Tech, AI, and “The Lie” | Carson Combs on the Plain Values Podcast

Jeremy and Kelly Nussbaum are friends and family of Plain Values, being the parents of our very own customer service specialist, Daylan. They joined Marlin on the podcast for an incredible conversation about their relationship with Horace and Phyllis Leister of the Tumaini Children’s Home. Horace and Phillis are the proud parents of 50 adopted children in Kenya, Africa, and the stories behind this family are even more miraculous than you can imagine.While studying about Africa for a homeschool lesson, the Nussbaum family learned from a friend about Horace and Phyllis and their unique family of 33 (at the time) adopted children. As the Nussbaums learned about this family and their story, they couldn’t help but get involved. Daylan, who was just eight years old at the time, had the idea to draw and sell his pictures to help raise money for the family. Since that first fundraiser, they’ve done many more and have had the chance to visit several times, getting to know the children and their stories.Miraculously, Horace and Phyllis have never lost a child, though there are often serious health issues when they arrive. These babies are not coming to them from good conditions. Many are found along the roadside, abandoned and defenseless. But God defended them—even sending a snake to do his bidding on one occasion.One child was found with a snake wrapped tight around him, but the snake did not harm him. In fact, it saved his life as it was the only thing protecting him from the rats who would have had him for a meal. Another story tells of a man who walked to work past a trash bag every day for a week. On the last day, the man noticed the bag move. Inside he found a baby, somehow alive and still attached to the placenta. Today she is one of the smartest children in her town, with no known trauma to be seen. Story after story could be told of God’s providence. By today, Horace and Phyllis have adopted 50 children and are in their 70s, still going strong. You’re most likely asking yourself, “How do they do it? Jeremy quickly answers, “By faith.” God called them into that place and they will remain until God calls them elsewhere. Unfortunately because of their many responsibilities in the home, they are not able to spend time promoting their work and needs. Help comes and goes, but they are always there, committed to the children. What they need most is passionate, consistent help. Want to learn more about the Tumaini Children’s Home and how you can help? Go to familykeysint.comLearn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com🔵 Guest Bio and Links …https://familykeysint.com🔷🔹🔷🔹🔷🔹🔷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/🔷🔹🔷🔹🔷🔹🔷🎵 Hold My Hand - Sam BurchfieldRecorded Live - Plain Values - Winesburg, OHLearn more about Sam: https://www.samburchfield.com/🎵 Other music - Soundstripe

In this Minute With Marlin, Marty and his daughter Elizabeth from Mackinac, Michigan, are in the studio to share a few heart-warming moments and many laughs with Marlin. They talk about Elizabeth, her work at the Mackinac Bakery, and her connection with Marlin's daughter, Adelaide, who has a passion for working at a bakery some day. Marty shares about how he initially heard about Plain Values Magazine, which led to his connection with Marlin. He also talks about his affinity for the magazine's content and, specifically, Marlin’s passion for individuals with Down syndrome. At the end, Marlin asks Elizabeth what her favorite sandwich is and we discover that they share the same one! Comment below, we are interested to hear—what is your favorite sandwich? Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹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 this episode of the Plain Values podcast, Marlin sits down for a conversation spanning hundreds of years. John Miller has a few things to say about his anabaptist forefathers and the influence they’ve had on our lives today.John and Marlin cover many topics including John’s personal life and his unique reason for why he left the Amish, how he was accused by the bishop of murdering his own son, his Anabaptist great-great grandfather’s journey to America, and a few current cultural hot topics. John also makes an intriguing connection between AI and the beginnings of the Anabaptist movement in the 16th century.In 1837 John Miller’s great, great grandfather, Jacob Raber traded a castle in Germany for a cabin in Charm, Ohio. John himself has been to the land of his ancestors and looked upon the castle they left behind. In a real way, they gave up convenience for conviction. Their choice lives on in John today.John grew up in New Bedford under a father who is characterised by John’s son as a strong believer in child-labor. John laughs and quips that he honors his father by passing this belief down to his own son. There’s even a picture of John’s grandson, not 4 hours old, holding a wrench ready to get to work. John goes on to say how no one could have told him at the age of fourteen, that he was not a man. Compare that to today’s masculinity.In 1966, John watched his father successfully press his first spring for his manufacturing plant. At just five years old, John vividly remembers watching the processes and having a conversation with him about it later. John says, “the things that form us the most, are the things that are so normal we don’t even think about it.” What was just work for his father, was life changing for John and his worldview. He watched his dad innovate to make a better machine for his factory, and John himself became an innovator that day.Today John Miller’s Superb Industries manufactures over 5 million engineered components a day and over 25 million canning lids a year. Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com🔵 Guest Bio and Links …Get John’s book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Samaritans-Worship-Spirit-Truth/dp/B0H6HN8FYK/🔷🔹🔷🔹🔷🔹🔷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/🔷🔹🔷🔹🔷🔹🔷🎵 Hold My Hand - Sam BurchfieldRecorded Live - Plain Values - Winesburg, OHLearn more about Sam: https://www.samburchfield.com/🎵 Other music - Soundstripe#plainvalues #superbindustries #sabbath #sda

