Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys said, "He [McLean] came to us yesterday for the first time. I heard him say, 'Guys, I have a problem and I need to get help.'"

Kevin Richardson of the group said McLean, planned a 30 day rehab for "depression, anxiety and his excessive consumption of alcohol."

A.J. McClean also told 'Rolling Stone' magazine he suffered a nervous breakdown recently and started 'freaking out' while sitting in a car outside a pool hall in Orlando, Florida.
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/artist_area/backstreetboys/3833.shtml)

This is a clear and loud testimony that fame and fortune can not provide joy and satisfaction.

Despite the sold out concerts. . .
Despite the thousands of fans screaming their adoration . . .
Despite young girls literally worshipping him . . .
Despite an incredible amount of fame. . .
Despite selling millions of albums. . .
Despite the incredible amount of wealth . . .

None could satisfy!

A.J. McLean, with all his wealth and fame suffers from severe depression and alcoholism. . .

Fame and fortune can not provide joy and satisfaction.

Trying to fill that emptiness and depression with alcohol only deepens that hole.

As the prophet Habakkuk bears witness in Habakkuk 2:5:

"Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and CANNOT BE SATISIFIED, . . ."
Habakkuk 2:5

Only one can satisfy and fill that emptiness and depression.

People for thousands of years have tried to fill that huge empty hole with drugs, fame, power, wealth, purpose, alcohol, sex, you name it � but only one can fill that hole.

ONLY ONE. . .

Mel C (Melanie Jayne Chisholm �Melanie C� of the Spice Girls) has cancelled her UK tour because she is suffering from severe recurring depression. In October the 27-year-old star � worth an estimated �18million � was advised to take a break from music by doctors treating her for depression. She has also been prescribed Prozac.
(Online Sun, Friday, Jan, 26, 2001, http://www.thesun.co.uk/bizarre/archive/13334628

The fame and fortune of being a Spice Girl � can not fill that hole in Melanie�s soul.

Despite being in one of the most popular and wealthiest music group of the early 90�s � that can not satisfy . . .

There is only one that satisfy and fill that hole in your soul . . .

ONLY ONE. . .

Kurt Donald Cobain made it. . .

He literally conquered and redefined the rock music world. . . Like few others before. . . Very few.

Cobain was the leader, writer and star of the mega-multi-platinum grunge band, Nirvana. A band that would forever change the rock music world.

Their song, "Smells Like Teen Sprit" climbed to the charts, and became rock music�s coveted anthem for the 90�s. Their album Nevermind sold over 10 million copies, grossing over $550 million dollars.

Cobain drank from the "cup of fame and fortune" like very few � but it did not quench that thirst in his soul.

And the young man, that millions of young people adored and literally worshipped, tragically, on April 7, 1994, at the bright, young age of 27, took his own life.

In Kurt�s painful, suicide note, he wrote:

"I haven't felt the excitement of listening to as well as creating music along with reading and writing for too many years now. . . I've tried everything within my power to appreciate it . . ."

Kurt had wallowed in that coveted "fame and fortune" that most people would give anything to taste but for a moment — but it wasn�t enough. Not nearly enough.

It could not fill that emptiness in his soul.

Kurt�s suicide note, tells his concern for his young daughter Frances (whom Kurt loved dearly) and the fear what he had become:

"I can't stand the thought of Frances becoming the miserable, self-destructive, death rocker that I've become. . . her life, which will be so much happier without me."

What a tragedy! What a pitiful ending for a young life. . .

Despite the fame. . .
Despite the fortune . .
Despite the family. . .

It just wasn�t enough . . .

There is only one that can fill that emptiness in your soul . . .

ONLY ONE. . .

If there ever was anyone that could testify to the satisfaction that fame and fortune could bring — it was Elvis Presley.

Elvis Presley had it all. . .

Fame. . .
Fortune. . .
Fulfillment. . .
Adoration . . .
Fans . . .
Talent . . .

But despite all Elvis had — he lacked — any real happiness or joy.

David Stanley, Elvis�s step-brother, in Life Magazine, June 1990, describes the tragic last days in the life of Elvis Presley:

"Elvis�s day was night. By four a.m. he had been lucid for perhaps eight hours. Now it was time for him to tune out. . . he would turn to the aide on duty and say: �Gimme my first attack.�

The attendant would break out a small yellow envelope containing 11 different pills [barbiturates such as Amytal, Carbrital, Nembutal, or Seconal, and also Placidyl, Quaaludes and Valium] and three shots of Demerol. Elvis would hold out a cupped hand, and the attendant would fill it with brightly colored tablets and capsules. He would swallow the pills one by one with a glass of water. Next, he would stand up and remove his pajama top, exposing his back, into which � on either side of the spine beneath the shoulder blades � were thrust the little needles of the plastic disposable syringes. . .

