Brinkman Adventures: Season 6: Underground Rising ~ a TOS review

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Are you up for an adventure? If you have been reading this little blog of mine for any length of time you know that we love good books and we love audio theater just as much! So, if you are ready to experience the known for its action-packed, faith-building, real life, extraordinary drama adventures of the Brinkman family keep reading because they have just released their newest adventure, Season 6: Underground Rising.


I love adding Audio Dramas to our listening time while we are out and about on our daily travels, so  I was thrilled to receive the digital version of Season 6: Underground Rising from Brinkman Adventures for our listening pleasure. The  Brinkman Adventures will take your family on heart-pounding, exciting adventures all the while showing God’s love for everyone on earth. We received a digital copy of Season 6 of The Brinkman Adventures which contains six action packed episodes. The company just recently moved to the six episode editions instead of the twelve like previous editions. But don't let that disappoint you. You still get over 2 hours of audio drama/entertainment that is perfect for a road trip.

Episodes in Season 6 include:

55 – Dutch Underground Part 1 ~ Theme: Resisting Evil                            
56 – Dutch Underground Part 2 ~ Theme: Helping When it's Risky
57 – Twice Born Fly  ~ Theme: Salvation
58 – I Wonder Why? ~ Theme: Trusting God's Plan
59 – Free Burma Rangers Part 1  ~ Theme: Can God Use a Warrior
60 – Free Burma Rangers Part 2 ~ Theme:  God Guides Even When He Feels Distant

Once we received our email to download the files we were all set to enjoy our adventure. Each Episode can be played on a phone or tablet, but first you need to download the files onto your computer and then sync them to your portable device. Trust me, it is a simple process to do!

After the syncing is complete, just press play and fasten your seatbelts as you step back in time to war-torn Holland. Based on real life events during this time period The Brinkmans’ great-grandparents are faced with a harrowing decision. Will they protect themselves from the Nazis or will they aid the Jews? In another episode, the boys Jack & Ian accompany Dave Eubank and his Free Burma Rangers on a daring mission to save a Burmese village from a rapidly approaching army bent on destruction. 

The Brinkman’s are not just your normal everyday missionaries. They are a modern day, large family with 9 children, whose powerful stories come together through the wild and crazy adventures they take to share God’s word. Their escapades will inspire the old and young and strengthen your faith to love and follow Jesus with all your might.

We spend a lot of time in our van driving here and there each week and while listening to the popular kids satellite radio is fun, one does quickly tire of hearing the same songs looping over and over. With my new van, I was so excited to be able to plug my phone into the socket and pull up Apple Car Play. From there I was able to access the files that were on my phone. I love that we can control the files just as we would manipulate a CD by rewinding etc. in case we missed something. 

We have listened to many audio books before but nothing is quite as exciting as The Brinkman Adventures. From the very beginning, everyone in the van is completely immersed and listening intently to the stories to not miss a beat. Everyone in our family has thoroughly enjoyed these stories many times over.  Our family’s favorite stories from this collection would have to be episodes 55 and 56 about the Dutch Underground. This is a fascinating time period where ordinary people did extraordinary things to help the Jews during their time of persecution. I have always enjoyed studying this time period and frequently while listening to these stories I asked myself would I be so willing to help in the face of danger and death. I sure hope I would! 

Season 6 continues in the tradition of high octane, faith growing stories. I will say that some of the stories were a bit intense. I did have to turn off the episodes and wait until my littles were not in the van to continue to listen. I would say, if you have children 10 and under to use your own judgement and listen along with them. If it is too intense, then save it for another time.

The Brinkman Adventures are available to purchase on CD for $23.99 or digital download for $19.99. The prices are worth every cent and more! Plus, you are in luck! Right now until October 31st you can get your own set of The Brinkman Adventures for 10% off by using the code  FALL10 . It's the perfect way to begin your adventures!

Be sure to check out what my CrewMates thought of Season 6 by clicking the banner below. There are 69 other reviews to check out.

