Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and is intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised. Welcome Weirdos, I'm Darren Marlar, and this is Weird Darkness. Here you'll find stories of the paranormal, supernatural, legends, lore, the strange and bizarre, crime, conspiracy, mysterious, macabre, unsolved and unexplained. If you're new here, welcome to the show! And while you're listening, be sure to check out WeirdDarkness.com for merchandise, my newsletter, to enter contests, to connect with me on social media. Plus, you can visit the Hope in the Darkness page if you're struggling with depression or dark thoughts. You can find all of that and more at WeirdDarkness.com. And this month we're celebrating Weird Darkness' birthday. This month makes 7 years of Weird Darkness as a podcast. And to recognize our birthday, every October we ask you to make a donation to our overcoming the Darkness fundraiser. Every dollar we raise through donations and the Weirdling Woods painting auction will go to organizations that help people who struggle with depression. You can learn more about the fundraiser and what we're doing with it on the Hope in the Darkness page at WeirdDarkness.com.  This incident took place a few years ago. I had no interest at all in the paranormal until this occurrence. I was home alone as my parents were out for the evening and I was in the living room of our house on my laptop. My laptop is set up so that my back is to the wall. From there I have a clear view of our kitchen. I was browsing different websites, one of my dogs, Casper, was curled up on the chair next to me. I heard some loud noises coming from upstairs but ignored it, assuming that it was our other dog playing around up there. At one point I thought I heard someone step down a few stairs and pause but I continued to ignore it. Suddenly out of the quarter of my eye I saw black outline go down the last few steps of the stairs. Usually with a lamp on I would be able to see anyone coming downstairs but in the darkness I could only make out black. At the exact same moment that I saw this, Casper jumped up, faced the stairs and started barking at the moving mass. I quickly turned my head toward the stairs but only caught a glimpse of the black figure turning to the right. Casper stayed next to me barking. He seemed to be following something with his eyes, something that was headed towards the kitchen. I could hear footsteps on the wooden floor as it approached but right when someone should have walked into the kitchen the footsteps stopped. As soon as I got over the shock I searched the hallway and the rest of the house. No one was there. I believe I saw something that night but I haven't seen it since. Is it possible for just one occurrence to take place? It was around 11pm and we were getting ready for bed.  Just as we were drifting off to sleep my phone rang. I picked up my phone and noticed that the caller ID said John. I just thought my husband John was messing around. I turned and asked him why he was calling me. He just replied that he wasn't. He picked up his phone and showed me that it was turned off. On a few occasions I would leave my laptop on at night and let it rest in sleep mode. Both my husband and I sleep lightly so we would wake at the slightest sound or crack of light. I remember waking up in the middle of the night and being blinded by light. Once my eyes adjusted to the light I saw that my laptop was no longer sleeping and the lid had been opened. Something strange was happening. After this my computer would malfunction all the time. My mouse wouldn't work. My printer wouldn't connect and the internet would drop off all the time. One night I was taking a shower. I stepped out to dry myself and saw that someone had written hello in the mist that covered the mirror. Some very strange things had been going on in our house. I don't think it's anything dangerous but I do think someone is trying to get in touch with me. What do you think? My mother died suddenly when I was a teenager and as a way of keeping her memory alive my father thought it would be a good idea for me to wear her cross. He told me that he would come to my dorm at college that weekend and bring it with him. When he arrived he went to get the envelope out of his jacket pocket. He couldn't find it. More than a little bit worried he went and searched the entire car to see if it might have fallen out. Not finding it there he went back home and tried to find it but had no luck. Finally giving up he went about the events of the day feeling very bad for having lost the cross that he promised me. The very next day my father drove my brother back to the college and after parking they both went to get out of the car to say goodbye before my brother had to attend class. When my father opened the door and looked down at the ground there was the cross lying between his feet. Now it was the middle of the day at a busy college and in the middle of the parking lot just the cross lying on the cold hard concrete. To this very day we have no idea how it got there. Was this a sign from my mother? I'm female, married and 51 now but when I was in my early 30s single and living alone I lived at 5 rearbrook road Northfield Birmingham UK. The then long bridge car plant was still there built in 1905 and demolished in 2005. It was literally just a two minute walk from my flat. Number five as several of the houses on that road and other roads were I think was originally built for the plant workers and then converted to bedside flats. I was on the ground floor and there was a woman living above me. My living room and bedroom were one room with the bathroom and kitchen separate. I had 26 pet mice and was up at 4am six days a week for work at 5am. From the second I moved in there was always the feeling of being very unwelcome in the flat. No matter how much I brightened it with colorful decorating, incense sticks etc. no matter how light or dark the weather it was always dark, gloomy, eerie, hostile, suppressive. I hated the place. I'm not religious but resorted to using crosses and other religious things to try to stop or ease the evil atmosphere. It never worked. I'm fine with ghosts etc. and have been connected with them all my life but the whole place was horrible and I had ten miserable years there. One morning while feeding my mice I was suddenly thumped really hard on my chest by a huge male fist that literally set me flying through the air backwards. I crashed on my back on the shelving unit taking it with me as I landed. I was wrecked and my head was banged hard as I landed and my back was in agony. I managed to haul myself up and thankfully the mice were ok. Visitors who came for the first time refused to come again saying they could feel evil and felt like they were being watched. Workmen were reluctant to come in, would leave ASAP and some made comments that they didn't feel comfortable there. The bruise came up within a couple of minutes, big, painful and throbbing, shaped just like a huge male fist and it lasted several weeks. To this day I still get a bit of pain there occasionally. I showed it to a couple of workmates as proof. I had a nice ghost there also called Old Burt who would talk to me and I'd talk back. I'd talk to Burt physically and he'd reply with a sort of telepathy. I actually missed him when I finally managed to leave that horrible place in my early 40s. I told him he could follow me to my new place in Upton upon Severn, Worcester, if he wants. He said he can't as he is earthbound to that flat. I think he was the elderly Jan 2 died in the flat above before the woman moved in. Burt was playful. I'd go out and make sure all plugs were unplugged, switched off, would come back and they'd all be plugged in and switched back on. A CD I left face up on my bed on the head end where I left for work was faced down at the feet end when I came back. I put that down to Burt playing tricks as he heated Doris Day which is who was singing on the CD. A photo was ripped off the wall. It was of a couple of workmates who are Mormons. It vanished for several weeks then reappeared by my bed. It wasn't there when I searched for it when it first vanished. My mate Elaine, a Jehovah's Witness, refused point blank to get near my flat saying it was possessed and it scared her. Pictures refused to stay on the wall in one bedroom no matter how strong the nails or hooks were. I saw pictures and photos being physically ripped off that wall. The atmosphere in the kitchen was so violent at times. I grabbed the kettle, toaster and microwave and moved them to the living room, closed the kitchen door and I only went in when I absolutely had to. When outside, I got the impression of being watched by someone from the inside. Burt told me he tried to find out who or what was causing the bad things but had no luck. Mountain Ash is a quiet Welsh mining town located near Carfilie. The General Hospital, a community hospital built partially using deductions from the miner's salaries was closed in around 2012 with several others in the area to make way for a new and larger hospital. Established in 1910, the hospital served several generations of locals in the area through birth to death. These days the site has been heavily vandalized, stripped of metal and its slate roof to now sit abandoned and forlorn in the valley. Its only visitors these days are urban explorers and ghost hunters. The town has had its share of paranormal activity being the site of reported live fish falling from the sky in 1841. Like many abandoned hospitals, its own derelict hospital has gained a reputation for being haunted. Residents, locals and even ex-workers at the hospital have seen the ghost of a little girl wandering around the hospital even while it was in use. A former security guard has reported strange noises from some buildings including screams. However, a recent ghost hunt there produced a very scary video. Professional ghost hunter Lee Smart performed a hunt there recently capturing a strange image on video of what appears to be a person's head looking out of an upper story window. Whatever it was that was captured quickly pulled itself back into the window when it was noticed.  Here is the actual recording. Smart claims his name was called by the phantom presence in the room. The security guard at the site had to move his office from inside the main building to a caravan in the grounds after he became too frightened to stay there. He reported hearing all sorts of noises including the screams of a little girl and other noises at the site. On several occasions the police were called to sweep the building because of the noises he heard but they never found anything to explain the noises. Smart and his team also reported growling noises and the feeling of being watched as they investigated the building. However, the creepiest aspect to the whole night was being threatened by a presence who he says seemed to want them to leave. You can find a link to the original video containing an image of this ghost as well as the EVP in this episodes description.  