Judgement House

Every year on Halloween, my church puts on a serious drama, called Judgement House. Its basically an alternative for Halloween, so kids out trick or treating can come and learn about God without actually learning about God. What we do is, we think of a dramatic scenario, such as suicide, teen pregnancy, school shooting or 9/11, and we somehow put the message of God within the script.
This year, the title is, called A Letter From Hell. It's about this kid named Tullee who has been trying to save his friend Boomer from going to Hell. One night, Tullee insists that Boomer comes to his youth group and not a high school party. However, Boomer refuses Tullee's invitation and attends the party instead. There, Boomer is getting drunk, along with all his friends. Tullee then shows up and tries to take Boomer home, but Boomer is being stubborn. Eventually, Boomer drives home drunk and crashes off the road and is killed instantly. Because Boomer never accepted Tullee's church invitation, Boomer never learned about God. For his consequences, Boomer is sent to Hell and writes a letter to Tullee describing everything that is happening to him in Hell. However, an angel soon appears and takes Boomer out of Hell to show him the life he once lived. Finally, after showing Boomer's past life, he is taken back to his holding cell in Hell and is eventually thrown into the Lake of Fire with Satan himself.

For some reason, this drama really impacted me. It showed me that there are so many teens that try to tell their friends about God, but they never listen. Eventually, time catches up to them and their ticket has been stubbed. It wasn't just the idea of people rejecting God that affected me. It was the fact that so many people actually do know about God and they take advantage of that privilege. A lot of us think that since we are going to Heaven and that we have a relationship with God believe that we can do whatever we want. Some people just become Christians just to have "Fire Insurance". Teens probably think, "Oh, I can have sex. I can drink. I can look at porn. I'm going to Heaven anyway". Those people are going to Heaven, but when God comes face to face with them, they are going to be embarrassed, full of regret, and most of all, ashamed. There are Christians who once lived a Godly life, but somewhere down the road they fell away and made their own path.
If someone has a friend who has fallen away from God, talk to that person. Don't just talk to him or her a few times and if they don't listen get it give up on them. No. That's not a good friend. A good friend will not let their other friend stay in a wayward situation. Keep talking to that person, even if they get annoyed by you. Importantly, do not avoid that person because he or she doesn't follow the Christian way anymore.
There are so many people that I know that are Christians but have decided that they are going to live only for themselves. It's so sad and very disturbing to realize that some of our friends might not be with us in Heaven. It's even more disturbing that some of my Christian friends are giving up on one another and giving up on God's scripture.
Our lives are so short. It can end at any given time. We could die on our way to work, school, or even in our sleep, and then what? Are you going to be ready for whatever the next life has is store for you? If you or anyone you know doesn't know about Christ, please, please let them or yourself know about God. Trust me, anywhere is better than Hell, but no place is better than Heaven.