Company ~ Brinkman Adventures

 Product ~ Season 6: Underground Rising

 Format ~ digital download

 Price ~ $19.99

 Ages ~ 10 and up

Social Media Links: 

 Facebook

©2008 - 2018 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author. 

 http://astablebeginning.com

Wordless Wednesday

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2008 - 2018 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author. 

 http://astablebeginning.com

Brinkman Adventures, Season 4 ~ a TOS review

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Are you ready to hear about the next audio drama that we have fallen in love with here at A Stable Beginning? They are not a new company because I have shared our love of the Brinkman Adventures before. The past six weeks we have been listening to Brinkman Adventures Season 4. If you are up for an adventure, continue reading below!


Prepare to become immersed into an adrenaline filled journey as you travel the globe from from houseboats in Cambodia, or travel down the dangerous alleys in the Middle East, or to frozen prisons in Russia with our modern-day missionaries, The Brinkman family. With The Brinkman Adventures will take your family on a heart-pounding, exciting adventures taming rogue robots and dodging angry hippos all the while showing God’s love for everyone on earth.

We received the digital download of Season 4 of The Brinkman Adventures which contains 12 action packed episodes. With over 5 hours of audio drama/entertainment these are perfect for long road trips or just around town. Each action-packed episode is roughly 30-40 minutes long and they each contain a central theme. Episodes in Season 4 include:

37 A Paradise Lost (God is in control)

38 Remember Nhu (Persevering) 

39 Aisha’s Fear (Overcoming Fear with Love) 

40 Heart Song (Tenacious Faith) 

41 The Crashed Kitchen (God Doesn’t Make Mistakes) 

42 Crisis In The Congo (People Over Projects) 

43 The Mysterious Palm Feller (Confronting Evil) 

44 War of the Raccoons (Faithfulness in Work) 

45 The Five Guys (Listening to God) 

46 Toughest Man (Surrendering Everything) 

47 Cambodian Quest (Going Deeper with God) 

48 What Brings Us Together (Glorifying God in Every Vocation) 

The Brinkman’s are not just your normal everyday missionaries. They are a modern day, large family, whose powerful stories come together through the wild and crazy adventures they take to share God’s word. Their escapades will inspire the old and young and strengthen your faith to love and follow Jesus with all your might.

We spend a lot of time in our van driving here and there each week and while listening to the popular kids satellite radio is fun, one does quickly tire of hearing the same songs looping over and over. I was so excited to be able to pop this audio drama cd into the CD player for something different. We have listened to many audio books before but nothing is quite as exciting as The Brinkman Adventures. From the very beginning, everyone in the van is completely immersed and listening intently to the stories to not miss a beat.

The Brinkman Adventures are available to purchase by season on CD for $31.99 or on MP3 download for $25.99. This is not the first year that the Crew has had the opportunity to review Brinkman Adventures. When we get in the van to go anywhere my kids are always asking me to plug my phone in so we can listen to our favorite episodes from the Brinkman Adventures Season 4 over and over again! Our favorite episodes are #40 and #48. Click on over to the site and hear a sample of the stories and I know you will be hooked on them just as we are. Also check out what my CrewMates think of this audio drama by clicking the banner below!

Company ~ Brinkman Adventures 

Product ~ Brinkman Adventures Season 4

Format ~ digital download 

Price ~ $25.99 digital download or $31.99 CD set 

Ages ~ families of all ages

Social Media: 

 Facebook

©2008 - 2017 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author. 

 http://astablebeginning.com

Heirloom Audio Productions: Captain Bayley's Heir ~ a TOS review

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One of the best parts of being a part of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew, besides the friendships I have made with my fellow CrewMates, is that our family gets exposed to so many new products to test out. Way back in 2014 we were introduced to the Christian audio dramas produce by Heirloom Audio Productions. We have reviewed all of their titles thus far and I am so excited to tell you about their newest audio adventure today called, Captain Bayley's Heir.

