|
Death by Suburb: How to Keep the Suburbs from Killing Your Soul | 
 enlarge | Author: Dave L. Goetz
Publisher: HarperOne
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
Buy New: $2.93
You Save: $11.02 (79%)
New (23) Used (21) from $1.57
Avg. Customer Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 69480
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.8
ISBN: 0060859687
Dewey Decimal Number: 291
EAN: 9780060859688
ASIN: 0060859687
Publication Date: February 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: GREAT Bargain Book Deal - like new, some may have small remainder mark - Ships out by NEXT Business Day - Over ONE MILLION Amazon orders filled - 100% Satisfaction Guarantee!
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
A great number of seekers find themselves in the seemingly unreal world of the suburbs. They read spirituality books but find themselves in carpools and coaching soccer, not in monasteries. Dave Goetz, a former pastor, shows that the suburbs are a real world, but a spiritually corrosive one. The land of SUVs and soccer leagues can truly be toxic to the soul. Suburbanites need to understand how the environment affects them and what spiritual disciplines are needed for their faith to survive and thrive. Goetz identifies eight toxins in the suburban life, such as hyper–competition and the "transactional" friendship, and suggests eight corresponding disciplines to keep the spiritual life authentic. Goetz weaves sociology studies, his own experiences, current events, wisdom of the spiritual masters, and a little humor to equip spiritual suburbanites for how to relate to God amidst Starbucks, strip–malls, and perfect lawns.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
 Numerous Lessons for any Suburbanite April 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
My church recently featured a series of very effective service messages based on the book Death by Suburb. I figured if the church services were this insightful, well, the book itself must be fantastic. My assumption was right.
The subtitle of the book is "How to Keep the Suburbs from Killing Your Soul." While Goetz's message is important to hear it's most effective when you project his observations on your own life. Some of this stuff was pretty darned painful to read but 100% accurate.
For example, chapter 6 is called "Shirker Service" and he defines Shirkers as people who "are always on the move for the next spiritual plane." A Shirker tends to say things like:
"I want to make a difference with my life. I want to make my life count. I want more from my life than investment banking. I'm weary of making money; I want to help poor people become suburbanites just like I am."
He goes on to say that "the Shirker Life is full of service activities, mostly to and with other Shirkers." Ouch.
Here are two other nuggets of wisdom that resonated with me:
"If you want to be a sweet grandfather and not a bitter old man, then you must learn how to embrace suffering."
"Frustration and conflict are the fabric of spiritual development."
Those are the kind of statements I have to read several times to truly appreciate them. Putting them in practice and living them are a completely different challenge. This book is full of pearls like this and well worth the reading investment.
Spirituality Vs. Suburbia April 17, 2008
Death by Suburb: How to keep the Suburbs From Killing Your Soul by Dave Goetz is a straight shot look at maintaining spirituality in the midst of competition and commercialism that so often define suburbia. From Wheaton, Illinois, (an affluent suburb of Chicago) Goetz describes his experiences of seeking God instead of seeking status symbols and outlines eight practical applications for the reader. These take home points range from the need for times of quiet reflection, how to best serve others above oneself and developing deep and meaningful relationships.
Although written from a Christian perspective with examples drawn from Catholic and Protestant theologians, this is a work that provides sensible advice to people from any faith looking for less chaos in suburban living. Anyone who has struggled with time management, control issues, stress, balance, overwork, or friendship problems could find helpful words in this book. Goetz is an amusing and talented writer and Death by Suburb is a highly enjoyable book.
Life-giving practices! April 8, 2008
This is a great book--Goetz, who lives in Wheaton, where I used to live and went to school, describes suburban life to a tee.
He trains a keen eye on both the struggle and irony of the competitive, consumeristic, pressured, hurried life that is not only the typical suburbanite's life, but his own life. (He admits to being a sometimes over-enthusiastic soccer dad, and to owning both the quintessential suburban vehicle, an SUV, and the quintessential suburban dog, a Golden Retriever).
