Intentional Fatherhood

In this episode, we sit down with Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, one of the most trusted and influential spiritual voices of our time, and someone whose work we deeply admire and return to often. A Catholic priest, theologian, and author, Fr. Rolheiser has spent more than 50 years teaching and writing about prayer, vocation, and the interior life, helping countless people understand how God meets us in ordinary, everyday faithfulness.

Now 78 and a cancer survivor of more than a decade, Fr. Rolheiser reflects on this current stage of life and what it means to finish well. Drawing from his framework of getting your life together, giving your life away, and giving your death away, he shares wisdom shaped by experience, suffering, and surrender, reminding us that the way we die is the spirit we leave behind.

Much of the conversation centers on restlessness, particularly in midlife. Fr. Rolheiser explains that our restlessness is not something to eliminate but a sign that we are “built too big for this world.” Rather than escaping it, he invites us to listen for what God may be teaching us through it, especially as fathers learning to integrate spiritual life with ordinary responsibilities.

We also explore ideas from his book, Domestic Monastery, where daily obligations — alarm clocks, mortgages, and kids’ schedules — become monastic bells calling us to faithfulness. Parents, he says, don’t raise kids; kids raise parents. The episode closes with reflections on surrender without passivity, responsibility without control, righteous anger, and the quiet power of fidelity. His final encouragement is simple and enduring: stay with your commitments, just show up for prayer, and trust that God is at work in your staying.

Ronald Rolheiser: Website + Books (New Book: Insane for the Light: A Spirituality for Our Wisdom Years)

Intentional Fatherhood Retreat: February 19-21, 2026 in Costa Mesa, CA

Family Age Chart PDF Download

Scripture Mentioned: John 21:15-19, Mark 15:37 + John 4:21

Books Mentioned: Domestic Monastery by Ronald Rolheiser, Sacred Fire by Ronald Rolheiser, Finding God at Home by Ernest Boyer Jr. + Naming the Whirlwind by Langdon Gilkey

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

Note: This episode contains mature themes that may not be suitable for younger listeners. Please use discretion.

This bonus episode tackles a topic that is central to the male experience but often left unspoken: sex. Speaking directly to married men, the conversation calls them to engage sex honestly, framing it as a spiritual, physical, and powerful dimension of their lives.

Beginning with Genesis 2, the episode explores why God invented sex and placed it so prominently in the biblical story, naming it as God’s good creation — meant for procreation, beauty, and connection. From there, the conversation turns to our role as fathers, emphasizing the importance of talking openly with our kids about sex through small, ongoing conversations. For many who grew up with silence or shame around the topic, the reminder is simple: clarity is kindness, even when it feels uncomfortable.

The episode then centers on three themes: intimacy, sex as sacrament, and practical wisdom for sexual connection. We outline six types of intimacy — emotional, spiritual, intellectual, experiential, commitment-based, and physical — inviting men to consider where their marriages are thriving or lacking connection. Sex is framed as sacramental, a sacred sign that communicates reassurance, identity, reconciliation, commitment, and gratitude. Practically, the episode encourages viewing sex as a practice rather than a performance, shaped by season, consistency over intensity, and mutual enjoyment. Ultimately, sex within marriage is something you give to your spouse — an ongoing act of love that grows and deepens over time.

Intentional Fatherhood Retreat: February 19-21, 2026 in Costa Mesa, CA

Family Age Chart PDF Download

Scripture Mentioned: Proverbs 27:20 + Genesis 2 

Book Mentioned: The Body Teaches the Soul by Justin Whitmel Earley

Resource Mentioned: Birds & Bees

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

In this episode, Brook sits down with Ruslan KD — YouTuber, musician, author, cultural commentator, speaker, and father — for a rich and deeply personal conversation around his new book, Godly Ambition: Unlocking the Full Potential of Your Time, Talent, and Treasure. Ruslan shares pieces of his upbringing, from a tumultuous childhood to coming to know Jesus, early marriage, becoming a father, and navigating seasons of financial struggle.

We explore the “law of replacement,” the bridge between the supernatural and the super practical, and why ambition — though often misunderstood — is both beautiful and biblical. Ruslan names the tension many men feel between ambition and godliness, pushing back against unhealthy ideas around Sabbath rest, toxic masculinity, and the shame some carry for wanting to pursue more. He reminds us that Sabbath is only meaningful in the context of six days of faithful work, and that Jesus doesn’t rebuke the desire for greatness — He redirects it toward service.

