As For Us and Our House: A His and Her Devotional

By Clinton Lindo and Sherri Lindo

As Christian parents, we not only want our kids to grow and thrive, but we also desire to raise a family that loves the Lord and longs to serve Him. In As for Us and Our House, a devotional on building a family that does just that, parents Clinton and Sherri Lindo share practical tips, stories, and biblical teaching meant to encourage parents on the journey of building a family in the image of our Creator. In Joshua 24:15, Joshua declared, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." With the same dedication, As For Us and Our House is a family collective approach to this commitment.

Broken into four sections or themes that mimic the construction of a home, As for Us and Our House tackles the issues that arise in every family, Christian or not. From the family's purpose and family feelings to family conflict and family pride, the Lindos address each topic with honesty, a biblical perspective, and advice earned from years of parenting their own three boys. Each topic in the devotional is discussed twice—once from the father's perspective and then again from the mother's. This way readers get a sense of the unique approach and takeaway of both parental perspectives, allowing the mother and the father to be heard and seen in each scenario.

Unlike other devotionals that may be structured by day or season, As for Us and Our House is meant to be read throughout the life of your family. The topics presented will undoubtedly happen to your family at one point or another, but they may not occur sequentially or all happen in the time it takes to read the Lindos' words. This is a devotional that can be experienced in one sitting and then revisited again and again as your family grows and different issues arise.

At its heart, As for Us and Our House shows Christian parents that they're not alone in this journey called being mom and dad. Sure, the road is arduous, chaotic, long, and sometimes appears like it will yield little fruit, but creating a family that serves the Lord and loves each other above all else is worth it, the Lindos can attest to that. We're not meant to do life alone, just as we're not meant to do parenting alone. Community is hard to come by, especially in a society that's continually splintering due to a global pandemic and the rise of technology, but that doesn't mean others haven't stood in our shoes and come out better and stronger on the other side.

The Lindos will be the last to tell you that they've been perfect parents, but they have been there, and sometimes that's all that matters. Whether you're a couple just embarking on this journey of parenthood for the first time, a family in need of a reset, or a family that's been at this thing called parenting for a while, As for Us and Our House is the companion you need on the journey. The practical advice and takeaways will pour into your family, but more than that, the Scripture-breathed situations and reflections will inspire and motivate you to create a family with an unshakeable foundation based on Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Sep 21, 2023
• ISBN: 9798987656211

Book preview

A white cover with black text Description automatically generated with low confidence

As For Us and Our House: A His & Her Devotional

Copyright © 2023 by Clinton & Sherri Lindo

Everness, LLC

P.O. Box 131

Meridianville, AL  35759

[e-mail]

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV), (Public Domain), the Holy Bible, New King James Version (NKJV), copyright © 1982, the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV), copyright © 1973, the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT), copyright © 1996, the Holy Bible, New Life Version (NLV), copyright © 1986, The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (ESV), copyright © 2001, the Amplified® Bible (AMP), copyright © 1954.  Graphic separators by Gordon Johnson via Pixabay.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the author, addressed Attention: Permissions at [e-mail].

Print ISBN: 979-8-9876562-0-4

eBook ISBN: 979-8-9876562-1-1

Audiobook ISBN: 979-8-9876562-2-8

Printed in the United States of America.

Dedication

To our wonderful fathers, Clinton Lindo and the late Thomas Moore, who passed during the writing of this book, thank you for your wisdom, strength, and teaching us faith in God. And to our mothers, Janie Moore and the late Theresa Lindo, thank you for your amazing love and encouragement.  We are both blessed to have such a legacy to draw from as we parent and grandparent.  We dedicate this book to all of you.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Theme 1 – Setting the Foundation

THE FAMILY DYNAMIC His Perspective

THE FAMILY DYNAMIC Her Perspective

THE FAMILY IDENTITY His Perspective

THE FAMILY IDENTITY Her Perspective

THE FAMILY RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST His Perspective

THE FAMILY RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST Her Perspective

