Recipe for the Perfect Wood Stove

Ingredients:
1 strong, determined young man, generous with his time
24 concrete blocks
3 -4 bags concrete
9 hearth stones
Several hundred bricks
A long length of stove pipe
1 wood stove
1 truck
1 piano dolly
1 hand-crank forklift

Directions:

After looking over the first steps, summarized here, proceed with caution following all steps and omitting no ingredients. Occasionally and unexpectedly you may need to purchase additional ingredients or provide extra time.


Patiently lay the bricks for 3-4 days . . .


. . . to make the wall. Don't forget to move the stud that was in the wrong place out of the way so you can proceed with the . . .


. . . hole for some extra ventilation. Definitely a necessity.


Gingerly climb up to the upper story roof and carefully (everyone is watching!!) stick the pipe through the hole attaching it to the side of the house, extending it above the roof line.


Back the truck into the house, making sure that you don't break the French doors on the way in or make too many muddy tracks in the grass.


Locate a piano dolly, hand-crank forklift and several strong and patient relatives. Advise them that the stove does weigh 500 lbs and to be careful of bad backs, etc.


Make sure you have a small to medium size audience to observe, critique and document the occasion with photographs.


Stand up straight and take a deep breath. You're almost finished.


Don't forget to add something to spice it up. Make sure Mom is not around to worry about burn marks on the wall. Also, be sure to use the torch during a time when small piano students can be distracted from their lessons by the exciting things going on behind them.

Proceed to quasi-fumigate the basement with aerosol paint for the pipe, put up the crown molding (don't forget to stain), repaint the ceiling where the stain marks got by accident, put up the wood trim on the face of the hearth and . . .


Viola! Your stove is complete.

Enjoy the work of your hands in the now quiet, warm, and inviting surroundings. Make sure to move you family reading time down around the fire, so you can continue to build a culture of epistemologically self-conscious home design.

Hero Makers

Every morning at the Serven home, a certain ritual occurs with our youngest clan member. Keep in mind, he is at the ripe old age of four. When the time comes for him to change out of his pajamas, his request is amazingly predictable. "Can I please wear my Cowboy clothes?"

Sometimes our answer is reluctant. He has worn the same plaid shirt for a week straight! But when you see his smiling eyes, you can't say no, but inwardly resolve to wash the shirt over his sleeping hours so it will be fresh for tomorrow.

After you get the basics done, his desire for "All the other Cowboy stuff, please" is once again expressed and dutifully the "dress-or" helps the "dress-ee" put on all the necessary accoutrements--chaps, vest, belt, holster, pistol, hat and boots. At the end of the daily routine he smiles, says "Thank you!" and swaggers off to conquer his world of play.

Just the other day, our little guy's daily habit had an unusual conclusion. "Hey Mom," he asked, "Was John Calvin a cowboy?" His earnest query humorously exemplifies the best aspect of hero making.

Some may question a person's propensity to create heroes out of very ordinary people, living or dead. They rightfully would say that all men are sinners in need of God's grace. "We should not exalt any man". And they are partially right.

I believe though, that you can and should be a hero maker, seeing people with God's perspective of wisdom; not only for who they are, but for who they are becoming by God's work in their life. You should not ignore a persons deficiencies, but giving a nod to their limitations, overlook their flaws in order to build each other up.
We should also look back through God's story of redemption and observe men and woman through the ages, who because of the Lord's work in their life were used mightily for His glory. These people of the past were far from perfect. And we should be wary of romanticizing those days of yore. But our forbearers can encourage us through their life and death to faithfulness to our loving and sovereign King.

Some people tend to let their children choose their own heroes. From a Disney princess to the latest action video game, a child, whose heart is full of folly, misses all the true heroes for lesser ungodly ones.

As a parent or older sibling you have the privilege of being a hero maker for your little people. Use this trust wisely. Hold up for your children, people--past and present--pointing out their godly qualities and yes, sometimes their faults. You will truly be a hero maker if you not only point out the virtues in others your children should seek to emulate, but also recognize the small victories exhibited by God's grace, in their own little lives.