Drawing from scripture, we talk about stewarding time, talent, treasure, and even media consumption. Ruslan encourages men to communicate with their families about seasons of busyness, seek guidance and support rather than isolation, and adopt simple practices like replacing meetings with meals.

The conversation is honest, practical, and inspiring, offering a fresh perspective on ambition, faith, and spiritual leadership in the home.

Ruslan KD: YouTube, Instagram, Godly Ambition: Unlocking the Full Potential of Your Time, Talent, and Treasure + Bless God

Video with Cory Asbury and Forrest Frank

Intentional Fatherhood Retreat: February 19-21, 2026 in Costa Mesa, CA

Family Age Chart PDF Download

Scripture Mentioned: 1 Thessalonians 4:11, Romans 15:20, 1 Timothy 5:1-16, Proverbs 6:5 + Proverbs 27:2

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

In the final episode of season two, we explore what it really means to give your death away — to live and lead in such a way that your life becomes a lasting gift to those who follow. We unpack the word legacy, not as something we build for ourselves, but as something we intentionally sow into the next generation through prayer, blessing, and everyday faithfulness.

Legacy begins with prayer. Before we practice it, we have to pray it — asking God to refine our desires and shape our vision for who our children are becoming. We talk about what it looks like to be initiated into new stages of life by those ahead of us while initiating our kids into maturity, responsibility, and faith. From writing letters and creating family rituals to teaching practical life skills and setting healthy parameters — like viewing a smartphone as a rite of passage — we share tangible ways to pass along wisdom and form character.

Because the little things are the big things. Our children will often become who we tell them we see them becoming. And ultimately, none of this makes sense without the resurrection of Jesus — because without it, there’s nothing redemptive about our death. But in light of His resurrection, every act of love, sacrifice, and legacy becomes deeply meaningful.

Intentional Fatherhood Retreat: February 19-21, 2026 in Costa Mesa, CA

Family Age Chart PDF Download

Sowing a Hidden Seed: 31-Day Prayer Devotional by Brook Mosser

The Hang 10 Movement

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

In this episode, we explore the provocative idea of what it means to give your death away — to truly live in light of your mortality. Drawing from the ancient Christian practice of “memento mori” — remembering your death — we talk about how only Christianity can make sense of this uncomfortable reality through the hope of resurrection and eternal life.

We discuss what it means to build a legacy within our families, not just by passing on skills that fade, but through wisdom, blessing, and a life rooted in eternal perspective. Inspired by Arthur Brooks’ From Strength to Strength, we reflect on the shift that happens as we age — moving from fluid to crystalized intelligence. Looking to Psalm 92’s promise that the righteous “will bear fruit in old age,” we talk about becoming the kind of person who grows old and sweet rather than old and bitter, someone secure enough to bless and encourage the next generation.

This episode centers on the power of blessing — through appropriate touch, a spoken message, attaching high value, picturing a special future, and committing to fulfill it. We also talk about the role of mentorship and discipleship in passing on that blessing — how writing down words of encouragement, sharing wisdom, and investing in others becomes a way of giving your death away. We share a spoken blessing for every part of the body and reflect on the reality that legacy requires humility and the willingness to let go of ego, status, and pride.

Because ultimately, the way to life is only through death. The episode closes with a prayer from Psalm 23 — “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing” — and four tangible ways to live this out: order a memento mori, write your obituary, meditate on your death, and extend the years of your age chart.

Justin’s Embodied Bedtime Blessing:
Bless his feet, may they carry good news.
Bless his legs to go on in times of trouble.
And bless his back, may it be strong enough to bear the burdens of others.
Bless his arms to hold the lonely and his hands to do good work.
Bless his neck, would you turn his head to the poor.
Bless his ears to discern truth, his mouth to speak encouragement, and his eyes to see beauty.
Bless his mind, may he grow wise in the knowledge of you.
But above all, Lord, will you bless his heart, may he come to love you and all that you’ve made, in the right order.

Intentional Fatherhood Retreat: February 19-21, 2026 in Costa Mesa, CA

Family Age Chart PDF Download

Scripture Mentioned: Psalm 23:1 + Psalm 92:12-15

Book Mentioned: From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. Brooks

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