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.
I find myself truly wanting to communicate what you already know... lol. You speak in this sermon about how immature people can be in their walk debating God in one, or three, or a thousand. And you mention that you are getting affirmation that you're just aware of it and in the flow of some of the oldest news in the world. It seems to me, as a person who has wandered from mainline Lutheranism through AOG and onwards through eastern religions and back through honest and sincere prayer and pursuit, that indeed you have a key that so many have lost. If people realized how ultimately simple the Truth actually is.... but, it's more expedient for powers and principalities to separate and encourage ego over agape.
A couple of hours ago I spoke to Jared (my oldest son) in Manchester, England, where he and his band are currently playing. They are doing very well, about to release a new album, and will be featured on the cover of Spin Magazine next month. I've already written about him and the band on my other blog (www.bloginthenow.blogspot.com) "Yes, Jared Swilley is My Son!" - March 14, 2008).
Jared and me in Peru a few years ago, building a Habitat for Humanity house...
The gospel of the Kingdom must be a counter-culture gospel. Jesus refused to simply accept the status quo. He was outspoken about what needed to be changed in the world and He did what was necessary to bring about that change. Today the word cult has a negative connotation, but the meaning of it is actually derived from the phrase counter-culture. And when there are things about the culture that are contrary to Kingdom principles, it becomes necessary for the gospel to take on an aspect of activism. The gospel should counter a culture where the divorce rate is higher than 50%, where there are more African-American men in jails and prisons than in colleges and universities, and where reports of child sexual abuse have become so common that they don’t even seem shocking anymore. That kind of culture definitely needs a makeover! 
Many years ago I worked with my father in his midtown Atlanta church where we experienced what we thought was a great “revival” among many of the gay and lesbian people of the inner city. Over the years I counseled with these people, took them through what we believed to be deliverance and inner healing, cast demons out of them (or so we thought), and pressured them into heterosexual relationships, including marriage, so that they could live normal lives. It bothers me now when I hear ministers say that being gay is just a decision. I have never met any straight person who just decided one day to be gay. Why would anyone just decide to make their life so difficult and complicated? When you have looked into the tortured faces of people as they tell you the tragic story of a life spent trying to become straight, or have listened to them sob in a fetal position on the floor of your office because they don’t want to be who they really are, you begin to see the real problem with the “gay is a decision” theory. 
Let me say, once and for all: HETEROSEXUALITY IS ALIVE AND WELL! I make this simple and obvious statement for the sake of the many people who, for whatever reason, write, e-mail, call, text, or post on my other blog to remind me that God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. I’m not really sure what this tired and overused phrase is supposed to mean, really, or what it is supposed to accomplish. I guess it is said to me and to people like me for the purpose of possibly snapping my mind back to the reality of the creation story Genesis 1, and to hopefully change my sexual orientation…as if a statement like this could alter my thinking about the long-held truth of my life, or my beliefs about human sexuality. 
In much of my correspondence, the question of whether or not I’m aware of what the Bible calls an “abomination” keeps coming up, and the answer to that is yes, I am well aware. In fact, here’s a short list of just some of the things the Bible calls an abomination (there are 67 things listed in all), in case you’re wondering about it…
I think it's important to point out that my main message is and always has been one of love, grace, and tolerance. Church In The Now has been a multicultural/multi ethnic/ecumenical community since its inception, and, as such, has established a long-standing reputation as being a bridge builder among belief systems and people groups. It is neither a white church, nor a black church - it is a church for all people - so it will not become, now or ever, a "gay" church. CITN is inclusive because we believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, demands that we be...and that Gospel is simply the Good News that GOD IS LOVE, demonstrated through the Christ, revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus said that the lifestyle demands made by the Gospel are summed up in two basic and proactive commandments: (1) Love God (2) Love people. That's all. Church In The Now will always be a place that embraces the truth of the real Gospel, and the simplicity that is in Christ.
Concerning any negative things written about me online, which are mostly done by conservative Christian or Evangelical groups or watchdog organizations, I can only say that it comes with the territory, and I'm used to it. I have no desire to defend myself, or to argue the Scriptures with those who would not be open to anything I would have to say. Integrity can't be proven, it must be discerned.
I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say that the response to the video (“A Real Message to Real People”) has been astounding, but, had I thought beforehand that it was going to become so high profile, I might have phrased a few things that I said on it differently. My apologies to anyone who was offended by anything that was stated, but I just said what was on my heart, with no script, or preconceived idea of what I was going say. I feel very passionate about certain things, and those of you who know me know that I communicate exactly what I feel about things that really matter to me. The video is what it is, but my prayer is that the spirit of the message delivered would be heard louder than the letter of it.
I’m overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support that I have received in recent months from friends, colleagues, fellow pastors, and from so many of you whom I’ve never met. Your words of kindness have been life-giving, and I’ve read your beautiful e-mails, texts, tweets, and public and private Facebook messages over and over again, many times with tears. I’ve tried to respond to all of them, but if I somehow missed yours, please forgive me and know that I’ve read what you had to say, and that I really appreciate it.