Be a hero maker. See God's people as redeemed sinners, yes. But also see them as victorious warriors fighting for the King. This perspective will encourage those around you as you make them your dearest heroes. And it will give a larger vision to your children as they see God at work across the ages. Maybe they will even ask you if they can be a cowboy.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,

let us also lay aside every weight,

and sin which clings so closely,

and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

looking to Jesus,

the founder and perfector of our faith,

who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,

despising the shame,

and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Muh ZOOR uh: The Disappearing Act

We hope you enjoy this pictorial journal as we remember what our life was like last year at this time. Thankfully, we were able to share these events with the people in our family and CA church quite soon after we returned. We just thought you all might like to see the pictures.



Way back when, in the ancient history of this blog (and the not so ancient story of God's working in our life) our readers may have a faint remembrance of some strange events.

Usually when we are gone or busy we tell people where we are going and why. But on Wednesday, January 19th, 2005, we disappeared. No rhyme or reason was offered. We just simply weren't there. And on Wednesday, January 26th, we were home. Our acquaintances did not know where we had gone. Our friends did not know where we had run to, and yes, most our family could truthfully say they had absolutely no idea where we were.

Is this a plot to some cheap modern spy movie? No, it was the story of our lives, one year ago, this week.

With the possibility of us moving to Missouri being explored, Covenant Family Church flew our entire family out for a visit in January of 2005. Our parents wisely asked us children to keep a tight lip about our trip, as is our usual proceedings with "family business". But this was our greatest test of resolve, as we literally vanished for a week with no explanation to our piano students, employers, church families and home school friends.

Of course, when we returned to California, we desperately wanted to tell you . . . but we couldn't. Iron horses could not drag it out of us. Now, a year later, we thought that you, the people in our life last year who so patiently forbore with our secrecy, might like to have seen what we were doing.



Starting at 6:45 AM, we drove 300 miles south to our Grandma's house, then she took us to the bus stop in our 15 passenger van. After a while we realized we were all marching along like ducks in a row . . . but it is hard to not look a herd of cattle when there are 11 people, 17 pieces of luggage, 3 purses and umpteen carry-ons.



Are we really going to Missouri? We could hardly believe it, the process had been so fast.



Peter and Joel are excited to be on the bus, heading to Missouri. We rode the bus for another hour, then finally got to the airport.



Of course, we got the usual remarks of, "Are they all yours?" and "Are you from a different country?" Sometimes it is fun to stick out, and some times you just stress out. : ) We were glad to finally all get settled on the plane since it had been an early call that morning (4:00 AM).



For most of the kids, this was their first airplane flight. Though we started early that Wednesday morning, we arrived in Missouri late at night. Mr. Cordz and Nathanael were there to pick us up from the airport; then it was an hour more's drive and we were finally at our destination.



Upon awaking the first morning and peeking out our window, the girls were greeted by this jolly melting fellow. What a fun welcome to the Midwest!



The view out the back.



Thursday morning found us meeting most of the Cordz family members for the first time. We had been practicing all the names and ages of both the elder's families on the flight over, but there is nothing like finally putting a face and name together in a real person.



When we hiked around their property the first day, we saw several firsts--Andrew was quite pleased with himself when he "discovered" a frozen stream.



We also walked on (and slipped across) our first frozen pond.



Setting up the target. Jonathan had specially saved cans and made ice blocks for that express purpose--they worked great. : )



Dad taking aim.



The result.



The first of many Dutch Blitz games with the Wightmans, Cordz and Serven children.



Silly children.

Over those first few days we spent lots of time talking and visiting with the elders and their families. Any occasion for talking was an excuse: over tea, wood chopping, breakfast, lunch, dinner or a tour of the town. Friday evening, we were excited to finally meet the families of the church.



Dad speaks to Mr. Schwarb and Mr. Hammon.



We enjoyed teaching this enthusiastic group of singers the Psalms, Psalter style. Here Mr. Wightman and his boys sing from the Psalter.



Beth sings with some of the altos.



Lots of conversations into the night.



We stood out in the cold one evening with most of the church family, relishing in the chilly January air. And what, may you ask, were we warming ourselves with?



Why a bonfire, of course--complete with Christmas tree topper!



Mr. Snowman half way through our visit.



One of the days while we were visiting St. Louis, we drove south to meet up with the Zes family. We never thought we would get to see them again so soon!