Heirloom Audio Productions is passionate about bringing history to life in exciting and engaging audio dramas. With a passion for bringing history to life through high-quality audio dramas that are exciting and wholesome entertainment for the whole family you will be hooked right from the beginning. The masterful story-telling of G.A. Henty is full of virtue and daring, and this adaptation provides an “active listening” adventure experience with award-winning cast and composer, and realistic sound effects. With their newest release title, Captain Bayley’s Heir, the have continued to set the bar high. The company outdoes itself with each audio production and we are always excited to hear the next story.

Over the last few years we have come to appreciate audio books more and more. I spend a good amount of time driving the girls here and there and during gymnastics and softball meet season we are always on the go. These CD’s are our go to listening cd’s. Because, this mom can only take so much of the popular children’s radio station.

G.A. Henty’s adventure books became popular during the 19th century. His books became well known for emphasizing traits of courage, high moral character, diligence, and perseverance. With Heirloom Audio Productions newest released title, they have truly set the bar high and it does not disappoint one bit.


Captain Bayley’s Heir tells the adventures of Frank, an 18-year old, who lives with his Uncle, Captain Harold Bayle, his cousin Fred, and his uncles ward, a girl named Alice. Frank leaves his school at the Westminster School in England to voyage to America when he is falsely accused to stealing money from a teacher. To prove to his uncle, Captain Harold Bayley, who is often sad and mad at times, that he can make his own way Frank runs away to America.

While making his way in America, Frank experiences many trials and adventures alike. All the while, Frank is finding his courage, integrity, and faith tested to the depths of his being. Throughout his journey, Frank learns to lean on and accept God’s loving grace and to extend the same grace to others he meets. As the story progresses we find out that Uncle Bayley has discovered that his long lost daughter, Ella, is in fact dead. But the best part is that Uncle Bayley has a living heir! I won’t tell you who the heir is because I really think you should listen to the story yourself, but you will be so excited as we were. As the story wraps up, we find out that all ends well for Frank and his family. He is cleared of the hideous charge of thievery.

We received the two disk CD set and access to the Live the Adventure Club which includes the original G.A. Henty novel in eBook form, an MP3 download of the official soundtrack, a cast poster, desktop wallpaper, hymnal poster, and access to the official study guide and discussion guide. Since we are on the go almost every day of the week we strictly listened to this while traveling to and from. I really appreciated having access to the digital version of the story. Over the summer I finally figured out how to get audio files to my iPhone.

We were able to listen to the story directly through our Big Boy Gibby’s {our van} speakers. My children sat is absolute silence as to not miss a single detail of the story. Sometimes we would stay in the van until a chapter had ended just so we could hear the end of the story. I really like the fact that the stories where numbered so we could find our spot quickly. And if we really did need to get out of the van we could easily pick up the story through my iPhone.

The included Study Guide and Discussion Starter is a full color eBook with learning guides to help tie in the story as a whole. Background information about the story and G.A. Henty himself are included in the eBook along with a list of cast members. It includes sections for comprehension, vocabulary, and Biblical references to scripture as well. Comprehension questions are broken down by disc and track on the CD which is very helpful.

The “Live the Adventure Club” includes many bonus materials and activities and games for your family. As well as a listening library, you have access to all the audio dramas you have purchased and more. Online you have access to interactive comprehension questions along with quizzes about the story are also featured in the “Live the Adventure Club”. If you like to follow along with the reading you also have access to the audio drama script. When you complete all the activities you have the choice to print a certificate of completion too.
There are several purchasing options. You can order directly from Heirloom Audio Productions including:

 • $19.97 for an audio MP3 download that gives you instant access. 

 • $29.97 plus $6.95 shipping gets you the two CD set plus the two bonuses above and the MP3 soundtrack download 

All of the prices listed above come with a 90 day money back guarantee if you are not satisfied but you’re not going to need it! You will be hooked from the opening chapter.

So, what’s the bottom line?! We were so excited when this new audio CD arrived in the mail! We love this CD and the values that are represented from the company and the CD. I would recommend this product to any and all looking to add a bit of family friendly audio / radio drama into the home.

