Candace Cameron Bure: A Full Life in Christ

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Candace Cameron Bure on the Set of Fuller House

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Candace Cameron Bure grew up before our eyes. At the age of 11, she came onto television screens in 1987 as a part of the popular family comedy “Full House,” and she became America’s favorite teenager during the eight seasons the show was on the air. As D.J. Tanner, Bure went through all the teenage drama one might expect while displaying a refreshing blend of wholesomeness and realism. Since that ubiquitous role, Bure has remained in the spotlight appearing on “Dancing with the Stars,” “The View,” “The Aurora Teagarden Mysteries,” numerous Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel, and the revival of “Fuller House” on Netflix which premiered its fifth and final season this summer. And throughout her career, Bure’s dedication to her Christian faith has shown through in everything she’s done. “A lot of people commend me for being bold in my faith, and while I appreciate that, I always say that’s the easiest part,” Bure said. “I love Jesus, and I love sharing my faith.”

Candace Cameron Bure Family
Candace met her husband Val when she was 19-years-old. They were introduced by the actor Dave Coulier (“Uncle Joey” on “Full House”) at a charity hockey game; according to Val, he learned English by watching reruns of “Full House.” They will celebrate 24 years of marriage in June, and are the parents of (L to R)Maksim, Lev and Natasha.

Faith and Family. Bure’s faith story has many layers. While raised in a moral home, she said it wasn’t a Christian one until her family had a conversion experience when she was 12 years old. She accepted Christ and was baptized along with the rest of her family. Bure, a native Californian, was raised by her parents alongside brother Kirk (a fellow actor and star of the 1980s sitcom “Growing Pains” who is now known for his starring roles in Christian films), and sisters Melissa and Bridgette (also actors). “While I wasn’t raised in a Christian home, I had a very moral upbringing that placed a great emphasis on family,” she remembered. “When I was on ‘Full House,’ it was clear that things wouldn’t change. When we got home from work, it didn’t matter that we were on TV. And I had a wonderful experience on ‘Full House,’ which is why I’m still in the entertainment industry. It was a healthy environment and I loved the people I worked with.”

Bure said that her faith took another step in her mid-20s. She and her Russian-born husband, Val- a former professional hockey player whom she met at a hockey fundraiser in 1994-strengthened their faith through a more conscious commitment to prayer, Bible study, and other Christ-centered activities. “Val was raised in the Christian faith, but it was more like being a ‘holiday Christian.’ He’d go to church on high holy days,” she said. “So, we really came to our faith together.” The couple continued to grow together in faith as their lives changed throughout the years. Val moved from his hockey days with such NHL teams as the Montreal Canadiens to other professional endeavors, and Candace’s career also transitioned to new areas. Their growth has also come as a family, after welcoming daughter Natasha in1998 and sons Lev in 2000 and Maksim in 2002. Family, Bure said, will always be her highest priority.

Candace Cameron Bure on the Set of Fuller House
“Full House” ran on ABC from 1987 to 1995, and then continued to gain popularity in syndication. In 2016, the “Fuller House” revival premiered on Netflix and aired its final season this past summer.

Bure left the entertainment industry for a decade when her children were young. She and Val worked consciously to make their relationship and their children their primary concern. “We planned a long time ago what our priorities were in life and with our family. We set up boundaries and communicate, having an ongoing dialogue,” she said. “Even as a young couple, we knew family was going to be the highest priority.” They also understood that marriage would be a journey. “We knew that we would have to reassess, pull back, reprioritize if we had to,” she recalled. “We both travel a lot, and the biggest challenge was always to spend time at home. That’s why I took the 10-year break, so I could spend time with the kids.”

The recent coronavirus epidemic upended the Bure family- but also brought them together in unexpected ways. While Candace and Val had become empty nesters, the quarantine brought daughter Natasha back home; during this time, son Lev got engaged while Maksim sheltered in place at his hockey academy in Minnesota. The quarantine helped remind her how important it is to slow down and focus on her family and her relationship with Christ. “I know how hard I work and how busy I can get,” she said. “It’s made me reevaluate things, because I know I can be very driven. It’s helped me slow down and God has shown me some things that were affecting my family and marriage. That’s been eye opening.”

Candace Cameron in LOA T Shirt
Candace Cameron Bure in her Love Overall T-shirt.

According to Bure, she always keeps faith and family in mind when choosing projects. She recently became the CSO (“Chief Spiritual Officer”) at Woman’s Day magazine, where she shares devotional thoughts in each month’s issue and has also introduced a new faith-based line of home decor and gifts through DaySpring (a division of Hallmark Company). Her new Love Overall line is based on the words of Colossians 3:14, “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” The line includes paper goods, office supplies, casual wear, and home decor; a special Christmas collection will be released in November. “We developed this last year in 2019, but we couldn’t predict what would happen in 2020,” she said. “It’s so timely because it reminds us to give encouragement and hope, and to treat each other with love.” The goal with her products, she said, is to create inspirational items that are also modern and beautiful. “Inspirational items often tend to be more old-fashioned,” she said. “I want to create ones that are aesthetically pleasing and more stylish and contemporary.”

Love for the Holidays. Bure’s relationship with Hallmark has been one of the most important in her career and highlights her love of the holiday season  Bure is often referred to as “Christmas queen,” due to her starring role in so many Hallmark Channel Christmas movies. It’s a title that she said is perfectly appropriate for her. “Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year because we’re celebrating the birth of Jesus. And I’m honored to be such a big part of the Christmas community at Hallmark,” she shared.

Her family treasures their time together during the holidays; they’ve celebrated each Christmas morning for the last 10 years by cooking, serving, visiting, and sharing the Gospel at a homeless shelter. Bure herself tries to keep the holidays uncomplicated, focusing on “family and friends and the simple things.”

Bure’s ninth Hallmark Channel Christmas movie, “If Only I Had Christmas,” premieres this season and is an homage to her favorite movie “The Wizard of Oz.” As with all of the films, Bure developed the script and produced the movie in addition to starring in it. She proudly calls it her favorite movie and adds, “they’re kinda like my children, so you love them all but can love them differently.”

Candace Cameron Bure on the Set of her Hallmark Christmas movie.
“If I Only Had Christmas” will be Bure’s next Christmas movie with the Hallmark Channel; she also stars in the “Aurora Teagarden” mystery series for Hallmark, with a new movie scheduled to premiere in early 2021.

Why do people love the Christmas movies so much? For Bure, it’s quite simple. “They’re comforting and heartwarming. You know what to expect and there’s always a happy ending. They help remove you from all of the world’s problems, even if it’s for a bit,” she said. “I just watched the newest one again a couple of times, and I squealed with delight. I just love it.” Ultimately, Bure’s projects with Hallmark are an extension of her faith and the Christian worldview she desires to share with others.

A Continuing Witness. While Bure said that a Christian witness isn’t always welcome in the entertainment industry, she’s never been hesitant about sharing hers- and she’s always felt encouraged by those around her. “God calls us to share the Gospel message, and that’s what I do. I’ve never been afraid to share it publicly or privately, and I know that God’s given me a unique platform to do so,” she said. “At the core of it all, I want to point people to Jesus.” She believes that her mission is to share her faith, but not be divisive. “I want to show love and kindness, and also show respect, realizing that not all of us are going to have the same viewpoints and not everyone will accept or believe what I’m saying,” she stressed. “In every different group, whether it’s political or social or religious, you have the people who represent it well and then there are those who are hypocritical and do the group a disservice. I don’t want to do my faith a disservice.”