The night before she died she ran into my bedroom and woke me up. She told me that there was someone in the house. She was terrified. I told her that I had heard and seen nothing but she continued to rant about someone being in the house. Eventually she calmed down and took my father's gun to bed with her. The next day she died. Nothing paranormal caused her death just a car accident. After that I started to see things. I was still terrified of the dark even as a teenager and I wouldn't sleep unless I had a night light. One night the light fell off my bedside table. I fixed it, got back into my bed and saw a figure standing at the bottom of my bed. He was a little opalescent and almost black and white.  I froze. Then I leaped into my bed and pulled the covers over my head and didn't look again until morning when naturally he was gone. I never saw it again but strange things still happen to me. I'm always misplacing things and I'll look everywhere for something and then after I give up the item will turn up. I hear whispers at night and I sometimes see shadows and shapes. I absolutely believe I inherited a gift from my mother. Canak Chase is a place many have described as tranquil or beautiful. A part of England where few would ever dream of finding anything out of the ordinary.  It also seems to be a place of unnatural death. There have been several terrifying accounts of black-eyed children in the area and these accounts seem to be becoming more frequent. A mother and daughter were walking through Birch's Valley when they heard the screams of a young child. By all accounts they couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl but the child seemed to be in distress and sounded extremely close to them. The two of them turned and ran towards the source of the scream. They couldn't find the child anywhere and stopped to catch their breath. The mother turned around and saw a girl standing behind her. The girl was no more than nine or ten years old and had her hands over her eyes. The mother asked her how she was. It seemed natural that she had been the one who had been screaming. The girl dropped her hands slowly and placed them by her side. The mother watched in horror as the girl opened her eyes and saw that they were completely black. No iris, no white, just completely black. The mother jumped back and grabbed her daughter. The girl disappeared in a second but the mother said she was chased by strange feelings all day. An earlier account from Canuck Chase came from a married couple who were walking their dog. As they walked through dense woodland they could hear the sounds of giggling. A child by all accounts, no taller than three feet in height, appeared out of nowhere. The couple stood watching her and eventually noticed that the girl had completely black eyes. Her head was tilted to one side as though she had been hung. The couple watched as the girl stared at them for a few minutes before running away into a dense area of the forest. The interesting thing about the Canuck Chase sightings is that many of the accounts happen during the day. For those who dare to walk through the forests and overgrowth of the Chase, be sure to make sure you don't travel alone. In the early 1970s in Thornton Heath, England, a family was tormented by poltergeist phenomena that started one August night when they were woken in the middle of the night by a blaring bedside radio that had somehow turned itself on. Not only had the radio managed to turn itself on, but it had turned itself to a foreign language station. This was the beginning of a string of events that lasted nearly four years, terrifying one family to the breaking point. A lampshade repeatedly was knocked to the floor by invisible hands. During the Christmas season of 1972, an ornament was hurled across the room, smashing into the husband's forehead. As one member of the family sat down, the Christmas tree started to shake violently. The new year didn't bring any respite for the family due to footsteps in the bedroom, and one night the couple's son awoke to find an older man in clothes from the turn of the 20th century, staring down threateningly at him. The family decided to have the house blessed by the local vicar, but even after a prolonged blessing, the phenomena continued. Objects would fly through the air, extremely loud noises were heard, and the family would sometimes hear a noise that suggested some large piece of furniture had crashed to the floor. When they went to investigate, nothing would be disturbed.  The poltergeist still appeared in front of family members, leaving the family in fear. A medium who was consulted told the family that the house was haunted by a farmer by the name of Chatterton, who considered the family trespassers on his property. An investigation bore out the fact that he had indeed lived in the house in the mid-18th century. Chatterton's wife joined in, causing mayhem, and often the tenant's wife would be followed up the stairs at night by an elderly gray-haired woman wearing a pinafore and with her hair tied back in a bun. If looked at, she would disappear back into the shadows. The family even reported seeing the farmer appear on their television screens, wearing a black jacket with wide, pointed lapels, high-necked shirt, and black cravet. After the family moved out of the house, the poltergeist activity ceased, and nothing more has been reported by subsequent residents. What did this family do to incur the wrath of two former tenants of one house? Poltergeist intrusions have always been some of the most fascinating cases in paranormal investigation. From the Enfield Haunting, the Amityville House, through to the Monk of Pontifract, much of this activity is well known for being prankish, playful, and, although creepy, it is not particularly harmful. However, there are those cases in which a poltergeist will escalate its activities to a terrifying and intense level, running amok with even more impressive displays of strength and power. One such case that has become one of the most incredibly potent poltergeist manifestations of all time was a spooky series of events surrounding a young family in a tranquil town in England. This is the case of the South Shields Poltergeist. Up until the end of 2005, a young couple and their young son were living a relatively peaceful life in their terraced house in the gentle coastal town of South Shields in the United Kingdom. In December of that year, the family started to experience a series of steadily escalating paranormal incidents that they could not explain, no matter how hard they tried. It started with things like doors suddenly opening or closing on their own when no one was touching them or strange sounds coming from the walls. After that, furniture and other objects began to seemingly move around on their own, such as chairs found stacked on top of each other upon a table in the bedroom and a large heavy chest of drawers moved from one bedroom to another. In some cases, the mysterious movement was witnessed or heard, such as when furniture could be heard moving about and sliding over the floor of the son's room upstairs when no one was there, as they all cowered in fear on another floor. Other weird occurrences noticed during this time were bangs, thuds and knocking, which became more and more pronounced, as well as sudden dramatic temperature drops in rooms. This all seems like typical poltergeist activity so far, but things would quickly graduate to even more bizarre and sinister levels when these spirits, or spirits, allegedly began to creepily turn its malevolent attention to the son's toys, which it would turn into instruments of mayhem to terrorize the family further. The first instance of this happened one night as the couple was settling down to go to bed. It was at that point as the wife began to lay down that she reported feeling something hit her in the head. It was found that the projectile that thumped to the floor was, oddly, their young son's toy dog. Since the son was not there and there was no one there to have thrown it, neither of them could figure out what was going on. It was not even clear how the toy had gotten into their room to begin with. Moments later, another stuffed toy hit the wife, propelled by an unseen force, this time with greater impact and ferocity. As the couple sat there in the darkened room trying to figure out just what was going on, they were set upon by other toys flying at them and pelting them from all directions, seemingly coming from nowhere and sometimes stopping in mid-air to continue their trajectory. As the terrified couple pulled up the covers to shield themselves, they claimed that something began trying to rip the blankets away from them. As they struggled in a sort of tug-of-war with the mysterious intruder, the husband is said to have suddenly screamed out in pain. It was soon purportedly found that red scratch marks had appeared on his back. Soon after that, the attack stopped as suddenly as it had begun. Oddly, the scratches are said to have completely disappeared by the following morning. From there, the strange entity seems to have become hooked on using children's toys to frighten and panic the family. One time, the family found their son's rocking horse ominously hanging by its reins from the ceiling loft hatch, and on another occasion the couple was met by the creepy sight of a toy bunny sitting at the top of the stairs with a box cutter placed in its paws. Toys would also often roll across the floor on their own without warning, making eerie moaning sounds or turn on by themselves. Another weird occurrence was when a sink in the bathroom allegedly suddenly seemed to fill with blood to the point of overflowing, which vanished soon after. What was going on in this house? One disturbingly menacing habit that this poltergeist had was leaving threatening messages on the son's doodleboard.     