We are especially excited for the next adventure from Heirloom Audio Productions! See what my CrewMates thought of this Christian audio drama by clicking the banner below.

Company ~ Heirloom Audio Productions

 Product ~ Captain Bayley’s Heir 

Format ~ physical CD set with access to digital products and the “Live the Adventure Club” 

Price ~ Instant download at $19.97 or $29.97 for physical two-disk set 

Ages ~ 6-16, but adults enjoy these too!

Social Media Links:

 • Facebook: @HeirloomAudio • Twitter: @HeirloomStories • Instagram: @HeirloomAudioOfficial • Google+:

©2008 - 2017 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.

 http://astablebeginning.com

The Familyman: Christmas Treasury Audio Collection ~ a TOS review

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There are officially 10 Saturdays until Christmas! Let that sink in a bit…I know you were just so excited for everything pumpkin but I for one am super excited as Christmas is my favorite holiday season! Any excuse I have to listen to Christmas music or stories is an A+ in my book! Today I want to share with you The Familyman's Christmas Treasury - Audio Collection from The Familyman. These are also available as Digital Downloads.
If you are looking for some wholesome family entertainment by the fire, then this is the collection for you! You don’t necessarily have to be by the fire as these are great to listen to in the car too. We were blessed to receive the six audio books in this collection along with two bonus stories. All are narrated by master story teller, Jim Hodges and produced by The Familyman and point teach a lesson that points back to Jesus. The stories we received in digital MP3 format are:

Cootie McKay's Nativity – “1956 was the year of the best Christmas our town ever had...it was also the year we almost didn''t have Christmas. But Cootie saved the day. Yes, sir, if it hadn''t been for the talent and vision of Cootie McKay, the folks in our little town would have been mighty disappointed...”

Captain Chaos and The Manger Blaster – “Imagine Christmas without the manger. Jason, a typical ten-year-old boy, has grown tired of the traditional "manger story" and is pretending to blast it to bits with Captain Chaos and his manger blaster. "It's so boring," Jason tells his sister, "it needs something to make it more exciting!" Jason is sent to his room where an unexpected adventure awaits him as he comes face to face with Captain Chaos. The spacehero shows up in answer to Jason's wish... to rid the planet of the manger and to allow Jason to experience what the world would be like if the baby had never been born.”

The Stranger – One day a homeless stranger shows up in town and visits the members of the same congregation of the local town church. Instead of welcoming the stranger with open arms, he is sent away repeatedly until he visits the home of the Pastor. The stranger is Jesus.

The Bishop's Dream - This short story tells about Bishop Nicolas who goes around sharing the love of Jesus with the children who are poor. One night while reading his Bible, he falls into a deep sleep and begins to dream about how commercialized Christmas has become.

Harold Grubbs and the Christmas Vest – Each year Isaac’s dad wears his Christmas vest. Isaac is not sure why until one day after Thanksgiving his dad digs deep into his closet to find his treasured vest.

Gladys Remembers Christmas – “Gladys hated Christmas as much as she hated her name. Gladys was named after her mother, who died when she was only six-years-old. That's why Gladys hated Christmas, because it was a reminder that everyone else was happy, and she wasn't. But a visit to an old house on a cold, December day changed...EVERYTHING.”

The Secret of Snow Village – Follow along with this story as you immerse yourself into a Christmas village and discover that Christmas isn’t about decorations, lights, gifts, or snow for that matter.

It's Called Christmas – Everything you know about Christmas is removed and gone in the future. Follow along in this story and find how you can singlehandedly help bring it back!

These audio books are the perfect thing to listen to as I travel up and down the roads to and from the gymnastics gym. Because they are in MP3 format I could quickly transfer them to my phone from the computer which was super simple even for the not so computer savvy (at times). We also received a physical copy of The Bishop’s Dream on CD.

We have truly enjoyed these stories and preparing our hearts for the upcoming Christmas season! I do hope you will check out the other reviews and see if this is something you would like to add to your family’s audio book collection. To read the other 49 review, click on the banner below.

