Plain Values Podcast

In this deeply moving episode of the Plain Values Podcast, Marlin Miller sits down for the second time with Aaron and Katie Ficker, who share their powerful journey of missionary life in Guatemala, profound loss, adoption, and God’s unwavering faithfulness through it all.

Aaron and Katie moved to Guatemala as newlyweds, where Aaron helped build an aviation program and Katie worked as a nurse. They built a life serving others through medical clinics, a nursing school, and community outreach. But their path included immense hardship: a high-risk twin pregnancy that ended in the loss of their children Gabriel and Ella, a terrifying medical emergency that nearly took Katie’s life, and the emotional toll of raising children amid uncertainty.

Despite the pain, they leaned into faith, adopting Genesis and later Moses, and experienced the Lord’s presence in miraculous ways, from answered prayers during crisis to community support that carried them through. They speak honestly about the complexities of immigration, family separation, human trafficking at the borders, and the spiritual battle involved in stewarding broken situations with hope.

Now back in the U.S., they continue serving through aviation maintenance, fostering connections, and encouraging others in adoption and missions. Their story is a powerful reminder that God meets us in desperation, redeems loss, and uses ordinary families for eternal impact.

This episode is raw, honest, and filled with encouragement for anyone walking through grief, called to adoption, or stepping into hard places with faith. You’ll be challenged, comforted, and inspired by their dependence on the Lord.

Learn more about Aaron and Katie at http://aaronandkatie.com

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

The concept of hospitality is simple on the surface: invite people over, share a meal, and talk.

But Marlin believes it goes much deeper.

Our Creator has placed within us a profound desire to truly know others and to be known ourselves.

A tiny lady many years ago, known for her incredible gift of hospitality, once told Marlin and his wife a story. She had hosted two families, and as they were leaving, she overheard one husband ask his wife: “Have you ever experienced anything like that?”

We all long for that kind of genuine, safe, and rich connection.

Marlin reminds us that this is exactly what God offers us, an invitation into deep, authentic community inside His own Spirit.

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 Miller sits down with John Kempf, founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture. John shares his remarkable journey from a young boy observing plants on his family’s produce farm in Ohio to leading a global regenerative agriculture movement that now spans over 5 million acres.

John explains how close observation of plant health led him to foundational discoveries about plant immunity. Through nutritional balance and microbiome management, he has seen plants achieve 100% resistance to diseases and insects, results that challenge conventional thinking. He describes the Plant Health Pyramid and how healthy plants produce powerful compounds that naturally protect them.

The conversation goes deeper than agronomy. John ties regenerative practices to biblical stewardship, questioning modern farming systems that treat the earth as cursed rather than a gift to nurture. He emphasizes asking the right questions, developing personal convictions, and recognizing that agriculture is ultimately a spiritual endeavor.

John also addresses real-world challenges: endocrine disruptors in our food system, generational impacts on health, and the power of small, consistent changes. He stresses that true solutions come from working with God’s design rather than against it.

This episode is filled with hope, practical wisdom, and a call to better stewardship,  whether on large farms or backyard homesteads. John’s story reminds us that asking better questions and caring for creation can lead to remarkable transformation.

Learn more about John Kempf at https://advancingecoag.com

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

In a village in India, a mother was told by her own family to take her deformed baby boy to the trash heap and leave him there to die.

The little boy, they said, would never walk properly.

But this mother couldn’t do it. She brought him back.

Enraged, her family kicked her out. She was now on her own.

Then she met a man who shared the gospel with her. She got saved and began reading the Scriptures. She learned about the Great Physician, the Healer.

Every day she massaged her son’s body with oil and prayed.

Slowly, the little boy began to crawl.

Then he began to walk.

Then…

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 Miller sits down with longtime broadcaster Mark Zimmerman to explore his journey from growing up in Northeast Ohio to a rich career in radio and storytelling.

Mark spent his early years in Cleveland Heights before moving at age six to Geauga County in Amish country. At Bowling Green State University, he became the university mascot Freddie Falcon his junior year, an experience that taught him perseverance, work ethic, and leadership. He co-created the popular “Insomniac Half Hour” radio show, which grew into a live hour-long production, helping launch his broadcasting path.

Mark spent many years hosting the beloved Children’s Radio Funhouse on WCRF, bringing joy, music, and encouragement to families every Saturday morning. He also worked in advertising and did play-by-play for baseball and hockey. He shares how mentors shaped him and reflects on the lessons learned from both successes and challenges.

Now transitioning from daily morning drive radio, Mark looks forward to more time with his wife Wendy, their daughters, and grandchildren. He has already published a novel titled Eli, a story set during the 1946 baseball season, and is working on his next book, Fifth String.

