Jesus in Alabama -- and Everywhere Else

Stained glass windows damaged by tornado

2011-07-24T13:05:00.008-05:00

We breathed a sigh of relief at St. John Evangelical Protestant Church in Cullman, Alabama when one of the devastating tornadoes hit our city on April 27, 2011. Our precious stained glass windows were spared.

Other churches were harder hit. Just one block north, Christ Lutheran was almost leveled. First United Methodist lost its stained glass windows, as did First Baptist. East Side Baptist's sanctuary was leveled. Many other churches, businesses and homes were leveled or suffered serious damage, so we at St. John's were thankful that the giant trees surrounding our church fell all around the building, but didn't land on it.

So when we walked inside the sanctuary this morning, almost three months later, we were surprised to see some of our windows gone. Pastor Bob Kurtz explained that an expert was brought in to give them an inspection and found that five of them needed repairs. They'll be out for 10-12 weeks.

I shot picture at top of a piece of tape on one of the windows near where I usually sit. I thought it odd that it said "Grace" on it, but liked the symbolism. After I called up the picture on my computer I saw it actually says, "Brace" -- which makes a lot more sense -- but still carries good symbolism.

Below is a shot I got of some of the missing windows, with a shot below from our wedding three years ago. The window you see in the bottom picture is one that is out for repairs. It is the far left blocked-out window in the picture below:

Jesus Loves You, Dixie Land

2011-07-18T23:49:00.004-05:00

Convenience store, Interstate 65, Blount County, Alabama, July 2011

Jesus truck on I-65

2011-06-22T13:01:00.002-05:00

I passed this truck on the way to work yesterday. I think it was carrying donations for a shelter or food bank. Spotted on Interstate 65 South in Cullman County, near Blount County line.

King James Bible reading marathon in Birmingham (with video)

2011-05-04T16:15:00.008-05:00

A woman reads from the Gospel of John on Wednesday, May 4, 2011 on the front steps of Southside Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Others wait their turn to read during a 90-hour marathon to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Authorized Version of The Holy Bible in May 1611. The Bible reading ends May 5, the National Day of Prayer in the United States.

Retiring pastor

2011-05-01T08:10:00.003-05:00

Mike Garrigan, pastor of Shades Valley Community Church in Homewood , Alabama, retires today. Above, he leads the congregation in the benediction. Below, is the last in a series of four cakes with abbreviated snippets of the benediction.

"What are we looking for?" - Ronald Rolheiser (Video)

2011-04-24T08:55:00.004-05:00

Jesus speaks Mary's name in love after his Resurrection.

The Empty Tomb: "He Is Risen"

2011-04-24T06:00:00.003-05:00

Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem. (Traditional burial tomb of Jesus Christ in silhouette at bottom.

Good Friday

2011-04-21T23:48:00.001-05:00

Dogwood blooms with Crucifix.

Maundy Thursday

2011-04-20T23:53:00.002-05:00

Got the olive wood Last Supper in Israel. The Crucifix was my Aunt Isabel's.

Holy Week in 2 minutes (video)

2011-04-17T08:43:00.008-05:00

Holy Week quickly explained. From the Catholic satellite radio show "Busted Halo."

Jesus in Alabama on display

2011-03-11T18:51:00.008-06:00

Click on photo to enlarge

Some of my photos are on display through Lent at St. John's Evangelical Protestant Church in Cullman, Alabama. To see them go to the church office and you'll be directed to the atrium.

If you can't make it or want to see the the pictures included in the show, check out my Smugmug site here.

Here's the introductory message:

Jesus in Alabama
Some of us burn with a mission to share Jesus with the world in unconventional ways. The purpose of "Jesus in Alabama" is to bring those obscure messages to a wider audience.

The project started when I saw red letters spelling out the name JESUS written on U.S. 31 near Lacon. I liked the idea that the name appeared just as the road narrows from four to two lanes, alluding to the narrow road that leads to life. Soon, I found it everywhere. There was a man carrying a sign he said God had told him to write "Look Unto Jesus" on. And a tattoo artist looking for just right place on his personal canvas to ink the name. I met a lot of interesting people -- or found their messages after they left them.

Eventually, I intended to compile all of the pictures into a book. Two publishers turned it down. Still, one encouraged me to seek other publishers, and to call back in a year if I was unsuccessful. I got a full-time job and bought a house within that year, so I dropped the book idea out of time constraints, but I continue shooting pictures whenever I see the name of Jesus in Alabama.