None of the messages could be tracked to a number or email account, and they seemed to come from nowhere. Her cell phone would also be incessantly called by her whole number, even when she knew there was no one at home. The South Shields poltergeist has often been accused of being merely a prank or hoax played out by the family. But what do you think? Could this family have been under attack from forces unknown? Weird Darkness continues in just a moment. October is the anniversary of Weird Darkness and we celebrate by raising funds to help people who suffer from depression. Chantel wrote in saying, I had fairly aggressive postpartum depression three years ago. At work as a reservist in the Canadian Armed Forces and full-time as a correctional officer. I didn't know about the Weird Darkness podcast when I was dealing with my postpartum. However, due to my past medical history and my two jobs that almost guarantee me to have some type of mental illness in the future, I am glad that there is a soft place to fall other than the usual government-funded sites. Chantel is right. The organizations that we are raising funds for this month, Seven Cups, iFRED and the National Suiciding Crisis Lifeline are all funded by donors like you and me who understand the importance of these resources being available. You can make a donation now of any amount by visiting WeirdDarkness.com slash overcoming. That's WeirdDarkness.com slash overcoming. Or click the link in the show notes. Cool air bristled across the wide open space of the dimly lit parking lot. The sun was still a long ways away. It was just a very faded light blue haze on the distant horizon. Most nights it would be the dead time of night with the world still asleep. But that night, that morning, it was far from still and asleep, not the early pre-dawn morning after Thanksgiving. Cars and trucks filled with holiday-traveled shoppers roamed in the early morning streets. Coffee shops were already opened to the morning participants and filled with many people getting their refills. Family members would be switching out from the long lines as many would be tucked away in their vehicles while one member would brave the cold. Solitary shoppers would be heavily bundled with hunter hand warmers placed strategically throughout their body to attempt to keep them warm. Winter was coming and so was Christmas. Tim stood there. He was one of the many shoppers getting ready to storm the doors into the closed department store. The store itself still had an hour before they would open to the onslaught of customers and the line outside was already stretched around to the side of the building. Its end lost out of sight. He was glad that he was one of the few people closest to the door, but then he had also been camping there since before the store had even closed the night before. I'm going back to the car. Tim looked over his shoulder. Michelle was shivering behind him. Her face, the little he could see exposed as most of it was hidden behind her pink scarf, was pale white from the cold. Even her normally bright blue eyes seemed to be iced over with a sheen of frost. He had warned her beforehand about coming with him that it wasn't easy to stand in the line for hours on end. She had thought it would be fun. She could play on her phone and text people, she had told him. That had lasted 15 minutes. By midnight, she had already been complaining about wanting to go home and come back later. She didn't understand. Okay, hon, you go get yourself warmed up, he said to her. She hadn't even waited for him. She had already turned and was bouncing back to their little Ford Escort. The heat wouldn't kick on for a couple of minutes, if it did at all, but she had blankets in there and it would get her out of the wind. The couple next to him really came prepared. They were seated in lawn chairs, large, thick blankets pulled up to their faces and full headgear to keep them warm. They had long since fallen asleep and were statues to the god of greed. Others nearby had set up tents. Those were the fanatics. They had been camped out there for two days. When Tim first showed up, he couldn't help but find out more, like what they were there for. One of them was just there for the event of it. He just planned on picking up a couple of new DVDs. Michelle was shocked by the madness of it all. She was furious at first. Didn't any of these people have families they should be with? It's Thanksgiving! Tim just smiled. She was cute. That she was and her tight blue jeans that sometimes looked like they were just painted on. A wiggle fit, he called them, as he knew she had to shake her booty viciously to fit them into the small space of the pants.   Tim looked back behind him. People were still pulling into the parking lot and crossing over towards the distant end of the line. The stream was becoming larger. More cars were driving on the roads and the morning was waking up in greater force. He loved being out there for it, just the feeling of being a part of the morning as it was waking up. The air smelled different, the cool breeze felt different, like it was electric, pulsating intensely in preparation for what was to come. Tim scanned the parking lot, at how the morning was coming alive and stopped when his gaze fell upon his car. He watched as the exhaust created a small poisonous fog spitting out from the rusted tailpipe. Maybe he should think about getting a new car instead of waiting in line for a television. That exhaust had to be filtering into the heat. He didn't know how she could stand to just sit in there. Then again it was either that or out here in the cold. Just like her good looks, she wouldn't nearly die if it meant to keep herself comfortable or looking good. Tim shifted as he noticed that she wasn't alone in the car. She was sitting behind the wheel, but Tim could just make out another shape sitting there with her. He couldn't see it too well, but there was definitely a dark shape moving around in the front seat of the car. He was making the whole car shake, rocking back and forth. If Tim hadn't known better, he would have thought there was sexual feeling going on, but Michelle would never and it was too soon after she had left. Tim didn't stop to think about his place in line when the driver's side door opened and he could hear her screaming. Michelle's scream could be heard loudly throughout the parking lot and it chilled him even deeper. He tried to run as fast as he could, but his legs had long since gone numb from standing and being out there in the cold. They burned and pulled against him. He neared the car as Michelle was trying to pull herself out. Her hands just reaching over the top of the door were covered in blood and she struggled against the dark shape trying to pull herself away. He could hear her struggling, sounding like she was trying to kick herself away, but with the windows fogged and the angle he had run towards her, he still couldn't see much more than the streaks of blood coming down the driver's side door. Michelle! Tim yelled. He could see in greater detail how the passenger side window had been broken in and the dark shape was reaching through from the other side, chasing after his girlfriend. She was staring at him through the window as some of the fog had started to fade, making her face just a haze. Her expression was of desperation and he knew that tears were streaming down her face. He tried to push himself even faster to get around the door to get her. Michelle! He rounded around the open door quickly reaching in to grab for her hand. Take my hand! Tim said. He reached for hers, but she wouldn't grab it. Her grip remained tight on the door, fingers locked into their grasp. Her skin was covered in blood and he grabbed at her hands to pull them away. The fingers stayed locked. She refused to look at him and a lump was beginning to form in the pit of his stomach. There was a lot of blood.  He silently prayed to himself that it wasn't. He finally was able to break away her fingers from the frame and took her hands into his. The blood was wet and sticky and he had to fight to keep hold of her as he started pulling her out of the front seat of the car. She wrenched back, pulled away from him when her hand broke free from the door frame. He had to pull harder. A tug of war occurred with Michelle being used as a rope. He pulled with all of his strength coursing through his legs to dig into the black top of the parking lot. The shape, hidden in the darkness of the car, Tim couldn't see who or what had her. He just knew he wanted to get Michelle away from it. He pulled harder, feeling as she was starting to come farther from the front seat of the car. Then, with a sudden snap, she was broken free and lunged forward towards him. He fell back and Michelle came crashing down on top of him. Blood was dripping from her and he could see the large chunk of flesh taken out of her neck. He could also see her collarbone right where skin and muscle should have been through a large rip in her sweater. Around the tear, a massive amount of red crimson already drenched her sweater around the gaping hole and it was quickly getting worse. Tim looked to her eyes, turning her face so that she was looking at him. Her face turned but her eyes were barely open and looked at him with a blank gaze. Her mouth was open but inside her tongue flopped with emotion as Tim was jerking her around trying to get her to snap out of it. She was gone. He let her go and started to pull himself out from under her. His eyes stayed locked into her lifeless orbs as the black dots continued to look back at him. She had just been there with him, just minutes ago. She had been in line with him, talking to him. He could already start to hear the commotion from the crowd and some that had family members holding their place were already running over. Tim didn't turn to look. He just wanted his Michelle to have her eyes snap out of their days and to stare back at him, not through him. He didn't even notice as the dark shape started to crawl over Michelle and continue towards him. Brett yawned, his eyes moist in the corner as they fought to stay open. His mouth pulled tight and he could feel the muscles in his neck tense. His whole body was feeling like it wasn't awake and there wasn't a single part of him that wanted to be there. He couldn't remember the last time he had woken up that early. Had he ever? He didn't want to be up that early now. It wasn't even five in the morning yet.  He was babbling something about lines and flow of traffic. Brett really didn't care, like he really wanted to spend his day after Thanksgiving listening to some windbag who thought he could just shout out orders and that they were like sheep that would follow. Brett had to fight from laughing out loud. Sheep. That was like the pack forming outside, sheep being led to the slaughter. Just yesterday he had been dragged with his parents to his grandparents over the river and through the woods to their cramped little house somewhere lost in the corn fields of Illinois to endure a long day of his uncle screaming children. His parents didn't want to leave until it was well past eight which meant they hadn't crossed back into Wisconsin until it neared midnight. Then he had to be there to listening to this man who on a normal day he would consider to be a pretty cool boss. However, any man inflicting the early morning torture was no longer considered to be a nice man. So Brett, what are you going to be? Brett blinked and looked through the blue clad men and women around him to the man standing at the middle, the man who now called him out for not paying attention. Um, walking the line, Brett said, thankful that Sullivan had told him the plans before Thanksgiving.  Remember, one ticket per customer and make sure to pitch our services. I don't want any computers going out without any setups. If they get to register and you haven't sold them, you failed. Failed?  Brett thought to himself. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen the old man on the sales floor. Brett grabbed his large heavy winter coat that he had sitting on one of the front displays, made a check for the hand warmers he had kept in the left front pocket, and started to walk towards the front door. Behind him, he could hear Jim ramble on to the rest of his troops. Troops preparing for war and this were the battlefield, he thought, as he reached the large front metal gate. It clouded loudly in the busy morning and he wanted to cover his ears against the screeching metal sound. Instead, he just clenched his teeth until the metal was pulled far enough to the side and rested there in its guided path. He stepped over the metal rail that was the guide for the gate and stood just before the large glass double door and looked out into the darkness of the morning. He could have sworn that the street lights had been on when he had pulled in to the parking lot, but now as he looked out there it was dark, almost completely dark, where usually he could see the cars parked in the lot. The employees' cars were always parked toward the back and a stab of concern spawned that he couldn't see his own car. He reached for the lock and heard the click as it unlatched with a dead thud. Something was growing in his stomach. Something wasn't right and he had a feeling starting to twist in his insides. The hairs along his arms started to rise and a sudden shock of what felt like electricity started to dance in the air. Maybe it was just his fear?  