The girls.



Time for a quick nap. We inadvertently stayed pretty close to California time during our Missouri visit (read: We kept our poor hosts up 'till 2 and 3 most nights). Any chance for a nap helped with the jet lag.



While in Missouri, we had our first amazed look at a real live Cardinal. They really exist.



The other type of bird we observed on our travels. Fascinating.



At each and every meal, the families of CFC showed their unbelievable generosity. Delicious food kept showing up for us to partake of--the families had decided that they did not want us to be distracted with cooking during any part of the visit. Subsequently they kindly brought breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a 20+ member crowd. This cake was almost too beautiful to eat . . . but not quite. : )



It's chilly out there!! Everyone in the church was so kind to provide warm hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, jackets, boots . . . you name it, they had it.



Peter at a local store. 'Nuff said.



Coming straight from California and 80 degree temperatures, the weather that week seemed extremly cold. But after Chicago's frigidity, nothing is truly cold.



One day we headed north to visit the Ritter Family. On the way, we saw our first glimpse of the Amish.



Mrs. Ritter shows us the inner workings of Cornerstone Farms and their fun little dogs.



Some of the Ritter boys.



At the Ritter Farm there is never a shortage of adventures! Sarah and Lydia enjoy riding a horse.



Mr. Ritter and Janei recount the amazing story of her adoption into the family.



The Snowman after a week long visit.



Our hosts for the week.

What a privlege it was to be totally enfolded by Covenant Family Church. Though we did not know if we would ever see them again, we knew that God had ordained our path and gone before us in love. We were waiting for His hand of direction.



Time to leave. Goodbyes are never fun.



While we were in line to check in, the lady at the ticket counter said, "Uh, can I help the next person? . . . Oh--you mean you are all together!!??" At this apropos time, while trying to get all our luggage to the side and out of the way, one of our suitcases flew open and spilled it's contents over the floor . . . : )



Showing Nana and Grandpa our Missouri adventures.

The result of this trip came to fruition just a few weeks later. Dad received a call from CFC to be their presiding pastor and the rest is history . . .

If you want to read the whole (long) story you can follow the posts, recording how God worked in our life over the year taking us from California to Missouri.

1. Times Be a Changin'
2. Muh ZOOR uh: State of No Greens
3. Explanation for the Brevity of This Week's Posts
4. Muh ZOOR uh: How We Heard About Covenant Family Church
5. Muh ZOOR uh: Evidence that Demands a Verdict
6. Muh ZOOR uh: House for Sale
7. Divide and Conquer
8. Muh ZOOR uh: The House Hunt
9. Muh ZOOR uh: Update
10. The Reason for the Current Picturesque Nature of our Blog
11. Can You Tell We are Moving?
12. A Bit of Brilliance in the Midst of Packing
13. Schedule of Events
14. Moving Day
15. Off We Go!!
16. Scenes from Fly Over Country
17. We are In Missouri!!
18. Muh ZOOR uh: We Made It!!
19. "Welcome to Missouri" Shindig

Lee-Jackson Day

Whatever your perspective on the "War of Northern Aggression", the "Late Unpleasantness", the "2nd War of Independence" or just the plain ol' "Civil War", one can not pass by this day without acknowledging a curious holiday celebrated throughout the southern United States. Now that we are living in the Midwest on the edge of the South, we have become aware of these curiosities.

Lee-Jackson Day is an official holiday in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. Historically celebrated on the 3rd Monday in January this day was first widely celebrated as Lee Day in 1889. In 1904 Stonewall Jackson's birthday was added to the celebration creating Lee-Jackson Day. In a strange turn of events, President Reagan appointed the 3rd monday of January to also be the national holiday commemorating Martin Luther King. From 1978-2000 most southern states celebrated Lee-Jackson-King Day. But in 2000, the days were separated to Lee-Jackson Day on the Friday before the 3rd Monday and Martin Luther King Day on the 3rd Monday. Thanks to Wikipedia for all the dates.

The reason for this day of celebration is to remember the providence of God and to honor these men who trusted in God. "Stonewall" Thomas J. Jackson and Robert Edward Lee are mutually respected by men of the north and south as men of godly character. They were not fearful in the midst of conflict. Rather, their courage and bravery was out of a complete trust in God's providence and sovereignty.

