They heard me singing and they told me to stop
Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock
These days my life, I feel it has no purpose
But late at night the feelings swim to the surface

‘Cause on the surface the city lights shine
They’re calling at me, come and find your kind
Sometimes I wonder if the world’s so small
That we can never get away from the sprawl

Living in the sprawl
Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains
And there’s no end in sight
I need the darkness, someone please cut the lights

We rode our bikes to the nearest park
Sat under the swings and kissed in the dark
We shield our eyes from the police lights

We run away, but we don’t know why

Black mirror, your city lights shine
They’re screaming at us, “We don’t need your kind”
Sometimes I wonder if the world’s so small
That we can never get away from the sprawl

Living in the sprawl
Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains
And there’s no end in sight
I need the darkness, someone please cut the lights

They heard me singing and they told me to stop
Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock
Sometimes I wonder if the world’s so small
Can we ever get away from the sprawl?

Living in the sprawl
Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains
And there’s no end in sight
I need the darkness, someone please cut the lights

I need the darkness, someone please cut the lights

- “Sprawl II (Mountains beyond Mountains)” by Arcade Fire

Andrew Swansson
© 2010

Re-Working Suburbia: Before and After

Isolation is rampant in suburbia. It poses a challenge to any church seeking to develop meaningful community. One reason for isolation is lack of urban planning. Most of the suburbs (exurbs too) grew like cancer cells, making interaction with others difficult. Things are changing mostly due to a weak economy. This week New Urban Network posted a story about the Re-Working Suburbia Conference near San Francisco, where urban planners are addressing these issues.

Read the entire post:  Californians Ponder How to Remake Aging Suburbs

- Rev. Efrem Smith, Sojourner’s “Preaching the Word”

Within a few miles from my office I can leave the idyllic community of Loma Linda, California, where people live to be a hundred, and enter San Bernardino, once ranked the 16th most violent city in America.  Truthfully, I can go about my life, rarely venturing into this urban community in my backyard.

When you live in the city its on top of you, you can’t run from the needs, it’s in your face. But suburbia can anesthetize you to suffering and injustice. You can build a safe life (or so you think), a secluded life, where the world can be shut out. Not so in the city.

There’s lots of challenges to living missionally in the suburbs, but one of the most problematic for me? Complacency. I find myself too comfortable with nice sub-divisions, tidy neighborhoods, and picturesque streets. The Rev. Smith challenges me. I am responsible too. And here in my town I can’t escape the fact there’s enormous needs across the street. So what am I doing about? Sadly, the usual, not much.  What challenges do you face trying to live faithfully in Suburbia?

Jesus, have mercy on me. Remove my complacency. Compel me to action.  Let me not forget the city in my backyard. Amen.

Thanks to my Twitter search widget I found a fascinating article today from the Wall Street Journal about aging in suburbia. There’s a lot to think about here beyond this issue as well, for example, what can suburban communities learn about facilitating greater communal connections? By the way, one of these days I plan to write about the idea behind this blog—the Suburban Pastor, but that’ll have to wait for now.