We love to listen to radio theater/ audio dramas when on the road and even just at home as we kick back and enjoy family time. And since these stories are for families of all ages, they are a perfect fit. We recently headed out to the beach for our own family adventure and began listening to Christian stories of The Brinkman Adventures Season 2: Episodes 13-24 on the way there and back home (we also enjoyed them at home).
Who are the Brinkmans?
The Brinkmans are a fictional family conjured up by Ian Bultman. After one day having read Luke 8:16-18, Mr. Bultman was inspired to begin a radio drama series which includes missionary stories and are based off of every-day real life events in his own family.
The Lord provided everything needed to create such an audio drama series: inpsiration from the *crazy things* that Mr. Bultman's own children do; his own children play themselves; a friend who owns a studio; actors from the congregation he and his family attends; and from outside the walls of his congregation.
The Brinkmans meet many Christian missionaries and learn about their stories. They also find ways to help support Christian missions. These are inspirational, faith building stories that aim to encourage Christians to live boldly for the Lord. They help bridge Christian Missions with the hearts of children and adults.
What We Like About The Brinkman Adventures:
What isn't there to like?! The story lines are engaging, entertaining, educational, and well thought out. I absolutely.love. that there are not any snotty or disrespectful attitudes portrayed. Even in the instance of a neighborly dispute, the attitudes are done in a light and humorous fashion. There is also a scene when a missionary runs into conflict when looking for a building to host a church. The missionary handles the situation with respect toward the individual who does not show a favorable attitude toward missionaries. They share how to work through fear, disappointments, rejoice with others, how to work through grief, how to focus on loving people where they are at, and so much more. As parents who try carefully to cultivate positive and loving attitudes among our kids, we appreciate this greatly.
Other aspects that we just love are the humor, the little idiosyncrasies the characters have, and little things our own family can relate to. For example, not long after listening to an episode where a character displays nervous habits (one being clicking a pen), my husband and I attended a church budget meeting. In the background of the dialog taking place, two people clicked pens! One individual did it when listening. Another individual did it when talking. It was so hard to stifle our laughter!
From the perspective of a homeschooling mother with several children, I love and appreciate that there is finally a radio theater series that highlights the life of a large family that homeschools and loves missions, too. I delight in the individuality of each family member and the dynamics of large family life in this series. Thank you, Bultman family! :-)
I think it's also important to note that not only do the stories cover overseas missionaries, but they cover homeland missionary stories as well. Often times the concept of being a missionary is only in the context of being in a country other than where one lives. The truth is that we are missionaries wherever we live and travel- everyone needs to hear the word of God and be shown God's love. This is *seen* as the Brinkman family encounters a neighbor who does not appreciate chickens (I'll say no more on that so it doesn't become a spoiler).
A couple of special things that the Bultmans do is they give a caution at the beginning of some of the episodes for children ages 10 and under. Our children all handled these stories fine, but it's good that they are sensitive to children who may be of a more sensitive nature. Another thing they do is share "the stories behind the stories" on their blog. *Be aware that you may want to listen to the episodes first so the stories aren't spoiled!
Most of all, we love the unique niche of learning about modern day missionaries and their true stories. It's wonderful to learn how God/Yahweh is moving in people's lives, provision He gives for the missionaries, and how people's lives are being transformed. This sets our eyes and hearts on Him. I love how He is glorified in these episodes.
Here are thoughts from our children:
Scientist (14 yo): "I like the light humor and educational facts. I think chickens are fun animals and I like how they tied in chicken humor in the Mexico by Bus story. I like learning about the geography of other places, too."
Artsy Girl (12 yo): "I enjoy how they share missionary stories, how people's lives are changed and the humor. It's pretty hard to choose some favorites, but I like that I can relate to things in their family. An example would be in Mexico by Bus when the youngest needs to go to the bathroom so soon again. That happens all the time with my youngest sister!"
Song Bird (10 yo): "I like them! They have adventures and they're funny. I can't choose a favorite, I like all of them. They're cool."
Explorer (9 yo): "They are funny! I like getting to learn more about missionaries. I think my favorite one is, "On the Run". It cracks me up when they talk about the snake!"
Dreamer (6 yo): "I like the characters because they do funny things. One of my favorites ones is the pirate one because the boy has funny accidents like with the *poison wood*. And the one with the chickens because the situation with the neighbor is really funny (the Mexico by Bus)."
Sweetie Pie (4 yo): "I like the Brinkman Adventures. I like the big family."
Super Busy (2 yo): He liked listening with the family even though he's just 2 right now. :-)
What Can You Expect From Season 2: Episodes 13-24?
Whether your family will be traveling around for vacation, staying home on staycations, running around to complete errands, or sitting together for family time, you can embark on some fun and exciting adventures with the Brinkmans. For instance, has your family ever fled from Mexican bandits? What if you caught wind of some hidden pirate treasure- would you go diving for it? Would you explore a French castle if you had the chance to? How would you go about helping to rescue enslaved children?
The Episodes Include:
The Mystery Ring
Blue Hat and T-Shirt Bible
How Big is Your God Part 1
Disc 2:
How Big is Your God Part 2
Mexico by Bus
Treehouse Academy
Disc 3:
Pirates of Mayan Island
Sapphire Slaves Part 1
Sapphire Slaves Part 2
Disc 4:
Hadi's Choice
Castle of Secrets
On the Run
How Much The Brinkman Adventures Season 2: Episodes 13-24 Cost:
4 CDs of 5+ hours of action packed stories has a suggested donation of $25 with free shipping.
The MP3 album version of 5+ hours of action packed stories has a suggested donation of $17.
These are so worth the price! Plus, you'll be supporting a project that supports Christian missions.
You can purchase your copy at the Brinkman Adventure store here.
You can read more reviews by the TOS Crew about the Brinkman Adventures by clicking on the graphic below:
Blessings!
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