*Special thanks to the Rev. John Richter of St. John's Evangelical Protestant Church, John Sachs of The Arts Center, and Steve and Stacie Carter of The Shops at 3rd Street Promenade.

Ain't God Good

2011-02-23T00:43:00.004-06:00

Spotted on my way to work this morning, Cullman, Alabama. (The question mark cost extra.)

Food court flash mob Hallelujah Chorus

2010-11-28T22:23:00.003-06:00

World's biggest Jesus in Poland

2010-11-09T18:51:00.007-06:00

A 170-foot-tall Jesus, the world's largest we're told now towers over Swiebodzin, Poland.

The plaster and fiberglass statue is the culmination of a local priest's life work, Gizmodo reports.

You should follow me on Twitter here and Facebook here.

Jesus reaches out to travelers

2010-10-27T11:44:00.003-05:00

Walkers pause for a group photo during a pilgrimage from Trussville to Attalla, Alabama to bring attention to Nomad's Land, a place for travelers of all sorts to find rest and spiritual renewal. (Photo courtesy Milo Beloved.)

You should follow me on Twitter here and Facebook here.

Jesus in a Chilean mine

2010-10-15T00:25:00.003-05:00

(Chilean government photo)

Did you wonder where those Chilean miners got their iGracias Senior! T-shirts? CNN did, too, and noticed "Jesus" written on the sleeves. Turns out Campus Crusade for Christ sent them mp3's of its Jesus film and The New Testament in Spanish.

The miners wrote back: "Thank you for this tremendous blessing for me and my coworkers. It will be good for our spiritual edification. I am fine because Christ lives in me. We have prayer services at 12 noon and 6 pm."

The ministry sent the men the shirts, which apparently, they liked, noted a Campus Crusade spokesman.

You should follow me on Twitter here and Facebook here.

Pentecost

2010-05-22T23:59:00.000-05:00

I-65, north of Birmingham, Alabama, 1996

Get Off Facebook and Into God's Book

2010-04-29T16:19:00.005-05:00

Sumiton, Alabama. (Photos by Dale Short, which he posted on Facebook.)

Driven

2010-04-05T00:01:00.000-05:00

Cullman Shopping Center. Cullman, Alabama, 1996.

Risen

2010-04-04T00:01:00.001-05:00

Winfield, Alabama, 1996.

What I have written I have written

2010-04-02T00:01:00.000-05:00

Take This Cup

2010-04-01T18:00:00.002-05:00

Brother Bryan statue. Five Points South. Birmingham, Alabama. March for Jesus 1996.

Maundy Thursday

2010-04-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

Brother Bryan Park, Southside Birmingham, Alabama. March for Jesus 1996.

Palm Sunday

2010-03-28T00:01:00.001-05:00

Southside Birmingham, Alabama. March for Jesus 1996.

Faith Tabernacle, Cullman, Alabama 1996

2010-03-24T00:52:00.001-05:00

On U.S. 278 West.

Jesus Saves (Money)

2010-03-21T17:05:00.004-05:00

Found in New York City by Flikr user "Metro Centric."

Used by Creative Commons permission:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16782093@N03/ / CC BY 2.0

Jesus is For Lease

2010-03-10T16:37:00.000-06:00

Fail Blog caught this rooftop in New Zealand that shows the economy in tough on everybody.

Enormous Cross in Gardendale

2010-03-03T18:56:00.002-06:00

The new Gardendale First Baptist Church facility erected a 125-foot-tall cross next to Interstate 65 today. See photos from The Birmingham News.

Jesus Church, Madison County, Alabama

2010-02-22T10:50:00.003-06:00

I passed Jesus Church in Madison County, Alabama, just south of the Tennessee state line Sunday morning on my way home from a prayer/photography retreat. Don't worry: Jesus Church isn't about to fall over; that's an optical illusion from this angle. I shot it from the other side and it looks perfectly fine.

Proof:

View Larger Map

Nick Saban has more Facebook fans in Alabama than God

2010-02-15T17:12:00.003-06:00

The Birmingham News reports that University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban has more fans on Facebook than does God.

Jesus on U.S. military rifle scopes

2010-01-19T16:48:00.002-06:00

Bible verse John 8:12 encoded in the serial number (ABC News)

ABC News has uncovered that a supplier of rifle scopes to the U.S. military has been encoding Bible verses that relate to Jesus into the serial numbers. Read Brian Ross' report and watch the video on ABCNews.go.com.