He recommends eight spiritual practices to counter-act the "environmental toxins" of suburban life; practices that range from the traditional solitude and self-examination to ones that address specific suburban problems. For example, he writes, to counter the toxin of "My church is the problem," a common malady of the suburban consumer mindset, he recommends the practice of "Staying put in your church."
As a writer and speaker who teaches often on spiritual practices (see my book Oxygen: Deep Breathing for the Soul), I know I will be not only recommending this book but quoting from it often!
Checking yourself... March 25, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I picked up this book after Matt Chandler made mention of it in one of his sermons and quoted it when Mr. Goetz tells of a story and then cites, "Soccer is stupid when your wife is dying with cancer." After that quote, I had to pick up the book.
This book is a very enjoyable read, especially if you live in the suburbs. I really don't think you can get the full meaning of some of the jokes or even the nagging life that awaits in the suburbs, unless you live there, or have lived there for a period of years. What David Goetz wanted to get across in this book, I believe he did very well. The 8 chapters are titled very well and it really hurts when the chapter headings are what is going on in your head when you read them. He lists for the chapters a "toxin" and then "the practice." Or the "issue" and "the solution." They are:
Chapter 1:
The Toxin: I am in Control of My Life
The Practice: The Prayer of Silence
Chapter 2:
The Toxin: I am what I do and what I own
The Practice: The Journey through the self
Chapter 3:
The Toxin: I want my neighbor's life
The Practice: Friendship with the poor
Chapter 4:
The Toxin: My life should be easier than this
The Practice: Accepting my cross with grace and patience
Chapter 5:
The Toxin: I need to make a difference with my life
The Practice: Pursuing action, not results
Chapter 6:
The Toxin: My church is the problem
The Practice: Staying put in your church
Chapter 7:
The Toxin: What will this relationship do for me?
The Practice: Building deep friendships
Chapter 8:
The Toxin: I need to get more done in less time
The Practice: Falling in love with a day
My favorites were definitely at the point when Mr. Goetz pointed out why we have certain relationships and why we help out certain people. The reason is because I fall in love with the thought of, "if this person isn't going to accomplish something in my life, why should I befriend them?" Mr. Goetz speaks poignantly through this to understand that relationships shouldn't be about what you are going to get out of them, but they should be for continual development for the kingdom. In conjunction with this, he asks why we help out those that are less fortunate than us? Do we do it for self gratification if they turn to Jesus, or they "fix their life?" Or, do we do it out of the mere love for our Saviour and respond to his love with the love of our neighbors? This was a very challenging chapter.
I enjoyed the entirety of the book and felt as though it was well thought out, although not terribly theologically deep. Theologically is exactly where I found myself scratching my head a couple of times as I felt as though he left it out of the discussion at points that would have been helpful. I felt as though his convictions should have more clearly put forth in some of the areas of his life and how he lived it. But these were minor at points and not enough to deter the overall theme of the book.
I really found it to be helpful and was filled with great reminders in ways that made me laugh at times and cringe at others as they cut me deep, which was good.
One of my favorite quotes in the book, after the one mentioned at the first of this post, was:
Speed and efficiency rank high in suburban values. Garbage cans with properly colored tags are set out on the curb weekly on designated days. Dogs must be licensed before February 1. Dog waste is a hazard to our children, says our community publication on new ordinances. There are always new ordinances. Near our home, a gentleman walks his aging, bloated Labrador most evenings, dog leash in one hand and pooper-scooper in the other. By day, the man is an executive with an MBA from a worldclass university; by night, he scrapes up dog stools.
Now imagine this clever banter when dealing with spiritual issues while letting life escape us and you have a very enjoyable read along some very good insights into our everyday lives as we try and walk with Christ.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a Christian and looking for a nudge to get them out of the ordinary drudge that can be the suburbs.
Examine yourself September 3, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a great book the will cause most people who read it (even if they don't live in the burbs)to look deep within to find some motivations that they might not be happy seeing. If you wish to live the self examined life, this is a great book for you.
|
|
|
Copyright 2008 - RailroadBookstore.com
| |