Whether it’s starring in a Christmas movie, creating inspirational products, or reconnecting with her “Full House” family, Bure said that her life’s a gift and a blessing that points back to faith. “I can walk out on the street and have a 6-year-old light up when he sees me. He recognizes me as D.J.,” she said. “Or there will be a 60-year-old who recognizes me from the Hallmark Channel or watched me as D.J. years ago. It’s just a gift.”

-Cheryl Sloan Wray

Cheryl Sloan Wray is a freelance writer and author who lives in Hueytown. She has three daughters (who love Hallmark movies) and six grandchildren.

Did you enjoy this article? Check out our full October issue here.

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Jake Rufe Birmingham Legion action kick on ground

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Jake Rufe said he could have never imagined that he’d be playing for Birmingham’s professional soccer team, but he knows that God’s plans are always bigger and better than anything he could have foreseen.

Rufe, a Huntsville native who played club soccer in high school in the Birmingham area, joined Birmingham Legion FC as a defender for the 2020 season and has already found playing time on the pitch. “Not long ago I was in Charlotte playing in soccer’s third division. The club was struggling, and I didn’t even know if the season was going to happen,” Rufe said. “I ended up leaving and taking the chance on my next step. God went before me and knew what I needed. I can see God’s hand in all the little things that have happened during my soccer career.”

Jake Rufe Birmingham Legion action going down field
In just his first season with Birmingham Legion FC, Jake Rufe has both started and played in substitution roles as a defender. He hopes to help lead the team to another United Soccer League playoff appearance. Photo Courtesy Birmingham Legion

Birmingham Legion FC. The Birmingham Legion FC is a professional soccer team that’s part of the United Soccer League (USL), which is just one division below Major League Soccer (MLS). Players on USL teams often have had MLS experience, or share time during the season with an MLS team, making the quality of play stellar. This is just the second season in Legion FC’s existence and follows up on an inaugural season that saw the team make it to the USL playoff quarterfinals, a feat unmatched by any other new league member. The team this year has started off strong in a coronavirus-delayed season that will go through Oct. 3 and any ensuing playoff games. As of August 28, Legion FC’s record was 5-1-3 and the team sat in first place in the USL’s Group G division. Legion FC, which plays at BBVA Field on the UAB campus in downtown Birmingham, is a favorite family destination and offers special kid-friendly pregame and other activities. Limited capacity and other changes have been made to keep the environment safe amid the Covid-19 pandemic. You can learn about Legion FC’s schedule, activities, and more at www.bhmlegion.com.

Journey to Birmingham. Rufe, 24, played soccer at Grissom High School in Huntsville and was named the Gatorade Alabama Boys State Player of the Year in 2014; he then played collegiately at Indiana University for two years before transferring to and playing three years at Western Michigan University. Before coming to Birmingham, he played professionally with AFC Ann Arbor in the USL’s League Two and for Charlotte in the third division. “I started playing when I was four or five at the park like a lot of kids do,” Rufe said. “I started playing club soccer in fourth or fifth grade, and then in middle school stopped playing other sports to focus on soccer.”

At the beginning of this season, Rufe got in touch with a former club coach in Birmingham who was able to get him a tryout with the Legion team. He arrived on the first day of preseason practice and waited to hear whether he’d made the team. “Each day I was on trial and tension was high, but right before the quarantine I signed here with Birmingham,” he said. “It really felt like home.” According to Rufe, the journey to Birmingham reinforced to him that God was at active work in his life. The decision to play for the club soccer coach was something that happened “at the last minute” when he was a teenager, and yet that connection is what brought him to play professionally with Legion FC. “Things happened that I never could have expected,” he said.

Jake Rufe with his family
Jake Rufe’s parents Jerry and Valerie exemplified Christian faith in his growing-up years in Huntsville, and he continues to rely on them as role models. He is seen here with them and his sister Jillie and brother-in-law Chris.

Rufe said that he’s felt right at home since arriving in Birmingham. He’s established relationships with other players and he unexpectedly was able to earn immediate playing time. “Circumstantially, I’ve been lucky enough to start some games and get a lot of minutes,” he said. “A lot of players aren’t coming to the league and getting time. I’ve talked about what a great opportunity this is. I have to seize the opportunity and realize this is what I’ve been training for.” When Rufe signed with Birmingham, president and general manager Jay Heaps noted Rufe’s “versatility and depth” as key reasons for his addition to the squad.

Faith Journey. Rufe grew up in Huntsville’s Whitesburg Baptist Church with strong Christian parents who instilled in him strong values and lessons of faith. His father, Jerry, not only was a former soccer goalie but also a Sunday School teacher at their church while mother Valerie often held Bible studies in their home. Looking back on the way he was raised and on the model his parents set, Rufe said that he now sees how blessed he was. “It’s something I think about more and more as I get older,” he said. “I can see blessings in their lives because of how they’ve lived. Now that I have a bigger picture view, their examples definitely inspire me.” The challenge now, according to Rufe, is to continue that same sort of faith as he becomes a role model to children and other fans, and as he builds relationships with teammates. He said he’s always looked up to professionals who were believers, noting how they’ve lived their lives in the spotlight. “You can be on the biggest stage and you don’t have to change what you believe,” he said. “While I’m not well known per se, I definitely see how important that is.”

Rufe has always taken advantage of opportunities when they’ve arisen to share his faith with others. He’s recently been able to talk at his high school and church, and he knows that it’s a big responsibility to represent Christ. He said that the most exciting recent opportunity has been getting to know his new team. Training has always been one of his favorite parts of being on a team and he said that it’s particularly conducive to building relationships. “During the week when we’re not playing, we get to know each other really well. I’ve had a lot of great conversations with people, and I’ve been excited to realize that I have fellow believers on the team,” said Rufe, adding, “It is so encouraging to share struggles and victories with my teammates. I know they face similar temptations and feel pride rise up and it’s good that we identify it for what it is and encourage each other to not let that control our reactions,” Rufe said. “We have spoken on many occasions on how what you dwell on and feed your thoughts is what will drive your desires.”

Jake Rufe Birmingham Legion action ball above head
Photo Courtesy Birmingham Legion

The Hopes of the Season. Rufe said that the 2020 season has been unique for many reasons, the most obvious of which has been the havoc caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The time has given him, however, a unique opportunity to grow in his faith while also growing in his ability as a soccer player. He’s spent more time in spiritual growth through Bible study (he’s currently studying Judges, which Rufe said teaches about the cycle of “brokenness, rescue, and deliverance”) and has also improved his performance on and off the field through workouts and playing time. “It was a little tough when we went a couple of months without knowing if we would have a season or not, but then our spirits really changed,” he said. “We realized it was a real privilege to be playing again and to have that opportunity.” Players had individual workouts, then about a month before the season started, they were able to work in small groups. Now, back on the pitch together, the team is trying to replicate what it did last season. “It’s really been a good start, and we’ve already won a lot of games,” he said. “We have to focus on one game at a time and try to pick up where the team left off last time. I’m just happy to be able to contribute how I can.”

