# Minute with Marlin EP #11 - Finding Joy in the Dirt Piles of Life

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/plain-values-podcast-7471626/minute-with-marlin-ep-11-finding-joy-in-the-dirt-piles-of-life
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/plain-values-podcast-7471626/minute-with-marlin-ep-11-finding-joy-in-the-dirt-piles-of-life.md
Podcast: [Plain Values Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/plain-values-podcast-7471626)
Published: 2026-07-14T23:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://plainvalues.com/minute-with-marlin-ep-11-finding-joy-in-the-dirt-piles-of-life
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/88d1cdaf/2b9074fe.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/plain-values-podcast-7471626/episodes/minute-with-marlin-ep-11-finding-joy-in-the-dirt-piles-of-life
Duration seconds: 171

## Resource

When Marlin and his brother were boys, they lived for the dirt pile… the “strip mine” in their mother’s garden. Armed with toy Caterpillar dozers and loaders, they dug huge holes and built towering piles of dirt. To them, those small mounds were massive and larger than life. Their dad would sometimes take them to real strip mines where they got to ride in ginormous equipment. It was genuinely larger than life. Marlin reflects on how our concept of work is changing so dramatically today. Many call work a bummer, something you just do to get by. With the wave of artificial intelligence and rapid change, the future feels uncertain. But Marlin knows this: the people who understand why God put them here, and what work they were built to do, find the most purpose and joy in their labor. God doesn’t look at us and say, “You have to go to work.” He says, “You get to go to work.” 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

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## Transcript

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