Scary Story

One late night, 12:23am perhaps, I was awoken with a fright. I think it was fall because when the wind blew the smell of dead leaves swept into my room. It was that night an undistinguished noise had caught my attention beyond my midnight dreams. For a moment, I swear that I was still dreaming. I say this because what I was experiencing could, in fact, never occur in reality. Still adjusting to the sudden wake up, I saw someone slowly walk down the hallway, toward my brothers room. He kept walking from one end of the hallway to the other. Suddenly, he stopped at my doorway. He paused for second. Then slowly he turned toward me. At first, I thought it was my brother. The figure was dark like a shadow. It would be impossible to ever figure out who it may have been from my perspective. Although I could not see any physical features, I knew he was looking right at me from my door way. I soon began to worry. I thought maybe my brother was sleep walking, because he had done so once before. I called out to him hoping if he was sleep walking, he would wake up, but there was no response. I kept calling, but still no response from whoever was looking at me. The figure then turned slowly and walked back down the hallway. I got out of bed, again, trying to get use to my surrounding. I walked toward my doorway to peek out into the hallway. At the same time, I was hoping the figure wasn't standing right around the corner. I looked to the left and didn't see a thing. I looked to the right and saw that my brothers door was closed, so I knew he was sleeping. I tip-toed down the hallway to see where the figure had gone. With every step I took, I felt like it was right next to me. I had finally reached the ledge of the staircase. Looking down into the living room, I saw nothing but the outline of furniture. I peeked downstairs into the kitchen from the stair landing. The figure had disappeared. At this moment, I was thinking that it was a burglar, but the house alarm never went off, unless it was disconnected in some way. With caution, I quietly walked into the kitchen. I figured it was going to be like all the horror movies. The one's where the half naked girl walks around in a dark house only to be stabbed to death by a killer. However, nothing happened. I searched every room in the house, except my brother's and parents room. I had no idea what to do next, so I stood in the middle of the kitchen trying to comprehend what exactly was happening here. I was thinking to myself that I must have been dreaming or least half awake. I was trying to think logically of the possibility that what I saw was actually real. For whatever reason a chill ran down my back. I had the feeling that I was being watched. Not just watched, but closely examined. My eyes were drawn to the kitchen window. There was something outside, but I couldn't quite make it out. I squinted my eyes so much that nothing was clear anymore. I walked toward the window to get a better look at what I was seeing. As I approached the window, in front of me was this thing peering into my kitchen. It was staring directly at me with its dead black eyes. I couldn't see its face. I don't think it had a face. I don't know why, but for some odd reason I couldn't move. I was mesmerized by its stare. It then started to call out to me it in a sweet, calm, mellow voice. "Eric. Hello Eric. I see you. Come here. I want to show you something. I think you'll like it.", it said. I reluctantly refused. It then persisted. "Come on, Eric. If you don't come here, I'm going to come in there." My heart was racing. My body was trembling. All I could do was shut my eyes so tightly that perhaps my eyes were going to explode. I kept telling myself to wake up. I begged myself to wake up, but with my eyes hurting from being shut tightly, I knew that this was not a dream. I had no choice but to open my eyes. I was hoping whatever was out there was gone. When I opened my eyes again, the thing that stood outside my window was now standing directly in front of me. Its dull black eyes were lined up with mine. It's head was tilted with a smile, but at the same time its mouth was hanging wide open with no exposed teeth. Its breath was that of the foulest eggs. It just stood there smiling. I was terrified, but at the same time still mesmerized by its dull gaze. I closed my eyes again. This time when I opened my eyes, it was gone. Maybe I was still in a trance, but for whatever reason, I calmly walked up the stairs to go back to bed as if nothing had ever happened. As I was walking up the stairs, I stopped on the first stair balcony. Something had caught my eye. To my left is my front door with two little windows near the top and above the door is one giant window going vertical to the ceiling. I happened to look out my front door window and I saw someone just standing outside, either wanting to come in or wanting someone to come out. There was no knock on the door or no ring to the the door bell. The person looked about