In Quietness & Confidence

Dad
April 8, 2003

DO 2238 11/86

(Grandpa & David had worked hard all afternoon building a top bunk for David & Techi's bed so that Techi would have a more comfy sleeping area. However, Grandpa was concerned about her safety & warned her not to horse around in her new top bunk, when only moments after Techi first got in bed, he heard a crash to the floor, & went running in to find that Techi had slid out of the top bunk!)

(After David prays for a good night's sleep, Grandpa continues praying:)

1. AND THANK YOU, LORD, FOR NOT LETTING TECHI HAVE A WORSE FALL. Thank You that she didn't hurt herself real bad. Help her to be much more quiet & much more prayerful & careful & not do all these silly antics‚ Lord, in her bed & in her bedroom. Help her to remember that a bed & bedroom are no place to do callisthenics & acrobatics.

2. HELP HER TO LEARN HOW TO "BE STILL & KNOW THAT YOU ARE GOD" (Psa.46:10) & that You're going to spank her if she doesn't behave. "In quietness & confidence shall her strength be"‚ Lord. In Jesus' name, help her to be more quiet.

3. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO YOUR VERSES YOU HAD BY YOUR BED ON QUIETNESS & BEING STILL? (Techi: Auntie Sara gave me a verse tonight about being sober.) "In quietness & confidence shall be your strength." (Isa.30:15) (Techi: The verse was something about being steady.) I wish you'd try to stay steady in your bed & in the bedroom, please. (Techi: Yes, Sir.)

"Be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord‚ forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." (1Cor.15:58)

4. NOW‚ DOES THE LORD HAVE TO GIVE YOU A BAD FALL & A BAD HURT TO TEACH YOU YOUR LESSON? Is that what He has to do? Is He going to have to give you a very bad fall & a really bad hurt, maybe like breaking a leg or an arm or something before you'll learn to stop this foolishness in bed? Now just stop it! I mean it! The next time you fall out of bed, I'm apt to come in here & give you a spanking on top of it, if it's because of your foolish foolin' around! You could have hit this sharp edge & broken an arm. I didn't have to fall that far to break my arm when I was young! I mean it!

5. NOW WHAT'S THE LORD GOING TO HAVE TO DO TO YOU‚ HONEY, TO TEACH YOU TO BE QUIET? Techi? I'm asking you a question. Why don't you try to be quiet so He doesn't have to do anything to you? Are you going to try to be quiet? All right.

6. AMEN‚ LORD, DO HELP TECHI TO TRY TO BE QUIET & help David not to encourage her & laugh at her antics which makes her act even sillier. Help him to realise how dangerous it is to be foolish & that she could have a very bad fall!

7. I'M GOING TO BE SORRY I EVER PUT THIS BUNK UP HERE IF YOU EVER FALL OUT OF IT, I MEAN IT! I'm going to put you back to sleeping down here with David if you fall out of this top bunk! There is no excuse for it!

8. YOU WANT TO HAVE HER SLEEPING DOWN HERE WITH YOU AGAIN? (David: No, Sir.) Or do you want her to have a bad fall? Then why don't you tell her to be quiet & stop playing around & being foolish, huh? You tell her‚ "Stop it!" I'm not in here‚ Mama's not in here, we can't be in here checking on you every minute. Now you are going to have to make your sister behave. Just tell her to stop it! Tell her to stop it or you're going to come tell us! Is that clear? Now you just tell her to stop it or "I'm going to go tell Mama & Daddy!" (David: Yes, Sir!)

9. ALL RIGHT, NOW YOU STOP IT, TECHI! I mean it! This is the first time Daddy has had to really bawl you out about it, but I've scolded you many times! I threatened to even put you out of our bedroom once because of all your antics & all the noise you made. Remember? All right. So here you are. How much further do you have to go? Do I have to send you somewhere else to sleep, & not in this nice little room next to Grandpa? All right, let's not have it then. Let's finish prayer.

10. AMEN, WE THANK YOU, LORD, THAT SHE DIDN'T HAVE A BAD FALL & that she didn't break or hurt something badly. Please help her to be more quiet & not to be such a silly girl at night when she should be calming down & getting quiet for bed, in Jesus' name. I think you ought to pray about it right now, Techi.

11. (TECHI: AMEN. LORD JESUS, PLEASE HELP ME NOT TO BE SILLY & goof off & fall off my bed, Lord. And help me to be still, Lord, & to know that in quietness & confidence shall my strength be. In Jesus' name, amen.)

