"Everybody Dies, Mom" November 4, 2017

"'Everybody dies Mom.' Those were the words I said to my mom several months ago when we were having one of our daily phone calls. “Even if God does heal you now,” I said, “Someday you will die. We all will die.”

I realize, somewhat regrettably, that those words were blunt, callous and maybe hurtful. Especially when talking to someone with cancer. But I didn’t say those words to hurt my mom or because I was being unsympathetic. Those were the kind of direct words my mom would have said to me if the roles were reversed. And mom knew this. She agreed with me during that same phone call.

Mom was a pretty blunt, straightforward and direct person. She didn’t sugar coat her words a whole lot. Sometimes her words hurt and sometimes they didn’t, but mom’s words always came from a place of truth and love. Even if we didn’t realize it at the time. Nevertheless, I said those words to my mom because, even though we were hoping and praying for God to perform a miracle, the truth was, someday my mom (and my dad) would leave us behind.

The truth is this: None of us are getting out of this world alive. The minute we entered into this world we all were infected with a terminal disease. That disease is called “sin.” And the only outcome of sin is death. That’s the hurtful bad news. The truthful and loving good news is this: death is dead because Jesus Christ conquered it. And, only through Christ Jesus, can we live through death.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” What that means is that, even though our physical bodies can die, if we believe in Christ Jesus, our spirit, the thing that really makes up who we really are, does not have to die. What’s also interesting about John 3:16, and thanks to Pastor Mike for pointing this out, is that even God himself wasn’t exempt from losing someone He loved. God sent His one and only son to die in our place for all the sin we would become diseased with when we came into this world. God understands the pain we feel when we lose someone we love. He understands it because He’s experienced it himself. And just as it pained God to see His son die on the cross, it pained Him to think about all of His creation lost to death. So God decided to paint a better picture. A picture of himself, his son Jesus Christ, and all of us, together, spending eternity with him. No more tears. No more hurt. No more sickness. And no more death. I don’t know about you, but I’ve experienced enough tears, enough hurt, enough sickness and enough death in just my 38 years here. And while I’m sure I’ll experience more of these things before leaving this world, I want to be certain that I’ll be going to a place where those things exist no more.

My dear friends, listen to me. Death will come for us all. But God is real. His son, Jesus Christ is real. These are not things we believers tell ourselves just to cope with life and death. No. I have seen God perform miracles. I have seen Jesus Christ change my life and the lives of others around me.

Please know this, a life with Christ, here on earth, is not painless. It’s not without tears, hurt, sickness and death. But through a life with Christ, we are able to overcome these things in this world.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John‬ ‭16:33‬

Praise you Lord. Amen."

 

Originally published to Facebook 11/4/17

"Death Can Give Birth To Life" November 2, 2017

I miss my mom. I miss my mom a lot. I find myself sometimes thinking of something and getting ready to text or call her only to remember she’s not here. Little things, sometime stupid things, throughout each day reminds me of her. And with every reminder, it’s like someone sticks a needle straight into my heart. It hurts. It hurts a lot. And maybe it’s because I’ve internalized my grief since mom passed away, but some moments the pain in my heart is too much to bear.

The world goes on. Life goes on. To the rest of the world the memory of my mom is fading away. And what feels like a lifetime with her, also feels like a blink of an eye to me.

I said this before: Life is short. Much shorter than we could ever imagine. What seems like yesterday, was 3 weeks ago. And what was 10 years ago seems like a lifetime ago. Dr. Suess wrote, “How did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's afternoon. December is here before it's June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?”

2 Peter 3:8 says, “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

Psalm 144:4 says, “Man is like a mere breath; His days are like a passing shadow.”

Job 8:9 says, "For we are only of yesterday and know nothing, because our days on earth are as a shadow.”

Psalm 39:5-6 says, “Behold, you have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah. Surely every man walks about as a phantom; surely they make an uproar for nothing; He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.”

In a previous post, I wrote about the purpose of a tree leaf and the parallel between the leaf and what my mom did for our family - providing us with food and nutrients as well as shade, a place to hide and a home. I explained that Fall was my mom’s favorite time of year. She loved the way the yellow, orange, red and purple leaves painted the landscapes around her, clothing the world in radiance. But as I said before, the leaves turn those beautiful colors because they are dying. The leaves will soon fall to the ground and be swallowed up by the earth. That is the way God designed it to be.