-Cheryl Wray

Wray writes about sports for the Alabama Media Group, and is the coordinator of the Southern Christian Writers Conference. She lives in Hueytown, Ala. and is married with three daughters and six grandchildren.

Get more Good News! Read the entire September 2020 issue of Birmingham Christian Family!

 

 

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Jeremy Towns

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Jeremy Towns still remembers the time he dressed up as a doctor for Halloween. He wore scrubs, carried a stethoscope around his neck, and had a badge affixed to his shirt that proclaimed, “Emergency Medicine.” Today, Towns is a medical resident at the University of Alabama at Birmingham working in emergency medicine. A recent graduate of the University of South Alabama(USA) medical school,  he hopes to ultimately work in a subspecialty such as critical care or sports medicine.

Towns said he remembers asking his mother on that Halloween night many years ago about what it took to become a doctor. “How do I become one of those? I asked her,” he said. “She told me that I had to work my tail off academically. So, I did. I always wanted to make the highest grade in class and to be the best.”

Jeremy Towns Playing Football at Samford University
Jeremy Towns played on the defensive line for Samford University from 2008-2012; he fought back from missing the 2010 and 2011 seasons due to injury to making an NFL roster. Towns shares about his time at Samford here. Photo: Samford University Athletics

Towns’ journey to medicine has been a circuitous route filled with success at many different levels–first in football at the college level at Samford University and then with a stint in the NFL. His story is one of football and medicine, but above all is the story of his faith. It imbues everything he has done since he first truly encountered Jesus as a freshman football player at Samford. Today, that faith continues to drive his life as he mentors ministry groups on college campuses across the Southeast, holds football camps for underprivileged children, and makes plans for his future in medicine.

Finding Football. Towns played football at Birmingham-area Wenonah High School, but only played fully in his freshman and senior years. So, despite having stellar seasons and stats, Towns was not widely recruited. A call from Samford head coach Pat Sullivan changed all that. Towns worked part time at Walgreens when an announcement came over the loudspeaker that he had a call. “I answered it and he said, ‘This is Pat Sullivan from Samford.’ I went home and told my mother and then got a letter to sign for a full scholarship,” he recalled. “It was really a God thing because I hadn’t been offered by many schools. My mother said that I was going to sign this thing. She was right.”

Towns said that playing under the legendary Sullivan–the former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback from Auburn University–was a jumpstart to his success in a multitude of ways. “I remember once being at the old field house and he sat down with me. He told me if I’d make the most of the opportunity and grab life by the horns, I’d be capable of doing anything in life,” he said. “I didn’t immediately grasp it at that time, but it inspired me and got me going.” Towns went on to become a star on the Samford football team and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in sports medicine from the University in 2013. He said, however, that the most life-changing thing to happen to him while at Samford was being invited to a Bible study as a freshman. “I said it wasn’t really my speed, but they kept asking me. I finally came, really just to get this one guy to leave me alone. So, I would go to Bible study and make jokes. It was my goal to have Nick [Williams, now a player in the NFL]  kick me out for being disruptive,” Towns said. “But one day he kept talking about how Jesus could be my homeboy, my friend. I wanted Jesus at that point. Someone I could tell my secrets to, who would be there for me, and who wouldn’t count my faults against me.”

Jeremy Towns Next Level Football with Pat Sullivan
Jeremy Towns and Samford teammate Nick Williams (currently a defensive lineman with the NFL’s Detroit Lions) stand with former Samford head coach Pat Sullivan. Towns credits Sullivan with being instrumental in his growth as a football player and Christian. Photo Courtesy Jeremy Towns

Towns fell in love with Jesus and became outspoken about his faith. “I became so blunt and raw about God and had this fire,” he said. “Why wouldn’t people tell others about this love that’s so good? For the first month or two I was just frustrated that people hadn’t told me about Him. But then, I got focused. And I started talking to other athletes and students about Bible study.” Towns ultimately founded RANSOM (Radical Athletes & Student Oasis Ministry), a Christian organization designed to provide mentorship and leadership training on college campuses. “During one of my injuries, the mentor who led me to Christ told me that someone needed to be able to replace me. And that’s when I started planting leaders and reaching out to other schools,” he said. “I went to plant it at UAB, a volleyball player took it to Campbell University. It just spread.” Today RANSOM is on the campuses of Samford, UAB, Campbell (in North Carolina), Alabama State, Murray State (Kentucky), and Clarke-Atlanta (Georgia). Towns takes the job of mentor seriously, realizing that he has much to teach from his walk with Christ and his witness as an athlete. He also wants to equip new leaders. “I coached those leaders up, and then when I came out of the NFL I came back with that same passion. Students wouldn’t leave me alone. I couldn’t leave it alone.”

Medicine or the NFL? Following graduation from Samford, Towns felt torn. His plan was to head to medical school, but he also wanted to chase his dream of playing in the NFL. An apparent sign that he needed to pursue medicine came when he was accepted to USA’s medical program the day before Pro Day with NFL scouts. After going undrafted, his path seemed even clearer. With no professional football reality on the horizon, Towns committed to a weeklong mission trip to Dominica, an island country of the Lesser Antilles in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with the Samford athletic director and others. “I was out of the country for a whole week and I found out that the Washington Redskins had tried to call me the day after I left. I was going to medical school in a week, so I didn’t want to call. But then he texted me back while I was in the Atlanta airport,” Towns said. “It didn’t work out right then, but then a day before going to medical school I got a call to fly up that day for a workout.”

Towns said, looking back, he knows that “the battle’s not mine, but the Lord’s.” He signed a free agency deal, despite his mother’s encouragement to do otherwise and medical school awaiting him. And Towns said that his decision was almost immediately rewarded with Christian mentors in the professional football league. “The night I made the team roster I sat next to the team chaplain, who happened to be the pastor of a girl I knew from South Alabama. And he just encouraged me,” Towns recalled. “He told me that I was the most blessed man in the room, and I felt that. Some people would just want to go to medical school or go to the NFL, but God was working what was best for me and what I needed.”

Jeremy Towns
Jeremy Towns will finish his medical residency at UAB in 2023. Towns said it’s a “tremendous blessing to be back in Birmingham” and to be close again to his mother Janice. Photo: Bill Starling, Photographer USA Health

Towns spent three years in the NFL, playing with the Redskins, the Philadelphia Eagles, and finally the Buffalo Bills. He said that the friendships made and the lessons learned in the NFL were instrumental to his growth and to his desire to continue mentoring others in Christ. “I was around chaplains, and guys like Kirk Cousins, Colt McCoy, Alfred Morris, Tim Tebow. Great men of faith,” he said. “We’d sit down and just talk about the Lord.” Towns said the chaplain at Buffalo instilled in him a greater desire to be bold in his faith. “He would ask tough questions: If you lose time, can you get it back? If you lose money, can you get it back? He would say that God got me here, and if they fire me, I’ll go somewhere else. You just have to do what God tells you to do.” That lesson soon came to fruition, as Towns saw himself cut from his NFL team and heading back to his other dreams–practicing medicine and helping others.