THE FAMILY PURPOSE His Perspective

THE FAMILY PURPOSE Her Perspective

Theme 2 – Construction and Repair

FAMILY FEELINGS His Perspective

FAMILY FEELINGS Her Perspective

FAMILY DRAMA His Perspective

FAMILY DRAMA Her Perspective

FAMILY CONFLICT His Perspective

FAMILY CONFLICT Her Perspective

FAMILY LOSS His Perspective

FAMILY LOSS Her Perspective

FAMILY PRIDE His Perspective

FAMILY PRIDE Her Perspective

FAMILY FORGIVENESS His Perspective

FAMILY FORGIVENESS Her Perspective

Theme 3 – Renovation and Expansion

FAMILY MOTIVATION His Perspective

FAMILY MOTIVATION Her Perspective

FAMILY GIFTS AND TALENTS His Perspective

FAMILY GIFTS AND TALENTS Her Perspective

FAMILY FINANCES His Perspective

FAMILY FINANCES Her Perspective

FAMILY LABOR His Perspective

FAMILY LABOR Her Perspective

FAMILY ADVANCEMENT His Perspective

FAMILY ADVANCEMENT Her Perspective

Theme 4 – Finishing Touches

FAMILY BONDING His Perspective

FAMILY BONDING Her Perspective

FAMILY DESTINATION His Perspective

FAMILY DESTINATION Her Perspective

FAMILY WORSHIP A Message To You

From Him

From Her

A PERSONAL PRAYER For You

AN INVITATION To You

Introduction

When I graduated college, I bought my first new car.  It was a Mazda MX-3, a black sporty model that I became pretty intimate with over the years that followed.  That car saw the morning commuter traffic of NYC on many occasions and was also very used to long stretches of I-95.  Since I really liked the car, and since I kind of like technical things, I often brought my car manual into the house with me so I can read through it.

As the car began to show its age, I took apart the less-engine-y parts of the car when they needed fixing.  I was pretty proud of myself up until the day that my indicator stopped flashing.  This had happened before, and it was because a bulb was out and needed replacing.  However, it wasn’t any of the bulbs this time; all the lights still illuminated, they just no longer flashed.  This happened right around the time the car was due for its annual inspection, so I needed to get it fixed.  I pored through the manual, but nothing was there that described the problem I was experiencing.  This was long before YouTube and Reddit, so on to a mechanic I went.  In my younger days, my mechanic selection skills were pretty sub-par, so I ended up in front of three guys who also had no idea where the problem was.  They took my rear light assembly apart, and when realizing that messing with the bulb and the light socket did nothing, they tried to go deeper into my trunk, resulting in the plastic lining of my trunk being ripped in half.

That visit to the mechanic was more harm than good; but I finally spoke to someone…someone who knew what the problem was and what was needed.  It was a flasher component.  It was nowhere near the trunk; it actually was located underneath the steering wheel.  I ordered a new one, and when it came in, I was able to replace it in under ten minutes.  All I could say to myself was, Wow, I wish I knew about that sooner.

When I first got married and later had children, there were a number of those moments.  There was no cut-and-dried manual for me to read from cover to cover; after all, no manual would contain the quirks of my wife and children and how to deal with them.  I ran headlong into many problems, made worse by family and friends who still weren’t sure about us, and had to muddle through.  We talked to people that did not know the solutions to the problem, and just like those mechanics, trying what they suggested did more harm than good.  As we began to understand that we needed more knowledge, we frequented marriage seminars and marriage workshops.  We ended up in front of people who experienced some of the same problems we were facing and what was needed to fix them.  They also pointed us back to the Bible where we had missed solutions that seem as clear as day to us now.  We realized that God had the solutions for everything we faced, and through study and prayer, He would reveal them to us.  We looked back at all we had learned with the same sentiment, Wow, we wish we had known this sooner.

When we were inspired with the idea of writing this devotional, we thought about what we didn’t know when we first got married and considered what we learned about how to keep a marriage together as well as a family together…not only together, but happy.  What would I say to my younger self and other new fathers just starting out?  What would my wife say to new wives and mothers? 

This devotional is puts into words what we’ve learned about ourselves, each other, our lives and our expectations.  There will undoubtedly be moments when you find yourself nodding along, reading something that you’ve long known or at least suspected.  However, if there is just one moment when you pause and say to yourself, Wow, I’m glad I learned that now, it will be worth us writing.  Our prayer is that this devotional will help you, as well as bring your family closer to each other and closer to Christ.  We would love to run into you on the streets of gold, where we can all thank Jesus together.

Theme 1 – Setting the Foundation

Every well-made home requires a solid foundation.  Without that foundation, the house may be built, but it would not be able to withstand any number of adverse conditions, and would eventually fall apart.  In the same way, a good family needs to have a strong foundation, and that foundation is Christ. Without Christ as our foundation, any wind of adversity could damage the family beyond repair.  This first section of the devotional will help guide you through the bigger picture aspects of creating and sustaining a family that serves the Lord.  The topics addressed in this theme are Family Dynamic, Family Identity, Family Relationship with Christ and Family Purpose.

THE FAMILY DYNAMIC

Building a house takes a lot of work and requires expertise in a number of different areas.  Concrete workers must apply their knowledge in pouring a foundation.  Roofers must apply their expertise in covering the house.  Electricians must apply their expertise in wiring and electrical