Gallimaufry Grove: The Brinkman Adventures Review

The Brinkman Adventures is a radio drama series about a large family (I love that) full of the accompanying antics that occur when you throw a bunch of kids smack in the middle of exciting missionary adventures. And those missionary adventures actually happened -- not to the Brinkmans (they are made up for the radio adventures) but to real missionaries out on the field. These true stories have been slightly rewritten to include the Brinkman family (who weren't actually there since they don't actually exist. But you knew that already.) The "Brinkmans" aren't real, but they are acted out by a real family, so they seem real as you listen.

I wasn't super sure how my teenagers would react -- you know, whether they'd give me an eye roll and ask to go to the mall or something. (Okay, to be fair to my kids, they have never actually given me an eye roll and they would rather be computer programming or out on a hike than hanging out at the mall. I know. I am blessed.) But even my teens were surprised to find that they enjoyed listening to these stories. The episodes are well acted and believable with real-life, often funny family comments and scenarios. Some of the stories even made us want to get involved -- and we are already plenty involved in the ministry, being a full-time pastoral family and all.

The Blue Hat and the T-shirt Bible was one of my personal favorites. It involves the wild and often miraculous adventure of getting a Bible into the hands of a Christian in an underground church. We take so much for granted in this country. This story reminds us of just how blessed and free we are here. In Mexico By Bus, the Brinkmans encounter nearly insurmountable odds trying to get to a ministry concert in which they are the special guests. The moral of the story? Never bring the chickens on a bus trip to Mexico. Or if you do opt to bring your feathered friends along, don't strap them to the back of the bus. Not that you'd do that. Sapphire Stones takes you into the disturbing slave trade and introduces you to ministries that are actively doing something to stop it. After you listen to each session, you can hop online and read the true story that inspired the episode. In stories like Sapphire Stones, you can get information about the ministries involved in freeing those who were enslaved.

The Brinkman Adventures seem to come from a Baptist perspective, although they aren't busy teaching any strong doctrine. Instead, they are promoting a strong family unit, a healthy work ethic and the sense that God causes all things to work together for good (even the bad things) when our heart is to serve Him. These stories are unapologetically Christian, but they are not preachy. I feel that even if you were of a different Christian denomination, it wouldn't be difficult to make this fit with your religious beliefs by just explaining a few things to your kids as you went along.

The kids and I pulled out projects to work on while we listened to The Brinkman Adventures Season 2 at home, but these would be fabulous for family travels. You could just pop the CD in and get a wholesome break from the usual handheld games and movies that often pass the time (not to mention getting a break from the bickering and the "Are we there yet?" questions.) These are suitable for the whole family and cost $25 for the CD set or $17 for the MP3.