Plain Values Podcast

A tech company is scanning millions of old, rare books and then destroying them in the name of technological advancement.

What happens when we destroy real things and replace them with digital versions? We will never again know the originals.

Marlin shares of his love of books and the libraries that hold them. The Library of Congress is the biggest library in the world with 164 million items preserved in its walls.

Marlin hopes to walk amongst those pages one day and would love to know which of his listeners have already been.

Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com

In this episode of the Plain Values Podcast, Marlin continues his conversation with Larry from Pure Gift of God. What began as a simple fundraising and mentoring effort in 2013 has grown into something far deeper… therapy services, TBRI training, family support groups, and practical help for adoptive and foster families who refuse to walk alone.

Larry shares how the hard parts of adoption rarely end when the paperwork is signed. Ongoing struggles surface, and Pure Gift responded by building a therapy center and bringing in trusted practitioners.

Larry explains how trauma rewires a child’s brain and why traditional discipline often fails. The work is not about fixing kids with a magic tool. It is about helping parents understand the need behind the behavior, lower unrealistic expectations, and raise their acceptance. 

He is honest: even those who know the principles still only get it right part of the time. Grace is required on every side.

They talk about the loneliness many families feel, the weight on marriages, and the simple ways the wider community can show up (meals, respite, laundry, presence) without waiting to be asked. Larry’s dream is larger still: more space, educator training, and a community strong enough that fewer children age out without a family.

The work is hard. The timeline is long. But the God who provides is still working on our behalf.

Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction

3:55 - Relying on God's Provision

12:26 - Funding the Mission

16:27 - What is TBRI?

23:50 - All Behavior is Explained With Enough Information

36:54 - Larry's Favorite Story

50:55 - Finding Healing by Lowering the Mask

1:03:07 - Remove the Pedestal

1:09:37 - The Fall Festival at Walnut Creek

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

🤝THIS EPISODE’S PREMIERE SPONSOR: Rustic Strength
Rustic Strength is the real deal. This hardworking family-owned company in Missouri makes high-quality, non-toxic laundry, home, and body care products in small batches… completely free from harsh chemicals, dyes, and synthetic junk you don’t want around your family.
Learn more: https://rusticstrength.com/

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

🤝THIS EPISODE’S FEATURED SPONSOR: Azure Standard
Our friends at Azure Standard have been quietly setting the standard for clean, wholesome food since the 1970s. Family-owned and values-driven, they make it simple to fill your pantry with organic, non-GMO groceries, bulk staples, and household essentials delivered straight to your door or a convenient local drop point.
Learn more: https://www.azurestandard.com

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

🤝THIS EPISODE’S FEATURED SPONSOR: Invited: Collection 001

If you're craving stories that restore faith in hard times, Invited: Collection 001 is a handpicked "best of" from Plain Values magazine… uplifting accounts of triumph, simple joys, adoption beauty, homesteading wisdom, and gospel-centered living.

Learn more: https://homesteadliving.com/invited-collection-001/

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

A great way to show support is to hit LIKE / SUBSCRIBE on this video, and most importantly, join the conversation in the COMMENTS below. We’d love to hear from you.

👉We have a beautiful magazine called Plain Values, sent quarterly ($49/year): https://plainvalues.com/pv-magazine-yt
👉To receive our FREE Plain Values emails: https://plainvalues.com/
👉To find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plainvalues/
👉To find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plainvalues/

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

In 2023, we joined forces with Homestead Living. There’s some pretty cool stuff going on there, as well.

👉To subscribe to our stunning Homestead Living magazine ($49/year): https://hmln.co/hlm-pvp-yt
👉To receive our FREE Homestead Living emails: https://homesteadliving.com/
👉To find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homesteadlivingmagazine/
👉To find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/homesteadlivingmagazine

🎵All music by Sam Burchfield (intro)
Sam Burchfield - Hold My Hand
Recorded Live - Plain Values - Winesburg, OH
Learn more about Sam: https://www.samburchfield.com/
T0ZPMSFJ7VLMSCN8

On Wednesday, July 22, 2026, friends and neighbors gathered at Plain Values HQ in Winesburg for an intimate house concert with singer-songwriter Chris Slaten, known as “Son of Laughter.”

The evening was intentionally small and cozy, the kind of night where the music feels personal and the stories land deeply. Chris filled the space with thoughtful, theologically rich songs that explore faith, redemption, longing, and the quiet beauty found in everyday life. 

With coffee and homemade treats ready, and the Black Willow food truck serving before the doors opened at 6:00, the room settled into the kind of shared stillness that makes these nights special. 

By the end of the evening, the songs had done what they do best: connected hearts, reminded us of the ache and hope of being human, and left people encouraged and refreshed.

Even if you missed the live event, you can watch the whole thing right here.

This concert captures exactly what we hope to cultivate with the Plain Values Podcast and our house concert series: telling stories that matter and bringing us closer together at the table.

If this evening filled your coffee cup, we’d be grateful if you’d leave a thoughtful comment, hit Like, and Subscribe so more friends can find these gatherings. We’re always looking for more friends.

Looking forward to the next one…

In this episode of the Plain Values Podcast, Marlin sits down with Chris Slaten (better known as Son of Laughter) a Chattanooga musician, English literature teacher, husband to Lindsay, and father of three. What unfolds is a rich, unhurried conversation about art, grace, storytelling, and the quiet work of faithfulness.