Leaves die because, in the fall, trees seal off the attachment point on the branch to the leaf so that no water or minerals can be delivered to the tree. Once this happens, the chlorophyll in the leaf breaks down and the leaf begins to die from lack of nutrients. As a result, the leaves turn colors, from red to yellow to purple, and then to brown. The skin and stem of the leaf becomes brittle and the leaf falls from the tree.

Once on the ground, the leaves begin to break down from the elements and become absorbed into the ground, returning nutrients back into the soil for the tree to produce the next generation of leaves. Also while on the ground, leaves protect the levels of moisture that reach the trees and regulate the soil temperature so the tree can continue to grow and flourish. So, even in their death, leaves still bring life to the tree. And, after the tree goes dormant for the winter, in the spring it will give birth to new leaves and the cycle repeats.

I can’t help but think of the parallel this draws to our lives. We are born, we are fed, we grow, we feed others and, when the season changes, we die. Still, even in our death, our legacy, the things we did and what we were known for, can sustain, grow and create new life.

Death can give birth to life. 1 Samuel 2:6 says, “The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.” And in John 12:24, Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

This is why it is so important to not abandon the spiritual food and teachings my mom provided to me.

What food are we providing to those around us? What fruitful legacy will we leave behind? The time is now. Not tomorrow. Now. For tomorrow has already come and passed us by. A new season has come. And the remnants of seasons past can sustain us and nourish us. We must not let them have died for nothing. We have a new generation to teach.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV

"God Is STILL A Good God" October 25, 2017

How do you return to your life after a piece of it has been removed? You can’t. The life as I once knew it has been forever changed. It doesn’t exist anymore except through memories. Like an amputee must learn to live without their limb, so must I learn to live without my mom. Meanwhile, the rest of the world goes on around me as if nothing happened at all. They laugh, they love, they work, they are thankful this didn’t happen to them. That’s how I would feel if I were them. Thankful that I still have my mom. Thankful that I can see and talk to her. Thankful that I will spend the holidays with her. Thankful that I will spend many more years with my mom and my children would grow up with a Grandma. I would be ever so thankful.

Psalm 62:8  says to “Trust in him at all times... pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” And this is what I will do: I will trust Him. I will trust Him even in the face of tragedy, hurt and excruciating loss. Because God is STILL a good God and I will praise His name. “Then I heard a voice from heaven say, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.’” - Revelation 14:13.

“All your works praise you, LORD; your faithful people extol you.” Psalm 145:10. Mom praised the Lord our God. She did so in obedience, in speech, in song and in dance. Mom had such a strong heart for God that it pained her greatly to see and hear the sin in this world. So much so, in fact, that even some of what I would consider “appropriate” TV shows and music made her uncomfortable. It pained her even more to see brothers and sisters in Christ be misled by false teachings and false teachers. I think this quote by Ben Shapiro best summarizes how my mom felt about the Word of the Lord, the Bible, "You can't sacrifice truth because some people are going to suffer because of the truth." Mom was an advocate for the Truth of God. Some people didn’t want to hear it or chose to ignore it. But that’s an unfortunate loss for them.

“This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. They are like sheep and are destined to die; death will be their shepherd (but the upright will prevail over them in the morning). Their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions. But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; he will surely take me to himself. Do not be overawed when others grow rich, when the splendor of their houses increases; for they will take nothing with them when they die, their splendor will not descend with them. Though while they live they count themselves blessed— and people praise you when you prosper— they will join those who have gone before them, who will never again see the light of life. People who have wealth but lack understanding are like the beasts that perish.”
Psalm 49:13-20

I often wondered why it seems that the lives of those who walk the closest to God are shortened. But when I read about what Jesus said regarding “the last days” in the book of Matthew, he says this, “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.”
Matthew 24:22.

Mom was not perfect and I’m sure she wouldn’t consider herself “elect.” She would be the first to tell you that. However, by letting Christ Jesus work in her and through her, those imperfections were made perfect through Him. Mom was always happy to use her life to encourage, bless and speak the truth to those around her to the best of her ability even until her death. We saw the fruit of this first-hand. During the first calling hours, which were supposed to go from 2-4pm, they went from 2-5pm and over 300 people came. During the second calling hours, which were supposed to go from 6-8pm, they went from 6-10pm and more than 300 people came. These people were all just a fraction of the number my mom touched in some way. It was so inspiring.