12. WHICH MEANS THAT BEING NOISY & SILLY & FOOLISH IS A WEAKNESS‚ NOT A STRENGTH. Quietness & confidence is strength‚ not being silly & noisy, right? That's a weakness. It's not funny! It's very serious! You could hurt yourself badly if you don't behave. I mean it! So, let's thank the Lord together now:

Thank You Jesus for this day & for our Home so fair,

You helped us, Lord, to do some good & kept us in Your care,

And blessed our loved ones everywhere. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Thank You Jesus for our beds

And for Thy Angels round our heads.

Help us have good (sweet) sleep tonight

And wake us with the morning bright (light).

Now I lay me down to sleep.

I know Thee, Lord, my soul You'll keep.

If I should die before I wake,

I know Thee, Lord, my soul You'll take.

—To Heaven! In Jesus' name.

13. NOW BLESS & HELP THE CHILDREN BE QUIET & GO TO SLEEP. Thank You, Lord, that Techi didn't have a worse accident & really hurt herself badly. Help us to get this mattress fixed so it won't slide. Help us to remember to do it tomorrow, in Jesus' name we ask, for Thy glory.

14. SEE, YOU DEPENDED TOO MUCH ON THE MATTRESS & YOU HELD ON TO IT & IT SLID & YOU FELL. Now, if you hadn't been fooling around, it wouldn't have happened! So you can be thankful an Angel was certainly around your bed & watching your head or you could have banged it real bad on the dresser or gotten a cut or a bad bump or even broken a bone!

15. NOW IT'S A DANGEROUS PLACE TO SLEEP‚ HONEY, & YOU'VE GOT TO TRY TO BE CAREFUL & sober & quiet & wise or you won't be able to sleep up there! And if it's too crowded down here with David then we'll have to send you & David clear back to the other room. Now, do you want that to happen? All right, then, are you going to be quiet up there & more prayerful & careful & cautious & not have a bad accident? (Techi: Yes, Sir!)

16. PLEASE, HONEY, PLEASE TRY TO TAKE BETTER CARE OF YOURSELF. Give the Lord a little cooperation or give His Angels a little cooperation‚ will you? All right. I love you! Thank You Lord, thank You that she didn't get hurt badly, in Jesus' name.

17. GOD BLESS YOU. Good night, Son. (David: She doesn't usually romp around in here too much.)

18. REMEMBER‚ BED IS NOT A PLACE TO PLAY. (Techi crying: I'm sorry, Daddy!) Well‚ good, that's good. Lord bless her & help her to stay sorry & not do it any more, in Jesus' name. Lord bless you. OK, it's all right, now you're sorry, you're forgiven, praise the Lord. Hallelujah! I'm just so glad you didn't get hurt, Honey. Thank the Lord you didn't get hurt badly. (Maria: David says usually when he tells her something, she obeys.) That's good, because you could have hit this sharp edge in some way with your backbone & you could have broken your back & been paralysed for the rest of your life, just like Grandma was paralysed. Really!

19. OR YOU COULD HAVE HIT HERE & GIVEN YOUR HEAD SUCH A KNOCK ON THERE & a gash or broken your head & it could have knocked you cuckoo. That's a dangerous place to sleep! You have to get it through your head that it's dangerous to sleep up there. I'm sorry you have to sleep up there but you've got more room & I think you'll sleep better there, if you'll settle down & behave!

20. NOW YOU'VE GOT TO TRY NOT TO DO IT, HONEY, PLEASE‚ FOR GRANDPA'S SAKE. We don't want to see you get bad hurt or permanently injured or something. Now let's not have the Lord have to give you that bad a spanking to make you behave. And you've got to get it through your head how serious it is to sleep up there & you've got to be careful. It's a wonderful place to sleep & it's solved the whole problem & everything is fine if you'll just settle down & be quiet when you get in bed & go to sleep instead of horsing around. You can read or you can sleep‚ but bed is not the place for antics & acrobatics & jumping around & all this wiggling. I mean it!

21. NOW DAVID, I WANT YOU TO LET US KNOW IF TECHI REALLY BEHAVES & DOES WHAT WE SAY. And if she doesn't, I want you to report it to us right away. OK? All right, Son, God bless you.

22. THAT SHARP EDGE ON YOUR BUNK SCRATCHED DAVID, SO WE HAD TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. So thank You Lord. Thank You Lord that Techi didn't get scratched. David had to shed his blood for her like You did for us, thank You Jesus, so she could be saved. Amen.

23. GOD BLESS YOU, SWEETHEART, I LOVE YOU. I'm so glad you didn't hurt yourself real bad. You're forgiven, Honey, just try to be more careful. I love you. Don't cry. It's all right now, if you'll behave & do well. Thank You Lord! Praise the Lord!

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