The Little Drummer Boy

2009-12-25T00:07:00.002-06:00

Me playing drums at age 14.

Saint Nicholas Day

2009-12-06T13:02:00.002-06:00

Bulletin insert from St. John's Evangelical Protestant Church
(Click image to enlarge.)

Jesus on a New York subway

2009-10-30T22:45:00.005-05:00

A couple of my friends on a New York subway in February 1999. Happy Reformation Day.

Jesus at a Georgia truck stop

2009-09-23T17:40:00.001-05:00

The Rev. Joe Hunter runs a chapel for truckers in Georgia, and shares his experiences with CNN.

Jesus Sav-Way

2009-09-14T14:57:00.003-05:00

An early Sunday morning in Conway, South Carolina, at the corner of Sixth Ave. and Church Street.

Your Own Personal Heilsgeschichte

2009-09-10T18:30:00.004-05:00

Art installation by the Rev. John Richter, Minister of Parish Life, St. John's Evangelical Protestant Church, Cullman, Alabama. (Click photo to enlarge)

The Cross Garden, Prattville, Alabama

2009-06-14T19:01:00.005-05:00

Views from the late W.C. Rice's Cross Garden in Prattville. Several acres are decorated with junk appliances with encouragement to read the Bible and avoid sin.

Pentecost

2009-05-31T16:19:00.004-05:00

Sigur Ros - Glósóli

Jesus Christ, Super-Starbucks

2009-05-14T07:26:00.001-05:00

Jesus was always a man of the people, so I don't know why TMZ is so surprised to find a Jesus impersonator drinking this.

Jesus sitting with Rosa Parks

2009-05-13T14:42:00.003-05:00

The Belfast Telegraph asked various people whether they still believe God exists.

Brian Houston, a singer/songwriter from east Belfast, said:

"The Jesus I know is strong and well read. He knows what's going on and he gets it. He is not easily fooled and He knows where He was the day JFK was shot and when Princess Diana died. He caught Martin Luther King in his arms on a balcony in Memphis and He sat behind Rosa Parks on a bus in Montgomery Alabama."

G-O-D in fried salami

2009-05-07T08:55:00.003-05:00

A woman fried up three pieces of salami. One ended up with a "G" on it, one an "O" and one a lowercase "D":

See the video here:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2009/05/06/estevez.fl.god.on.salami.WFOR

Day of prayer

2009-05-07T08:17:00.002-05:00

Not day of swear.

(Photo courtesy of Jason Cooke. Taken on I-459 in Hoover, Ala. near the Galleria shopping mall. You can see more of his photos of Alabama car tags with biblical references at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=286905&id=1374134634#/album.php?aid=6550&id=1374134634. You must be logged in to Facebook.)

Jesus in Spain

2009-04-12T12:01:00.002-05:00

Detail from a door on Gaudi's Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. (Courtesy of Napo Monasterio.)

Resurrection

2009-04-12T00:01:00.000-05:00

First United Methodist Church in Cullman, Alabama.

Bridge

2009-04-11T00:01:00.001-05:00

A bridge over Interstate 65 in Cullman, Alabama.

Good Friday

2009-04-10T00:01:00.000-05:00

I shot this guy carrying a cross outside Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama in 1996. It was about the time of the Atlanta Olympics, and Birmingham had hosted soccer prelims, hence the Olympic rings on the stadium.

Maundy Thursday

2009-04-09T00:01:00.000-05:00

The corner of 4th Avenue and 22nd Street in downtown Birmingham, about 1996. If the same picture were taken today, the new Birmingham News building would be in the background.

Palm Sunday

2009-04-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

I shot this in my father's back yard. I left the shutter open for several minutes and wrote with a flashlight.

Ash Wednesday

2009-02-25T00:01:00.003-06:00

"Amazing Grace" jazz style

2009-02-22T18:27:00.002-06:00

The last Sunday before Fat Tuesday at St. John's Evangelical Protestant Church in Cullman, Alabama.

Grilled cheeses for Jesus

2009-02-01T13:28:00.006-06:00

My friends Beau and Ashley pass out grilled cheese sandwiches and the love of Christ at concerts in their Grilled Cheese Wagon. If you're at a Widespread Panic show, look 'em up. I shot this video today outside our church in Homewood, Alabama.

Elect Jesus

2009-01-26T10:39:00.001-06:00

Shot between Gardendale and Fultondale, Alabama, during an election year.