Come on, man. Wake yourself up and get out there.  He knew he was saying it in his mind more to himself to calm his nerves, but there was still that unnerving feeling that there was something there. There was something out there that there was to be afraid of. Why else wouldn't he just go out there and start working up the line of customers?  He could walk that line and sell warranties to the most cranky of them and that was all commission money coming straight to his pocket. Who said it didn't pay to be sleazy? He started to pull on the doors, working to pull them apart. They caught at first and then started to pull apart with ease, and Brett was met with the cold November chill that was feasting its way through the morning. It was hungry that cold and it wanted to make him a part of it. A shiver ran through him. He took a step out into the darkness and was met with cold, stiff plastic assaulting his face and he instantly remembered why he hadn't been able to see the parking lot from inside. Jim and his infinite genius to protect the bargains had covered the front door with that damn black plastic so no one could see into the store. Heaven forbid that anyone could see in and see that we only carried maybe two of some ultra low priced deal. No, let's keep the customers not knowing so they stand in line for three hours and still were not able to get what they were waiting for.  Brett had only been working there for seven months and he was already starting to hate them. They ruined his fourth of July, his labor day and every other single holiday since he had made the mistake of starting there. Brett closed the door behind him and started to beat against the plastic, working his way to find its end.  The cold wet plastic seemed to fight against him. The darkness, a small maze he was trying to push his way through. He could almost imagine how fish felt when they were trapped in the net. The damn plastic just wouldn't seem to let him go. The wind just seemed to catch it whenever he would try to push it away from himself and whip it back into him. It was like there were hands reaching through the plastic trying to grab him. A sudden strong draft finally pushed the plastic away, allowing him to break free. The wind, a slice of cold air that burned his skin, rushed at him and the light from the parking lot revealed itself. He felt a brief relieving sensation of being free and inhaled deeply the clean, cool air. Brett had just a second to enjoy being released from the plastic before he realized that it hadn't been the wind that had been pushing it in against him. Cynthia was rushing, nearly running to reach the break room where she could already hear Jim talking about how they were all going to survive the morning. It was his same speech that he gave every year, the one about what everyone was expected to do and how certain people were sharks walking the line while others were given directions on how to do the quick pitch on selling at the register. Jim could sell, she definitely felt that way about him. He had no soul and would sell a warranty to his dying grandmother even if it cost her last dollar she had. He would still make the sale. Listen to him and a person could make some money in commissions and that she did. But she didn't like being late. She was never late. Her damned alarm clock, why hadn't it gone off? She was never late. She knew they were already upset with her. She could tell it from the tone of Aaron's voice when he called wondering where she was. Thank goodness he had called. She never would have made it otherwise. She eased her way into the already crowded room, sneaking her way into the back of the crowd. Jim didn't seem to notice but Aaron did. He was probably for the best though, so that way he knew that she was there and wouldn't be trying to call her again. She wondered if anyone else had been late. Okay, everyone ready? Everyone know what they're supposed to do? Jim called out to the crowd. Cynthia looked over to the new guy. His name was Rick or Randy, something with an R. Damn, she felt sorry for him. This was never what you wanted to do for your first day. Only a sadistic SOB would put a man on his first day against the morning rush. She looked back to Jim who was walking over with Randy or Rick or whatever his name was and was starting to lead him out of the room. Cynthia had to step to the side to let them pass and she caught the evil stare that Jim gave her. Then he turned his attention back to R and they were heading toward the door. The rest of the half-awake zombies of the morning employees moved to follow. But Cynthia, her pulse racing from having to hurry, had a quicker step to her walk and was able to follow Jim out the door before anyone else started to really move. They were all making their way from the back brake area. Jim and his long quick manager's stride. R, eager to please on his first day and Cynthia with her just being her normal chipper self. However, Cynthia slowed as they were making their way to the front door. She slowed as the hairs on the back of her neck stood and she realized that something just didn't feel right.  Still, that wasn't it. There was something else, something that hung in the air. It was like there was a bad smell of meat gone rank, but it was so faint that she could feel it more than smell it. Then there was also that tickle of a sound. There was a thumping like something dull being repeatedly knocked against glass.  R said as him and Jim headed toward the front door. Jim stopped just before they both reached it. Cynthia thought she knew why too. It was the same reason why she slowed. He felt it too, or he heard it. After all, R was right. It did sound like the customers outside were hitting against the glass doors. That is, if they were hitting it in slow motion and no energy. The repetitive pumps did make it sound like there were many of them and they wanted in. It's time! Jim said as he checked his watch. Yeah, but time for what? Cynthia thought as she watched Jim move to unlock and power on the inner doors. It was time for what? Cynthia could hear as the other employees started to stop and stand at various spots around her. She took a glimpse at them and she could see them all as the walking dead as they all looked so tired and half alive. She turned back from the crowd of employees behind her in time to watch as the inner doors glided loudly open and Jim strutted his way to the outer doors. The inner doors started to squeak back closed, the loud high pitch squeal cutting through the mysterious thumping with its own horror movie soundtrack. Jim and R were cut off from the rest of them as they stood enclosed in the vestibule. Each one taking sides as Jim guided R in how the front iron gates folded back away into the sides of the door. Cynthia stopped watching them and looked to the black tarp still hanging outside the doors. She could see different shapes at different points of the black tarp pushing through and then hitting into the front glass door. She could hear the loud clank as Jim secured the gate on the left side of the door, the pounding on the door intensified. Jim without waiting for R to finish with his side came rushing back into the front part of the door. Where are all my tech guys? Jim said as he scanned through his sleeping audience. No one responded. Jim turned back around. Where were they? Cynthia had the fleeting thought as she watched Jim unlock the door and R flipped the power switch. As the door slowly squealed open, even louder than the inner door, no one expected what was about to happen. The door didn't make it halfway and Jim was just about to give his morning get in line speech to the customers while reaching to pull down the black tarp when all hell broke loose. A hand reached through the tarp, grabbing Jim's hand just after he grabbed the tarp. He barely had time to call out what the, when the weight shifted on the other side from pulling Jim's arm to pushing it forward. In a rush of flying black, darker than the moonless sky, the tarp rushed forward. The first shapes falling forward caught in it like it was a fishing tarp. R, who had just kept himself a little off to the right, just missed being caught by the falling tarp. Not that it helped him much. The mass crowd, still not seen too well in the darkened vestibule from where Cynthia stood, was quickly stumbling over the first wave of the fallen and their hands quickly were grabbing R. Their grasp ripped and pulled at his clothes as he started to stumble back. He might have made it away from them as well had he not backed up against the glass stationary part of the gliding front door. It was then as R was trying to push against a glass that would not move that Cynthia saw what was there. At first she could only see all the pairs of hands and disembodied arms. The hands themselves were mostly all covered in crimson and dripping, but what they belonged to. It was something like out of a horror flick, the ones that her ex-boyfriend Kenny used to always try to get her to watch. Zombies? Zombies! She could see the disfigured faces, the blank stare and the stumbling lurches as they made their way forward. She could tell, though she had never tried to watch those films as there was too much of people getting torn apart, their intestines strewn around like bloody Christmas lights. She had a passing reminder of having to help her mom put up Christmas lights tomorrow as she started to back up. The zombies had already reached R and were starting to pull him apart. They were tearing off limbs, but they were eating into it, pulling his flesh away in large strips. He was screaming in ways that Cynthia didn't know a man could. The loud sound, not sounding like it came from human vocal cords. Then the scream seemed to fill with liquid, gurgling before it was cut off. Cynthia hadn't stayed around long enough to find out what caused the scream to quit. She had turned tail and run, and she hadn't even waited to see if anyone was following. She cared about them. Many of them were her friends, but right now it was survival.  She didn't plan to have herself become an easy snack. She made it to the back of the center row when she stopped running. She was panting a little, but nowhere near yet worked up. No, those weekly workouts she had with that hot instructor that she had been continuing to flirt with had kept her in shape. Behind her she could hear others coming her way, running.  