Helping Others. Towns said that he knew after his NFL experience that he wanted to focus on reaching others with the Gospel. “God literally told me, ‘You’re getting all these things. Who around you are you taking with you?’ ” he said. “I wanted to pour into students and give them innovative ways to deliver the Gospel.” Upon returning to Alabama, Towns continued his work with RANSOM while also starting the medical program at USA. He established student groups on campus and began to mentor football players; he spoke to student groups and Bible studies. He also decided to start the Next Level Sports Camps for children in the Birmingham area. The one-day camps attract 300-500 students each Summer in football and volleyball; held at Legion Field, the camps are free and include lunch, t-shirts, and instruction from Towns and other former pro players. “We also share a faith message. I want to make it so Jesus is right there in front of them,” Towns said. “If the kids can get there, I want to give them a first-class experience. But I also want to show them Jesus.” Those camps were postponed this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, but Towns said that he looks forward to providing more opportunities to “show the kids Jesus, because it’s something some of them never see.”

While serving in those capacities, Towns graduated from USA and was awarded the 2020 Dr. Alexandra Greene Medical Student of the Year Award. Now at UAB he strives to serve in the next phase of his life and career and reflects on how Covid-19 has uniquely impacted daily life, health care, and even sports. “I myself follow the advice of infectious disease experts and epidemiologists,” he said. “There are many reports of widespread transmission of the virus at large gatherings.” He thinks it will be hard to effectively play football this season. Whether now, or when things get back to “normal,” Towns knows that he can be a strong witness. “As a doctor, I want to have a Christianity that means I never have to necessarily tell you about Jesus,” he said. “I want to love and serve you so that you will ask me what I’m doing and what makes me the way I am… I want to bring mercy to earth. Whoever I see walk through the doors, my job is to provide the utmost care and bring God’s love to them.”

-Cheryl Wray writes about sports for the Alabama Media Group, and is the coordinator of the Southern Christian Writers Conference. She lives in Hueytown, Ala. and is married with three daughters and six grandchildren.

Did you enjoy this article? Read the full August issue here.

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Patti Callahan Henry Writing

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The opening line of Christy Award-winning novelist Patti Callahan Henry’s newest book proclaims: “From the very beginning it was the Great Lion who brought us together.” Her book, Becoming Mrs. Lewis, tells the unexpected and inspirational love story between C.S. Lewis and his wife Joy Davidman–a romance built upon Lewis’ own literary creations and a shared quest to intimately know God. Writing the book provided Henry with her own brush with the “Great Lion,” as she learned more about her own faith and the way women can live into God’s purpose. For the Auburn graduate and Mountain Brook resident, it was a “transformational journey.”

Patti Callahan Henry in front of Magdalen College at Oxford University
Patti Callahan Henry spent time in Great Britain, walking the roads where C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidman lived and loved while she did research for her book Becoming Mrs. Lewis. She stands here in front of Magdalen College at Oxford University, where Lewis was the Tutor of English Literature. Henry’s next book will release in March, 2021 and is another historical fiction novel, this one based on the Steamship Pulaski wreck in 1838 off the coast of North Carolina.

Discovering the “Mrs. Lewis” Love Story. Henry is the author of 15 New York Times bestsellers and was recently honored with the 2020 Harper Lee Award for Alabama’s Distinguished Writer. The Bookshop at Water’s End (2017) and other prior contemporary Southern novels have gained countless fans; a Library Journal starred review said that “Callahan’s writing is riveting and her characters spring to life to create a magical and literary experience that won’t be soon forgotten.”

Henry was born in New Jersey, grew up in Philadelphia and moved to Florida when she was 12, but moved to Auburn the day she graduated from high school. She went to Auburn for her undergraduate work and then Georgia State for a graduate degree; after living in Atlanta for 25 years, she and her husband Pat moved to Alabama with their three children in 2011

For the prolific Alabama author, Becoming Mrs. Lewis was a departure. The book was the first in her repertoire to be considered an inspirational novel, and it was her first with a Christian publishing house (Harper Collins’ Thomas Nelson imprint). Her agent even won the argument to use “Patti Callahan” as her byline, so as not to confuse authors as to the type of books she writes.

When she began researching the story of Lewis and Davidman, though, Henry knew that it was a book she had to write–whether it was seen as a departure or not. Henry grew up a C.S. Lewis reader, and knew vaguely about his wife. “As the daughter of a Presbyterian minister, I grew up with C.S. Lewis in the house. I read The Screwtape Letters, and then fell down the wardrobe hole of Narnia,” she said. “I always knew he had a wife whose loss broke his heart, but that’s all I knew.” She later watched the movie “Shadowlands,” which showed how Lewis’ wife’s death had devastated him, but again felt drawn to Joy’s story. “It was told from his perspective, but I wanted to know her story,” she said.

Patti Callahan Henry's Family Outside
Patti Callahan Henry’s family celebrates daughter Meagan’s pregnancy. Pictured are son Thomas, Patti Henry, daughter Meagan, son-in-law Evan Rock, husband Pat, and son Rusk. Rusk is a junior at the University of Alabama and husband Pat is the President of Daniel Corporation in Birmingham.

Davidman was a renowned poet and novelist herself who was an atheist who converted to Christianity during her first marriage; when the marriage–which was marred by her husband’s alcoholism and infidelities-ended in divorce, she moved to England with her two young boys. On her conversion experience after exploring many religions, Davidman said: “the Redeemer who had made himself known, whose personality I would have recognized among ten thousand–He was Jesus.” Davidman had studied Lewis’ writing and began a correspondence with him in 1950; she moved to England in 1953 and they married in 1956. After her death from cancer in 1960, Lewis wrote what is considered one of the best expositions ever on grief- A Grief Observed.

Henry said that she was drawn to this unlikely relationship. “As I started researching, I asked this one overarching question. How did these two people ever come together? It was a completely improbable love story,” she said. “One was a poet, had been married, had two children, had never left New York. And then here was a man who had never left Ireland. He was a Christian apologist; she had been an atheist.”

“They were completely different faith-wise,” she said. “They literally could not have been more different. But fundamentally they couldn’t have been more perfect for each other.” Henry dug into the research process, reading everything Davidman had written and studying correspondence between the couple. She reread Lewis’ books from their ten years together and the years after Davidman’s death, and then visited Chicago’s Wheaton College which holds a huge collection of Lewis’ and Davidman’s papers. “Then I went to London and Oxford and walked in what I like to call the footsteps of Joy,” she said.

Patti Callahan Henry Writing
Award winning author Patti Callahan Henry will be the featured speaker at the Tom and Marla Corts Distinguished Author Series September 22 hosted by Samford University Orlean Beeson School of Education. Click here for details.

Learning from Joy. Henry has always written intimate tales of Southern women–who they are, what they struggle with, how they find meaning. Southern tales, she said, hold a special appeal because of the “certain wistfulness and melancholy in their storytelling.” With Becoming Mrs. Lewis, Henry said that she discovered a new layer of understanding women, especially in the way they relate to faith.

Davidman, Henry said, had great courage in the face of struggles. She packed a suitcase and moved across the ocean, to be with the man she loved but also to learn more about her relationship to God. That courage was one of two primary faith lessons Henry learned during the writing of the book. “We might not pack a suitcase, grab our kids, and move to another country, but we as women need to pack up the expectations and demands put on us that have nothing to do with the demands that God puts on us,” she said. Christian women, she said, can learn from Davidman’s courage. “She didn’t pack up without fear. She was scared out of her mind,” Henry said. “She packed it up because she had to change.”

