Pastor, mental health advocate Jarrid Wilson dies by apparent suicide, wife reports

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “home” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

Pastor Jarrid Wilson, a California church leader, author and mental health advocate, died by apparent suicide Monday night, his wife said.

He was 30.

"My loving, giving, kind-hearted, encouraging, handsome, hilarious, give the shirt of his back husband went to be with Jesus late last night," Juli Wilson posted on Instagram Tuesday. "Suicide doesn’t get the last word. I won’t let it. You always said, “Hope Gets the last word. Jesus gets the last word.”

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My loving, giving, kind-hearted, encouraging, handsome, hilarious, give the shirt of his back husband went to be with Jesus late last night . No more pain, my jerry, no more struggle. You are made complete and you are finally free. Suicide and depression fed you the worst lies, but you knew the truth of Jesus and I know you’re by his side right this very second . I love you forever, Thomas jarrid Wilson, but I have to say that you being gone has completely ripped my heart out of my chest. You loved me and our boys relentlessly and I am forever grateful that i had YOU as a husband and a father to our boys . You are my forever and I will continue to let other people know of the hope in Jesus you found and spoke so boldly about . Suicide doesn’t get the last word. I won’t let it. You always said “Hope Gets the last word. Jesus gets the last word”. Your life’s work has lead thousands to the feet of Jesus and your boldness to tell other about your struggle with anxiety and depression has helped so many other people feel like they weren’t alone. YOU WERE an ANTHEM OF HOPE to everyone, baby, and I’ll do my best to continue your legacy of love until my last breath . I need you, jare, but you needed Jesus to hold you and I have to be okay with that. You are everything to me. Since the day we met. J & J. Love you more . These are photos of him in his happy place - fishing the day away . I’ll teach our boys all your tricks, babe. Promise. You are my #anthemofhope

A post shared by Julianne Wilson 🌿 (@itsjuliwilson) on Sep 10, 2019 at 2:02pm PDT

Suicide prevention: Having a mental health crisis? Dial 988

Wilson is the author of several books, including "Jesus Swagger" and "Love is Oxygen."

In 2016, he and his wife founded Anthem of Hope, a nonprofit that wants to better equip churches to help those with mental health issues like depression, anxiety and self harm.

Wilson also appeared in a 2017 episode of the TLC show "Outdaughtered" where he encouraged a Texas father of six daughters to seek therapy.

Most recently, he was an associate pastor at megachurch Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California. He joined the church 18 months ago.

“At a time like this, there are just no words,” Harvest senior pastor Greg Laurie told Christianity Today.

“Sometimes people may think that as pastors or spiritual leaders we are somehow above the pain and struggles of everyday people. We are the ones who are supposed to have all the answers. But we do not,” Laurie said.

Wilson's wife posted a photo tribute of her husband on social media with one shot in the slideshow showing him fishing “in his happy place.” She called her husband “loving, giving, kind-hearted, encouraging, handsome, hilarious.”

“No more pain, my jerry, no more struggle. You are made complete and you are finally free,” she wrote in the caption.

Wilson was open about his own depression, often posting on his social media accounts about his battles with the mental illness.

Before his death, he tweeted, “Loving Jesus doesn’t always cure suicidal thoughts.”

His death came one day before during National Suicide Day (Sept. 10) and about a day after he retweeted this Anthem of Hope tweet:

"Lonely? Depressed? Need someone to talk to? Check out the FREE Anthem of Hope 24/7 chat feature. You don’t have to do this alone!"

Follow Natalie Neysa Alund on Twitter: @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Jarrid Wilson: Suicide apparent in death after mental health tweets