressure, and the lies we believe about ourselves.
Ultimately, we ask what it looks like to pursue success with integrity and a focus on spiritual formation, remembering that the goal is not selfish ambition, but courage, humility, and faithfulness.
Practices: Be honest with trusted friends about your ambition. Be honest with trusted friends about your idols. Be honest with trusted friends about the audacious dream(s) you’re afraid to say out loud.
Intentional Fatherhood Retreat: November 12-14, 2026 in Austin, TX
Scripture Mentioned: Philippians 2:3-9, John 8:44, Proverbs 11:10, 2 Corinthians 10:5 + Romans 12:2
Books Mentioned: Godly Ambition by Ruslan KD, Every Good Endeavor by Timothy Keller, Generous Justice by Timothy Keller, Kingdom Calling by Amy Sherman + On the Road with Saint Augustine by James K. A. Smith
Submit Questions: Send a voice recording to [email protected], mentioning your name and where you’re from.
Intentional Fatherhood Website
Follow @intentionalfatherhood_ on Instagram
Watch + Subscribe on YouTube
Intentional: Website + Instagram
Justin Whitmel Earley: Website + Instagram
More from The Intentional Fatherhood Podcast
This is the episode we were nervous to record. Justin admits greed might be a blind spot, something he’s still in the middle of figuring out. So instead of teaching, we asked some revealing questions and answered them honestly.
Our Seven Deadly Sins series continues with gluttony: the desire to consume beyond what we actually need. That certainly shows up at the table, but also in our scrolling, shopping, and substance consumption. Gluttony is sneaky and easy to dismiss, and since your metabolism can hide both your sins and your virtues, it can go unnoticed for a lifetime. So this conversation is really about the heart. Are you eating to delight in God's creation, or to cope? Or a better question might be: What do you reach for when you're hurting?
As we continue our series on the seven deadly sins, we pivot to the more outward, consumptive sins: lust, greed, and gluttony, specifically focusing on lust in this episode. Pornography often comes to mind first, but it's only one of many ways lust can show up in our lives. Since most of us have heard plenty about what not to do, we start with a better question: what is sex actually for?
We don't usually call it envy. We call it "just being honest," or "I'm not jealous, I just wish things were different." But envy is sneakier than that. It's a refusal to be content with the life God actually gave us, and it shows up as comparison, insecurity, gossip, and pushing people out. This week continues the Seven Deadly Sins series with a hard look at where envy starts, why it hurts the person feeling it most, and how to fight it with the one thing strong enough to counter it: love.
Anger might be the quintessential sin of fatherhood. It's the one that shows up at bedtime, in the car, in the moment a kid won't listen for the fifth time, and it's the one our kids are most likely to watch us model and then repeat.