And, with the help of Jesus, I want to carry on mom’s legacy by doing the same. I don’t want to sacrifice truth because some people are going to suffer because of the truth. Just as in times past, truth is on trial again. With bias news articles, reports and stories, finding the truth these days is challenging. But Jesus is the Truth. “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
John 14:6.

Originally published to Facebook 10/25/17

"Fall" October 21, 2017

Fall was my mom’s favorite time of year. Mom was born, married and went back home during her favorite time year. But mom always loved how pretty the leaves made the whole tree look. How they made everything look. But if you really think about why the leaves on the trees are so pretty in the fall, it’s because they’re dying.

The mixture of red, purple, orange and yellow is the result of chemical processes that take place in the tree as the seasons change from summer to winter. During the spring and summer the leaves have served as factories where most of the foods necessary for the tree's growth are manufactured. This food-making process takes place in the leaf in numerous cells containing chlorophyll, which gives the leaf its green color. This extraordinary chemical absorbs from sunlight the energy that is used in transforming carbon dioxide and water to carbohydrates, such as sugars and starch. Along with the green pigment are yellow to orange pigments. Most of the year these colors are masked by great amounts of green coloring. But, as time passes and the chlorophyll breaks down, the beautiful colors emerge. And it’s beautiful. Leaves also help keep you cool on hot days by providing shade. Leaves also help make trees good homes for animals, like birds, squirrels, and bugs by providing them shelter, a place to hide and even food.

Mom was a lot like a leaf. She provided us with a beautiful home. She made us food and gave us spiritual nutrition for growth. She provided us shelter from the rain and shade from the hot sun and a place to hide when we needed to hide out for a while. But, while mom was always beautiful, just before mom left us, that’s when her true beauty really shown through. And everyone could see that. Just like the fall leaves.

People are going to say that mom “lost” her battle with cancer. But mom didn’t lose. Mom won her battle with cancer the day that she made Jesus Christ her Lord and Savior. No, God for only a reason greater than we can know, did not physically heal our mom. But God doesn’t just heal, he transforms. It’s easier to see the physical things that need healing, but it’s harder to see beyond the physical. Sometimes, it’s the emotional, relational and spiritual things that need healing. The healing I saw God perform in mom over the last two years, was not physical. It was the emotional, relational and spiritual things that He healed. God knew that those things were more important than the physical healing. Those things affect our spirit. And it’s our spirits that matter the most to God.

Mom didn’t want to suffer. She said that to me many, many times. But the suffering we experience is God trusting us to bring hope to a dying world. Suffering gets us beyond ourselves. Where we end, God begins. In our weakness, He is strong. And God uses sorrowful suffering to set the stage for surprising triumph.

1 Peter 4 says this, “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit. The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.”

I was reading this passage this morning and it really reminded me of my mom.
Mom was always warning that the end is coming.
Mom always loved others deeply.
Mom loved to offer hospitality to everyone. She never grumbled about it. She loved making everyone feel right at home.
And everything mom did, in work, at home, at church, she did so with the strength God gave her. And, in doing so, God was praised
And, even in her suffering, she praised the name of God.
Her faith was incredible.

Is God only good when He answers our prayers? Is not God good all the time? Do we only trust God for good things? Do we not also trust God after loss, sadness or tragedy? I’m sorry for your loss? I’m sorry for your loss. The Lord needs more people like mom. The Lord needs more Christians like mom. Christians who aren’t afraid to speak the Truth. Who love unconditionally. Who offer incredible hospitality without thinking twice about it. Who let the Love and Spirit of God shine through them.

Mom had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and it changed her life. A Christian life is not a religious life. It’s a relationship life. A relationship with our Heavenly Father. So I want to ask you, do you know Jesus? Not what someone else knows about Jesus, but what do you know? Because if you base your relationship with Jesus around what someone else knows about him, when that person fails or goes away, your life will be wrecked. It will be wrecked because you didn’t have your own relationship with him.

God’s love is better than this life. He loves you. “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” God loves you. He wants to have a relationship with you. There’s nothing you have to do or change. God will do the changing. All you have to do is believe in Him. If my mom’s life affected you in such a way that changed you, it was the fact that she allowed Jesus Christ to shine through her. She loved because He first loved us. Let God change you.