Mixing any of these drugs requires great caution. By taking them all at once, Elvis was risking his life every day. He became a pharmaceutical freak. Dr. Norman Weissman, the pathologist who compiled the toxicology report after Elvis�s death, testified that he had never seen so many drugs in one body. . .

In about four hours Elvis would begin to stir. Though he was so drugged he couldn�t speak, his feeble efforts to get out of bed would indicate that he wanted to go to the bathroom. With great difficulty the aide would then hoist the boss�s 250-pound body onto his back, transport him in a fireman�s carry, deposit him on the toilet, then carry him back to bed again. . . Elvis would tug at his attendant�s shirt. This was the signal for his second attack. Another yellow envelope (inscribed �second attack�) would appear, but this time the job of administering all these drugs was difficult. The aide had to insert the pills one by one into Elvis�s mouth and gingerly manipulate the water glass, taking great care not to choke him.

Elvis would quickly fall asleep again. At 10. A.m. he received his third attack. This final load would sink him until mid-afternoon, when he woke up groggy and disoriented. At this point he needed a different type of drug. And aide would insert cotton swabs soaked in liquid cocaine into his nostrils, and then Elvis would grab from his drug-strewn beside table a handful of Dexedrines to jump-start his heart.

When asked what could possibly justify such a monstrous, life-threatening routine, David Stanley answers by quoting Elvis himself: �I�d rather be unconscious than miserable.� (Life Magazine, June 1990, p.101, as told by David Stanley, Elvis�s step-brother)

Despite the incredible fame and fortune Elvis accumulated he was one miserable soul. . .

Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.
Psalm 52:7

The "abundance of riches" can never satisfy.

There is only one that can satisfy that huge hole in your soul . . .

ONLY ONE. . .

Only the Lord Jesus Christ can fill that hole in your soul!

Only the Lord Jesus Christ can satisfy that emptiness in your soul!

People, for thousands of years, have tried to fill that huge empty hole with drugs, fame, power, wealth, purpose, alcohol, sex, you name it � but only Jesus can fill that hole.

Even the deluded, psychiatrist and occultist, Carl Jung recognized this emptiness:

"About a third of my cases are suffering from no clinically definable neurosis but from the senselessness and emptiness of their lives".

Dr. Rollo May, a well-known, New York psychiatrist, wrote:

"It may seem surprising when I say on the basis of my own clinical experience that the chief problem of the middle decade of the 20^th century is emptiness. . ."

Rock music author, Danny Sugerman, acknowledged and documented this emptiness:

"We run from one event to another, driven from devotion to devotion, to one object to another and again on to another, because the meaning of each quickly vanishes and the creative eros is transformed into indifference or aversion. Everything is tried and nothing satisfies. . .

Everything around us promises relief�but nothing works. . .

We are led to expect gratification and it never happens. We are dying of a thirst and the buckets all have holes."
(Sugerman, Danny, Appetite for Destruction: The Days of Guns �N Roses, p. 45)

Sugerman went on to narrow down the reason for this emptiness:

"From the time we can speak, we are bombarded with the message that we alone are not enough: take this; buy this; have this; fell better, stronger, safer, sexier, more desirable, more secure, more powerful, and none of it works because we�re looking in the wrong place. . .

Drugs and music, seen in this context, are only the most available (and temporarily effective) solutions to a rampant spiritual malnourishment."
(Sugerman, Danny, Appetite for Destruction: The Days of Guns �N Roses, p. 46)

"A rampant spiritual malnourishment" � exactly right!

And that "rampant spiritual malnourishment" can only be satisfied with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Only Jesus can satisfy that emptiness. . .

No amount of wealth. . .
No great purpose . . .
No drug. . .
No high . . .
No pleasure . . .
No amount of fame and fortune . . .

Absolutely nothing but Jesus Christ can fill that empty hole in your soul.

1 Timothy 5:6 gives the "result" of this "pleasure seeking" generation:

But she that liveth in pleasure is DEAD while she liveth. 1 Timothy 5:6

Pleasure alone will not satisfy. . .

It will only leave you empty and � more dead than alive.

Dead . . . Depressed . . . Discouraged . . . Destitute. . .
Disappointed . . . Discontent . . . Dissatisfied . . .