She kept her body turned, ready to run. All her senses were alive and she felt like she was a deer who had just heard the snap of a twig. With her head turned back, she saw shapes running towards her, shadows dancing in the dark, nothing more than outlines running away from the lights surrounding the front. Cynthia felt her breath catch and her chest seized. The shapes were running and images of running zombies flashed through her head. She tried to think of where to go and where to hide. Where could she go? Go, go, go, go, go! The large shape yelled. Cynthia recognized his voice. Ryan was yelling at her and she turned back to run as they neared reaching her. Come on, receiving! Ryan yelled at her, waving his arm for her to follow. She did quickly. She wasn't sure how many or if anyone else was following. Sure, she hoped there was, but she could only afford to think about herself and get herself safe. Cynthia heard a loud scream behind her. It wasn't all the way to the front, so the zombies must have been getting closer. She wanted to turn and look to see how far away they were, but no, it wasn't safe. Ahead, Cynthia could see the light disappear where the sales floor ended and the receiving department began. Her pace faltered, as she could imagine once crossing that threshold, it was going to be harder to see what was around the corner. It was too dark in there. They shouldn't be going in.  Ryan, wait! Ryan didn't wait. He kept running, and when he reached the corner to turn into receiving, he disappeared into the darkness. Cynthia didn't linger any longer. She pushed herself harder to catch back up with them, still not sure who the second running figure was. She assumed it was Tommy. The figure was about his size and she couldn't imagine Ryan being there without his twin. The shadows kept bouncing around her and she felt like she had entered into one of those fun houses that tried to scare her. She entered into the darkness and all sight was lost. The world around her felt like it was gone and the night was taking over, like it was its own essence. It was enveloping around her and she was losing herself into some bad horror film. It was the one where everything was coming after her, everything from her nightmares. Ryan yelled back to her, telling her to hurry. As her eyes adjusted to the little light, she could see him starting to climb his way up the roof access stairs. His boots, echoing off the metal stairs as he climbed, she worried that they would be heard if any of those things were nearby. Tommy was right behind Ryan and she hurried over to follow them. Come on! He yelled to her, urging her on. She started to climb, looking up to Ryan as she did so. He was getting near the roof access door. She was afraid they might freeze to death once they got out there, but for the time being, she just wanted to get somewhere safe. Being on a roof where none of those things could get to her was at least one step in the right direction. Ryan reached the top of the ladder and started to push on the door.  It's locked! She kept climbing, though she already feared that they were going to be stuck there. She heard another kind of grunt. It was one that she had already learned and dreaded recognizing. The lights of the store turned on. The automatic timer must have finally recognized that it was time to open the store. Cynthia could see as the first wave of zombies made their way around the corner. They moved slowly, some of them limping, those it looked like because part of their legs had been eaten through. Most of them just stumbled, walking slowly like they didn't remember how. It was like they were mindless to the point of not knowing who or what they used to be, but that they were moving with a purpose and a desire to do something. Like they wanted something, but didn't know what it was that they wanted. A sick part of Cynthia that she never knew existed until that very moment said to her what separated these shoppers from many of their other customers. She suppressed the small insane laughter that had been building. The answer wasn't all that funny after all. These shoppers wanted her flesh. What are we going to do? Ryan asked. Cynthia looked back up to him. She was glad to see that she was right and that it was Tommy there with him. She always liked it when she was right. She just smiled at herself and to them.  It was strange knowing that it was about to happen, but she was done fighting it. She looked around her. There was no place to go. The large receiving bay doors already had pounding from the other side and the familiar grunts from more zombies. So they were trapped. The only way out was up and with the freezing cold, even that would have been a death sentence. She watched as the zombies started to gather below her feet. They were far enough below her that as they reached up to try and pull her back down, she was still safe. Above her, Ryan and Tommy were working together to try and break the door open. She just watched them for a brief time. The fear that had previously gripped her seemed to have left her as a now strange, calm seemed to have washed over her. She felt her hand release on the cool metal and she could feel herself falling back. Then the hands. There were many of them and they all started to tear into her. They grabbed and they clawed and while she could hear herself screaming, she knew that her body was filled with pain of being ripped apart. She also didn't feel it like her mind was already away from it all. And then everything she had known before was gone. She was gone. And just becoming another one of the many. One of the many cravers, mindlessly craving what they don't even know what they are craving for. She was lost to become a part of the mass. Thanks for listening. If you like the show, please share it with someone you know who loves the paranormal or strange stories, true crime, monsters or unsolved mysteries like you do. And please leave a rating and review of the show in the podcast app you listen from. You can email me anytime with your questions or comments at darren at WeirdDarkness.com. Darren is D-A-R-R-E-N. WeirdDarkness.com is also where you can find all of my social media, listen to audiobooks I've narrated, shop the Weird Darkness store, sign up for monthly contests, find other podcasts that I host, and find the Hope in the Darkness page if you or someone you know is struggling with depression or dark thoughts. And please consider giving towards our overcoming the darkness fundraiser. Every dollar you give will be donated to organizations that help people who struggle with depression. The fundraiser ends Halloween night after the live scream, so please give today. Visit the Hope in the Darkness page at WeirdDarkness.com for more information. Also on WeirdDarkness.com, if you have a true paranormal or creepy tale to tell, you can click on Tell Your Story. You can find all of that and more on the website. All stories in Weird Darkness are purported to be true unless stated otherwise, and you can find source links or links to the authors in the show notes. Weird Darkness is a production and trademark of Marlar House Productions. Copyright Weird Darkness 2022. And now that we're coming out of the dark, I'll leave you with a little light. Romans 5, verses 6-8. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And a final thought. For every dream that you have, your week needs to match that dream. Eric Thomas. I'm Darren Marlar. Thanks for joining me in the Weird Darkness. Congratulations to Petra Hammer. She is my email newsletter winner for October, and Petra has won a Weird Darkness prize pack, which includes a Weird Darkness pen, button, phone stand, bumper sticker, fidget keychain, magnet, and more, along with a mini tote bag to haul it all in. Congratulations, Petra. If you want to win next month, be sure you're signed up for the free Weird Darkness email newsletter. 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Let's begin reading at verse 1 here in chapter 12. I'll read to verse 11 and we'll get into our study. Hebrews chapter 12 beginning with verse 1. Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us. And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking into Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted the bloodsheds striving against sin, and you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons. My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by him, for whom the Lord loves, he chastens and scourges every son whom he receives.  For what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the father of spirits and live? So they indeed for a few days chastened us and has seemed best to them, but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but grievous. Nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to whom those who have been trained by it. And so as we begin here, notice verse one, how he simply says, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. Who are these witnesses that he's speaking about? There are people who would say that perhaps heaven is looking down upon us. The people in the grandstands will say in heaven are looking down at you and looking down at me and cheering us on as we are endeavoring to serve the Lord. That's an interesting idea, but that isn't what he's speaking about. I mean, to be honest with you, frankly, I would not really want someone to be watching me that closely. And I wouldn't want my dad who's in heaven to be watching me constantly. He'd be bummed out all the time when he sees the way I live. I mean, maybe I shouldn't have said that. I'm supposed to be holy, right? But I think about that. And is that what he's talking about? Well, the answer is no. What he's speaking about is chapter 11, because in chapter 11 he's given to us that hall of heroes, the heroes of the faith. And he would be speaking concerning them. It would really be simply saying that there's a tremendous heritage of saints who persevered. And because they are like witnesses to you now, you ought to see the life that they lived. And you ought to use that as an example in order that it might provoke you to move in the things of the Lord with much more zeal. These are the people who have lived in a wonderful way and therefore you ought to use them as an incentive. Now, when he uses that image, it's true that we normally will try a little harder when somebody is watching us closely. When I was in the military, we used to run. And I would run on my own. Sometimes I would run or I would run with some friends. And as we would be running, I can still remember that I'd get real tired. I'd get to the point of exhaustion. And I'd want to stop running. I would be talking to myself, saying things like, this hurts. Stop. Why are you doing this? This is painful. No big deal. Just go ahead and stop. And there were times that I would when I would kind of stop and I would walk. And I was rationalizing and justifying and all of that. And I'd say, I don't really need to run. But I can still remember running with two friends. And as we were running out of the woods, as we ran out of the woods and we hit the asphalt and turned and started going back to our barracks, I was thinking that. I was thinking, man, this hurts. Why do this? Might as well stop. It's not that far to walk. But off to my right, there were several young people who had come out of one of the cities, Fayetteville, that was right there next to the fort that I was in. And they were there. And one of the guys said, well, there go some airborne guys. And all of a sudden, I forgot I wanted to die. I forgot that I was in pain. And I've learned this. And you have to. I learned it a long time ago that you always try a little bit harder when somebody is watching you.  