After Jackson was seriously wounded and his arm amputated, he suffered from a case of pneumonia. This eventually led to his death. You can see from this quote during the early stages of his sickness, of Jackson's implicit trust in God and the application of his faith to all of life.

"He requested Mr. Lacy (Editor: Jackson's pastor-chaplain) to come every morning at 10 o'clock and read the Bible, and have prayers at his bedside. During these morning hours he greatly enjoyed religious conversation, and expressed his unvarying and steadfast love and hope in his Redeemer. Although he had avowed his perfect willingness to die when ever God called him, he believed that his time was not yet come, and that God still had a work for him to do in defense of his country.

"He delighted to enlarge on his favorite topics of practical religion, which were such as these: The Christian should carry his religion into everything. Christianity makes a man better in any lawful calling; it makes the general a better commander, and the shoemaker a better workman. In the case of a cobbler, or the tailor, for instance, religion will produce more care in promising work, more punctuality, and more fidelity in executing it, from conscientious motives; and these homely examples were fair illustrations of its value in more exalted functions. So, prayer aids any man, in lawful business, not only by bringing down the divine blessing, which is its direct and primary object, but by harmonizing his own mind and heart. In the commander of an army at the critical hour, it calms his perplexities, moderates his anxieties, steadies the scales of judgement, and thus preserves him from exaggerated and rash conclusions. Again he urged that every act of man's life should be a religious act . . .

So Jackson was wont to say that the Bible furnished men with rules for everything. If they would search, he said, they would find a precept, an example, or a general principle, applicable to every possible emergency of duty, not matter what was a man's calling. There the military man might find guidance for every exigency. Then, turning to Lieutenant Smith, he asked him, smiling: 'Can you tell me where the Bible gives generals a model for their official reports of battles?' The lieutenant answered, laughing, that it never entered his mind to think of looking for such a thing in the Scriptures. 'Nevertheless,' said the general, 'there are such; and excellent models, too. Look, for instance, at the narrative of Joshua's battle with the Amalekites; there you have one. It has clearness, brevity, fairness, modesty; and it traces the victory to the right source--the blessing of God."

Quote taken from Life and Letters of Stonewall Jackson, written by his wife. Published by Sprinkle Publications.

Unfortunately Sprinkle Publications does not have a web site. : ) You can send for a catalog: Sprinkle Publication, P. O. Box 1094, Harrisonburg, Virgina 22801. Mr. Sprinkle is a wonderful treasure, a godly older man and pastor. We greatly enjoyed our visit with him several years ago and plan to renew our acquaintance now that we are closer.

The Refrigerator That Will Change the World

Barney and Friends

Our apologies for the recent glut in pictures of inanimate objects. But this is really important.

“What!??” you say. I know, I know. When we last talked of refrigerators, the subject was definitely frivolous in nature. And the time before that was at the least non-life-changing, and that is putting it in the best light.

But this refrigerator will really change the world.

Gracie just posted on a thought provoking article (Editor: Not for the young or faint of heart—content and length). The article speaks of declining birthrates in the west and steadily increasing numbers in Middle Eastern, Muslim countries. This brings up a flurry of thoughts as one considers the implications of this reality. Of course, one’s initial reaction is fear, and conspiratorial, this-is-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it theories.

But God is good. In His sovereignty He is raising up an army of soldiers for Himself. It is not “efficient” in the world’s eyes. It is not “fulfilling” in NOW’s eyes. It is not even “approved of” by the mainstream evangelical church.

Over a quarter of a century ago, God started a work in the hearts of young families across the nation. Incredibly, all at about the same time with little to no encouragement, fathers and mothers realized God had called them to turn their hearts to their children.

At first, the conviction was very simple; it was in seed form. Through the course of the subsequent years, God has deepened these parents’ trust in the Scriptures as well as adding in number to this burgeoning crowd of world changers.

Some people pray for revival. I think we are in the middle of one. God started a work of grace in millions of homes across the entire continent. These many families have grown in number, size and commitment. In fact, new families are being formed from the original generation—new generations who by God’s grace, will continue to bless the Lord for His mercies. We must earnestly entreat the Father for our love of Him to grow deeper and our love for His children who He has entrusted to us to grow stronger.