Chris traces the origin of his stage name to Sally Lloyd-Jones’s Jesus Storybook Bible and the story of Isaac: the child born in spite of his parents’ cynical laughter, a pattern that runs throughout Scripture of God creating beauty and new life out of human doubt. 

That same tension fuels his music. Christian artists, he notes, get to work on the broadest possible palette… more cynical about the human condition than Quentin Tarantino, yet more hopeful than Walt Disney.

The conversation ranges widely: the slow, repetitive craft of songwriting; the joy of discovering intricate patterns in literature (and in Genesis) with high-school students; the humility of realizing how little we know; and the invitation to rest in a God who sees us in secret. Chris shares about a long-gestating musical on the life of Jacob, a character whose depths and heights perfectly embody the complicated canvas of grace.

Whether you’re a parent, a teacher, an artist, or simply someone carrying more than you can manage, this episode offers the steady reminder that the story is not over. The day’s demands are for bigger hands. The God who sings over His people is still writing, and still inviting us into the secret meeting under the blanket of His attention.

Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com

Have you ever heard the phrase “no two snowflakes are alike”?

Marlin shares the fascinating story of Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley, a self-educated farmer from Jericho, Vermont.

In 1885, Bentley became the first person to successfully photograph a single snow crystal. He went on to take thousands of photographs of individual snowflakes and never found two that were exactly the same.

His work was published in magazines and universities around the world, and he became known as Snowflake Bentley.

Marlin wonders: What beautiful things can we discover if we slow down and take a closer look at the world around us?

These short, heartfelt Minutes with Marlin deliver quick moments of wisdom, faith, humility, and encouragement… perfect for busy homestead days when we need a gentle reminder of what really matters.

Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com

In this episode of The Plain Values Podcast… 

Some stories remind us that humble beginnings and faithful stewardship can lead to extraordinary places.

Ernie Hershberger grew up the oldest of eight in Walnut Creek, Ohio. His dad was a mechanic, and Ernie followed him into the shop, learning the craft of building from raw lumber. 

In 1990, he and his wife Barb took a leap and opened a small furniture store in what used to be a chicken house in Mount Hope.

What started as a simple desire to serve customers well soon grew into something much larger. 

Today, Homestead Furniture is known for building truly custom, American-made pieces, while Abner Henry has taken Ernie’s work into the world of high-end design, including a major collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Ernie opens up about the long, sometimes brutal journey of learning to lead a team, the spiritual discipline of letting go of self, and why he doesn’t believe in setting goals. 

He shares how he’s learned to create “data compartments” in his day (protecting time for family, church, and rest) and how the same principles of stewardship and servant leadership apply to business, family, and faith.

Whether you’re running a business, raising a family, or simply trying to live with purpose, Ernie’s quiet wisdom offers a powerful reminder: success isn’t about reaching a finish line… it’s about faithfully stewarding the talent God has given you, one faithful step at a time.

If this conversation filled your coffee cup, we would humbly invite you to leave a thoughtful comment below and please, don’t be shy … the Like and Subscribe buttons help more friends find this episode. 

We’re always looking for more friends.

Learn more about Ernie Hershberger at homesteadfurniture.com.

Learn more about Plain Values at plainvalues.com.

In 1976, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis declared an Adoption Week to promote awareness of the need for fostering and adoption. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan expanded it nationally.

Marlin reflects on Reagan’s powerful words from that time, which still ring true today:

“Families have always stood at the center of our society… At a time when many fear that the family is in decline, it is fitting that we give special recognition to those who are rebuilding families by promoting adoption.”

Reagan emphasized that more children with permanent homes mean fewer children with permanent problems.

Marlin encourages us to be mindful during Adoption Awareness Month of the millions of children who need loving forever families.

Each of those kids has their own story. What they really need at the core is a family to love them.

These short, heartfelt Minutes with Marlin deliver quick moments of wisdom, faith, humility, and encouragement… perfect for busy homestead days when we need a gentle reminder of what really matters.

Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com

In this episode of the Plain Values Podcast, Marlin finishes his conversation with Kevin Hewitt, a longtime foster-care worker whose decades of walking alongside families have given him a deep well of stories… and an even deeper trust in God’s redemptive power.

Kevin’s point is simple and profound: we often measure foster care (and life) by short timelines. God sees the long arc. He can redeem what looks impossible.

The conversation turned personal as Kevin admits his own ongoing struggle to rest in God’s love rather than constantly measuring himself as a winner or loser. He points to Zephaniah 3:17, where the Creator of the universe sings over His people like a mighty warrior.

Whether you foster, adopt, or simply need hope that the story isn’t finished, this episode offers quiet, hard-won encouragement. The work is hard. The timeline is long. But the God who sings over us is still writing.

Listen now and be reminded: the story is not over…

Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com

Marlin and his daughter Adelaide were sitting on a bench watching the birds when a tiny gnat started buzzing around.

Adelaide, who has Down syndrome, suddenly stopped talking and with every ounce of her being looked at her dad with huge eyes and said, “Oh, daddy, bee!”

Marlin lives for those sweet, simple moments.

Life is full of big questions and struggles… feeling unworthy, comparing ourselves to others, wondering if we measure up, carrying guilt and shame.

But real joy often comes in the small, authentic moments: sitting with a friend, sharing struggles, and knowing we are loved anyway.

Marlin hopes that one day, authenticity and joy will be remembered about him.

These short, heartfelt Minutes with Marlin deliver quick moments of wisdom, faith, humility, and encouragement… perfect for busy homestead days when we need a gentle reminder of what really matters.