14 YEARS TOGETHER!

 

8th Wedding Anniversary

APRIL EVENTS/LIFE IS GOOD!

Ken and I would like to thank you all for your kind words about our 7th Anniversary (April 1), and I would like to thank you for all the birthday blessings from yesterday (April 3)...Ken's birthday is the 19th, so April is a big month for us!

Thanks again to Judah Swilley and Curtis Elder for this awesome video!

JIM SWILLEY/KEN MARSHALL

I want to sincerely thank everyone for your amazing words of support and celebration on Social Media, and in private messages and phone calls to us in regards to our wedding yesterday in beautiful New York City...we are absolutely overwhelmed by the love that we feel from all of you, and your sweet comments really made it seem like you all were a part of our perfect day...and it was just that, %100 PERFECT...there was so much favor, and so much flow to everything, that there was/is no doubt that God and the angels and the Universe were all smiling on us, and giving us a big, sloppy wet kiss...not even one hiccup...it was exactly as I/we had imagined it, and our hearts are overflowing with bliss and gratitude...there is a lot more to tell about it, but I'll save it for when we get home...

Our phones and computers have been blowing up with non-stop messages, so if we missed responding to one of yours, please don't think that we didn't read it...again, thank you so much!

I also want to say thank you to my husband, Ken Marshall...you are, without a doubt, the finest, sweetest, most wonderful man I've ever known, and I'm honored to have you share my life with me...I love you so much...

One more thing...however good you think that God is, multiply that to infinity...He's sooooo much better than we can imagine, and He is able to do more than we can ask or think!

Here are some of my favorite comments from the last few hours...except for Bishop Flunder's words, I just used initials because most of these were private messages, and I didn't ask the people who wrote them if I could quote them...

"I am so happy for you and Ken. I am so proud to serve a God that LOVES. You guys are an amazing example of what He can do. I am a Mental Health Counselor and serve mostly adolescents and young adults. I have used your example and the things you've written about your family with my clients and clients' families who are struggling. Know that your love for each other shows through a computer screen and that you have helped young people that you don't even know. I pray that the wonderful, powerful,loving God that we serve continue to bless you accordingly..."
- KD

"...you've sparked a light in others with your journey from 'coming out' to your church and remaining pastor, to speaking publicly on CNN, to getting married. And the journey, nay adventure, isn't over. Better it is yet to be shared with a companion..."
- JJ

"Congrats to Bishop Jim Swilley on getting married on New Year's Eve. He and his partner are starting the New Year off right. Jim has been an inspiration to many of us regarding his courage and enormous strength in coming out a couple of years ago to his mega church congregation; thus, rocking the Christian religious community. He is a brilliant scholar and a wonderful human being. Jim is an example that it's never too late to live in your truth and in total freedom despite the cost - liberty is costly to have and to maintain. His coming out in his 5Os shows that at any point one can do what's in one's heart."
- NS

"Jim I joy as I see that you can be joined legally with your companion....Im pushing 70 years old and it is one of the greatest events of my days.........blessings to you...and rest in your honesty..."
- DD

"Days like this make the journey to marriage equality worth the struggle. I love you as Brothers and wish you the best that heaven has to offer."
- Bishop Yvette Flunder

"I'm filled with joy as I see, and feel, glimpses of your last couple of days. It's like seeing an explosion of happiness that showers confetti down on all others, triggering the spread of more goodness in an exponential way. I'm thrilled for you both, and I know that this will be your brightest year ahead, together, joined in union.I don't want to go on long as I'm certain that your inboxes are flooded. I just wanted to share some of what's on my mind. And someone better buy some more confetti for all the happiness and good to come. I love you."
- BS



Thanks so much, everyone! Love to ALL!

ATLANTA PRIDE 10/12/14

ATLANTA PRIDE 10/11/14

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US!