We needn’t fear the growing population in certain parts of the world. This world belongs to God. It is His stuff. And because it is His stuff, it is our stuff. This is our Father’s world. What a heritage God has bequeathed to us to leave as a legacy for our children.

Each of the pictures on our refrigerator portrays a godly family who is seeking to live their life Corum Deo—before the face of God. Sure, everyone is not perfect. But by God’s grace they will raise up a generation, who will raise up a generation, who will raise up a generation of people who praise the Lord. And that will change the world.

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.”
Psalm 24:1-2

“Out of the mouths of babes and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.”
Psalm 8:1-2

Ah . . . excuse me . . .

. . . but someone cut a hole in our carpet!!!



Now can you guess why?



Today's progress. Yes, we know the bricks are dry-stacked. Setting the bricks is tomorrow.



Our gracious, friendly and free resident handyman has been working hard to make this project a reality. Many thanks for his generosity. : )

The Sin of Presumption

Excerpt from The Swiss Family Robinson, unabridged. Written by Johann D. Wyss.

Night drew on apace, the storm was as fierce as ever, and at intervals we were startled by crashes announcing further damage to our unfortunate ship.

"God will help us soon now, won't He, father?" said my youngest child.

"You silly little thing," said Fritz, my eldest son, sharply, "don't you know that we must not settle what God is to do for us? We must have patience and wait His time."

"Very well said, had it been said kindly, Fritz, my boy. You too often speak harshly to your brothers, although you may not mean to do so."

"Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;

let them not have dominion over me!"

Psalm 19:13a

VisionaryDaughters.com

Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin's new website is up!

www.visionarydaughters.com

A Blessed New Year to You and Yours

THE SERVEN CLAN
Glorify God. Serve Others. Advance Christ’s Kingdom.

Our dearest Family and Friends,

Although we had not fathomed all the changes God had in store for us in 2005, the Lord faithfully brought us through a time where His hand of direction was heavy upon us “With a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for His mercy endures forever” (Psalm 136:12).

For those of you who have not heard, our family now hails from the Midwestern state of Missouri. The process was very quick for us slow going Californians, but we have seen the Lord’s hand evident in all things. Over the year we have traveled to numerous states, fixed up our CA house, packed and unpacked a household of eleven, started adding to our MO house, re-published our Psalm CDs, and had many guests delight us by coming through our home.

Marcus serves as the presiding pastor at Covenant Family Church, a Reformed Presbyterian Church General Assembly congregation of 25 families. He enjoys the fellowship and solidarity of working alongside a team of 2 local pastor-elders. Studious as always, he completed several articles this year with more in the works.

Cheryl is busy cultivating new relationships in MO as well as cherishing old ones in CA. Each day brings new opportunities to trust God as she walks alongside her husband and children encouraging them to godliness. What a treasure she is to each of her children--we truly rise up and call her blessed.

Rebecca (25) embraces her calling as a stay-at-home-daughter and serves the family in communication and informational systems. To this end, she keeps up our websites (www.servenclan.com and www.genevanfoundation.com), plays travel agent for our myriad of trips, writes, teaches, reads stories to small people, plays music, sews and gardens.

Nathan (22): After moving to Missouri with the rest of our family, Nathan, adventuresome as ever, took off for CA in October to work on a US Congressional campaign. We look forward to his return in December. He enjoys discussion, reading, working with his hands and planning for the future. As the year draws to a close, and there are many decisions to be made, he would appreciate your prayers as he attempts to discern God's will for his life.

Elizabeth (21), practical and easygoing, serves as the official cook for our family. She does all the planning, shopping and cooking for our crowd and any guests who may grace our table. Beth continues to follow her interests in nutrition, harp and history. She loves helping young families in our church as one facet of our family vision.

Peter’s (17) interests became more focused this year. God opened up some amazing opportunities in his growing love of film-making. Ruffled Feathers, his first video short, was a semi-finalist in the SAICFF and he continues as a “film student” working on a variety of projects. With a quick wit and a soft heart, Peter is a joy to have around our home.

