Marlin will never forget the first time he saw homeless people.
He was 20 or 21, skating under a bridge in Portland, Oregon with his brother. Across the way were a handful of men with everything they owned in shopping carts. It was a scary and sad scene, one that left young Marlin feeling uncertain.
Should he do something? Should he stay away? Should he be scared?
Even today, he admits he doesn’t have all the answers.
But he knows this: God created a beautiful system where He loves us, helps us, and gives us hope. And He asks us to do the same for the people around us.
Marlin’s gentle challenge is simple yet profound: Let’s be that love, help, and hope for others… all through Christ.
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
Transcripts
Marlin Miller:
I’ll never forget the first time I saw homeless people. Obviously I grew up pretty sheltered here in Amish country, but my brother and I were in Portland, Oregon skating under a bridge and we looked across the way and there were a handful of guys with probably everything they owned in a shopping cart. And I didn’t know exactly what I was looking at. I think they were shooting up heroin and it was just a scary and sad scene for me to take in. I was 20 or 21. It was the first time that I had really gotten outside into the world, embarrassingly so, and yet it’s the truth. I remember the uncertainty that I felt. Do I do something? Do I stay away? Should I be scared? And I don’t know that I have any answers even today. I just know this, that God created a system in A, he loves us, B, He helps us and C, he gives us hope.
And I think he asks us to do the same thing, to love the people around us, to help them and to give them hope. And obviously that all comes through Christ, but what an incredible system that he’s put into place.
Let’s be that love, help and hope for the people around us.
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