I report; you decide.
CJBrown
Text of the above link:
Kirk Talley Responds to Recent Events
Dear Friends:
It is with great sadness that I write to you today. Many of you have emailed
me personally, many have called the office to inquire as to what's going on
with me these days.
As you have seen on my website, all upcoming concerts have been canceled.
For years and years I have been in a battle with some very personal issues.
I have fought and fought and at times been victorious, but then again at
other times, I have been weak. For 30 or more years I have battled feelings
of loneliness and depression, all stemming from the struggle of
homosexuality. It has wreaked havoc on friendships, relationships, and of
course my marriage. I have tried and tried during all of this to maintain my
relationship with Christ but at times, that was even difficult. I have come
to learn that this battle is much greater and much more complex than what
most people realize. I have sought Christian counseling thru the years, I
have talked with great pastors, men and women of God, that have prayed for
me and with me and held me when I didn't have the strength to stand.
In the past 90 days, I have been the victim of extortion by someone who
gained personal knowledge of my life. This person demanded a large sum of
money to keep quiet. I had to go to the FBI and get the authorities
involved. Therefore in the midst of the federal case, the local media found
out about it and has become widely publicized nation wide. The US Attorneys
office and the FBI insisted that I make no statement to anyone concerning
the case, and I still can't speak to that.
I am very very sorry that I have disappointed so many of my friends. I ask
you to forgive me. At this point, I don't know where I am headed, don't know
what I am going to do, and I don't know where I will end up. But this I do
know. I know about the mercy and grace that I have written about for years.
I have experienced it time and time again and at this point, I am living in
the arms of mercy.
I have had so many people email me to say they were praying for me, standing
with me, holding me up in thoughts and prayers. Let me say that my
thankfulness for your encouragement could never be measured. I have held
onto it during this most difficult time of my life. Naturally there has been
a lot of hate mail too, but I am not letting that get to me. So many people
have emailed me with stories of their own personal strife. As I am walking
through this, I have come to realize that there are thousands of people who
struggle with the same issues, people in ministry, people in music,
professional "all-together" people, men and women. At this present time, I
certainly am in no position to help these people as I need help myself. I am
seeking counsel, trying to have a better understanding of this pain in my
life. Contrary to what some people have suggested, I still have a
relationship with God and I am surrounding myself with Godly people that are
giving me wise counsel and they are helping me walk through this.
I ask for your prayers at this time in my life. I know some will
automatically throw me aside, and I understand that totally. I have actually
thrown myself aside several times but God has always been faithful, picking
me back up and saying "go on." If there are those of you that will commit to
pray for me daily, I would greatly appreciate it. My immediate plans are
uncertain, but I feel a need to go to a quiet place and try to gain refocus
and seek God's perfect will and direction for my life.
So many of the southern gospel artists and people involved in the industry
of gospel music have been my rock in the past few weeks and I appreciate
their compassion and their continued friendship.
My website will remain open so I can be in touch with you at some later
time. Thank you for understanding that right now I need to take some time to
reflect, think and pray. Certainly, I am seeking God's will in my life.
Kirk