In this bonus episode of the Plain Values Podcast, Marlin and Carson Combs—a city planner for Licking County, Ohio—discuss the growth and multiplication of data centers across the country and the questions and concerns that they raise. How will these data centers impact resources such as water and energy now and in the long-term? What is actually true and what is still unknown about these centers? What about noise pollution? Acknowledging the many unknowns, Carson and Marlin approach this conversation with caution, concern, and curiosity, seeking to distinguish between what is true and what is simply unclear. Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹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/🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

When you hear the name RuthAnn Zimmerman you think of homesteading. In today’s episode of the Plain Values Podcast, we hear the full story behind RuthAnn and Elvin’s journey to becoming one of the leading voices of influence in the modern homesteading movement.Long before social media and RuthAnn’s millions of followers knew of her, both Elvin and RuthAnn grew up in Pennsylvania in the Old Order Mennonite church, though they did not meet there. As teenagers, both Elvin and RuthAnn seemed to have rebellious spirits and their parents decided it best to send them away for a time. The two rebel hearts connected in Iowa and were soon baptized and married in the church there. RuthAnn was a school teacher for a few years there, so once they had their own children, she had the know-how to homeschool. She soon became friends with some non-Mennonite women in her homeschool group and she started to see things a bit differently. The Holy Spirit was calling Elvin and RuthAnn into a real relationship with Him. One particular weekend, they both had a revelation that if Jesus was here today, He would not be allowed into their own church. Jesus was calling them to follow Him, but they were scared to lose their community.Already feeling on the fringes of their church because of their liberal thinking and uncommitted rule following, the decision came to a head when RuthAnn was denied communion in front of the church because of an incident with her frizzy hair. Though they left the Mennonite church and embraced the modern conveniences of the world for a time, they quickly saw consequences. They all felt worse than ever from the grocery store food and their daughter especially became quite sick. So they turned back to the skills they learned from their upbringing and grew their own food again. They knew, though they had the freedom to choose any convenience they wanted, they could choose the simple lifestyle without the religious oppression. Today, Elvin and RuthAnn are intentional about teaching their children to follow Jesus even if it goes against the world, their community, or even their parents. The freedom to choose our lifestyle and to choose a relationship with Jesus is the gift of the Gospel for everyone on earth. Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com

In today’s bonus conversation from the Plain Values Podcast, Marlin talks with Carson Combs about AI, the danger it poses, and the consequences it brings.Carson questions the power that AI uses just to have information at your fingertips. It’s like any tool, the user’s intent dictates whether AI is used for good or evil. His long-term concern is that AI is another way for people to isolate and stop communicating in face to face conversations. The conversation then turns to busyness. Carson asks, “What are we really doing in our life, and how does that tie back to what the Bible says?” It’s not just about the “stuff” we collect, it’s also about how we’re filling our time. When we don’t take the time to pause, we don’t realize how far removed we’ve become over time.Our culture has been fed the lie that AI will help us have more time to slow down and connect with people again because we’re not focused on the details. And nothing could be farther from the truth. The advancing technology has only sped our lives up, causing us to work harder to keep up, and most of us just burn out. Carson shares that if we don’t put boundaries in place, we’ll never be free.Everything comes down to priorities and intentionality. Are we living for the world or are we living for God?Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹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 this episode of the Plain Values Podcast, Marlin sits down with Brian Troyer of Hope Bridge for a conversation about fostering communities and how Brian’s life led him into foster care ministry.They begin the conversation talking about Brian’s upbringing in a Hartville Mennonite family. At the age of 21, Brian lost a friend in a tragic softball accident. This experience woke him up to the life he was living, and he soon found himself breaking up with his girlfriend and requesting time off from his place of work to join Reach, a mid-term missions program. Brian’s time with Reach was formative to say the least. It was there that he met his wife, Brittany, and later where they together saw the huge need for foster care in the world. When they moved back to Hartville after five years with Reach, they immediately began their journey with fostering. They fostered for seven years and are now working with Hope Bridge who builds up fostering communities in Ohio.One common rejection of foster care is how it may negatively affect a family’s other children. For Brian, he has seen the opposite effect in their son, Malachi. He loves to tell people he has 14 siblings and that his favorite day ever is the day they adopted his younger brother. Not everyone should foster, but everyone should do something. Everyone can be involved in some way. Fifty percent of foster families drop out after the first year, and 80 percent after the second year, with the number one reason being lack of support. When a foster family has a supportive community around them, the chances of the family lasting over two years rises to over 95 percent. This is why Hope Bridge exists. This is the call to the church. What can you do to support a foster family in your community today?Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com🔵 Guest Bio and Links …https://hopebridgeohio.org🔷🔹🔷🔹🔷🔹🔷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/🔷🔹🔷🔹🔷🔹🔷🎵 Hold My Hand - Sam BurchfieldRecorded Live - Plain Values - Winesburg, OHLearn more about Sam: https://www.samburchfield.com/🎵 Other music - Soundstripe#plainvalues #hopebridge #fostercare #fostercommunity #reach

