Skywriter Jerry Stevens sees himself as an evangelist for people looking for heavenly signs. "You can't imagine what it's like when you're feeling low, wondering if God is listening to your prayers, and then you walk out of your house and up above in big letters right over you, there's 'God Loves You,' " he told the Palm Beach Post. But his New Year's Day message really caught people's attention: "God Is Great." For Palm Beach County residents, that was too close to the Muslim acclamation Allahu Akbar ("God is great"). The county was home base for half of the 9/11 hijackers and was the first target of an anthrax attack. Police were flooded with frantic calls. "I was just wondering if a terrorist group was paying for someone to write that," said one observer. Stevens says he'll stick to clearer messages.

Previous coverage includes:

Boca Skywriter Causes Panic by Writing 'God Is Great' — Associated Press (Jan. 1, 2002)