Henry said that a second powerful message from the Davidman story is that there is nothing wrong with asking tough questions. “Joy was never afraid to ask the bigger questions,” she said. “She had been a genius intellectual and asked the big questions to understand the mystical experience she had. That’s why she wrote to Lewis in the first place.” Henry likes to call those questions “the beautiful questions”–the ones that “make or unmake a life.”

Becoming Mrs. Lewis Cover Image
Becoming Mrs. Lewis

Winning the Christy Award. Becoming Mrs. Lewis won the 2019 Christy Award for Christian Fiction, an award that acknowledges “the value and impact of novels of faith in contemporary culture.” Henry said that she was “peacock proud” for winning the award. She’d been asked to present a session on C.S. Lewis for the awards ceremony but didn’t think she had a chance of winning the Christy. She didn’t even have a speech and had to make up something on the spot. The award, she said, was especially meaningful because it wasn’t what she set out to write. “I’ve always written about love, family, and women, but to get this for an inspirational book was astounding,” she said. “I was properly stunned and unprepared.”

Henry’s next book will also be a historical novel. Coming out in 2021, it is based on the true story of the Steamship Pulaski wreck. In the meantime, she is treasuring the lessons learned from Becoming Mrs. Lewis. It’s given her opportunities she never imagined beforehand (including a new podcast entitled “Behind the Scenes of Becoming Mrs. Lewis,” which takes the novel a step further and includes interviews with researchers, women in her life, experts on grief, even Lewis family members), and also provided her with an unexpected way to share her own faith story. “I could never write sermons like my father did, and he never wrote books,” she said. “And as an author you never want to be the face of the story. I’m glad I had Joy to help tell the story.”

-Cheryl Sloan Wray

Wray is a freelance writer from Hueytown, Ala. She and her husband have three daughters and six grandchildren. She is the coordinator of the Southern Christian Writers Conference; learn more at the “Southern Christian Writers Conference” group on Facebook.

 

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110318 MFB TagovailoaTu LSU KG1062 Courtesy University of Alabama Athletics

Cover Story

It’s a simple fact. Tua Tagovailoa–the quarterback who rewrote the record books at the University of Alabama, endeared himself to sports fans around the world, and was selected fifth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft–is one of the greatest college players to ever play the game.

Brothers Tua and Taulia walk off the field after Alabama’s game against Texas A&M last October. Taulia announced in May he is transferring from Alabama to Maryland to play quarterback. Photo Courtesy Kent Gidley

Tagovailoa rose to prominence when he entered the 2017 national championship game at halftime as a true freshman and rallied Alabama to defeat SEC foe Georgia 26-23 on a gutsy, now legendary 3rd-and-26 pass to Devonta Smith in overtime. Tagovailoa’s celebrity shot through the stratosphere as he led the Crimson Tide to another national championship game the following season and smashed records–43 touchdowns in a single season, 87 career touchdowns–on his way to compiling a 22-2 overall record. Parents Galu and Diane Tagovailoa watched their son’s ascension to the top of the sports world from the stands, proud of not just his success but also of the way he gave glory to God and credit to his family. “Every time, the biggest thing that helped me was my faith. Praying through the series kept me calm,” Tua Tagovailoa said after his national championship-winning performance. “My poise comes from my faith. I just pray, asking God to let His will be done in me, and the rest will follow.”

Prayer is an essential part of Tua Tagovailoa’s life. Here he is joined by his family in prayer in the locker room at halftime after injuring his ankle in the second quarter against Tennessee on October 19, 2019. Courtesy Crimson Tide Photos, Kent Gidley

Faith and Family. The Tagovailoa bond is built on faith and family, and grew from the insistence Galu and Diane had in raising Tua and their other children Taulia, Taylor Ann, and Taysia in the strongly-spiritual American Samoa tradition. “Family and faith are everything,” Galu (pronounced Na-loo) Tagovailoa said. “It’s part of our Samoa culture. We’re strongly taught back home that family is so important and how we stick together is everything.”

Taulia, Taylor, Galu, Diane, Taysia and Tua Tagovailoa pose for a family portrait. Taylor is a 2020 graduate of Thompson High School.

Diane was born in Hawaii and Galu Tagovailoa was born in American Samoa–an unincorporated U.S. territory located approximately 2500 miles south of the Hawaiian islands–and moved to the state when he was five. The couple settled in Ewa Beach, a small city on the island of Oahu and raised their children amongst a large extended biological and church family.

The community cheered Tua Tagovailoa on as he led Saint Louis High School in Honolulu to the 2016 state title and became the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback recruit in the class of 2017; it then followed closely his journey to select a college destination.

Tua momDad Courtesy Tagovailoa Family
Tua Tagovailoa, the oldest of Gala and Diane Tagovailoa,’s four children, loved playing football from an early age in Ewa Beach, Hawaii. Photo Courtesy Tagovailoa Family

Intertwined in the Tagovailoa’s family life is a reliance on religious values and church life. At Message of Peace Church in Ewa Beach, where Tua’s aunt and uncle serve as pastors, the Tagovailoa family raised their children on the values of Christ. At home, the family continued that spiritual upbringing, gathering every afternoon for prayer services in their home. “At 6 o’clock, we get together. Every afternoon,” Galu Tagovailoa said. “Our family gets together and prays. We rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us. And that’s the same thing we do here in Alabama.”

Tagovailoa said there’s no option to not practice faith; it’s integral to everything his family does. “Our faith comes from our upbringing,” he said. “In Samoa, church is everything. Everyone goes to church and we are together teaching our children the importance of church and God. We’ve done everything we can to continue to carry on that legacy with our children.”

With that faith comes an understanding, Tagovailoa said, that God can equip you with the values to get through any circumstances whether positive or negative. “Faith comes with a lot of important values,” he said “Love, respect, being kind, but also being honest and upfront. It also means knowing that you can glorify God through everything.”

Galu hugs Tua Tagovailoa after the 26-23 National Championship Win over Georgia on January 9 2018. Photo Courtesy Kent Gidley

That leaning on faith and family was on display throughout Tua’s years at the University of Alabama, and continued just this April when he was drafted by the Miami Dolphins. “I think the motivation for me getting this far is my family. It’s not just me out there. It’s me carrying my family’s name and everyone who’s helped me be who I am today,” he said at a press conference announcing that he’d forego his senior year to enter the draft. “I’ve heard my parents say many times that it takes a village to raise a child. When you get where you’re going, don’t forget to turn back around and help the next in line.”

Tua Tagolvailoa left Alabama with the most career touchdowns in the history of the school, and now heads to the Miami Dolphins where he was selected as the Fifth Overall Pick in the NFL Draft. Photo Courtesy University of Alabama Athletics

Coming to Alabama. Tua Tagovailoa had his pick of offers to play collegiate football, but said ultimately that Southern hospitality and Nick Saban’s character were integral to his decision. As was a prophetic word given to him by a relative that he’d play football in Tuscaloosa.