You can fill your life with all the pleasures, wealth, fame, and fortune this world could possibly offer and you will not be satisfied!

Voltaire the famous infidel, wrote in despair:
      "I wish I had never been born"

Not in Pleasure —

Lord Byron lived a life of pleasure and grandeur, he wrote:
      "The worm, the canker, and grief are mine alone."

Millionaire, Jay Gould, as he was dying cried:
      "I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth"

Lord Beaconsfield wrote:
      "Youth is a mistake; manhood a struggle; old age a regret."

Alexander the Great conquered the known world of his day, and still wasn't satisfied.
Having conquered all, he wept in his tent and cried:
      "There are no more worlds to conquer".

As Proverbs 27:20 truthfully says:

". . . the eyes of man are NEVER SATISFIED."

The only one that can satisfy and bring real joy in your life is the Lord Jesus Christ!

The famous evangelist Billy Sunday during many of his revival meetings years ago, would offer a gold piece to anyone who could take his hand, look him straight in the eye and honestly tell Brother Sunday, they were happy and totally satisfied without the Lord Jesus Christ. In the many years Brother Sunday made his offer, only one man came forward to take the gold piece. As he took Brother Sunday�s hand, Billy asked him, "Do you mean to tell me you�re totally satisfied without Jesus Christ?". At that, the man, shook his head and replied, "Why, no one can honestly take that gold piece under those conditions".

You could honestly be more able to jump over the moon, or drink the Pacific Ocean than to be totally satisfied without the Lord Jesus Christ.

You can try to convince yourself that you are totally satisfied without Jesus � but in your heart you know it�s a lie.

I know, I tried it for 20 long years, but I knew something was missing. Something was missing and nothing — but nothing could fill that hole.

And I knew it . . .

But on July 30, 1975, I received the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour � and I can testify as the songwriter wrote:

Hallelujah! I have found Him
Whom my soul so long has craved.
Jesus satisfies my longings;
Through His blood I now am saved.

And for over 25 years, I can say without the least hesitation, or reservation � He has satisfied that missing element in my life. More than I could ever dream! I�ve never regretted receiving Jesus Christ even a second. I�ve never, ever, thought of having to look elsewhere for something better.

Jesus Christ satisfies!

Jesus Christ said in John 10:10:

". . . I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
John 10:10

Oh, what a joy! A peace that passeth all understanding!

"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Phil. 4:17

As I write this, I�m searching my vocabulary and my heart for the words to convey the joy and satisfaction I�ve got in Jesus Christ � but friend, I don�t have the words to describe what He did in my life!

Oh, how I wish I did! Oh, how I wish more than anything I did! Oh, how I wish I could stand on top of the world and say, "Earth, this is what you�re looking for. This is what is missing. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life� (John 14:6)

Jesus Christ gave me a joy, a peace, and real life! More than any drug, alcohol, any experience, any wealth, any fortune or fame could possibly satisfy.

Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
Psalms 107:8-9

I can say with the apostle Peter � Jesus Christ gave me a "joy unspeakable":

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
1 Peter 1:8

In John 14:27, the Lord Jesus makes a wonderful statement:

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. �" Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

That peace you�ve so longed for � that no amount of money � no amount of pleasure � no amount of love � could provide � is found only in the Lord Jesus!

Well. It's true. IT'S ABSOLUTELY TRUE!

If you don�t believe it � try Jesus out. . .

The Lord makes this "try me" challenge in Psalm 34:8:

"O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him"
Psalm 34:8

Would you like to have that "peace that passeth understanding"?

Would you like to know "joy unspeakable"?

It is found only in the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you've never received Jesus Christ as your Savior, please bow your head this minute and ask the Lord Jesus Christ to save you and give YOU that "joy unspeakable".

• Realize you are a sinner.
  
  

  "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:" Romans 3:10
  
  "... for there is no difference. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" Romans 3:23
  
  

• Realize you CAN NOT save yourself.

  "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; ..." Isaiah 64:6
  
  "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, ..." Titus 3:5
  
  

• Realize that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for your sins.

  "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, ..." 1 Peter 2:24
  
  "... Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood," Revelation 1:5
  
  

• Simply by faith receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.

  "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" John 1:12
  
  " ...Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."" Acts 16:30,31
  
  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
  
  

If you just now prayed that prayer and meant it with all your heart — according to God's Words — YOU ARE SAVED!

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Romans 10:13

"For whosoever" — that includes YOU!

And God can not LIE!

"In hope of eternal life, which God, THAT CANNOT LIE, promised before the world began;" Titus 1:2