Company ~ The Familyman 

Product ~ The Familyman's Christmas Treasury - Audio Collection Digital Downloads 

Format ~ MP3, also physical CD’s available 

Price ~ $3.99 each or $25.00 for set of 6 CD’s

 Ages ~ everyone

Social Media Links: 

 Facebook 

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

 Google Plus

Blog

 #hsreviews #christmas #Audio #audiobook #digital #familymanministries

©2008 - 2016 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author. http://astablebeginning.com

The Cat of Bubastes from Heirloom Audio Productions ~ a TOS review

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It was like Christmas came early when our newest audio drama, The Cat of Bubastes, from Heirloom Audio Productions arrived in our mailbox! Montana eagerly grabbed it up and plopped it right into the CD player to listen to it while completing her schoolwork.

Having reviewed several of the other titles from Heirloom Audio we are quite familiar with the outstanding Christian radio theater they produce. Let me tell you a little more about The Cat of Bubastes.

Be prepared to be transported back into the time of Ancient Egypt right into a thrilling story of responsibility, perseverance, and God’s providence with this 2 disc set. Much like the rest of the audio theatres produced by Heirloom Audio, The Cat of Bubastes is also based on the G.A. Henty novel bearing the same name. It tells the story of a young prince, Amuba and his faithful friend, Jethro. Amuba and Jethro find themselves captured by the Egyptians and enslaved in the beautiful city of Thebes. All of a sudden the two find themselves trapped in a murderous plot to attack the Egyptian family they serve and consider as friends. They must flee the city but will they survive? Where will they go? Their loyalty and character is tested and they soon learn of the wonder of God’s providence. There is even a surprise character who appears in the story, Moses!

Our package from Heirloom Audio included the 2CD set with access to an account that included a bunch of downloads in PDF and MP3 format. This is the same options you would have if you were to purchase the Family Four-Pack.

 ~ Official Soundtrack 

~ eBook of G.A. Henty’s original book with full color graphics 

~ MP3s of the production

 ~ Promotional poster that shows the cast and cover of the CD case

 ~ Inspirational poster with 1 Chronicles 17:20 

~ Complete study guide and discussion starter set 

~ Live the Adventure E-Newsletter

 ~ Behind the scenes documentary

The Study guide is a full color eBook with learning guides to help tie in the story as a whole. It includes sections for comprehension, vocabulary, and Biblical references to scripture as well. There are several purchasing options. You can order directly from Heirloom Audio Productions including:

 • $19.97 for an audio MP3 download that gives you instant access and includes bonuses like the Study Guide and printable copy of the inspirational quote from the centurion Julius.
 • $29.97 plus $6.95 shipping gets you the two CD set plus the two bonuses above and the MP3 soundtrack download
 • $99.97 plus $9.95 shipping gets you the Family Four Pack this gets you 4 CD sets, all of the bonuses mentioned above, plus 5 additional bonuses:
Unlimited access to the Live the Adventure Letter, The Cat of Bubastes eBook, printable poster with the star-studded cast, behind the scenes documentary.

All of the prices listed below come with a 90 day money back guarantee if you are not satisfied.


So, what’s the bottom line?! We love this CD! I love that the Henty stories from Heirloom Audio Productions not only entertain and educate the listener, but they always point back to Christ. I wholeheartedly recommend this product to any and all looking to add a bit of family friendly audio / radio drama into the homes.

Be sure to check out what my CrewMates think of this product by clicking the banner below.

Company ~ Heirloom Audio Productions 

Product ~ The Cat of Bubastes 

Format ~ physical 2 CD set 

Price ~ see above for prices 

Ages ~ 6 years and up

Social Media Links:
Facebook
Twitter
Google+
Instagram: @HeirloomAudioOfficial 

 #hsreviews #HeirloomAudio #TheCatOfBubastes #LiveTheAdventure #BringingHentyBack #AudioAdventures 

Heirloom Audio Productions: Beric the Briton ~ a TOS review

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If you have been reading this blog for a while, then you know that we love good books and audio books too. Over the last year and a half, I have come to appreciate audio books more and more. I spend a good amount of time driving the girls here and there and during gymnastics meet season we are always on the go. Now that we have another gymnast in the house I anticipate an even busier competition season. A few weeks ago we were asked to review the newest audio drama from Heirloom Audio Productions called Beric The Briton . I was so excited when it finally arrived in the mail.