I have a dream

2009-01-19T10:48:00.002-06:00

From an event called "March for Jesus" in Birmingham, Alabama, in the mid-1990s. This family is walking past a business called Hubcap Heaven, hence the wheel covers in the window.

How the Apostle Paul was known to his friends

2009-01-17T20:22:00.002-06:00

Actually two movies, one you might recall a decent Robert Duvall film, the other a silly parrot movie.

McCain Palin flip for Jesus

2009-01-13T22:23:00.003-06:00

I shot this today in Gardendale, Alabama in a doctor's office parking lot.

There is a friend in Jesus

2009-01-12T20:55:00.002-06:00

I found this sign along a road in Good Hope, Alabama

Jesus from the air

2009-01-09T15:35:00.002-06:00

GoogleEarthHacks has found Jesus in what looks like a field north of Huntsville, Alabama, near the Tennessee line.

Go to Church or the Devil Will Get You

2009-01-04T00:01:00.003-06:00

This sign was visible on the northbound lane of Interstate 65 north of Montgomery, Alabama, for several years. That's a pond in the back, not the Lake of Fire.

Turn from the devil

2009-01-01T11:09:00.003-06:00

I shot this revival preacher in a high school gym in Cordova, Alabama. The services had been scheduled for the football stadium, but bad weather forced them inside. That made a perfect shot of the Blue Devil, the school's mascot, behind the minister as he appealed to members of the crowd to turn to God.

(You can tell you are in football country when the school's mascot is wearing a grid iron uniform on the wall of the basketball court.)

Jesus in the air

2008-12-30T00:01:00.004-06:00

Dave, the nighttime DJ at the now-defunct WNDA in Huntsville. I worked one shift a week at this station from June to December 1995. Such is my experience as a radio disc jockey.

Takin' it to the streets

2008-12-29T00:01:00.000-06:00

This was the storefront for Vincent Furniture in Cullman, Ala. There were several Scriptures on various windows of the store.

Liberty wagon

2008-12-28T00:01:00.002-06:00

This van was parked on the Beltline in Decatur, Ala.

Bus stop

2008-12-27T00:01:00.001-06:00

This isn't really a bus stop. Somebody decided to make money by selling ads on benches, but there aren't any bus stops in Decatur, Ala., so they just put benches on the side of the road, and somebody bought this message.

Jesus is alive and well

2008-12-26T00:01:00.001-06:00

And, we presume, at other times as well. Outside a storefront church in Alabama.

Unto you is born this day ...

2008-12-25T12:01:00.003-06:00

This spot, in a cave beneath the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, is believed to be the exact place Jesus was born. I shot it on a trip to the Holy Land in 1999.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T00:01:00.000-06:00

Jesus Christ, the cornerstone

2008-12-24T00:01:00.003-06:00

The church I grew up in, and was married in, in Cullman, Ala.

Oh, joy

2008-12-23T00:01:00.000-06:00

My friend Liz got this result trying to get her son to act out the letters he was holding.

She says:

All I want for Christmas is to make a Christmas card to
share with people. I mean really, we have so much to rejoice and share
with others. I had an idea in my head of what it would look like.
You know, the kids would smile perfectly the first time the shutter snapped,
they would be in focus, and the lighting would show that the kids were made for
movies. Also, I have been wrapping my mind around how to express the joy
and hope that our family can testify too. But alas, kids are moving
targets. It’s cold outside and dark inside. I don’t have words to
share our happiness perfectly. I guess, this is all because nothing is
perfect, but our Father. Even when He shares his blessings with us, we are
still imperfect humans living life the best we can. I still strive for the
“perfect” life, and when I do I am sorely disappointed. I just gotta keep
it real.

20 Hanukkahs ago

2008-12-22T00:02:00.000-06:00

I shot this for a newspaper story on Hanukkah in 1988, so just add 20 years to every person in the photo -- and to the photographer. I know this is off theme for this blog, but the mother had been raised Presbyterian or Episcopalian by Jewish parents who had converted. And the oldest daughter is from a previous marriage to a Christian, so the family had to put a Christmas tree in the living room for when the grandparents visited. You could see it when they opened that room divider in the background of the shot. So these kids got dreidels and stocking stuffers.

In concert

2008-12-22T00:01:00.002-06:00

At Gardendale's First Baptist Church in Gardendale, Ala.

Parlez vous?

2008-12-21T00:01:00.003-06:00

At Gardendale's First Baptist Church in Gardendale, Ala.

