EP #41 - From Refugee Roots to a Regenerative Homestead w/ Sophia Eng | Plain Values

EP #41 - From Refugee Roots to a Regenerative Homestead w/ Sophia Eng | Plain Values

In this episode of The Plain Values Podcast [https://plainvalues.com/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 [https://plainvalues.com/]

Minute with Marlin EP #5 - God Moves in a Mysterious Way

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 [https://plainvalues.com/]

EP #40 - Building a Family and a Legacy of Generosity w/ Derek & Lisa Guyer

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 [https://plainvalues.com/]

Minute with Marlin EP #4 - Put Down the Screen and Pick Up a Real Book

Marlin has always loved the simple, sensory pleasure of holding a real book or magazine; the feel of the paper, the weight in his hands.  In this episode, he reflects on how rare and precious books once were in the Middle Ages, when monks painstakingly copied them by hand. Then Gutenberg’s printing press changed everything by giving “wings to truth.” He beautifully connects this to God’s own design: trees become paper, language becomes Scripture, and the written word allows divine truth to spread across generations. 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 [https://plainvalues.com/]

EP #39 - Dead for 35 Minutes and the Miracle That Followed w/ Jimmy & Becky Mast

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 [https://plainvalues.com/]