Join an incredible conversation with Justin Whitmel Earley, author of The Common Rule, as he shares with Jedd how through a major life crisis God’s grace and the wisdom of friends unexpectedly introduced him to a whole new way of life…and all that has happened since.

In this episode, we'll explore:

  • Why our small, often unnoticed habits carry immense power for good or ill.
  • How to create guardrails that keep you pointed towards your vision of what matters most.
  • Finding joy amidst a culture thick with anxiety, depression and overwork.
  • How small, simple practices can steadily reshape our experiences of daily life, our impact on others and the people we’ll become.

Key Quotes

“I didn’t realize that the real battle ground for that stuff was in the small habits. And once I started working in those, I started realizing that my heart was changing because my habits were changing.”

Justin Whitmel Earley

“If I’ve learned one thing about trying to live missionally…it’s that it really does matter. And whatever matters…is hard. If you’re doing something that matters to the Kingdom, it’s hard.”

Justin Whitmel Earley

“You need habits of discipleship that help spiritually form you for that very difficult task of living missionally within your vocation.”

Justin Whitmel Earley

“I had no idea at the time how much these small, incremental, tiny little daily, weekly, monthly habits – that look like ordinary stuff – actually do form our souls in extraordinary and deep ways.”

Justin Whitmel Earley

“We make our life about something. And that is most properly called worship. And that something changes us, and so we are going to be formed in the image of what we worship. And that idea – that we are always worshiping and that that worship is forming us – is phenomenally significant to the realm of habit.”

Justin Whitmel Earley

“Your habits are not going to change God’s love for you. But, God’s love for you should change your habits.”

Justin Whitmel Earley

Resources and Guests

Husband, Father, Neighbor, Author, and Lawyer

Justin Whitmel Earley (JD, Georgetown University) is the creator of The Common Rule, a program of habits designed to form us in the love of God and neighbor. He is also a mergers and acquisitions lawyer in Richmond, Virginia. He previously spent several years in China as the founder and general editor of The Urbanity Project and as the director of Thought and Culture Shapers, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the community through arts. He and his wife, Lauren, have four sons and live in Richmond, Virginia.

Jedd Medefind loves journeying life with his wife, Rachel.  He relishes wrestling matches with his five children—Siena, Marin, Eden, Lincoln, and Phoebe.  Most of all, he desires to reflect the heart of Jesus Christ in all of life.

Jedd has seen (and experienced!) that lives are turned upside-down when Christians begin to reflect God’s heart through adoption, foster care and service to orphans worldwide.  This kind of love transforms not only vulnerable children, but also those who open hearts and homes to them.  Churches begin to look different, too, as the entire community pulls together for children who’ve known great hurt.  Finally, the change touches even onlookers, who encounter the Gospel not only in words, but made visible before their eyes.

Desiring to spur this kind of transformation through the Church, Jedd serves as President of the Christian Alliance for Orphans.

Through CAFO, more than 225 respected organizations unite in shared initiatives, along with a wide network of churches.  CAFO’s membership works in tandem to inspire and equip families, churches and organizations for effective service to vulnerable children and families — from adoption and US foster care, to aid and empowerment programs worldwide.

Prior to his this role, Jedd served in the White House as a Special Assistant to President George W. Bush, leading the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.   In this post, he oversaw reform efforts across the government to make community- and faith-based groups central partners in all Federal efforts to aid the needy, from prisoner reentry to global AIDS.  As described by the Harvard Political Review, these reforms “fundamentally changed the government’s strategy for improving the lives of the downtrodden…”

Previously, Jedd held a range of posts in the California State Legislature.  He also helped establish the California Community Renewal Project, which strengthens nonprofits in some of the state’s most challenged communities.  He has worked, studied and served in more than thirty countries, with organizations ranging from Price-Waterhouse in Moscow to Christian Life Bangladesh.

Books written by Jedd include Upended and Four Souls.  He also writes articles and op-eds for publications ranging from the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post to Comment Magazine, and engages radio interviews with both faith-based and mainstream outlets, from NPR and Al Jazeera to Moody Radio.  Jedd’s most recent book, Becoming Home, offers a brief-yet-rich exploration of how families and communities can embrace vulnerable children with wisdom and love through adoption, foster care, mentoring and more.

Stay connected with news and stories of impact in your inbox

English