Plain Values Podcast

Plain Values
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The most inspiring and heartfelt podcasts you’ll ever listen to. Hosted by Plain Values magazine Publisher Marlin Miller, he regularly interviews the people with the stories, wisdom, and advice we all need to hear.

  1. EP #28 - An Amish Preacher and a Former Real Estate Guru Walk Into a Hospital

    6D AGO

    EP #28 - An Amish Preacher and a Former Real Estate Guru Walk Into a Hospital

    In this episode of The Plain Values Podcast …  Most of us have felt it… that quiet exhaustion when the body is running on empty and the spirit feels even emptier. Chris Zimmerman lived it for seven long months.  Successful on paper, hollow inside, he reached a point where getting out of bed felt impossible. Then he found cold water. Not as a gimmick. As a last resort. What started as brutal cold showers became daily ice baths, and something profound shifted.  The constant noise in his head went silent. Trauma he didn’t even know he was carrying began to release. Energy returned. Purpose returned. And with it, a fire to help others escape the same trap. Today, Chris owns a former hospital in Amish country in Ohio. But he’s not running it like every other hospital. He’s building something different… a place where patient choice actually means something.  Where metabolic health, real food, and honest stewardship come first. Where the 70–90% of ER visits driven by preventable chronic illness might finally start to drop. This conversation is raw, hopeful, and long overdue. If you’re tired of feeling stuck (in your body, in the system, or in the daily grind), this one’s for you. You might just find the spark you’ve been praying for. 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

    1h 22m
  2. EP #27 - The One Question That Changed an Entire Movement

    FEB 27

    EP #27 - The One Question That Changed an Entire Movement

    In this episode of The Plain Values Podcast …  It was in his hometown church where Ryan Wolfe grew up and was drawn early to adults with intellectual disabilities who prayed, cross-stitched, and taught him more about friendship than any textbook.  From coaching Challenger baseball with his young family to building a field when no one else would, he asked one question, “How can we be a blessing, no strings attached?” That simple obedience birthed Shine Ministry, guardianship programs, Jesus Proms that draw hundreds, and a faith-based adult day program funded by Medicaid.  Now leading Ability Ministry, Ryan equips churches nationwide to welcome every gifted image-bearer.  Because the overlooked are often the greatest treasures. 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 Ryan Wolfe’s work at https://abilityministry.com/ Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com

    1h 31m
  3. EP #26 - Nobody Talks About It. Melissa Brown Will Never Stop Fighting It.

    FEB 20

    EP #26 - Nobody Talks About It. Melissa Brown Will Never Stop Fighting It.

    In this episode of The Plain Values Podcast …  Melissa Brown never planned to lead Ohio’s largest faith-based residential home for teen survivors of sex trafficking.  A Catalyst conference umbrella moment in 2013 shattered her world … kids sold for sex, hidden in plain sight.  She surrendered her “yes” to God anyway. Today, Safe Harbor’s 30-acre campus offers everything on-site: medical care, school, chapel, gym, cottages with private rooms.  Girls arrive broken, often by someone they knew.  Melissa plants seeds of truth, hope, love … replacing lies with God’s worth. 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 Melissa Brown’s work at https://www.safeharborohio.org/ Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com

    1h 59m
  4. EP #25 - She Miscarried, Then God Called Her to Save Lives She Never Expected

    FEB 13

    EP #25 - She Miscarried, Then God Called Her to Save Lives She Never Expected

    In this episode of The Plain Values Podcast, Bekah Hilty, executive director of the Pregnancy Care Center of Wayne County (in Ohio), shares her unexpected path into ministry.  From a health education background and personal miscarriage to leading a center that offers free ultrasounds, parenting classes, and newborn support, she emphasizes affirming women's worth in Christ. She details the risks of abortion pills (often obtained online without medical oversight) complications, reversals, how clients sometimes seek help post-decision, and how heartbeat ultrasounds change minds. Bekah highlights joys amid heartbreak, the post-Roe fight in Ohio, and the need for prayer for nurses on the front lines. 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 Bekah Hilty’s work at https://supportpccwayneoh.org Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com

    1h 26m
  5. EP #24 - An Absolute Miracle, Lived in Six Irreplaceable Years

    FEB 6

    EP #24 - An Absolute Miracle, Lived in Six Irreplaceable Years

    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.

    1h 23m
  6. EP #23 - He Saw Too Much as a Paramedic … Then the Land Started Healing Him

    JAN 30

    EP #23 - He Saw Too Much as a Paramedic … Then the Land Started Healing Him

    Jake Drumm, a longtime paramedic now running Drumm Emergency Solutions and managing Watauga Flats Farm in East Tennessee, sat down for a raw, beautiful conversation.  He shares stories from the ambulance that’ll make you hug your people tighter … about the ghosts that linger from years of witnessing grief, the burnout, and how true healing comes from community, not isolation. And then there’s the farm … regenerative practices breathing life back into the land. This episode is for every one of us walking this path, balancing family, land, and the call to care for others. Jake’s honesty about regrets, direction, and trusting God’s leading … it’s the encouragement we all need some days. 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 Jake Drumm at https://www.drummemergencysolutions.com Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com.

    1h 56m
  7. EP #22 - More Than Coffee: How Muletown Coffee Revived a Town Square and Built Real Community

    JAN 23

    EP #22 - More Than Coffee: How Muletown Coffee Revived a Town Square and Built Real Community

    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.

    39 min
  8. EP #21 - The True Heroes of This Life … Foster Parents

    JAN 16

    EP #21 - The True Heroes of This Life … Foster Parents

    In a raw and moving episode of The Plain Values Podcast, Kevin Hewitt, CEO of Christian Children’s Home of Ohio, pulls back the curtain on a lifetime devoted to foster care, adoption, and healing traumatized children.  From his own faith awakening as a teen, sparked by his brother’s battle with cancer and a faithful basketball coach, to quitting law school because his heart couldn’t settle for money over people, Kevin’s journey is one of relentless surrender to God’s call. What shines brightest is his unapologetic reverence for foster parents. “When I think of true heroes,” he says, voice cracking, “it’s foster parents.” These everyday missionaries open their homes, absorb emotional baggage, and love children who’ve known only brokenness … all without seeking applause.  Yet he doesn’t sugarcoat the pain. Fostering hurts. Love risks grief. The system isn’t perfect. But woven through every story is unshakable hope: every child bears eternal worth in Christ, and no story is over until God says so. This episode will wreck you, then rebuild you with gratitude and courage. If you’ve ever wondered whether one life can make a difference, listen. Then pray about opening your own door. 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.

    1h 32m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
18 Ratings

About

The most inspiring and heartfelt podcasts you’ll ever listen to. Hosted by Plain Values magazine Publisher Marlin Miller, he regularly interviews the people with the stories, wisdom, and advice we all need to hear.

Information

  • Creator
    Plain Values
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    28
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Plain Values
  • Show Website
    Plain Values Podcast

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