six feet tall, maybe a little bit taller. I kept staring at it trying to make out the shape. It must had seen me because it lifted its head up and I could tell that it was looking right at me. It then spoke through the door. It said, "I see you and I'm going to get you". Then suddenly the shape stuck its head through the door. It yelled at me screaming, "open the F***in door!". Immediately, I ran to my bedroom to escape this nightmare. I don't know how anyone in my house couldn't hear anything. I also have no idea why I didn't go to anybody about any of this. I guess I was too afraid. Maybe if I told my parents what was going on everything would vanish making me out to be insane. As I entered my bedroom, my cell phone rang. It had no ringtone, so it just kept vibrating on my nightstand. I thought perhaps it was one of my friends making a late night call. I didn't care who it was at the moment. I just needed to talk to someone. I looked to see who it was, but when I looked at the front screen, a picture of a girl appeared on it. I had never seen this girl once in my life. She had dark hair and was smiling back at me with creepiest grin. Freaked out by this, I flipped the cell phone upside down, took out the battery, and shoved it in a desk drawer. The only thing left to do was to hide in my bedsheets. So there I was under my sheets like a little boy does when he thinks there's a monster in the closet. Well, this time, there really is one. As I was laying under my covers, I could here my door being closed slowly. I never heard it fully close, but when I peeked out from underneath the blankets, it was shut. My room was now pitch black. I wanted to reach for the blinds, but I was too afraid to know what was out there. I slowly peeked out from under my covers hoping that there wasn't something hovering above me. My room was too dark to see anything. There was one thing that caught my eye. As I 'm trying to make objects out in my room, I notice a figure leaning against my door. Maybe I wasn't quite thinking, but I leaned in to get a better view. As I'm leaning in, I'm also pulling back, but somehow I keep progressing a little closer to the object. I still couldn't see what it was. I realized that my video camera was on my desk next to me. I grabbed it, turned it on, hit record and switched it to night vision. I looked down at the screen to see what I was looking at. In front of me was that girl on my cell phone standing in the corner of my bedroom. She was staring right at me with her disturbing grin. Her face was the color of rotting green and her eyes were unable to be shown. All I could see were two black holes where her eyes should have been. She had thin, long, black hair that was almost completely gone from her scalp. Half of her face was deteriorated with some spiders nesting in her eye sockets. She was naked, but she had no features. She then began to walk slowly toward me as if she was gliding on air. I panicked. I turned off the night vision for a second and sat there in the dark waiting to be killed by the girl. Nothing happened. I was still here. I turned the camera back on. I looked at the screen and she was gone. I searched my room with the camera to make sure nobody was in there with me. I didn't find a thing. However, when I reached my dresser, there she was upon it. She was standing in the corner of my room looking down at me with her head tilted and her smile growing even larger. Without hesitation, I quickly ran out of my room and hid in the downstairs guest room. I decided to stay there for the rest of the night. An hour went by and everything seemed so calm and peaceful at that moment. However, the horror kept continuing. As I was laying in my bed I kept thinking about that girl. Her face was trapped in my mind and there was no way of repressing it. It haunted me so much that whenever I closed my eyes, her face sank under my eyelids. Instead of falling asleep, I just laid there staring at the wall. While I was laying there, I happened to turn to my right and there she was. The girl was in my bed laying next to me with her empty spider nesting eye sockets beaming at me. She didn't dare to move, but she gradually built up a huge grin, which eventually overlapped her eyes. I literally rolled out of bed and fell onto the floor, now tangled in my sheets. Laying on my back, I looked straight up and there the girl peered over the bed staring down at me, still with her empty eye sockets and overlapping grin. I finally figured that there was no way of escaping this. I was trapped. The next thing I knew, I was awake in my own bed with the sun shining in my face. I had somehow survived the night, but how? Was it a dream? Did I imagine it all? I then remembered my video camera. I turned it on, hoping to find the image that I shot that night. Nothing was on it. I guess none of it was true. It must have been a serious nightmare, but then my cell phone rang from inside my desk drawer with the battery on top of my nightstand.....