Let the love of God change your life today. You can do this by:
1. Acknowledging that Jesus Christ is God; that He came to earth as a man in order to live the sinless life that we cannot live.
2. That He died in our place, so that we would not have to pay the penalty of sin which we deserve.
3. Understanding that we live in a sin-filled world, that we ourselves are sinners, living for ourselves and not obeying God.
4. Admitting that we are ready to trust Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.
5. Asking Jesus to come into our heart, take up residence there, and begin living through us.

Originally published to Facebook 10/21/17

"Obituary for Mom" Ocober 21, 2017

This was the obituary we wrote and published for my mom.

Shelley Anne (Adams) Janssen, 63, entered her heavenly home on October 17, 2017 after a valiant battle with cancer. Her devotion to her family and her firm belief in God supported her in her fight, and ultimately gave her peace. Shelley was born on September 9, 1954 in Chardon to Paul E. Adams and Dixie-lee Adams Treadwell. She graduated from Berkshire High School in 1973. She married Charles Janssen on October 8, 1977. Shelley attended police school where she became a police officer for the city of Painesville. She worked various part time jobs while she raised her children and worked later at Junction Auto and most recently at UH Geauga Medical Center. Shelley’s love for God and unshakeable faith was seen, heard, and felt by all who knew her. Even during her worst suffering she never let go of her faith and she always praised God for his goodness and grace. Shelley’s passion for hospitality and fellowship was experienced by many in the community. She loved inviting people into her home to share a meal and talk about the Lord. Every person who entered her home felt the warmth, compassion, and genuine love she had for people. She was a heavenly blessing to all who met her. Shelley always prided herself in making sure her home, lawn and landscape were pristine, and she always found peace and comfort in mowing the grass and working in the yard. She was a devoted wife, who blessed her husband with 40 years of marriage, whom she met at the age of thirteen. She was a loving and caring mother to her children and in-laws, and always made time for her children no matter what. She loved her grandchildren and brought them so much joy as they loved to read books and do crafts with “Gammy.”

“Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” Proverbs 31:28-29

Shelley is survived by her mother Dixie-lee W. Adams (Norman) Treadwell; her husband Charles W. Janssen of Mesopotamia; her children, Paul (Caroline) Janssen, Daniel Janssen, Jenna (Nick) Rundo; her grandchildren Myles Janssen, Emilie Janssen, Josiah Rundo; and her siblings Steve Adams, Gene (Becki) Adams, Rhonda (Willie) Wynn, Paula (Brad) Baker, and Scott (Kathy) Adams; as well as her brother-in-law Ted (Sue) Janssen; many nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her father Paul E Adams; father-in-law Kenneth Janssen; and mother-in-law Jenelyn Janssen.

Calling hours are 2:00-4:00 and 6:00-8:00 PM Friday, October 20, 2017 at Maple View Mennonite Church, 14890 Burton Windsor Rd., Burton, OH 44021. A Celebration of her life will be 11:00 AM Saturday, October 21, 2017 at the Church. Burial will follow at Fairview Cemetery in Mesopotamia.
Thank you to the incredible amount of people who have prayed for, encouraged, and given so generously to our family. “May God bless you all abundantly.”

http://www.russellslyfh.com/notices/Shelley-Janssen

 

"Shelley Janssen September 9, 1954 - October 17, 2017" October 18, 2017

"Friends,

Our mom, Shelley Adams Janssen, went home to be with our Heavenly Father yesterday afternoon. We have millions of wonderful words to say about our mom, yet no words that could ever describe how we feel right now. The heartbreak we carry is too heavy to bear.

What I will say is this: If possible, please come and celebrate her life, her testimony and her love with us this coming weekend. Calling hours will be this Friday, October 20th from 2-4 pm and from 6-8pm. Celebration of life will be at 11am Saturday, October 21st.

Come and see, come and hear, come and celebrate this beautiful gift from God. We will have more to say this weekend, but for now I will just say, thank you Lord for giving me 38 years with my beautiful mom. I know she is with you now. Praise you, oh Lord. It is well with my soul.

— with Caroline Janssen and Shelley Adams Janssen."

Originally published to Facebook 10/18/17