Benjamin (15): Another broken arm this fall put piano on hold for several months. However, that did not hamper his serious and sometimes goofy personality, nor hurt his reading habit. We recently located a Boy Scout troop in MO and Ben is working towards his Eagle award.

Sarah (13) is growing into a lovely young woman. Her artistic touches around our home and kind smiles to everyone are wonderful to see. She continues in her piano studies and is maturing in her ability to interpret the pieces. Whatever the newest craze is around our home, she leads the way for her younger sibling’s most exciting adventures.

Lydia’s (10) no-nonsense attitude makes her a favorite playmate of her younger brothers and friends at church. Though we have taken a break with violin (hope to start up again soon) her piano studies are progressing nicely. She is faithful to practice every day--usually without even one reminder.

Andrew (7) loves to give hugs to his family, compliments to his sisters and liberally pass around grins to all our acquaintances. He is a boy’s boy. Though he is very active, he has a soft spot for anyone willing to hold him on their lap.

Joel (4), a thoughtful young lad, recently decided while observing Andrew’s reading lessons: the time had come to learn to read! Joel is our best question asker and his sensitive heart is always ready for his families love.

We are joyful as we anticipate the Lords continuing direction in the coming year.

For Christ’s Kingdom!
The Serven Family

Letters from a Grandmother

Many people take time during the turning of the year to write out their New Year's resolutions. Others enjoy chronicling God's works of providence over the past year. Though these are wonderfully valuable activities, I never seem to get around to them. Instead, I write a letter to my grandchildren.

The letters are simple. Charges to godliness, lessons God taught me over the year, stories of family history, and telling my dear ones that I am praying for them to be faithful covenant keepers.

Even though I never met her, my great great grandmother is such a comfort to me. She purposed not only to spend time in prayer for her descendants, but told her children to tell their children, to tell their children to tell me and my brothers and sisters how much she loved us. What a heritage God has given me. Years from now, I hope this collection of letters will bless my descendants the way the story of my great great grandmother has encouraged me to faith in God.

When someone asked Martin Luther what he would do if he knew it was the last day of the world, he responded, "I'd plant a tree". Many of us can get dragged down in the everyday discouragements which so easily beset us. But God is faithful. His plans can not be thwarted. We are called to have faith in God--to bring about and bless our coming descendants, by our hope, fortitude and trust in God's sovereignty. Yea, even to a thousand generations.

Spotlight: College Without Compromise

As I read College Without Compromise, I found myself wishing the Wightman family had written this book several years earlier when I was attending a Christian college 300 miles away from my family. But in God's good providence, he was preparing the Wightmans to give this needed message for families today. The Wightman family is one of the most generous families we know. We are privileged to serve alongside them at Covenant Family Church, our local body here in Missouri. What a joy for us to see their passionate and practical book come to fruition.

College Without Compromise: An Encouraging Guide to Starting Early, Finishing Economically and Protecting your Homeschool Vision is a wonderful tool. In the first half of the book, it considers the theological and philosophical considerations surrounding college. The Wightmans don't shy away from the issues of choosing a godly multi-generational profession or the role of higher education in a young woman's life.

The second half of College Without Compromise is wonderfully practical as it examines the different methods of obtaining a college degree--if you choose, all without setting foot on an actual campus. We are continually amazed as we see disciplined young men and women around the country following the steps and obtaining a college degree in 6 months to a year all for a fraction of the cost.

This book does not sell you a "system". It offers joyful encouragement and practical information on starting the whole life-after-high-school process in an easy to read, understandable way. A practical resource for every family considering higher education.

"The most common question among non-homeschoolers is simple enough, "What about socialization?" But the most common question among homeschoolers is this, "What about college?" Do we give up our convictions in order for our child to get a college education? Do we give up our hopes for college because our convictions will get in the way? The Wightmans have given us in these pages not only wisdom, but hope, joy, and direction."
- R. C. Sproul Jr.

You can purchase College Without Compromise for $16.00 from the Wightman's store, The Homeschool Sampler. Written by Scott and Kris Wightman. Forward by R. C. Sproul Jr. Visit The Homeschool Sampler for their new College Without Compromise online free discussion board and e-mail list.