"farewell (for now)" makes me nauseaus. but it's why i love these brilliant souls.

Dearest Listener,
After seven years of extensive touring in support of three records (seventeen years as a band), we've decided to take a break of indefinite length at the end of 2007 to preserve the environment we've sought so hard to create and to pursue other interests. It has been a pleasure to write, record, and perform for you through the years and we'd like to heartily thank you for your invaluable contribution to our musical lives.

Yours,

Nickel Creek


the first time i read those words, i was riding along the indian ocean in my car withmy husband, listening to nickel creek's recent released "reasons why: the very best" album. good thing i wasn't driving, (a) because i was also reading, and (b) because i felt this pain shoot into my stomach and thought i might need to roll down the windows to throw up.

can it be?

but i love them for it. i love them even more than i ever have. what a brilliant thoughtful decision. something left to look forward to. like when i get a black bean and goat cheese tamale at bosco's in hillsboro village, never know when i'll have one again. i wait for it to come again.

and so it is with my lovely friends, sarah, sean and chris. yes, i'm obsessed, and proud of it! they are brilliant and i remember days just coming off of drugs when i would sit in my car in the front yard, listening to their self-titled album over and over. i had to buy it 3 times cause that's how worn out each one became from the repetitive circling in my cd player.



and WHY did no one tell me that nickel creek left for a tour with fiona apple on august 2nd???? they better make a live cd for me, cause it's beautiful stuff on their myspace page.


and that they are opening for ben harper TONITE in colorado?



and that chris thile is playing with the tensions mountain boys in nashville for THREE CONSECUTIVE DAYS in september?


and that 14 out of their remaing 30 shows on this tour
are within the 6 hour driving radius i set for myself when deciding if i'm going to follow them around the U.S.? you knew that i couldn't handle that, didn't you?

now i have 2 reasons to fly to america. one--to hug you all for giving me money to send carlen, simone, clinton, and dylan to camp for the weekend, and two--two spend alot of time, money, and energy stalking this band!!!! anybody with an extra $2,000 to spare????

what i learned today from poverty.

"there will always be problems. when one ends, the next one takes its place. that's why i don't worry. i just learn to live my life and be myself in the midst of them."

i can pay my counselor R400 to tell me this. i can remind myself, post it up all over my house. but when it comes from the believeing lips of a woman with 5 kids and 3 grandkids living in a shack, it just seems more believable.

asheville, north carolina. stacie conkin.

bono's guru.

if you are wanting to know who's in the anti-poverty limelight, let me introduce you to the picture of the man, jeffrey sach's, author of new york times best-selling book the end of poverty, which i am currently reading and totally recommend. i am NOT an economics person. my mind doesn't understand all that talk about human capital and stablization and fiscal whatever whatever. but after being sucked into this book which i cannot seem to put down, i am hooked on the subject. i am determined to educate myself on it until i can understand it, talk about it, and be up to date on this really important issue.


a recent article in the july edition of vanity fair
updates us on the whereabouts and whatabouts of this man, who is busy all over the world researching, testing, and sharing about his passion. he believes that IN OUR LIFETIME, the poverty of this world can be done away with. that countries unable to even get a foot on the lowest rung of the economic ladder can actually start working towards a stable economy, despite cultural, geographic, and geopolitical barriers. i am totally enthralled!

i know emma's going to love this, being the economic genius in my life who's always telling me "you just don't get this stuff do you?" well emma, watch out...i'm learning. and you out there should too.

so, go buy THIS BOOK
and read up on the Millenium Development Goals, written by Sachs.


let me know if you join me on this bandwagon!

a most splendid book.

it's cool how my last blog was about korean missionaries in afghanistan, and this blog is about a book i recently finished (i spent all saturday morning in bed finishing it!) situated in kabul, afghanistan.

i just want to encourage you to read this book. don't let it's heavy setting, historical content, and size intimidate you. i read S L O W, and i finished it in a few days!!! now I want to go to afghanistan...which makes me a bit of a possible hypocrite in some of your eyes seeing that my last blog was indecisive in my personal thoughts on the koreans entering such a turbulent place.

i still need to think through the why of my desire to go now. i think it's just one of those things good books do to me, they make me want to know more about the world i've just inhabited for a few days.

go go go and read :)

the 21 remaining south koreans held hostage by the taliban are growing sick and weary. apparently, doctors are being sent in for two of the girls who are near-death. amnesty international had a phone call with taliban spokesperson qari yousef ahmadi, appealing for the release of the south koreans and warning the militant group that they are commiting a war crime.

my heart is really going out to this situation. i keep imagining these 21 people, scared and sick, angry, hungry, unsure of their fate. imagine going into a remote village of afghanistan with the hope of providing medical attention to the people, only to find yourself kidnapped, starving, dying.

this is a startling picture of modern-day persecution. our lives are not our own. we were bought at a price, and christ relives his sufferning and sacrifice in the willingness of these 21 people. maybe they didn't expect this sort of reality...but the went under the warning of such things happening.

this is my prayer, my cry out to god, and god's promise for these beautiful servants:

"blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for the in same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
they body of the first korean, shot 10 times in the head and chest, being taken out by taliban officials.



south korean protestors outside a mosque in afghanistan.



protestors holding candles at an anti war rally in south korea.


but, coming from a different perspective, i really wonder if these pretty faces in the first picture understood the fullness of such a venture. i mean, afghanistan? a mission trip? as my friend emma also pointed out, i've lived abroad and seen short term mission teams come and go. i do not argue the impact of such experiences on the missionaries, or the locals who live in a place being visited, but i do hope this situation urges christians to take an incredibly thorough, God-led approach to missions. i hope that this will challenge people to seek God in their decision to go anywhere from alaska to argentina to afghanistan, rather than ever going "for the fun of it" (don't get cross...i know this happens).

this bbc news articlereally speaks to what we are saying.