Y'shua

2008-12-20T00:01:00.004-06:00

From a program at Gardendale's First Baptist Church in Gardendale, Ala.

God shall wipe away all tears

2008-12-19T00:01:00.004-06:00

A Church of God in Good Hope, Ala.

Jesus saves both sides of the tracks

2008-12-18T00:01:00.001-06:00

A one-lane wooden bridge in Cullman, Ala.

Good news

2008-12-17T00:01:00.004-06:00

Outside the old federal courthouse in Birmingham, Ala.

Jesus saves The Nudes

2008-12-16T00:01:00.001-06:00

City Stages in Birmingham, Ala. about 1996. The band members were fully clothed.

Don't go to hell

2008-12-15T00:02:00.001-06:00

Posted on the back of a street sign in Birmingham.

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

Pink Advent candle of joy

2008-12-14T16:05:00.004-06:00

Today is the third Sunday in Advent, which is celebrated by lighting the pink candle, representing joy. We celebrate on this blog with this pink Floyd the barber.

Another Jesus in Alabama

2008-12-14T00:01:00.001-06:00

I did a search on "Jesus in Alabama" before I started this blog to make sure nobody else had used the name. I found this photo on Flikr with the title, but since it was only a single page I carried on with my original idea.

Love Your Enemies

2008-12-13T00:01:00.002-06:00

Sidewalk on Southside Birmingham outside Nomad Supply.

(Photo courtesy Heather Purcell)

More than skin deep

2008-12-12T00:01:00.005-06:00

This guy was a Christian tattoo artist in Bessemer, Ala. He was thinking of putting J-E-S-U-S on his other forearm, but it was a valuable piece of real estate, so he really wanted to put a picture there, not just letters. I got in the "Jesus" by sitting him in front of a Harley logo rewritten "Jesus Christ: Heavenly Divine Son."

Signs and wonders

2008-12-11T00:01:00.000-06:00

I shot this guy when I worked for a newspaper in Jasper, Ala. I had been sent on a story that turned out to be a wild goose chase. I saw this guy walking up the highway on my way to the story and prayed I'd be able to find him on the way back. Prayers answered, there he was. He consented to an interview, explaining that God had told him to have a sign made with "Look Unto Jesus" written on it. It said something else on the other side, but the guy admitted he'd just made that one up himself. He wrote me a really nice note thanking me for not making fun of him in the story.

Not kosher

2008-12-10T00:01:00.004-06:00

A barbecue joint in Hartselle, Ala. The copy editor in me must point out that it should say "When no one else cares." As written it's saying that Jesus is no one. And I'm not even going to mention that ellipses are composed of three dots ...

At Brother Bryan Park

2008-12-09T16:53:00.000-06:00

My friend Beau at Brother Bryan park in Southside Birmingham.

(Photo courtesy Heather Purcell)

Click the picture to enlarge.

Jesus on a Birmingham sidewalk 2

2008-12-08T08:36:00.003-06:00

In the financial district.

The An-Tee Christ

2008-12-07T21:15:00.002-06:00

Fail Blog has found a batch of Jesus T-shirts at Wal-Mart for an ungodly price.

Narrow(er) is the road

2008-12-07T20:13:00.006-06:00

This shot is the opening for the book project, intended to be the cover. I ended up using it for a Web site I wrote fiction and commentary on.

I shot the pictured in Lacon, Ala., between Cullman and Decatur.

Jesus on a Birmingham sidewalk

2008-12-06T00:26:00.002-06:00

Welcome

2008-12-03T15:53:00.004-06:00

"Jesus in Alabama" began as a photojournalism project that I intended to make into a book. Two publishers said no, including one owned by the newspaper where I work. Still, the other encouraged me to seek others publishers but to call them back in a year if I was unsuccessful. I ended up getting a full-time job and buying a house within that year, and I dropped the project out of time constraints.

I continued shooting pictures whenever I saw them. This blog will contain those pictures and videos I've shot of the name "Jesus." I welcome submissions from readers -- and they don't have to be in Alabama. Be creative and don't limit yourself to "Jesus" as a written word. Pictures or statues are fine, and feel free to send in "God" submissions.

This project isn't intended to be sacrilegious, so please don't submit that type of thing,. It won't be used. (But they can be humorous.) The purpose is to highlight a part of society that burns with a mission to share Jesus with the world. Whether you are a believer, a skeptic or somewhere in between, this site is intended to make you feel at home.

-- Owen Tew