      

 

I am blessed today to be celebrating the anniversary of  a beautiful and wonderful, committed relationship that I share with the kindest, sweetest, most loving man that I have ever known, Mr. Kenneth T. Marshall. For the past two years he has been there for me, taken care of me, supported me, loved me unconditionally, listened intently to every sermon that I've preached, believed in every dream that I've talked about, walked with me through every difficult moment that I've experienced, loved and celebrated my kids and my grandkids, helped me babysit the (grand)girls, gone to every local gig that my boys have played and cheered them on (even into the wee hours of the morning), helped me see about my parents and treat them as if they were his own, respected and honored the mothers of my children (especially Debye who still works with me), fixed everything that needed fixing in my house, has virtually transformed my parents' home into a showplace, helped the tech team set up and tear down for services before we got a permanent building for CITNE, helped us move into the building when we got one, fixed things there when they got broken, learned to run camera for the live streaming, nursed me back to health when I've gotten sick, stayed with me in my room when I was in the hospital, stayed up late with me for appointments without complaining even though he had to get up early for work the next morning, checked on people in the church and contacted them when they needed ministry, laughed with me, cried with me, and has just basically been the best partner that I could have ever asked for.

 

Every day of these last two years has been filled with happiness and a joy that I never thought I would experience in my lifetime. We have enjoyed every single day that we've been together, whether travelling (which we love to do), or just hanging out watching old movies together (I've made him sit through every one of my favorites).

 

My kids love and respect him, my friends appreciate him, my parents rely on him, my granddaughters adore him, and my congregation(s) have nothing but admiration, high esteem and affection for him.

 

Ken is one of the most down-to-earth, unpretentious, good-natured, optimistic, and sweet-spirited individuals that I have ever known. He is a great father to his sons, is an awesome son to his father, and was the principle caretaker for his mother in the last years of her life, caring for her right up to her death from Alzheimer's disease 3 years ago.

 

He always believes the best in people (including me), and never has a bad thing to say about anyone. There is no drama with him. He's always in a good mood. He has a true servant's heart, and his selflessness is inspirational.

 

He's an old-school, Southern Gentleman with very good manners. I've never met anyone more thoughtful. He can fix absolutely anything, is an incredibly hard worker, and does every job, from the biggest to the smallest, in total excellence.

 

He is loving, attentive, romantic, and does everything within his power to make every aspect of my life absolutely pleasurable. Making me happy is of the utmost importance to him, and he has been supremely successful in making that happen.

 

I've known that I was gay my entire life, but I didn't come out until I was 52 years old. So I honestly didn't know if I would ever be able, at my age, to find a man that I could love and admire who could accept and fit in with my very unusual life...someone who was mature enough to be able to share me with kids, grandkids, an ex-wife who is still very involved in my life, and all the many, many people who demand my attention for ministry, literally 24 hours a day.

 

But I did find that man, and he's the man that I'm in love with...a grown man of integrity who also knew his whole life that he, too, was gay, but tried to be something that he wasn't to please everyone else and to be accepted...a man who has gone through his own difficult and unique journey toward authenticity in his personal life, and has gotten to the other side of self-revelation without any shred of bitterness or regret...a man who also waited a very long time to come out, and also wondered if he would be able find someone to love and spend the rest of his life with at this late date.

 

In a word, we are both very, very thankful that we found each other.

 

Did God send Ken to me?

 

Yes, definitely.

 

Does God approve of the life we have together?

 

Not a doubt in my mind.

 

Are we blessed as a couple?

 

More than you can imagine.

 

Is this a Happy Anniversary for us?

 

Well, what do you think?

 

If you have a different opinion or viewpoint on these things, I can only tell you that you came too late to convince me otherwise (and, yes, I've read the whole Bible, and I know what Moses and Paul said)...

 

The bottom line is that I know who Ken is in my life, and I know where he came from...all good gifts come from the Father of Lights, and he is a very, very good gift to me.

 

Happy Anniversary, Kenneth.

 

I love you with all my heart.