Death is strange and (most of the times) unexpected and sudden. I marvel (and am quite shocked) at the way in which some people die—how weird or funny—then I realize once again that God is very creative—even when it comes to death. Though the death of a person is always tragic, let us not lose sight of the fact how horrible it is for someone to die without Christ, and end up in Hell. This weekly column, though morbid, is meant to remind us that the Grim Reaper can come knocking anytime on the doors of our loved ones, neighbors, friends, and strangers. With these “Sudden Death” stories, I hope to inspire you to ask the million-dollar question wherever you go, whenever you can. The question is: If you were to die today, would you go to Heaven or Hell?

Mostly, I find these stories every weekend “filling up” space between columns in the middle of the L.A. Times, like this one:

A woman’s body was found wedged upside-down behind a bookcase in the home she shared with relatives who had spent nearly two weeks looking for her. A spokeman for the Pasco Sheriff’s Office said Mariesa Weber’s death was not suspicious. Family members said they thought she had fallen over as she tried to adjust the plug of a T.V. behind a tall bookshelf.

Weber, 38, returned home Oct. 28 and greeted her mother, then wasn’t seen again.