One Minute with Marlin — Fruit Guest Post, July 18, 2023July 18, 2023 Share this: By Marlin Miller, Publisher of Plain Values Have you ever tried to do something nice for someone only to make a mistake that messes up everything you had planned? I recently went to a morning conference, and the organizers brought everyone Chick-fil-A for lunch. After the event was over, I was chatting with a few folks and they told me that there were some leftovers. One of the organizers suggested that I take the leftovers home to my wife and children. I thought this was a great opportunity to show my family what a thoughtful husband and father I could be. I called my wife Lisa and told her that I got Chick-fil-A for lunch for her and the whole family. As you can imagine, the kids were very excited, and were looking forward to chicken (which happens to be their favorite food, by the way!). I said my goodbyes to the folks at the conference, grabbed six boxes off the table, and headed for the truck. I saw the word “fruit” in a corner of one of the boxes, but I didn’t think much of it. However, a thought did cross my mind that the boxes were rather light for chicken sandwiches. I hurried home, looking forward to surprising my family with Chick-fil-A lunch. As I’m handing the second round of boxes to my wife, she looked over at me and asked, “Marlin, where is the chicken?” I replied, “It’s in the boxes, isn’t it?” Lisa opened up the boxes and showed me what I had picked up: six boxes of fruit and french fries. Not one chicken sandwich! I had assumed the chicken sandwiches were in those boxes, never thinking for a second to double-check. The kids were very disappointed, and my wife still had to prepare the main course for lunch. My best-laid plans were derailed, and—needless to say—I felt like an idiot! I thought about what I had failed to do, and a line from one of the speakers that morning came to my mind: “will the fruit of my life show up in the branches of other people’s lives?” That morning I could emphatically say yes! Chick-fil-A fruit ended up in other people’s lives! I had to smile at how his words connected to my actions. What fruit from your life will end up in people’s branches around you today? We may not always get things right, but when you try to live a Godly life, the fruit of our lives will be a benefit to those around us. As always, may you find joy in the simple things. Learn more about our work, and subscribe, at plainvalues.com. As a special thanks, get 10% off your subscription with the code “GAB23”! Marlin Miller, publisher of Plain Values Magazine. Always looking for more friends. Christian Living Homemaking Marlin MillerPlain Values
Christian Living The War Against Chaos January 13, 2023January 23, 2023 Share this:by J.Pilgrim I’m typing this out while I’m racked out in the back of my SUV in a Walmart parking lot in a college town, sipping a beer. I was attempting to spend New Year’s Day camping at the homestead, but my fan belt frayed out on the drive and… Read More
Bold Christian Writing Evolution: The Greatest Story Ever Told? April 28, 2023 Share this:How evolution evolved from the minds of men… by John Heers, First Things Foundation In this edition of Heavy Things Done Lightly, the plan is to take a walk through history to discover something like antecedents. Where does Darwin’s evolutionary theory come from? Is it a scientific discovery, or is… Read More
Aesthetics The Importance of Fairy Tales for Children June 6, 2022October 24, 2022 Share this:by ThinkingWest For the past year, I’ve been reading stories from classic children’s anthologies (many printed in the 1940s – 1960s era) to my kids before bed. One such collection of stories is from a series called Childcraft, which I find so aptly named since reading good stories is so critical… Read More