Throughout the conversation, Mark’s warmth, humor, and gratitude for God’s faithfulness shine through. His life reminds us that our gifts, whether on the air or in everyday service, can be used in beautiful ways when placed in God’s hands.

This conversation encapsulates what we hope to do here with the Plain Values Podcast, telling stories that matter and bring us closer to the table.

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 Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com

We’ve been printing and mailing Plain Values for a long time using the postal system… and Marlin loves it.

It’s expensive, but it’s great.

In this charming Minute with Marlin, he shares a fascinating bit of postal history: the system began in 1775, before the Revolutionary War. Back then, the recipient paid the one-penny postage, not the sender. There was also an 11-pound weight limit.

People took full advantage of that limit in creative (and sometimes hilarious) ways— including documented cases of parents mailing their children to grandparents!

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 Miller sits down with Jed Johnson, founder of Wide Awake International, to hear how God led one ordinary family from Alaska to the front lines of caring for boys with disabilities in Ukraine.

Jed grew up as a pastor’s kid in Alaska. When he was six, his father suffered a devastating double stroke. Life changed dramatically.  The strong, adventurous dad became someone who had to relearn almost everything. The family moved to Montana, faced financial hardship, and leaned deeply on faith. Those early years taught Jed resilience, compassion, and the reality that God is present even when life is hard.

As an adult, Jed met his wife Kim, a nurse whose childhood dream was to care for orphans. Together they became foster parents to medically fragile babies while serving in their local church. Then God began stirring their hearts toward Ukraine. What started as an adoption attempt in 2010 eventually led them to move their entire family there in 2013, right before the revolution.

Jed and Kim have walked alongside boys like Boris, Anton, and Ruslan… young men who came from institutions carrying deep trauma. The work has been incredibly difficult: sleepless nights, aggression, medical needs, and the daily challenge of replacing years of harm with consistent love and safety. Through it all, Jed emphasizes one simple strategy God gave him: “Put one foot in front of the other and say yes to the next thing.”

Today their homestead outside Kiev includes a garden, horses for therapy, and a growing community of Ukrainians carrying the work forward. Jed’s story is a beautiful reminder that obedience often looks like small, faithful steps into the unknown… and God meets us there.

This conversation encapsulates what we hope to do here with the Plain Values Podcast, telling stories that matter and bring us closer to the table.

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

We’re always looking for more friends.

Find out more about Jed at: https://wideawakeinternational.org

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

In 1929, at the very beginning of the Great Depression, a man named Albert Brumley sat down in the northwest corner of Arkansas and wrote a song called “I’ll Fly Away.”

It wasn’t published until 1932, but that simple hymn has since become the most recorded gospel song in history.

Brumley went on to write over 800 songs, yet “I’ll Fly Away” remains one of the most beloved of all time.

Marlin shares that it is easily one of his top one or two favorite hymns. When his time comes to fly home, he’s asked his wife to make sure one thing happens at his funeral.

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… Sophia Eng shares her family’s journey from Vietnamese refugee roots to a thriving 40-acre regenerative homestead in East Tennessee. 

With a military husband and two daughters, Sophia’s parents (boat people who fled Saigon) lived with them, creating a multi-generational home rich in tradition, work ethic, and faith.

When lockdowns hit California in 2020, Sophia’s intuition (shaped by her parents’ stories of curfews and uncertainty) told her it was time to leave. They sold everything, loaded their animals (including three $300 egg-laying hens bought in a moment of urgency), and followed a leading to Tennessee, where green grass and community awaited.

Today their homestead includes dairy and beef cattle, sheep, poultry, and gardens. Sophia’s books preserve family recipes and traditional fermentation while teaching soil health, Korean natural farming, and biochar. 

Sophia reflects on the pressure of Asian-American success metrics and how she and her husband chose a different path, one of soil, community, and faithfulness. Through every challenge, they return to the truth that God provides and that hard things often produce the sweetest fruit.

A beautiful reminder that legacy isn’t built in boardrooms but in backyard gardens, kitchen ferments, and multi-generational tables.

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 Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com

There are seasons when life brings deep, hard things … the loss of a spouse, the burial of a child, a long-term disability, or seasons of uncertainty and anxiety where God feels distant and silent.

In this moving episode, Marlin shares the power of an old hymn written by William Cowper in 1779, “God Moves in a Mysterious Way.” The lyrics speak straight to the heart:

“God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform…

Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.”

Marlin reminds us that even when we cannot see or understand what God is doing, we can trust His sovereign, never-failing skill. 

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