And your dad shows up for the game.  That's the way it is.  And that's what the Bible says in Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 5. The Bible tells us that we're to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our might. I mean, this is a complete devotion to him. Colossians 3.23 says, whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to man. And so you run this race and you're running in such a way as to win. And so he says, we are surrounded. We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. What are we to do? Well, he says, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us. And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. And so we lay aside every weight and notice he says, and thus sin which so easily ensnares us. We remove anything that might trip us up as we run. And that includes weights. And that includes what he refers to as the sin. In other words, if something's a hindrance to your walk, get rid of it. Get rid of it even if it isn't classified a sin. You see, when he says, lay aside every weight, that word weight there is speaking of an encumbrance. It speaks of a burden. It is something that divides your attention from the Lord in an unhealthy way. There are things that will divide your attention that are not necessarily sinful in and of themselves. It can be a relationship, somebody that you prayed and asked the Lord to give you. Somebody that you're dating and you love them and you serve together with them. But it's a relationship that perhaps begins to take more of your attention than ought to be given to it. It becomes a weight in your life. It can be a friendship. It can be a health club. It can be a kind of music. It could be a habit or a personal pleasure. It can be a place that you like to go. It can be a form of entertainment. It might be a hobby. It can be educational goals. It can be a desire for marriage. It could be a variety of things.  So don't have any unhealthy relationship or any unhealthy thing that might take you away from the Lord. So his point would be simply if something lures you downward, forsake it. Now that's extreme but necessary if you plan on winning the race. If you plan on running to win, you need to remove all encumbrances. But secondly, he speaks of the sin, the sin which so easily ensnares us. I want you to notice it's referred to as the sin. It speaks of unnamed but specific acts of sin that produce bondage in lives. And it can be a variety of sins. For example, in 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 1, Peter says, laicite, malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, evil speaking. It can be a variety of things. But it's a besetting sin. It's a sin that is something that you get tripped up by. And there are some things that do trip us up. Somebody might be a gossip. Somebody might habitually lie. Somebody might be entering into sexual relationships outside of marriage is a variety of things. He says, get rid of sin. Get rid of the things that are encumbrances and deal with the sin in your life, the sin that so easily ensnares you. Confess it, forsake it, reject it. It's not worth it. You have to think in those terms. It has to be something very serious.  He said, if your eye offends, you pluck it out. Now he's not saying literally to do that or else every person in this room would have one eye and one hand. What he's saying is, deal with sin seriously. Don't look at it as something that's just a habit or just the way you are. Deal with it. Why, because it trips you up in your race. And what are you to do? He says, and let us run with endurance. When he says, let us run, that word run is in the Greek tense that means let us keep on running. When he says, let us keep on running, he says, we are to keep on running with endurance. In other words, the Christian race is not a sprint. It's a marathon. Christianity takes determination and it takes perseverance to the very end. And we have a race that we're running. We run against sin. We run against the world. We run against the devil, if you will. And if we're gonna win, we run with determination. Now, how am I gonna win? Well, I run without distraction. Notice what he says in verse two, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despised in the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. We are running without distraction. Fix your eyes on the Lord. After a glance at this cloud of witnesses, because he's our goal. In Philippians 3.20, the Bible says our citizenship is in heaven from where we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. So we're looking unto him. And we keep our eyes fixed on him. I was mentioning in the earlier services today of a great runner by the name of Carl Lewis. And he was running a race against the Canadian sprinter by the name of Ben Johnson. And I remember the race very well. And I mentioned it, and some of you perhaps are with us this morning. I remember the race very well because they were rivals and they ran against each other constantly. And it was always close and everything. But on this one particular occasion, Carl Lewis was running the 100 meters. And as he was running, he happened to look over his shoulder. He glanced back. And when he glanced over his shoulder, that was enough distraction for Ben Johnson to pass him and to actually win that race. And I remember the commentator very well. As he said, that glance cost Carl Lewis the race. The point he was making is you have to keep your eyes fixed on the goal. You don't look over your shoulder. You don't look back. You look straight. You look forward in order that you might be able to hit that tape. And the finish line is Jesus Christ. You're running to him. Now he is the author and finisher of our faith. When he says he's the author, that's the originator. And when he says the finisher, he's the one who completes. He begins and completes our faith. In other words, Jesus laid faith's foundation in our hearts and he's able to continue that work until he completes it. Philippians chapter one, verse six says, he who began a good work and you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. So he began that work and continues that work and will complete that work. Now in reference to him, verse two says, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame. He endured for the joy of finishing his course, obtaining salvation and going home, returning to his father. Remember his prayer in John 17. Remember how he said in verses four and five, I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now Father glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. And so the Lord Jesus Christ went home. He completed the work and was willing to endure the shame of that cross because in doing so he won us. He was able to purchase us. He redeemed us. His blood was shed for us in order that he might be able to bring us with him to heaven. And so he did that. He endured that cross despising the shame in order that he might be able to win salvation and return to his father. So what do we run for? Well, what is our prize? You know, the prize isn't heaven itself because heaven is a gift to us. We run for the joy of glorifying God. We run in a faithful and holy manner in order that we might glorify him, that our lives might be pleasing to him. And God receives all the glory when he is free to shine from our lives. You see, we run with patience. We run with this endurance. And we run towards him because we wanna be with him. And as we do so, people will see the work of the spirit in our life and glorify the God we serve. And so the Christian life is a continual move forward to be with the Lord Jesus Christ. So we look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. He is seated there in a position of power and authority. Verse three, for consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, that you become weary and discouraged in your souls. When we are weary in this race and when we can go no further, you have to put your sight back on Jesus Christ. And one of my favorite scriptures is Philippians chapter one, verse 21. It's a simple scripture for me to live as Christ and to die as gain, to follow the Lord with all of your heart, to pursue him with everything that is within you and to realize that we're just passing through, to realize that this life is just a moment, it's a vapor, it's here right now and it's gone tomorrow. And therefore the only thing that lasts is our relationship to him. And so we consider him. He endured hostility from sinners and therefore we run this race even when we get weary. Now notice verse four, you have not yet resisted to bloodsheds driving against sin. That's interesting. You see, they have been rejected.  Now, some people are rejected by friends and family and society and they say it's because of their love for Jesus Christ.  I'm sorry. But that's true. You know, sometimes, oh, I'm being persecuted for Jesus.   And then sometimes people will say, well, listen, if people in the world love you, then you're really not a Christian. You know, because the world is supposed to hate you and if the world likes you, you're not really a good Christian because there's still darkness in you. That's nonsense too. Jesus, well, there was something about him. It was the righteous people who didn't like him. It was the self-righteous ones who didn't like him.  It was the self-righteous ones that Jesus had the most harsh words for. But when you think about it, Jesus would be in places where the sinners would hang around. And he loved them. And there was just something about him that made them curious about him. When you love the Lord, you can become somebody that, that definitely does repel people who love sin. There's no doubt about that. But there are others who become curious about you and what is it about you that you have? And they're the ones who approach you at work or at school or perhaps in the store in the neighborhood wherever and say, I've noticed that there's something about you, something different, and I just would like to know what it is. And that gives you a great opportunity to say, you know what it is, is the Lord, I got saved. My life has been changed. He forgave me of my sins. And he took the sorrow from my heart and replaced it with joy. He took the mourning that I had and gave me garments of praise. I mean, he did a work in me and they said, well, can you explain that to me? And then you share the gospel. That happens all the time. It happens all the time. And so when you're serving the Lord, it's true. There will be those who do reject you. Your friends may and your family may and society may. But as he's speaking to them, they are being rejected by friends, family and society. And yet the pain of rejection, though it is incredible, and though the persecution is growing, notice he says, but you haven't resisted to bloodshed striving against sin.   