The Bubble That Bursts; Thoughts on Recent Suicides
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The Bubble That Bursts
Thoughts on the tragic death of fashion icon Kate Spade
BY GREG LAURIE
A wave of sorrow swept the world last Tuesday, as our news outlets and social media timelines were filled with one gut-punching headline: Kate Spade, beloved fashion designer known for her bright and whimsical designs, committed suicide by hanging on Tuesday morning in her Manhattan home. Like everyone else, I found myself in complete shock.Amidst all of the positive slogans and bright colors her work displayed, Kate apparently found herself despondent, hopeless and ultimately, willing to take her own life—the life that so many others around the globe envied. Kate was only 55 years old, and she leaves behind a 13-year-old daughter, Francis Beatrix Spade, and her husband, Andrew. One fashion reporter, who knew Kate personally, said this: “I will never know the source of her sorrow. But how heartbreaking and unfortunate that the joy, pride, and delight this insightful designer brought millions of women wasn’t enough to invoke a smile that went deeper than brilliant branding strategy.” *Kate’s death follows other well-known designers who have tragically taken their own lives in the same way. L’Wren Scott in March 2014, and British designer Alexander McQueen four years earlier. In just the last year, musician Chester Bennington from Linkin Park, and Soundgarden’s lead singer also committed suicide by hanging. Comedian Robin Williams did the same. It’s all so devastatingly sad.Fashion is all about how you look on the outside, but regardless of how put together one may present themselves, it does not change who they are on the inside.
Know this: everyone, and I mean everyone—rock stars, movie stars, fashion designers and everyday people like you and I, all have a few things in common:
We are all empty.We are all lonely.We are all seeking meaning and purpose in life.
Former teen Heartthrob, David Cassidy, died earlier this year. Throughout his life, he struggled with an addiction to alcohol. He said he had given it up, but unfortunately that just wasn’t the case.
“The fact is that I lied about my drinking,” he said. “I did this to myself to cover up the sadness and the emptiness.”Famous people aren’t exempt from sadness, loneliness and emptiness—they are human, just like us. The only difference is they just happen to have the money, fame and luxurious lifestyles many dream of having—except they get to experience firsthand just how empty it all is.A doctor named Robin Smith wrote a book called “Hungry: The Truth about being Full”, and in it she writes about those who feel an emptiness in their lives after experiencing success. She calls it being “hungry for the high note.” She goes on to write about the early deaths of Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. “People say that drugs killed them. Drugs didn’t Kill them. What killed them is they were striving and hungry. They were striving to ‘Hit the high note again.”We have heard the expression, “There is nothing new under the sun.”That phrase was given by King Solomon, who went on a binge to personally experience every pleasure this world had to offer. Solomon lived in a luxurious palace, with servants, a expansive gardens and everything a King of his day could ever desire. He had women at his beck and call, and more wine that a man could drink in a lifetime. He had it all, and yet…he had nothing. Wise old King Solomon summed it up this way: “Everything is meaningless!” (Ecc.1:2)The word for meaningless that Solomon used can be translated to emptiness, futility, meaninglessness, nothingness or simply, a ‘bubble that bursts”.That is where God comes in. King Solomon, who had been raised with faith, abandoned it for a good part of his life. After realizing it the world had nothing good to offer him, he returned to the Lord in the end.My wife likes to put puzzles together. I have no idea why, but she will work meticulously, placing every puzzle piece in it’s proper place until it’s completed. The other day, she had almost finished the puzzle, but one piece suddenly went missing. We both got down on our hands and knees, searching tirelessly for that one missing piece. We finally found it, and completed her puzzle.Life can be that way too.We think we have all the things we want to make us happy, and yet we find ourselves like these celebrities we mentioned earlier: searching, sad, empty, lonely and ultimately, unfulfilled with the lives we are living.God holds the missing piece you are looking for in life. The bible is full of broken, lonely heartbroken people, but it is also full of hope, love and the message of Jesus Christ. I believe that through a relationship with Him, you can find peace, comfort, contentment and an abundant life. If you are feeling despondent enough to take your own life, please reach out for help. And don’t forget to reach up to God.He has the missing piece you are looking for.I will talk about this and much more this Sunday at www.harvestamerica.comAbove video and story originally appeared on Greg Laurie's Facebook page.
