On Tuesday 12 April 2016, former reality TV star David Gest was found dead in the Four Season’s Hotel, London, just months before embarking on a tour uncannily named ‘David Gest is Not Dead’. The aptly named tour was named following his presence in the Big Brother House earlier this year when another celebrity contestant in the BB House mistook the announcement of the death of David Bowie as being that of David Gest, while he Gest was asleep in his bed.
David Gest was in London, who like his friend Michael Jackson, preparing to verge on a tour, ‘David Gest is Not Dead’, only to be found dead shortly before the commencement of his tour.
Gest had made his fortune as a celebrity doing presentations, musicals and other personality series in the media. He was married briefly to the American celebrity Liza Minnelli, daughter of Judy Garland and was close friends not only with Michael Jackson but also Elizabeth Taylor.
The irony of David Gest’s pending tour themed ‘David Gest is Not Dead’ demonstrates the fragility and brevity of life as we cannot assume tomorrow is ours; and while we think that death is a distant event, this serves to remind us that life is neither a certainty but fragile and tomorrow is a statistical possibility rather than an absolute certainty.
James, in the scriptures reminds us that our times are not in our hands but in God’s, and we ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that’, James 4:15.
In the absence of tomorrow’s certainty, today is our God-given opportunity to fulfil His will and purpose for our lives. ‘This is the day that the Lord has made we will rejoice and be glad in it’. Psalm 118:24
Jackson H Brown wrote “the best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today” and whilst we are alive, let us treat this day as our very last as one day you will be right. So today live, live live and keep living to the glory of God. Amen!