The faith-based decision led the entire Tagovailoa immediate family to relocate to Alabama, where they settled in Alabaster and enrolled their younger children at Thompson High School. They also joined the Church of the Highlands, which Tua had discovered early in his move to Tuscaloosa and excitedly told his parents about.

Being close to their son was the only decision they felt comfortable making. “We love the Alabama people, we love it here, and it’s our home now,” Galu Tagovailoa said, noting that he has been uplifted and encouraged by the love extended toward Tua and his entire family. He takes that acceptance seriously, he said, and challenges everyone in his family to be real and true in their dealings with others–especially the Tide faithful. “We’re just regular people, and we don’t need to be lifted up because of what Tua’s doing. It shouldn’t change us, and it shouldn’t change what people think of us,” he said. “Fame won’t change the Tagovailoa family. We live in Christ, and are just so grateful for the platform so we can allow others to see what God has done for us.”

The attention thrust on the family grew with every new success achieved by Tua–but then took a different turn, when a devastating injury took Tagovailoa out of the 2019 matchup against Mississippi State. The dislocated hip and posterior wall fracture sidelined him for the rest of the season and put into question his future at Alabama and in the NFL.

Galu and Dinae Tagovailoa enjoy a moment with Taulia and Tua at the 2018 Heisman Trophy Ceremony where Tua finished runner-up to Oklahoma quarterback, Kyler Murray. Photo Courtesy Crimson Tide Photos, Kent Gidley

Looking to the Future. Galu Tagovailoa said that the injury and ensuing uncertainty was a challenge–but that his family looked to God’s guidance through it, as in every other situation. He recalled waiting for Tua to wake up from the surgery to repair his hip injury, wondering what his son’s attitude and countenance would be. “When he woke up he asked me, ‘Are you all right? Is everything okay?’ He was worried about his mother,” he said. “He started laughing and singing. He had a positive attitude that he would continue to glorify God through everything.”

“With things like the injury, you want what’s best for your kid and your heart goes out to them,” he said. “But then you take a step back as parents and allow God to calm everything down and tell you, ‘That’s life. What are you going to do about it now?’” Tagovailoa said that experience reminded him that he can learn from his children. “It’s an uplifting feeling when you see those things in your kids. You learn a lot through them,” he said. “My wife cried, seeing him support us and support his team and brother and family. It was a beautiful thing.”

As Tua looks to his future in Miami, his father said that the message to his son is still the same–to honor God and use his reputation as a platform. “Tua knows he can’t let this fame and the things happening in his life change him and who he is as a Christian,” he said. “The most important thing is that now he has an even bigger platform for God. Look at the effect that he has. And we remind him about that, and also realize that we need to do the same thing. It goes both ways, and we have to be accountable to God as well.”

-Cheryl Wray

Cheryl Wray is a freelance writer who covers sports for the Alabama Media Group. She is the coordinator of the Southern Christian Writers Conference. Visit www.southernchristianwriters.com and join the “Southern Christian Writers Conference” Facebook Group.

Enjoy this story? Click here to read the full June 2020 issue! 

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Cover Story

Would you move into a RV with your three young children and spouse? That is exactly what CBS 42 Chief Meteorologist Ashley Gann did more than four months ago and calls it an amazing family experience! Here’s a look into the life of this trailblazer who gives God all the glory.

Ashley Gann joined the CBS 42 Weather Team in 2015 as the only female Chief Meteorologist in Birmingham.

Life as a Meteorologist. Gann recalls always having a respect and wonderment with weather. She grew up in Atlanta, Ga. and at the age of thirteen attended a space camp that included weather classes. “I finished up space camp and told my mom, ‘Hey, Mom, when I grow up, I want to be a meteorologist.’” Gann pursued her goal, majoring in aerospace engineering at Auburn University and earning her master’s degree in meteorology from Mississippi State University in 2007. Gann admits she faced many obstacles when she went into the field of meteorology including a large gender gap, since only eight percent of chief meteorologists are female. She was often the only female in her math classes and did not have a female mentor to look up to in the field. With gratitude she shares, “The challenges and hurdles made me who I am. It’s made me stronger, more resilient and compassionate toward the adversities others are facing.” Because of her perseverance, she became the first female Chief Meteorologist in the state of Alabama and is still the only one in Birmingham. Gann is also passionate about being a mentor to anyone interested in or preparing to enter the field of meteorology. “Reach out to me if you have any questions because I love to walk students through what that journey looks like.”.

Besides wife, mom and meteorologist, Ashley Gann also holds the title of Mrs. Alabama International 2017, an experience that gained her lifelong friends. She is seen here with her mother Cindy Taylor.

“It’s not all roses,” Gann reflects about being a meteorologist on television. She explains that she may have to wake up at crazy hours or cut a family trip short if a hurricane is coming. Her least favorite part of her job is centered around social media and the negative comments people leave on her feed. “People are very opinionated on my look, my hair, my clothes, my pregnancy,” she says, “I could do without that, but adversity makes for stronger people.” There are sacrifices Gann makes, but she shares that being a meteorologist is an extremely rewarding job too. Her favorite part is being able to serve people by making them aware of severe weather threats. “When people say, ‘When that storm came through and I got to my safe place, it was because I heard you say my street name or my city. I did what you told me to and that’s why I’m here today.’” Gann adds that those messages remind her, “Why I do what I do.”

Ashley and Derek Gann married in 2013 and they have three children: Reagan (6), D.C. (4), and Rhett (18 months). Derek and his brother David provide mobility and accessibility solutions for area families through their business 101 Mobility.

Life as a Mother. Of all of Gann’s titles in life, being mom is her favorite. Gann and her husband Derek have three children: Reagan (6), D.C. (4), and Rhett (18 months). “As a Christian, I get to be one of the first people to teach my children about Jesus. I literally have the opportunity to live my life in a way that leads them to salvation,” says Gann, admitting that this responsibility can be overwhelming as well as joyful. Ashley recalls that when she and Derek were expecting their first child, a mentor shared with them, “Teach them about Jesus and have fun. If you do those two things and do them well, your children will be just fine.” Those are the words the couple still lives by as parents of three. “If Jesus is my model in how I parent, that’s all that matters.” Gann adds she believes it is important to give yourself grace as a parent. She has learned that balance is key, so she doesn’t try to be perfect. She also is passionate about incorporating her children into the simple, necessary things like cleaning.

Life as a Woman of Faith. Gann and her husband, Derek, both accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior at an early age. She says they strive to live by the mantra “How are we making the biggest impact for the kingdom?” They both believe that wherever you are in the world, that is your mission field. “We want whatever message we are giving people at church on Sunday, on television during the week or at the grocery store to match,” she adds, “We want to be light in the world. We want to be Jesus people.”

Chief Meteorologist Ashley Gann and her family have spent the last four months living in an RV at camp sites where they explore nature, hike and enjoy God’s creation.