I remember years ago, I was ministryed to a neighbor, a lady who lived down the street from us and her son had been very ill and she'd been praying that the Lord would heal him and the Lord hadn't healed him and he was the baby of the family and she was very concerned. And I remember her speaking to me and she said, David, I've been praying for my son to get well and he's not getting well. And she says, I just don't know. She says, I don't know what to do. Where is God? She said that. I'll never forget that. Where is God? Where is God as I cry out to him? Where is God? And I remember as I looked at her, I said to her, she said, where is God when I'm going through this pain and when my son is going through such pain? And I said, he's in the same place that he was when he watched his son die on a cross and he hasn't moved. He hasn't moved.  Sometimes we think that our pain is worse than anybody else's in the world, in the history of the world. The fact is our pain is not. None of us have lived sinless lives. Jesus did. And his point he's making is this. Since you haven't lived a sinless life, well, some of the suffering you're enduring it may be deserved. It may be something that you're reaping, but remember this, God can use it for spiritual discipline and growth in your life because God often uses suffering as a means of growth for his children. You see the process of suffering builds us and forms us more completely because we're being conformed into the image of what we call the wounded healer and Jesus who suffered for us allows us to suffer too. And that's one of the ways that you actually grow in your depth and understanding and things of the Lord. Obviously I'd prefer reading a book about it than going through it. But as I go through it I discover that the Lord is with me every step of the way. And he never leaves me nor does he ever forsake me. And the lessons that I've learned through the times of pain and crying and tears and the rest of those things have been invaluable lessons in my life and I'm sure for you too. So God uses suffering as a means of growth for his children. In verse five he says you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons. My son do not despise the chastening of the Lord nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by him for whom the Lord loves he chasens and scourges every son whom he receives. You have forgotten the exhortation. Forgetting what God has already taught us causes great pain and sorrow. He's saying you have forgotten that God has perfected faith in the Old Testament through sufferings. Now when he quotes the scripture here in verses five and six he's actually quoting the book of Proverbs chapter three verses 11 and 12. And it speaks concerning the father chastening his children. And the word chastening speaks of instruction that naturally includes correction and punishment. And he's saying that God as a father will chasten his children, he will correct them. But he says you've forgotten this exhortation. Now if you take notes you might want to note this. There are two purposes. There are two purposes in chastening. And there are dangers in forgetting the purpose of chastening. You see the dangers in forgetting the purpose of chasing is one is that you might despise it. You might care little for it or regard it lightly or make small account of it. If we don't see our problems as the Lord disciplining us we won't profit from chastening. We can become calloused. When we encounter difficulties we'll start blaming God or we can complain. We can fail to see his mercy towards us and speak out against him. We can question as if he's unjust and give an account to us for his actions. We can grow indifferent because we're disappointed and we can lose our fire. And so if we don't understand God's work in us and the purpose of chastening we can despise. And secondly we can be discouraged. When he speaks of discouragement it means to grow weak or weary, to be faint-hearted. Under his chastening hand they can become immobilized and simply give up trying. You see chastening is in order to give us strength not to take it away.  Chastening reveals two things.  Notice verse six he says for whom the Lord loves he chastens and scourges every son whom he receives. Discipline hurts when it occurs but it's not intended to hurt us forever but to help us. He expects to do a work through us. God wants to do a work through us and sometimes he disciplines us. I don't know. I like the fact that God is a father and not a grandfather because I didn't mind spanking my kids but I have a kind of unspoken rule in my house.  I just don't like it. I just do not like it and no boy I could tell you a story after this about this. I don't like it because no chastening for the moment is pleasant like he says in a moment here. And when I spanked my kids I used to say to them not every time but once in a while I'd say something to the effect it hurts me more than it hurts you and so my kids were pretty smart so they'd say well then hit yourself. Save yourself the pain dad. But you know when in a way there is some truth to that I don't know if it's true with you or not but for me it was. I have never been one of those who liked spanking my kids. I didn't spank all of them. My Korean, the oldest for little things she was our experiment. She's the first one. You work out with the first one and you get better by the fourth. And so Karini got her share of spankings and as I've told you before my second my David was something else. My David was something else. Oh he was something else. He really was something else. I mean I would spank him that's true and he had this attitude like is that the best you can do.    He's a fiver. No I've never spanked Joseph. He says dad yes you did.  Yes you did dad you spanked me once. You spanked me once. You hit me once. I said I have never spanked you in your life Joseph. You're the kid that all I had to do is say stop it.  I've never had to spank you. Anna my youngest has never received a spanking from me. Never. You know I was growing up. My dad in my entire life only spanked me less than three or four times that I can remember. My dad just never did. My mom says it's cause if he started he might have killed you but thank God my dad never spanked me. You know my mom she pulled out that slipper and let me have it but not my dad. My dad didn't you know but chastening is for a purpose and chastening is intended to reveal a couple things and when we are chastened and this is interesting when you look at it because when we are chastened by the Lord it one it reveals that he loves you and we'll see this in a moment a little clearer and two it reveals that you belong to him. Now notice what he says in verse seven. He says if you endure chastening God deals with you as with sons for what son is there whom a father does not chasten but if you are without chastening of which all have become partakers you're illegitimate and not sons and so God loves us for whom the Lord loves he chastens. God loves us but two it proves that we belong to him. An undisciplined child is an unloved child. Proverbs 13, 24 says he who spares the rod hates his son but he who loves him is careful to discipline him and he does discipline us because we belong to him. I read about a man who came upon two boys who were fighting in a park and he took one of those kids aside and he began to spank him for his behavior and there was a bystander who walked up and saw what was going on and had seen the two kids and all that they were doing and so he approaches this guy and he says to him why aren't you doing something to the other boy? And the father responded this one is my son and the other one is not and that's the truth. I mean if my son is doing something wrong and he's young enough to be chastened in that fashion and he's with one of his friends I never spanked his friend, you know? There was a time when I grew up that that would have taken place on our neighborhood. You know the mother's felt the freedom to spank anybody's kid who was within striking distance. I mean that was the old way it used to be, you know?  I mean it was a killer but it was a good system.  And so he shows us one that he loves us and two that we belong to him because correction reveals a father's love for his child. And so then rather than me getting upset because God chastens me and God brings a discipline in my life and then I begin to say God doesn't love me because if he loved me he wouldn't spank me. The writer here in Hebrews would say you're wrong in that. You're wrong because the chastening that you endure demonstrates that God does love you because you belong to him and what somebody else may be getting away with he gets away with for a short time but he doesn't belong to the father. The father wants to make sure that you don't use inappropriate language, that you don't go to the wrong kinds of places and you will discover the chastening hand of the Lord when he corrects you. Notice what he says in verse nine. He says we have had human fathers who corrected us and we pay them respect. Shall we not much more readily be subjection to the father of spirits and live? Well, of course. No, when he speaks of that he speaks of having human fathers. The disciplined child shows respect for the parents but an undisciplined child never does. So shall we not be more readily in subjection to the father of spirits and live? Now that's an interesting phrase to the father of spirits. The term father of spirits speaks of the one who created us meaning that we belong to him. He is our father. Isaiah 42.5 says thus has God the Lord who created the heavens and stretched them out who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk on it. So he created us. Zechariah 12.1 tells us the Lord stretches forth the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him. And so we are yielded to him. He's the one who created us. Verse 10. They indeed for a few days chastened us. It's interesting how he says this. As seemed best to them but he for our profit that we may be partakers of his holiness. You know sometimes you may get upset at the kid for making noise while we're watching the game and you discipline him because he interrupted you. It was really what was best for you. It wasn't always best for him. But God isn't that way. God doesn't discipline us with that attitude. God disciplines us in order that we might be partakers. And notice how he says this. That we might be partakers of his holiness. God intends to work in a holy life.  And so he says, no chastening, verse 11, seems to be joyful for the present, but grievous. Nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who've been trained by it. Who likes to get spanked?  I don't think so. I think I'm gonna do something today to get him so mad. You know, I mentioned to you that my father didn't spank me. One of the things about my dad that you know that I still remember when I was a kid is part of the reason that he didn't spank me is because when he would take me by the hand, he only did this a few times and discovered that I'm very difficult to spank because he would take me by the hand and I would jump towards him wherever his hand was and I'd jump at it like that. So he couldn't get my rear end because I'd be turning forward. And I am not kidding, man.  