Now that I have been hooked on audio books and audio theater it has opened up a whole new world of listening for me and the family. Heirloom Audio Productions is passionate about bringing history to life in exciting and engaging audio dramas. With their newest released title, Beric the Briton, the have set the bar high and it does not disappoint!

Beric the Briton is the fifth audio drama installment from The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty produced from Heirloom Audio Productions. One of the most popular G.A. Henty novels of all time, this adventure tells the tale of the Roman invasion of ancient Britannia. As we listen in we join Beric and his best friend Bodouc who have been captured by the Romans and trained as gladiators, then they live the adventure of a lifetime being placed in the service of the Emperor Nero. With over 2 hours of listening this story covers grace, sacrifice, and redemption with biblical and moral values intertwined with history and eternal truths.

For this review we received the following downloadable items in addition to the physical two CD set: ~ Beric the Briton MP3 set

~ eBook of Beric the Briton by G.A. Henty

~ 48 page study guide ~ inspirational verse poster

~ official MP3 soundtrack 

~ printable cast poster 

~ Live the Adventure letter 

~ behind the scenes video 

The two disk story comes in a handy fold out CD case and is full of high energy and fast pace story focused on building character for the next generation while bringing history lessons to life within the chapters. With the extremely high quality audio reenactments, this story it is perfect for ages 6 years old to 16, but truly loved by all ages including adults.

The study guide is broken up into three sections for each chapter: 

Listening Well ~ includes comprehension questions to make sure you are understanding the story

Thinking Further ~ have your child think a little bit with these questions to increase understanding of the characters actions or intentions.

Defining Words ~ enhance the understanding of the story by knowing what selected vocabulary words mean prior to listening.


There are several purchasing options to order Beric the Briton directly from Heirloom Audio Productions including:

• $19.97 for an audio MP3 download that gives you instant access and includes bonuses like the Study Guide and printable copy of the inspirational quote from the centurion Julius.

• $29.97 plus $6.95 shipping gets you the two CD set plus the two bonuses above and the MP3 soundtrack download

• $99.97 plus $9.95 shipping gets you the Family Four Pack this gets you 4 CD sets, all of the bonuses mentioned above, plus 5 additional bonuses: Unlimited access to the Live the Adventure Letter, Beric the Briton eBook, printable poster with the star-studded cast, behind the scenes documentary.

All of the prices listed below come with a 90 day money back guarantee if you are not satisfied.

My package with our CD was delayed for nearly two and a half weeks because my mailman delivered it to the wrong house and my neighbor kept it for a while even though it had my name on it, but that’s another story for another time. Because we are on the go almost every day of the week we strictly listened to this while traveling. The girls were silent as the story played, eagerly listening for each detail. Sometimes we would stay in the van until a chapter had ended just so we could hear the end of the story. I really like the fact that the stories where numbered so we could find our spot quickly.

So, what’s the bottom line?! We love this CD! I love that the Henty stories from Heirloom Audio Productions not only entertain and educate the listener, but they always point back to Christ. I wholeheartedly recommend this product to any and all looking to add a bit of family friendly audio / radio drama into the homes. Be sure to check out what my CrewMates think of this product by clicking the banner below.

Company ~ Heirloom Audio Productions 

 Product ~ Beric The Briton 

 Price ~ see above for different pricing options

 Ages ~ 6 years old to adult

Beric The Briton FB Page

The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty series FB page


 Heirloom Audio Productions social pages

Facebook

Twitter

Google+

Instagram: @HeirloomAudioOfficial 


 #hsreviews #HeirloomAudio #BericTheBriton #LiveTheAdventure #BringingHentyBack #AudioAdventures  ©2008 - 2016 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.http://astablebeginning.com