Life in the RV. The Ganns decided to purchase a camper to have fun with the family on the weekends. “My husband and I have no camping experience at all,” Gann admits but they thought it presented a great way to be more intentional with their time with their children with little or no distractions. Fast forward one year. In the midst of trying to sell their home, the couple quickly discovered how difficult it can be to live in a house while it is on the market. They decided, after six months of planning, to upgrade their camper to an RV and live in it while selling their house. Gann shares that she always dreamed of living in a tiny house, “but my husband isn’t a tiny person 6’6.” Living in the RV was the next best thing. Gann shares that her family spends most of their time at Oak Mountain State Park but have found great spots all around Alabama to call home for the last four months. Gann says the adventure has been fun and enlightening. As they downsized and decluttered, she says the family gained a new understanding of what is truly important to them. For instance, most of the Gann kids’ toys can now be found outside! “They get to explore the woods and we get to go on two-hour hikes anytime.” Gann believes that living in an RV has also given her family more time to invest in each other since less time is needed to do things like cleaning the house. When will the RV adventure end? The Gann’s aren’t exactly sure, but you can keep up with their journey on Gann’s Facebook page.

-Melissa Armstrong 

Enjoy this story? Click here to read the full May 2020 issue! 

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Cover Story

“One love can change your life; one life can change the world.”  That is the tagline for the newly released film I Still Believe, based on the life of contemporary Christian singer Jeremy Camp and his relationship with his first wife Melissa, who died of cancer in 2001. The movie was shot in Mobile, Ala. and the surrounding areas, as “it had the landscape and topography we were looking for,” producer Kevin Downes explained. Downes, along with Birmingham natives Jon and Andrew Erwin, produced I Still Believe as well as the inspirational movies Mom’s Night Out, Woodlawn, and I Can Only Imagine, which was the #1 box office grossing, independent film of the year in 2018.

Jon & Andy
Birmingham natives Jon Erwin and brother Andy Erwin directed I Still Believe as well as independent film blockbuster, I Can Only Imagine. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Kingdom Story Company. Downes and the Erwin brothers along with Tony Young are the founders of Kingdom Story Company, which partners with Lionsgate Entertainment to strive to create life-changing content from a variety of talented storytellers.  “When I go to the movies, I want to be entertained, but if I’m encouraged and inspired in my own life, then that’s a huge win. And so those are the types of stories that I love to tell,” says Downes. “True stories that showcase the power of the Gospel and stories of the Bible.” He adds that all the company founders are passionate about telling these stories, and audiences seem to love them.

Where I Still Believe originates. Downes and his wife were attending a Jeremy Camp concert about eight years ago, and Camp was talking about his wife Melissa and what they had gone through with her cancer and her untimely death. Downes adds that he and his wife both had tears in their eyes, and she mentioned to him (or gave him the elbow, he says) that he should make Camp’s story into a movie someday. Around the time he was filming I Can Only Imagine, he brought the idea for Camp’s story to the Erwin brothers. He remembers telling them that they “really needed to dive in and see what this story is all about.” The Erwins loved the story, and they all decided it would be their next movie.

Andy & KJ
Director Andy Erwin on the set with I Still Believe star KJ Apa. Photo Credit: Michael Kubeisy

Andy Erwin shares that Lionsgate has put all their resources behind the filmmakers in order to create I Still Believe. This is a big difference from how the film team had to approach the production of I Can Only Imagine. “No one expected it to do anything. We had to self finance to put it in theaters. It was predicted to do very little, and it did 17 million across the country and went on to steamroll.” Erwin adds, “I’m not my films, I feel very called to tell the stories that really move my heart and this is satisfying in and of itself for an audience.”

Made in Alabama. “We feel passionate about staying in the South. When choosing whether to shoot in Los Angeles or in our own backyard, we will pick our backyard every time,” explains Erwin. “We also feel passionate about people we do movies for and don’t want to get absorbed by the system on a stage celebrating about ourselves.”

Kevin Downes
Kevin Downes along with Jon & Andy Erwin are three of the four founders of Kingdom Story Company, an American film and television studio in partnership with Lionsgate specializing in the production of Christian films.

Downes praised the Mobile area, indicating that the residents were very friendly, the food was great, and that he would love to film in the area again. He and the Erwin brother spent about two months filming the movie in Mobile. Besides Mobile, the crew visited Fairhope, which he described as an “idyllic little postcard town”; Dauphin Island, where the wedding of Jeremy and Melissa was filmed; and Gulf Shores, where the city’s annual Hangout Festival served as the backdrop for one of the film’s concert scenes. Downes appreciates the festival organizers for the “gift” of letting them use the stage and observe the audience’s excitement.

I Still Believe
KJ Apa plays Jeremy Camp and Britt Robertson plays Melissa Henning Camp in the newly released movie I Still Believe, filmed right here in Alabama. Beginning March 27 through April 28, you can watch the movie in your home via Video on Demand. “We’re proud to have the opportunity to share online a movie whose inspiring message of love, hope and faith is perfect for these uncertain times,” explained Birmingham natives Andy and Jon Erwin in an interview with The Wrap. Photo Credit: Jason LaVeris

A Well Rounded Cast. 22-year-old KJ Apa, a native of New Zealand plays Jeremy Camp. Downes describes him as a “talented kid with an old soul,” and notes his favorite scene in the film is an intimate moment between Apa and Britt Robertson, who plays Camp’s wife. Without giving too much of the scene away, Downes shares that it makes the viewer see how much Jeremy loved Melissa: “KJ sings acapella, with no background music, just him and his voice to the camera, singing to her. You see his heart poured into it, really beautiful.” The rest of the principal cast includes actor Gary Sinise and singer songwriter Shania Twain as Jeremy Camp’s parents.

Downes observed that all of the actors were really invested in the story. He noted that the cast, including Sinise and Twain, made shooting the film an enjoyable experience, particularly in a scene where Camp’s parents come to visit him at college. Those scenes were filmed at Spring Hill College, and Downes says that Sinise and Twain “made it a lot of fun,” displaying great charisma and personality.

I Still Believe
Singer songwriter Shania Twain plays Jeremy Camp’s mother in I Still Believe. Photo Credit: Michael Kubeisy

Message of the Film. Downes is very proud of how the movie came together and is sure that audiences of all ages will gravitate toward it because of its positive message. “I think, whether you’re young or old, there is something in this movie for you because we all have relationships in our lives, whether or not we’re married,” Downes says, “and this movie is such a visual example of how to love your neighbor and treat them in a way that’s often better than ourselves, and what happens when we actually do that and serve one another.”  He also adds that it’s a message that is so needed in today’s society, “how it’s all about ‘me me me’, and people kinda take from each other. Yet here’s this visual example of true love.”

Downes believes that audiences young and old will really grasp the overall theme of unconditional love in the midst of circumstances as they watch how Camp puts everything in his life aside in order to serve Melissa. He encourages people to see the film not just for the sights and sounds of Alabama, but for the true story that resonates throughout the film. “Even though this is a love story with kind of a sad element, they [viewers] should know they will be encouraged and inspired by going and watching this movie.”

-Adrian Bates 

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Cover Story

S. Truett & Jeannette Cathy
When Chick-fil-A first opened in 1946, founder S. Truett Cathy was 27 years old and his wife Jeannette was only 25 years old.

