I would like to congratulate Gov. Mike and first lady Janet Huckabee on the renewing of their wedding vows. As a Christian man, I applaud their willingness to commit to a monogamous, loving relationship.

I truly believe that one of the greatest joys in life is marriage. The process of finding the right one, popping the question, setting a date and planning the ceremony is an incredibly wonderful experience. The actual moment when you stand before the minister, friends and family, and speak those vows before God is an awesome moment that you remember for the rest of your life.

Being a gay man, I thought I would never get to experience this meaningful moment, but it happened for me on Oct. 16, 1993. I married my best friend, Gary Eddy. We met in 1974 at a Christian college in Missouri. He was from South Dakota and I was from Arkansas. It took us 18 years to finally get together, but it was well worth the wait. He moved here to Arkansas in 1992 and we both felt in our hearts that God had caused our paths to cross. We further believed that God was knitting our hearts together as one. We made the decision to spend the rest of our lives together, supporting and loving one another, sharing our Christian faith together.

So we made the plans and we spoke our vows of love to each other: “I vow to you to be a true and faithful friend and companion. I vow to honor you always, to surround you with the comfort of my prayers, to give myself only to you in the act of love’s union. It is my desire that we shall become one heart that beats in worship to the Lord God our creator, that we shall be one in purpose to serve Christ in unity, and that we shall love each other in purity so that the world will see the fruit of God’s spirit coming forth from our union. I will be loyal to you in bad times as well as good times, in sickness and in health, till death part us.”

Many who were there that day spoke of how they sensed the hovering of the Holy Spirit in that place as we spoke our covenant of love. That was 12 years ago, but my love for Gary is stronger and more intense today than ever. That is because of the richness that comes only through years of commitment and faithfulness.

I am pastor of a church, as was Huckabee, so both he and I know the joy of this experience. As in all callings in life, there are good times and bad times in the pastoral ministry. I am sure that many times when Huckabee was serving as a pastor, as well as in the office of governor, he has thanked God over and over for a faithful mate who stands with him and serves with and alongside him.

I, too, have such a spouse. I can remember a very sad time in my ministry when I felt like throwing in the towel. I was facing strong criticism from certain people whose opinions I valued. It was my loving spouse who spoke words of encouragement to me. He assured me that, though others did not, he believed in me and that he knew God had called me to the ministry and that he would support me 100 percent. I am sure I do not have to tell you what that meant to a minister full of doubts about himself and his calling.

Recently, Gary came down with the flu and I was taking care of him. As he lay there on the couch in pain and discomfort, I did my best to comfort him. When he finally drifted off to sleep, I looked at that precious man whom I love so deeply and I was overcome with emotion as I thought of how empty my life would be without him. I reached out and placed my hand on his head and prayed for God to heal him. I also took that opportunity to say, “Thank you, God, for bringing such a wonderful person into my life.”

I am a much better man because of Gary’s love for me.

This Valentine’s Day, Gary and I also will be renewing our vows to each other. The commitment we have made is the same one my dad and mom made to each other in July 1946. They raised me to respect the institution of marriage. They showed me by example how to “do it right.” They were together for 54 years, till they were parted by my dad’s death in 2000. My parents taught me that you find the person God has for you and you commit your life to him or her. You cherish and love that person in the good times as well as the bad. You love that person as Christ loved the church.

I found that person. I did commit my life to him. I cherish him and thank God for this wonderful, rich experience. My parents called this commitment marriage and so do we. Our thoughts and prayers will be with the governor and first lady as they renew their vows of marriage.