Ashley Hales - Finding Holy in the Suburbs: Living Faithfully in the Land of Too Much

IF THE SHUTTERS ARE OPEN in my bedroom and I look out across our cul-de-sac, I can see my brother-in-laws front porch without even lifting my head off my pillow. If I sit up a bit straighter and lean slightly forward, I can see my mother-in-laws entire house where it sits atop a small hill right next door to his. In the summer, the view is blocked partially by the leafy branches in our front yard, but in the winter we have a clear view of them and they have a clear view of us.

Out of the seven houses in our North Carolina cul-de-sac, three of them are filled with Freemans, is what Im saying. Yes, I share a street with most of my in-laws. Whether you think thats lovely or weird, I agreedepending on the day.

Weve lived a lot of regular life under these tree-lined streets, crossed these yards hundreds of times, watched cousins play, argue, make up, and play some more. In the elementary school years, we walked our kids together to school, joining up with some other neighbors who dont share our last name, a colorful posse of friends, acquaintances, and family armed with backpacks, lunch bags, and sometimes a stroller or dog, depending on the weather. All of our kids have learned to ride a bike around this circle, and in about a year my girls will learn to drive a car here too.

Sometimes when I think about my own setting, I wonder if its okay. Are we embodying the gospel enough? Are we insulating ourselves from the world by living with people who not only share our lifestyle but also our last name? Can we image God from this regular, sensationless place where we live?

You have your own neighborhood, city street, or daily setting. Your place has characters, whether they are schoolmates or in-laws, friends or strangers. This book youre holding is about those everyday kinds of spaces. Because whether you live in a cul-de-sac, in a high-rise apartment, on a college campus, or on several acres of farmland, the truth is this book is not about where you live.

Its more about how you live there.

We all live in a cul-de-sac of sorts, though it may not always be shaped like a circle. We all have spaces we fold ourselves around and allow to shape us, for better or worse. Ashley Hales is a woman who knows that we are always being spiritually formed, but the question is by what and for what purpose? Are we bending our lives around the spaces we occupy, the things we acquire, the homes we build, and the positions were climbing toward? Or are we willing to let the triune God straighten out the narrative of safety and control, and pull us closer into his story of love and belonging, one that turns out looking way different than we always thought?

Finding the sacred in the midst of everyday things is not a new conversation. But the best books arent the ones that have all brand new information. We dont have context for that. Instead, we need new voices telling us old things, retelling us the Story we believe but forget, reminding us of who we are and where we belong. We need voices that are willing to enter into those conversations we are already having, taking place in our churches, our classrooms, our sidewalks, and inside our own heads. We need strong voices willing to walk along the regular streets with us in our everyday corners of the kingdom of God.

Ashley Hales is one of these kind and insightful new voices.

For those of us who grew up in the do big things for God youth group culture, we step into this conversation as adults with some hesitancy, some skepticism, and the smallest bit of hope. Could it be possible that starting small and staying put is not only okay but could actually be a worthy and holy calling? Ashley Hales says yes.

Come and walk beside her through the streets of her California suburb. Discover how these mundane places have shaped her life and notice all the ways it will mirror and inform your own.

We cant locate ourselves, much less find ourselves, apart from the places we inhabit.