posted 01-02-2002 11:15 AM            

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Writing in sky sends wrong message

By Scott McCabe and Alex Navarro Clifton, Palm Beach Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, January 2, 2002

BOCA RATON -- Skywriter Jerry Stevens soared over Palm Beach County on New Year's Day, filling the heavens with God's praise. But instead of lofty inspiration, his message drew dread for some on the ground.

"God is Great," Stevens penned in the clear blue yonder on Tuesday. His mile-high message prompted a flurry of worried calls to police and The Palm Beach Post.

It seems that since Sept. 11, even praising God can seem sinister. "I was just wondering if a terrorist group was paying for someone to write that," Boynton Beach resident Jon Rogers asked.

Stevens says he's not a terrorist and he's not doing it for money. His only motivation, he says, is spreading the love of the Lord. Yet he understands those who distrust.

"People are nervous. People are scared. They know something bad is in the wind," Stevens said. "But the important thing to do is to think about God. I'm just reminding people that God does love them. If America doesn't wake up and turn to God, we won't see the blessings that we've seen in the past."

With a wing and a prayer, Stevens launched his mission nearly four years ago from Boca Raton Airport. Two or three times a week, he loops his crop-duster -- named "Holy Smoke" -- over Palm Beach County.

For whatever reason, his message caused an unusual stir on New Year's Day. Stevens said he can't figure it out.

Sheriff's dispatchers did what they could to assure concerned callers that nothing was wrong. They explained it's not against the law to write in the sky.

Still, they said, the fear was understandable. Palm Beach County, after all, was ground zero for the nation's first anthrax attack. It also was a hide-out for nine of the 19 Sept. 11. hijackers. This is where terrorist Mohamed Atta honed his piloting skills. And he did inquire about crop-dusters in Belle Glade.

One family, visiting from Grosse Pointe, Mich., saw Stevens' message about 12:45 p.m. Instead of God, they thought about the anthrax-laden letter to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle that praised Allah -- and then called the cops.

"We were out by the pool," one of them said, too afraid to give her name. "We were ready to take cover."

Stevens says he was quizzed by the FBI about his crop-duster as they retraced the terrorists' paths. He said he was inspired to skywrite a few years ago at his home parish, Ascension Roman Catholic Church in Boca Raton.

A retired acrobatic pilot, Stevens says he is often asked to write messages for pay. But he won't do it.

At 10,000 feet, he only writes for God. His pen is a bright yellow, double-winged Grumman AgCat. His ink is long swaths of white smoke, produced when Stevens pulls a lever that pours oil on to the plane's hot engine.

Each letter is three-fourths of a mile long. The letters can be seen 35 miles away. From above downtown Boca Raton, the words can be legible from Wellington to Fort Lauderdale.

While some may misinterpret his messages, Stevens says they are often spotted by someone who's feeling alone, depressed or despondent.

"You can't imagine what it's like when you're feeling low, wondering if God is listening to your prayers," he said. "And then you walk out of your house and up above in big letters right over you, there's `God Loves You.' This is God's work, not mine."

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