Chupacabra

Chupacabra, Spanish for "goat sucker" is a legendary creature rumored to roam around it southern parts of America and parts of Mexico. The name comes from the creatures habits of sucking the blood of goats and other small animals. Description of the Chupacabra varies from eye witnesses. Some say it's about a size of an average man, with spikes on its back and big round lizard eyes.

It was first reported in Puerto Rico, in 1995. Eight sheep were found dead on a farmland, each with two puncture wounds on their chest, completely drained of blood. Sometime later, more killings were taking place. People believed that it was some kind of sinister cult, but so many animals around the country were dying the same way.

The most common description that people always say when they see it are these; reptile-like appearance, green reptile skin with spikes down its back, stands around 3-4 ft high, dog-liked face, forked tongue, and large sharp teeth. Reports claim that its eyes glow a putrid red when it screeches. Also, people have claimed that the Chupacabra has wings.

There is no scientific evidence to prove that such a creature actually exists. For all we know, it could just be a breed of some kind of wild dog. However, the legend of the Chupacabra lives strongly in the heart of paranormal researchers.

Mothman

Since the 1960's, a creature known as the Mothman, has been one of the biggest legendary creatures of all time. Some of us have seen the movie, the Mothman Prophecies. It's based off a non-fiction book about a newspaper writer's unexplained experience with the Mothman in Point Pleasant, West Virginia.

What exactly is the Mothman?

According to observers, the Mothman is a human-sized moth-like creature with large moth-like wings, beaming red eyes and is to reach at a height of 7 ft.

What are the stories?

1) November 15, 1966: Two couples were traveling late one night, when they passed an old WWII TNT factory and saw two red eyes in the distance. They seemed to notice that the eyes were attached to a body. The couples then sped off in their car, but the creature followed them. The car reached around 100mph, but the creature was still on their tale. As soon as they reached Pt. Pleasant city limits, the creature flew away.

2) November 16, 1966: The next night, an older couple were walking to their car when they saw a creature come from behind it. They ran into their house, dialing 911, when they saw the creature walk onto their porch and peer into their window with its red eyes.

3) November 24, 1966: About 4 people saw a creature flying over the TNT plant.

4) November 25, 1966: A man claimed to have seen a creature standing in a field while he was driving. The creature spread his wings and flew alongside him in his car.

5) November 26, 1966: An elderly woman claimed to have seen the creature standing on her lawn.

6) November 27, 1966: A younger woman was pursued by the creature and was seen later again that night by two children.

7) December 15, 1967: The most famous sighting of the Mothman was reported on top of the Silver Bridge before its collapse on that cold and frightening night. Forty-six people died from the collapse.

What are the myths or rumors about the Mothman?

There are rumors that the Mothman appears before upcoming disasters. Another rumor is that the Mothman causes disasters.

Where is the Mothman now?

People have claimed to see this creature in other parts of the world. Though, after the Silver Bridge collapse, it has not been sighted in Point Pleasant, West Virginia ever again.

Zombies

They live on the living. They eat your flesh and if you get bit by one of them you become one of them. Zombies are one of Hollywood's biggest box office hits. Many movies, such as Dawn of the Dead, 28 Days/Weeks Later, Day of the Dead, Resident Evil and so on, have been made to create an idea of what the world would be like if the dead roamed the earth. The old saying goes, "When Hell runs out of room, the dead come back to life". Regularly, when we think of zombies, we think of slow, dimwitted creatures who drag their legs with a pivoted foot and raise their arms out in front of them. Today, the creation of zombies have been modified to show more advancement in ability and coordination. In the re-make movie of Dawn of the Dead, George A. Romero decided to make zombies that ran fast and sharp minded. Usually, a virus of some sort is spread airborne, which causes the body to come back alive when dead. When a zombie bites a living human being, they become a zombie after they die. The cycle runs on and on.

Many people wonder, where did the idea of zombies come from?

The idea originally came from the Afro-Caribbean belief of Voodoo. You see, when someone died, a sorcerer can revive the dead. However, when the dead rises, they no longer have control of their mind. Their mind belongs to whatever brought them back from the dead.

Demons

Since the dawn of time, Satan's army has been set loose among the earth. They go out in search of evil. They are attracted to evil. They bring nothing but evil. They are Satan's demons. Demons are fallen angels of God who decided to team up with Satan in Hell. We've all heard many cases of demonic possession, but not everyone believes in demons. Most of the time, whenever someone is possessed, a psychological disorder is put into place. Demons are very strong creatures with incredible powers. About 99% of what we see on ghost hunting shows are actually not ghosts, but demons. Demons have the power to move things, toss things, and even hit things. Demons will only possess those who did not accept Christ. Demons can't kill, but they can cause ones self to be killed. They can either toss you, make you scratch yourself, or hit self enough to the point where your body can't stabilize itself. When a person enters Hell, they are forever tormented by the demons. Not only are demons strong, but they are really tall. They can reach up to 15ft tall. Imagine being ripped apart by something that big. Teens are very curious. They want to contact the dead by using a Ouija board, which is the biggest mistake someone can make. A Ouija board is basically an open door way to demons. Once someone opens that door, they are set free to do what they were set out to do...destroy. Demons are very attracted to evil looking objects, such as voodoo dolls, tikis, masks, statues...anything that looks evil. Another open door way for demons is something, called EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena). EVP is when a person uses a tape recorder to communicate with the dead. They later play back the tape in hope for a response from the dead. The voices those people hear are actually demons. Demons will trick people into thinking that they are contacting their loved ones. Messing with the dead is something everyone should stay away from. There are forces beyond this world that are too powerful for us to understand. When we mess with the dead, we mess with Hell, and Hell messes with us.

