Intentional Fatherhood

In this episode, Brook sits down with Fred Odom for the second installment of Fatherhood in the Wild, our series featuring everyday dads in the trenches of marriage, work, and raising kids. Fred is a dear friend, a husband to Becca, a father of three young daughters (affectionately dubbed the family "C-suite"), and part of the team behind Chick-fil-A's leadership conferences, where his gift is helping others find the words to say what matters most. What began as a work call became a real friendship, and this conversation is a window into what fatherhood actually feels like for a man carrying a lot all at once.

Much of the conversation centers on the difference between the title of leadership and the weight of stewardship. Fred shares how a recent promotion taught him that greater responsibility isn't about accolades but about carrying more people, and how that same posture applies at home. We're not owners of our work, our marriages, or our kids; we're stewards of all of it. Fred opens up honestly about discovering his struggle with anger only after becoming a dad, and how underneath it is a desire for control and a deeper question of whether he can trust God to provide what he needs through the very life he's been given.

Fred also walks us through his story: his parents' divorce at age three, growing up between a predominantly white school and a predominantly Black church, and the quiet ache of not knowing where he belonged. That longing for belonging, he's come to see, is woven through his whole life, from inviting others in during college to helping speakers know they have a place on stage today. He shares how his mother's resilient faith shaped him, how a retreat finally gave him permission to bring his anger and grief to a God who loves him, and how he's learning that his calling isn't something he has to force into existence. As one friend told him, God cares more about who you're becoming than what you're achieving.

The episode lands on a word Fred sensed God gave him this year: devotion. What he expected to be about his devotion to God turned out to be about God's devotion to him, learning to believe he is a beloved son. He shares a prayer spoken over him that has reframed this whole season: that his surrender would be greater than his sacrifice. We talk about how the enemy uses the lie that you're "behind," how greatness in the kingdom is the hidden life that leads to serving others, and how it's the small, faithful, daily things, family prayers in the car, a weekly core value, wiping the counter, that shape both our kids and us. Fred closes with a reflection on how a simple invitation to gather a few men has grown into something the Lord is using, a reminder that impact often starts with nothing more than initiative.

Intentional Fatherhood Retreat: November 12-14, 2026 in Austin, TX

Scripture Mentioned: Nehemiah 8:10 + 2 Chronicles 16:9

Submit Questions: Send a voice recording to hello@intentionalfatherhood.org, 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 our final episode of the season, we explore what it means to build a legacy that extends far beyond our own lifetime. Legacy is more than money. It’s the wisdom, faith, values, and way of life we pass on to future generations. We discuss why legacy isn’t something we think about later; it’s being shaped right now through the work we do and the lives we live.

Together, we wrestle with questions like: What are you building? Are you pursuing something bigger than yourself…something you may never see finished? We talk about building with hope instead of anxiety, embracing humility about what we cannot accomplish alone, and recognizing that the most meaningful work is always passed on through others.

We also ask a challenging question: What does it feel like to live with you while you’re building your dreams? Our families may never remember the metrics, goals, or bottom lines, but they will remember our presence, our character, and the memories we create together. As two imperfect fathers still trying to figure it out ourselves, we reflect on the tension between work, calling, and family, and close with a prayer that God would help us build lives that leave a lasting legacy.

Intentional Fatherhood Retreat: November 12-14, 2026 in Austin, TX

Scripture Mentioned: Deuteronomy 6:6-7, Psalm 78:4, Proverbs 13:22, Acts 13:36, Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 + Ecclesiastes 9:7-9

Books Mentioned: A Time to Build by Yuval Levin, To Change the World by James Davison Hunter + Leaf by Niggle by J.R.R. Tolkien

Submit Questions: Send a voice recording to hello@intentionalfatherhood.org, 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

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:
Reclaim one “useless” thing that you simply enjoy doing.
Schedule play like it’s a responsibility.
Invite your kids into it.

Intentional Fatherhood 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 by Robert Farrar Capon

Submit Questions: Send a voice recording to hello@intentionalfatherhood.org, 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 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: 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, 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

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):
Presence.
Blessing.
Repair.
Attention.
Slowing down.
Play.
Emotional awareness.
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: 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, Spotify + Apple Podcasts)

Poem Mentioned: Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden

Submit Questions: Send a voice recording to hello@intentionalfatherhood.org, 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