Plain Values Podcast

In this episode of The Plain Values Podcast …Some people build businesses. Others build lives that point to something greater.In this powerful conversation, Derek and Lisa Guyer share the raw, beautiful story of their journey; from financial brokenness and a tiny two-bedroom home with six kids in one room, to owning and transforming Kentucky Lumber into a place of integrity, character, and genuine care.Derek openly talks about the early failures, the lessons learned from his parents, and the deliberate choice to create a company culture where employees feel safe, customers are treated like family, and tough love meets real respect.At the center of it all is their deep commitment to fostering and adopting children from hard places. Derek describes the chaos, the screaming, the fear… and the unwavering decision to be the safe place these kids desperately need.Through every trial, financial stress, loss, and the daily grind, they return to the same truth: generosity matters most when it’s hardest.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

In this episode of The Plain Values Podcast …Some stories remind us that God still does the impossible.On a seemingly normal Monday morning in 2013, Becky Mast collapsed at home. Within minutes she had no heartbeat. For the next 35 minutes she received no oxygen to her brain. She was clinically dead.What followed was a cascade of miracles.Paramedics worked on her relentlessly. After six shocks and heroic CPR, her heart finally restarted. Doctors at multiple hospitals gave grim prognoses, massive brain damage was expected. They prepared Jimmy for the possibility of bringing his wife home in a wheelchair, or worse.Instead, after being anointed with oil according to James 5, Becky began showing signs of life. She responded to her favorite worship song. She spoke. She walked. She came home just 15 days later.Jimmy and Becky share their story with raw honesty; the fear, the prayers, the friends who carried them, and the undeniable hand of God that defied every medical expectation.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

In this episode of The Plain Values Podcast, Marlin sits down with his good friend Larry Yoder for a conversation about God’s incredible redeeming grace.Larry shares his remarkable journey of growing up Amish, leaving the church as a teenager, and spiraling into a life of heavy drug use, partying, and bad choices. From smoking weed at 11 to nearly overdosing multiple times, Larry openly talks about how he was searching for something to fill the void but kept running from the very thing he needed most: Jesus.Then came the turning point. Sitting at a pizza shop with friends who simply shared how Jesus had changed their lives, Larry surrendered everything. What followed was radical transformation… quitting drugs cold turkey, moving to Baltimore to serve in an inner-city ministry, meeting his wife Amanda, and eventually stepping into the work he does today with Pure Gift of God.Now, Larry and his team work tirelessly to support foster care and adoption, helping children find loving homes and walking alongside families through the hard, beautiful work of building forever families. His story is a powerful reminder that no one is too far gone for God’s grace, and that our past pain can become the very platform God uses to bring hope to others.If you’ve ever wondered whether God can truly redeem the messiest parts of our stories, or if you want to be encouraged by a testimony of radical transformation, this episode is for you.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 Larry Yoder’s work at https://puregiftofgod.orgLearn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com

In this raw and unforgettable episode of The Plain Values Podcast, photographer Eric Brown opens his studio in rural Eastern NC and his life. He talks with Marlin about his time in Nashville, family, and the six miraculous years with his daughter Pearl … born with holoprosencephaly, doctors called incompatible with life.Eric shares the gut-punch diagnosis, the choice to welcome siblings into the room, the relentless care, and the beauty that flooded their home like Kodachrome. Pearl's death in 2018 left a void: his theology cracked, the darkness crept in, and alcohol numbed.But in the end, Christ alone held everything together.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 Eric Brown at https://www.ericbrownphoto.com/Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com.

In this warm, heartfelt episode, Chris and Kelli Coyne (owners of Muletown Coffee in Columbia, Tennessee) share the unlikely story of how a small coffee roasting operation became the spark that transformed a forgotten downtown into a thriving community hub.What started in 2013 as a risky venture in a near-empty square has grown into something far bigger than great coffee (though their roasts are repeatedly called “fantastic”). Chris boldly told his team on day one, “Remember, what we’re doing here is not about coffee.” It’s about what coffee does … it gives people an excuse to gather, linger, and connect.From first dates to Bible studies, grieving friends finding solace on the porch, kids playing Uno with parents, and an elderly couple making the shop their daily ritual, Muletown has become Columbia’s living room. The owners credit “Porch Time” (organic gatherings born out of shared loss) for deepening those bonds and helping draw people back downtown.Amid reflections on slowing down in a noisy world, resisting hustle culture, and generous giving over strict profit, one truth shines through: sometimes the simplest things—a good cup shared without hurry—can rebuild a community one conversation at a time.Pull up a chair, grab your favorite mug, and listen in. You’ll leave wanting both better coffee and better connection.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.

In this remarkable conversation, we sit down with Dr. Roberto Matthew — born in Cuba, shaped by revolution, exile, poverty, and perseverance to trace a life marked by danger, resilience, and deep conviction. As a child, he fled Castro’s regime with his mother, sister, grandmother, and aunt, while his father stayed behind to support counter-revolution efforts. What followed was a journey through Colombia, Puerto Rico, and finally the United States … years marked by scarcity, trauma, relentless work, and the kindness of unlikely mentors.Dr. Matthew describes memories of dictatorship, refugee life, the Bay of Pigs, cultural upheaval, and the fragile line between truth and propaganda. He later builds a distinguished medical career, survives profound personal loss, and witnesses both the failures and triumphs of modern medicine from the inside.This episode is sweeping, vulnerable, and historically rich. A rare look at how one man’s lived experience reveals the cost of political extremism, the power of courage, and the quiet grace of simply telling the truth.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.Timestamps:0:00 – Intro2:24 – Escaping to Colombia by Boat 14:56 – The CIA, Sugar Cane & Exports 20:42 – JFK & The Bay of Pigs Fallout 27:45 – Mom's Rebellion: "My Kids Are Not State Property" 37:35 – Surviving Colombia: Selling Empanadas 42:37 – Puerto Rico: Strict Nuns & Schooling59:09 – The Cost of Medical School 1:09:39 – Meeting His Wife 1:15:22 – Pregnancy & a Nightmare Procedure1:28:07 – Family Loss & The Blessing of Three Kids 1:31:59 – Becoming a Heart Surgeon in Ohio 1:35:58 – Room 20 1:43:47 – Final Thoughts & Future Conversations🩵🩵🩵