Ghosts

Between the living and the dead lies a life of the unexplained. They are sometimes called spirits or apparitions, but usually we just call them ghosts.

So what is a ghost?

A ghost is an apparition of a deceased person. In most cases, it usually involves someone we don't know. People believe that a ghost is someone who did not go towards "the light" when approaching death. Therefore, their spirit remains here on earth. Sometimes ghosts come in full figure or sometimes in a flash of light. Because they are just a spirit, they cannot do any harm to anyone or anything.

Do ghosts exist?

The question remains unanswered to this day. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, when discussing the paranormal one must have an open mind to different beliefs and outlook. There is no scientific proof of the existence of ghosts. We rely our information on eye witness reports who claim to have ghostly encounters. Anyone can claim to have seen a ghost. I myself do not believe in the existence of ghosts, due to the fact that I've never seen one. I also believe when we die we either go to Heaven or Hell. There is no in between.

Doesn't the Bible discuss ghosts?

Yes, actually it does. First of all, we have the Holy Ghost, being God in the trinity. Then, when Jesus died on the cross and rose again, he did not come back as a ghost. He told his disciples that he was not a ghost because ghosts do not have skin and bones. Although, King Saul asks to summon the spirit of Samuel

Ghosts in media?

We see ghosts all the time in the media. Whether it's photography or a documentary, people will claim to have seen a ghost. We have so many films that involve ghosts, such as Ghost, Casper, Ghostbusters, 13 Ghosts, Poltergeist, House on Haunted Hill, and so on. Really, it is the media trying to buy us into the belief of ghosts. I don't think when we die we can choose between death and limbo. Ghosts have become the greatest media eye catcher. I don't believe in ghosts, but I love hearing stories of them.

Hell

Somewhere beyond our world, there exists another that holds darkness and hate within itself. This is a place where light ceases to exist and evil empowers you. There is no way to escape the torment and agony of this prison. Day and night, people are dying over...and over... and over again. They are being tortured, taunted, ridiculed, and burned alive. You hear nothing but the screams of men, women, and children and growls and roaring of the demons. You see nothing but what the flaming light lets you see. You are in a place where there is no God, but where there is a devil. You are in Hell.

So what is Hell exactly?

Well, Hell is a place created for Satan, his demons, and all those who did not accept Jesus Christ as their savior. It all began when a beautiful angel by the name of Lucifer (Morning Star) tried to become like Christ. He grew jealous and angry and soon Lucifer and Christ become worst of enemies. However, they set out an agreement. The saved will enter Heaven and the unsaved will dwell forever in the depths of Hell. In the book of Revelation verse 12:7-9, it states,

"And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down -- that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him."

So why is Hell so bad?

Imagine your worst fear coming alive right in front of you. Everything you've once dreaded is now torturing you for all eternity. The worst part is is that there is no possible way of ever escaping it. Demons will crush you, break you, and slaughter you and you'll never die from it. It is an everlasting pain which one may suffer. At the same time you are being burned alive. If you've ever been burned by a stove or anything you know what a 3rd degree burn feels like. Now imagine swimming in fire. Your are burning while you are awake and again you will never die from it. I know many people who are afraid of the dark. What if you spent eternity in complete darkness? I'm talking about the complete absence of light. The kind of darkness where if you were to place your hand in front of your face you would not be able to see it. The only light there will be would be from the flames.