And my dad would laugh. My mom, oh man, I got away. But my mom would come in and say, whack, you know. I don't care, you know. I couldn't dance fast enough to get away from her but my dad would be cracking up. I don't know why I told you that and it just came to mind. But it wasn't something you liked. I've never liked to be spanked. You know, another reason why I got few spankings frankly from my dad when I was a kid is because I tried to learn the lesson the first time. I'm still that way. I'm still that way. I just didn't like getting spanked. I didn't like getting disciplined. I didn't like that. I didn't like it at all. And when it happened, it just really disturbed me. And so I actually did one of two things. Before I got saved, I just perfected my sinfulness. So I didn't get caught. So that was wrong. But I did that. I'd say, well, you know, I got caught because I did it this way. Well, next time I'll do it in that way and I won't get caught. So I got away with an awful lot of things just by perfecting my sinfulness. But when I got saved, I started realizing that when the Lord wants to chase in me, it's for my well-being. So what lesson does He want to teach me through this? So I don't go through this time again with Him so that I don't sense that there's a distance between Him and me and have to discover what I've done confess for sake, repent, and return to Him. What am I going to do? And so it's a simple thing like that. And I'm still that way now as a Christian and as a Christian man. I desire the Lord to, if He teaches me a lesson through chastening, to really not have to repeat that throughout my life. Because one of the things I've discovered about the Lord is when He has a lesson to teach you, He keeps working until He does teach you that lesson. Have you noticed that? He does. Some of you right now are going through a hard time and you're saying, when is this going to be over? It's going to be when you repent and turn away from your sin. And if you keep on doing it, you're going to keep getting chastened. That's how it works because He's that way. He wants to teach you that there are repercussions for the things that you do. And He's not a grandfather. He is a father. And as a father, He wants to form your character. And He does, though, through chastening. Why does He do that? Because He loves you and because you belong to Him. So what is it the Lord is teaching you today? What is it that He's been trying to get across to you? Well, whatever it is, learn your lesson. Listen to what He has to say. Turn away from the sin. Embrace Him. Confess. Say, I'm sorry. Move on. And then it's over. My kids can tell you this because it's true. When they have done something wrong, I'm one of these bulldog-type dads who will say if they're not copying to it, if they're not admitting, they're going to. They're going to admit what they did is wrong.  You just can't. You can't con a con. Been there, done that.  I wasn't born yesterday. Please, OK? So when the kids would try and get over on me, I'm not a mean-spirited man. But I would just say, nope. Nope. Nope. That's not how that was. And we will stay here until you deal with it. Now, Anna will tell you this. My daughter will say, I wish my dad would have just thanked me because we would have two-hour sessions. And she hated that. And the first hour was kind of like first, second, third point. Then we'd receive an offering. And then we'd go into a second service. I mean, she just could not stand it because I would not let go until she dealt with it. Now, if I was that way with my kids, you know what the Lord is that way with us too? And I would do that not because I was angry at them. Frankly, I would just as soon have them just cop to it from the beginning. And let's save the lecture. Let's just save the lecture. But if you're going to insist on saying you didn't do something wrong and try and pull the wool over my eyes, then we're going to stay here until you admit it. And if I have to go point by point with you until we get to the place where you say, all right, I'm guilty, then we'll do that. And I did that because I love them, not because I like sitting there for two hours doing that, but because I want them to see what they did is wrong. And I want them to understand there are repercussions for that. And I want them to know that when they're in sin or they do something wrong, it breaks fellowship with me. And I want them to value fellowship with their father. I want them to be able to have relationship with me. And therefore, if this sin is going to cause a break of fellowship, then let's deal with the sin. And as a father, I would do that. And I would stay there until they finally said, I didn't. And then I'd actually repeat. I'd say, OK, so you did what? I did this. And is that right or is that wrong? It's wrong. Why is it wrong? Now, you would hate me as your father, because they would have to say it's wrong for these reasons. And I'd say, that's right. It's wrong for those reasons. That's right. And the right thing to do is what? I should have this. That's right. Now, if you just do that, you shall live.  And until you learn there are repercussions for the things that you do, then you're going to go about life thinking you can get away with things because it doesn't happen that you're chastened immediately or that repercussions hit you quickly. Sometimes the Lord will wait for a while. Sometimes he may wait. In the case of King David, he waited for a year after David had fallen with Bathsheba until he actually brought David to a place of repentance.  He never ignores it. And the reason that he deals with it is because he loves you and because you belong to him. And I, like I'm saying, just agree with the Lord quickly. Agree with him quickly, deal with it, and move on. But if you hold fast to things and don't want to let go of them, I promise you, then your life isn't going to be, it's not going to have joy. It's not going to have the sense of God's presence because sin is clouding the picture.


Lesson Adaptive Learning Moodle's lesson activity enables teachers to create content which can adapt to the learner's responses. This is useful for decision-making exercises, simulations, independent revision and subject practice where learners can choose their own path through the content. In this first aid lesson teaching CPR, the course participant can first choose whether they wish to read text or watch a video. Then when they've taken in the information they are presented with some quick questions to check understanding. Let's explore how this lesson is made. Our teacher Sam adds a lesson by enabling edit mode top right, clicking add an activity or resource or anywhere on the page between activities and choosing lesson. Click once to go straight to the setup screen or click the eye icon for more information and then the add button bottom right. The name is important because it's what learners see to access it and you can add an optional description which can be displayed on the course page by ticking the box. Remember this will also display the description within the lesson as well. Other settings can be expanded by clicking the links. In appearance, show more displays all possible options. Administrators can decide what displays by default and what is accessed from the show more link. The help icons give more information about each setting. For example a file useful during the lesson can be uploaded in the linked media section. The figure in the maximum number of answers defines the response options our teacher has for each lesson page and can easily be changed later. A percentage progress bar and a menu i.e list of pages can also be displayed. In availability lessons can have a time limit and password but if learners do the lesson offline of course the time limit will not apply. In flow control we can let learners review but not repeat the lesson. Let them try the questions again and decide how often and what happens when they answer correctly. Other settings are similar to other activities but in activity completion to track that students have accessed the lesson activity. Do we want them to manually click to confirm they've seen it or do we want it automatically marked complete when they have for instance simply viewed it obtained a grade or spent required length of time. No need to select view as well as the other criteria. To alert course participants that a lesson activity has been added or updated click send content change notification. After clicking save and display our teacher Sam has to decide what to add first. Note it is helpful to plan your lesson structure in advance so you know where you're heading. Existing questions can be imported in certain formats. A cluster is a group of question pages which appear randomly to students. A cluster is bordered by a start cluster and end cluster page. A content page contains information while a question page offers a type of question for example multiple choice. Let's first look at the content page lessons can contain text images videos and links. Once our teacher has added the content it's important to make the connections the jumps to subsequent pages. This is why it's really important to have planned your lesson structure first. This is the first page and here are the options to jump to. We'll leave it at this page for now as we haven't made any other pages but when there are other pages these will appear as names in the list of options. So one jump is video and goes to the next page. The other jump is text and also goes to the next page. For now saving the page displays its title type content jumps and actions deleting duplicating adding a new page etc. We are seeing the collapsed view the expanded view shows the same information but in more detail most times you'll be happy with the collapsed view. We need to add two pages one with a video and one with text so we click add a new page add content page and add our video then we click again add a new page add content and add our text. Let's look at the jumps our lesson is not going to work until we fix the path through the pages so we return to the first page and go to the jumps. Now the video page is visible as an option so we can link to it and we can link to the text page as the second option. Finally a question page will test the learner's understanding so we click to add a question page and decide the type of question perhaps multiple choice. Answers can include links media and images for further information and we can decide to make the learners remain on the same page until they get it right by selecting this page for incorrect responses. When the learner gets the question correct we can if desired direct them to the end of the lesson or we can make another question and then edit it to ensure the jumps are correct. What the teacher sees let's look behind the scenes at the finished lesson it's important to check all the jumps are correct with named pages. What the student sees as our student navigates through the lesson remember we added a time required completion condition to ensure she read or watched the materials thoroughly. If she reaches the end of the lesson before the required time she's not allowed to complete it yet. To summarise lesson allows you to create a personalised experience for your learners.