Does life in the suburbs kill our souls? Without a spiritual focus, we can start acting as if the world's highest priorities are a perfect lawn, a daughter on the honor roll, and a son's victory in soccer. David Goetz shows that the suburbs are a real world but often a spiritually dead one. For many busy American suburbanites, attending to one's spiritual life has become just another box to check off on the daily to-do list. We heed the call to join committee after committee and are promised that the more time and energy we give to the church community, the closer we'll feel to God. But although we seem to have it all together, with our yards perfectly manicured, our children's homework done, and the items for the church clothing drive folded neatly in plastic bags, we find that our suburban spirituality and religious life seem as artificially flavored as soda pop. Death by Suburb is a wake-up call to suburbanites who have put their spiritual life on cruise control and let the caffeine-driven culture wreak havoc on their relationship with God. Combining witty anecdotes and a suburban insider's sometimes surreal experience, Goetz offers eight spiritual disciplines that can help you create what he calls a 'thicker spiritual life' without having to leave your cul-de-sac comfort zone. Whether it means creating room for the ancient traditions of stillness and silent meditation or battling the hyper-competition that breeds in the suburbs, Goetz spells out concrete methods for nurturing the spiritual life amidst the noise and routine of daily suburban experience. |