How do I prevent myself from going to Hell?

In order to not go to Hell, one must:

1) Accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior
2) Believe that Jesus died on the Cross for your sins
3) Confess with your mouth that you are a sinner

But it's not enough to just do those three tasks, you have to walk the walk and talk the talk. If you are a Christian, you are not forced to go to church, but church does help you build a stronger relationship with God. It's like dating. If you want the relationship to last, you have to see that person frequently and learn all about him/her. Don't just become a Christian just to have "Fire Insurance". Heaven is a wonderful and glorious place. It is a place where sorrow, pain, tears, and all evil cease to exist. God loves you and does not want any of his children to spend eternity not with Him.

This is Halloween

The time has come again for people of all ages to dress up in clever costumes and go door to door receiving candy from strangers. To celebrate the month of October, I've decided to write nothing but paranormal blogs through out the entire month. That means blogs about ghosts, demons, aliens, hell, and so on. I myself do not celebrate Halloween, but I do love the idea of being scared.
Well, Halloween is just around the corner and what other way to start out a blog than to tell you what Halloween exactly is.

So what exactly is Halloween? And what is it all about? No, Halloween is not a Michael Myers slasher film. Halloween actually started in Scotland. It was a Celtic pagan holiday. It was basically a day to gather up cattle and store them for the up coming winter season. People believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the dead and the alive were broken and the evil spirits would cause havoc around the crops. However, the Celtics would sit around bond fires and wear masks to mimic the evil spirits so that the demons would get confused. That is why we wear costumes today, but no one knows why.

The word "Halloween" actually means "All Hallows Eve" or "All Saints Day". In Mexico, All Saints Day, runs around the first week of November. But Halloween in Mexico is way different than the Halloween here in America. Instead of trick-or-treating, the Hispanics will celebrate and honor the dead by having parades and music.

So where did trick-or-treating come from? Well, trick-or-treating originated in the Middle Ages. Peasants would go door to door begging for food in exchange for a crop prayer. Trick-or-treating was basically the first caroling event. Like Christmas, people go door to door sing carols to people. The word "trick" means to give a person what they want or they will play a trick on the homeowner.

Now, what about the scary old Jack-o-Lantern? We all know in order to make a Jack-o-Lantern, we must take out the inside of a pumpkin, carve a face, and place a candle inside the pumpkin. But what does that all mean? The Celtics believed that the head was the most powerful part of the human body. It held the spirit and the knowledge of a person. The Celtics would use the head of a squash or other vegetables to scare off any superstitions. But Who's Jack? Jack is an old Irish legend. Stingy Jack is what they called him and he was a greedy, drunken farmer who tricked the devil into climbing a tree. Jack carved a cross into the bark of the tree trunk trapping him in the tree forever. As a taste of revenge for the devil, he placed a curse on old Jack. He was cursed to wander the night with only the candle he had with him.

But what makes Halloween seem so bad? First of all, the history of Halloween isn't in fact a holy holiday. Plus, Halloween's imagery tends to involve death, magic, monsters, and so on.

Halloween today? Today, Halloween has been slightly altered due to the lack of Halloween knowledge. Many people still celebrate the history of Halloween, but while trick-or-treating is mainly for little kids, older teens have college/high school costume parties and attend spooky haunted house carnivals. Obviously, Halloween has changed dramatically through out the years, especially the costumes. Little kids dress up as their favorite superhero or princess, while teenage girls dress up in slutty outfits and guys dress up as the most brutal character out there.

So there you have it. I hope everyone has a better view of what Halloween really is. Many people enjoy it, like myself, while others lock themselves in their home hoping that no trick-or-treaters will come knocking at their door. Since I don't celebrate Halloween, I either sit at home and watch horror movies or attend a safe Halloween event for teens at my church. After all, fear is the biggest emotion.