In this episode of the Plain Values Podcast, Marlin sits down with Rachel Baker of the 99+1 Foundation. Rachel grew up in Holmes County but now lives in Oklahoma where she works for a foundation caring for young people who are aging out of the foster care system. If a child enters the foster system above the age of ten, there is a very low chance of being adopted, and a very high chance of them ending up homeless, in prison, or dead within three years of aging out of the system. The 99+1 Foundation exists to change that story.The Foundation cares not only for the young aging out, but also for widows who may be in need of a place as well. This creates a beautiful dynamic of the older mentoring the younger. Neurofeedback is an exercise for the brain that helps calm the central nervous system. Rachel uses Neurofeedback to work with young and old people who have experienced trauma and has helped correct anything from poor sleep to seizures. Like George Mueller, the ministry often runs on prayer alone. Meals show up out of nowhere when needed. Buildings get renovated. Needs are met. The heart of the Father is not to disregard the broken, but to take what is there and restore it to something beautiful. This is the story of the 99+1 Foundation. If you want to learn more or support this ministry restoring the Kingdom, go to www.99plus1.foundation. Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.comTimestamps:00:00 - Intro00:48 - Rachel's Backstory03:29 - Hardships of Aging Out of Foster Care07:02 - Education Challenges for Foster Youth10:02 - Unconditional Love and Trauma11:46 - Neurofeedback and its Huge Benefits17:00 - 99 Plus 1 Foundation: Restoration and the Father's Heart22:35 - Coffee Shop Initiative: Job Skills and Community Outreach24:31 - Trusting God Just Like George Müller Did26:15 - Don't Forget the Wise Older Generation27:29 - 99 Plus 1 Today28:29 - How to Support 99 Plus 129:42 - How Can We Pray for You?🔵 Guest Bio and Links …https://99plus1.foundation🔷🔹🔷🔹🔷🔹🔷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/🔷🔹🔷🔹🔷🔹🔷🎵 Hold My Hand - Sam BurchfieldRecorded Live - Plain Values - Winesburg, OHLearn more about Sam: https://www.samburchfield.com/🎵 Other music - Soundstripe#plainvalues #fostercare #agingout #neurofeedback #restoration

In this Minute With Marlin, Marlin is joined by his friends, Jerry and Lynn Wright, all the way from “the bad half of Washington.” They met at a homesteading event a few years ago and hit it off quickly once they realized they had something in common—they both had loved ones with Down syndrome. The golden nugget of wisdom in this episode comes from Jerry as he shares what his father told him when he was a young teenager, “Dad said he was going to be getting dumber over the next few years, and then in my twenties he’d be getting smarter again.” Looking back at the words his father spoke into his life during those “dumb” years, Jerry found this to be true. His dad never became dumber or smarter, but his perspective of the wisdom he shared changed over the years and impacted him differently.Do you have people in your life you’ve found to get smarter as you grow older? Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹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 this episode of the Plain Values podcast, Dawn Combs joins Marlin for a conversation covering all the Big Corps–Big Ag, Big Food, Big Pharma, Big Chemical, Big Tech and beyond.Being practically neighbors with Scott’s and Nestlè corps, Dawn says she lives “ in the belly of the beast.” Then, just on the other side of Columbus sits Licking County which has drawn the attention of Big Tech. Data Centers drink up to 50 million gallons of water a day and the large aquifers there have them drooling for the land. Dawn’s husband Carson happens to be the sitting City Planning Director within Licking County. Being a Christian man and advocate for holistic, regenerative ag and stewarding creation, Carson believes he has an opportunity to show the world how we can move forward alongside technology in a responsible way.Ethnobotany is where folklore and science meet. It’s the study of how certain cultures made use of the indigenous plants in each region, with the aspect of understanding the science behind why it worked. Due to its pagan nature, it’s not a subject many christians find themselves in, but Dawn has been drawn to it all her life, seeking the truth within the lore.Marlin and Dawn dive deep into the subject of the western infertility world which Dawn experienced for three years before she fired her doctors and diagnosed herself. Treating herself with herbs and teas, she went on to naturally have two children. Not only did she heal herself, but she healed a broken generational pattern within her family. Dawn explains, “Our best healing remedies mimic God’s design… in the western mindset it’s all about controlling the body and making it do what you want it to.” They continue discussing western medicine and processed foods and the “treadmill” these keep us running on.Big Ag and Big Fertility are essentially doing the same thing. They are forcing infertile soil to produce life beyond its capacity. They are bypassing God’s design and forcing their will upon it, without any thoughts of the repercussions. Dawn says there’s a better way, and she’s dedicated her life to discovering it.Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com