Thoughts on the Tragic Death of Anthony Bourdain
We have once again been hit with the news of yet another tragic celebrity suicide, this time it is famed bad boy chef and media personality, Anthony Bourdain, who took his own life by hanging. A sudden wave of shock has filled America and the rest of the world that Anthony so famously traveled.Bourdain’s death follows all-too closely on the heels of the suicides of other notable people in recent months, including Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington and of course just this week, Kate Spade, all by hanging.These suicides are all in pattern with a national trend of increased suicides in America... FULL STORY - THE DAILY CALLER
These are the people I reached for Christ for a period of three years. From 2008 to 2010, I was a full-time extra who worked on many films, TV shows, and commercials. During this time, I was able to evangelize and give tracts out to many people I worked with on set, some of whom included famous celebrities. This was an adventurous, and often times scary, time of my life.When I went into the entertainment field, it was not initially to do any sort of evangelism. I went in to pursue my high school dream of becoming a film director. I used the acting platform for getting exposure in Hollywood. In an unusual turn of events, it was there that I truly met the Lord and found a newfound passion, which was to advance the kingdom agenda in Hollywood.While working on a TV show at Universal Studios Hollywood I met a Christian who was a fellow background artist. He was really no ordinary guy. He was an on-fire believer who was Great Commission focused. He spoke to half of the people on set about Jesus and gave them gospel tracts so fearlessly. I was impressed and got a chance to hear both his salvation testimony and his outreach efforts in Hollywood during the previous five years.This man, Jonathan, evangelized even famous celebrities. The list includes the likes of Dan Aykroyd, Orlando Bloom, Will Smith, Jackie Chan, Annette Bening, Ed Harris, and Steven Spielberg. He even told me of an encounter he had with Harrison Ford on a movie called Crossing Over, where he gave Harrison a gospel tract (from Living Waters Ministry) and was asked to leave the set later on.I thought, "This was crazy stuff!" But I was curious and wanted to know more. I learned more about the gospel and the importance of evangelism through Living Waters Ministry, via the TV show The Way of the Master. It convicted me so much that I knew that instead of being disobedient I was supposed to be doing what I have been called to do as a Christian. I thought, "Why was I living so much for myself when other people who don't know Christ will spend eternity in hell? Isn't Jesus suppose to come back soon?"That's when I gained a new desire to evangelize the lost. I no longer saw my film career as a priority. The saving of lost sinners was and is more pressing. Over the course of the next two-and-a-half years, I started to verbally preach the gospel to others on set and to give out gospel tracts to them. I started to evangelize celebrities myself. I thought, "Who else was going to reach them if people like me don't? How many of them actually have Christian friends who can tell them this kind of stuff?"It had been two years of joyful moments and challenging times. There were some people who were receptive to my work. Everyone from security guards to singers like Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20) and William Friedkin (director) showed interest. But there was also some heat that came on me at times. One time, I got seriously scolded by a Production Assistant for giving a gospel tract to actor James Wood while filming an episode of the now defunct show Shark. Nevertheless, I pressed on, but it wasn't easy.The most memorable story was, of course, the Brad Pitt incident, which I have shared on many media outlets. We were working on the movie Moneyball at the Sony Studios in Culver City. At the end of the shoot, around 12:30 am, I went up to Brad when he was about to head back to his trailer. I gave him a gospel tract with the “million dollar bill” design. Interestingly, it was the Living Waters edition that had his cartoon caricature on it. He took it and said that he was going to look at it later. As I left the set, I was able to also give a gospel DVD to the cinematographer, Wally Pfister.WATCH VIRAL YOUTUBE VIDEO: "ACTOR LOSES CAREER AFTER EVANGELIZING BRAD PITT" BELOWAbout 10 days later, I received a letter from Central Casting, stating that I got terminated. They provided no reason, but I can only guess that it was because of this incident. It just shows that when the gospel is presented, people will either love it or hate it. But that was the price I was willing to pay to see the lost come to saving faith in Jesus, especially when I was in Hollywood. I continue to pray for many of the famous actors in the business.Since my termination from Central Casting, I have moved onto other endeavors, which has led me to where I am today, as teaching pastor of Grace City LA. The Lord was able to open up opportunities to tract celebrities outside of set, the most recent occasion being Wilem DaFoe and Gwen Stefani.This, as well as many more stories, can be found in my book 