Walking into the home of Greg Hubble and Michael Tuzzio is like walking into an episode of “Antiques Road Show.” They moved into their home only six months ago, but it is filled with an abundance of antiques and furnishings collected over several years. 

“I keep telling Michael that everything doesn’t have to be an antique.  Balance is important,” says Greg.   

Greg and Michael met in August of 2002 and had a ceremony two years later. Since then, their lives have been committed to their God and to each other.

Greg says, “A life lived in Christ with His love is a more balanced life.” 

It turns out that balance is a key word in how Greg chooses to live. However, balance was not always present. 

Greg grew up in what he describes as a legalistic environment. Raised in the Missionary Baptist Church, Greg was taught that movies, shorts, jeans, facial hair and many other common everyday items were considered ungodly.

“My church pulled out of the Southern Baptist Convention, because they were perceived as too liberal," he says.  

The Southern Baptist Convention? Too liberal? Hard to believe. 

As a young boy, Greg describes himself as “a sissy.” “I played with girls. I jumped rope.  As much as I hate to admit it, I was a sissy.”

An odd statement to hear from someone who isn’t feminine. He realized this at the age of eleven when he was playing with some friends and relatives. A cousin stopped him one day and said, “Stop acting like a sissy!” Turns out that admonition would be a pivotal point in his life. 

“From then on, I became very aware of how I walked and how I talked.” Greg didn’t want to be perceived as being any different, but knew deep inside that he was very different from other boys. 

In his early 20s, Greg’s grandfather on his father’s side passed away. “The church did nothing for me or my family. We had been active for years. I couldn’t understand the reason why.” 

Later, he discovered the reason. His father wasn’t a member of the church. Even though the rest of the family were members, his father was not. Therefore, the church chose not to extend any comfort or sympathy to the family. 

Eventually, Greg decided to attend another Baptist church in the area. Here he was ordained as a deacon and took on the responsibility of being an assistant choir director.

“I knew I was wrestling with my sexuality and began to pray and fast that God would remove this from me. I prayed for hours at a time and fasted for weeks. I thought if I was close enough to God, this wouldn’t be a problem.”   

His position as an assistant choir director gave him access to the church building so he could go in and pray any time the building wasn’t in use. Greg would pray for hours at times, fervently seeking God and pleading that this would be removed from his life. 

One day in the middle of a fasting week, Greg stopped at his grandmother’s for lunch. Due to his fast, lunch consisted of a glass of tea. As he left his grandmother’s, he was yet again praying that God would remove his homosexuality. 

This particular day would produce a dramatic result to Greg's fervent prayer. What followed is what Greg describes as the clearest God has ever spoken to him. It wasn’t an audible voice. But Greg knew in his heart the clear and distinct message his Savior had for him. 

God responded by saying, “Yes, I could change you, but I’m not changing you. I made you this way. I want you to be who I created you to be.” 

And who are we to argue with God? This was a pivotal point in Greg’s life, bringing him back to a state of balance. 

Realizing how long it took him to come to his own understanding, Greg didn’t expect his family to come to it as quickly. Striving to find the balance between living his life and not wanting to make his family uncomfortable, Greg decided to move.

“I knew the potential problems of living a gay life in a small town could cause my family, so out of respect for them, I began making plans to move.” 

Those plans eventually took him to Florida for nursing school and then on to Nashville where he met Michael Tuzzio in 2002. “God has always prepared me…from the relationship I am in to the friends I have. Everything is directed by God.” 

“I am openly gay. All my family knows and supports me. Fortunately, I didn’t have to decide between God and being gay.  I was able to achieve both. Living a gay life doesn’t nullify our responsibility to live a moral life.

Live a life that honors God. Let people see that first in your life. We may never see the work God is doing through or around us...but He does.”