Truett Cathy founded one of the largest fast food restaurant chains in America, Chick-fil-A, in 1946. Do you recognize the name Jeannette M. Cathy? Wife to Truett Cathy, Jeannette played a very important role in Chick-fil-A’s success, albeit mostly behind the scenes. Trudy Cathy White watched her mother provide their family with a quiet strength grounded in faith. “She was very committed, passionate and full of compassion for people. My mother was an encourager and a real prayer warrior.” The impact of her mother was so strong, White felt compelled to share her legacy with others in her latest book A Quiet Strength: The Life and Legacy of Jeannette M. Cathy. Although Jeannette passed away in 2015, Trudy Cathy White believes her impact will be felt for generations to come.

 Surprising Facts. White shares that her mother had a difficult childhood. She never knew her earthly father because he left the family when Jeannette was only three months old. However, at a very young age, Jeannette was introduced to her heavenly Father. “My mom had a very vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ, and she was totally captivated by the idea that she could have a Father and that He would be a perfect Father to her.” Jeannette had a unique childhood because her mother was a talented seamstress and as her daughter, she spent countless hours growing up backstage in the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia. Jeannette was able to achieve her dream of attending college and seminary thanks to ladies from her church who put their money together to make it happen. “She continued that learning spirit. She was a lifelong learner but was rarely in the spotlight,” says White. Her mom became a self-taught artist at the age of 65.

Jeannette Cathy Painting
Jeannette M. Cathy became a self-taught artist at the age of 65. Her daughter, Trudy Cathy White, explains that her mother was an encourager and prayer warrior that lived a Christ-centered life until she passed away at the age of 92.

Jeannette’s Legacy as a Mother & Wife. White shares that her mother taught her children the importance of building their lives on what mattered most- Jesus. “My mother always reminded us that we needed to know who we were and whose we were.” She also knew the importance of taking time to be still before the Lord. As a child, White remembers finding her mother reading her Bible and praying often, even during a busy day. “Everything in her life taught me what it meant to walk with the Lord.” Jeannette also played a critical support role as the wife of Truett Cathy. “While Dad was focused on building the business, Mom was focused on building the family.” White adds that her mother cared deeply for others from all walks of life and nurtured a positive attitude. “She was the type of person that when it rained, she would get out her brightest umbrella.”

Trudy Cathy White Family portrait with husband kids grandkids
Trudy Cathy White and her husband John have been married for 40 years and have four children and fifteen grandchildren. The couple served as overseas missionaries for 10 years and later co-founded LifeShape, a ministry committed to restoring children at risk, cultivating servant leaders and discipling the nations. They also cofounded Impact 360 Institute which offers life-changing experiences that help students live out their faith with confidence. The program includes worldview studies, experiential learning, international travel and leadership training.

Chick-fil-A Business Principles. Both of White’s parents modeled perseverance. “You can, with God” was a phrase that her mother often said. She shares that her father’s second restaurant burned to the ground, but he didn’t let that challenge stop him. Both parents taught their children how to press on, even when the circumstances were not easy. Her father especially taught her how to honor and merge Biblical principles in both her professional life as a Chick-fil-A ambassador, author and former missionary and in her personal life as a wife, mother and grandmother. White shares that her family is still deeply committed to the original business purpose of Chick-fil-A established by her parents. “That purpose is to glorify God by being a faithful steward to all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.” Her parents also modeled how to keep charitable giving a foundation in the family business. White emphasizes that this idea does not just apply to monetary giving, but the Chick-fil-A family strives to be generous with their time, talents and influence in order to glorify God.

Trudy Cathy White with mom Jeannette and daughter Angela
Although the Whites live in Atlanta, Ga. they frequent Birmingham to see their daughter Angela and her family. Angela is pictured here with her mother Trudy and grandmother Jeannette.

Birmingham Connections. White attended Samford University and at the age of nineteen, she became the youngest Chick-fil-A operator, overseeing the company’s restaurant just miles from campus. White also met and fell in love with her Birmingham native husband, John White, during this time. While they lived in Birmingham during their college years, they were active members of Shades Mountain Baptist Church. The Whites served as missionaries in Brazil for 10 years with the International Mission Board and eventually settled in Atlanta, the home of Chick-fil-A, where White currently serves as a Chick-fil-A ambassador. Their daughter Angela lives in Birmingham with her husband Brent Fielder and their four children and they continue a role in the family business. Angela’s husband operates the Chick-fil-A Greystone location. White frequently visits Birmingham to see family and friends and adds that while she’s here she always makes plans to eat at Gus’s Hot Dogs and Davenport’s Pizza Palace. “Outside of Chick-fil-A, of course, we love to eat there.” Her favorite items on the Chick-fil-A menu? Chick-n-Minis and the original chicken sandwich with extra pickles!

A Quiet Strength
Trudy Cathy White explains that her new book, A Quiet Strength is similar to a memoir and is full of stories about her mother’s life. The book uncovers her role in the success of the nationwide restaurant chain Chick-fil-A.

A Quiet Strength. White hopes her new book of short stories about her mother’s life and legacy as a Christian wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother will inspire readers and be great reference for her family for generations to come. “Anybody that is wanting to focus on how to build their life and focus on the things that really matter in life, I think they will really enjoy reading the book and find it to be really encouraging.” White adds that she is trusting the Lord to use the book to bring honor to her mother. “Under my breath, I keep saying ‘Mom, I hope you’re okay with this,’ because she was such a behind the scenes person, and I am really putting her out there now.” A Quiet Strength is available for purchase online and in stores beginning March 10, 2020. Read more about White, her family and her other books at www.trudycathywhite.com.

–Melissa Armstrong

 

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Cover Story

Growing up, Wes Hampton listened to a wide genre of music with his parents. The Gaither Vocal Band was a favorite but Hampton never expected to one day sing tenor for the group!

His Childhood. Born and raised in West Tennessee, Hampton grew up in the church. “I was involved and knew the expected church words and routine,” he says but it was as a teenager he truly understood what Jesus did for him on the cross and what it meant to know Him as Savior. “My father led me to Christ when I was 15 and I felt peace like never before because I knew I had started a real relationship with God opposed to a religious experience.” He always enjoyed singing but never thought he would do it as a career because he was a shy child and didn’t want to be on stage. He remembers singing privately in his room when his parents overheard him and encouraged him to get involved with the local youth choir. The youth choir director became very influential in Hampton’s pursuit of music, leading him to step further out of his comfort zone and join a quartet.

Gaither Vocal Band
Wes Hampton has sung tenor for the Gaither Vocal Band for fifteen years. Photos courtesy of Gaither Vocal Band.

The Audition. Hampton attended Trevecca Nazarene University, where he met his wife, Andrea. Shortly after marriage, the couple moved to Birmingham, Ala., where Hampton continued his education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “I would have been a doctor today, but God diverted my path,” Hampton says. During his junior year, he felt unsettled with his plans and felt God tell him, “I don’t want you to do this.” Following God’s prompting, Hampton left his anatomy class and began to pursue a degree in music. This decision led him to begin interning and leading worship at a local church. Even still, Hampton adds, “I felt like I was spinning my wheels.” A mutual friend of the Hamptons and Gaithers reached out to Hampton telling him about an opportunity to audition for the tenor position in the Gaither Vocal Band. In 2005, Hampton began a seven week audition process. He shares that he never expected anything to happen, but God had other plans. This year marks 15 years of Hampton being a part of the Gaither Vocal Band.

Gaither Vocal Band
The Gaither Vocal Band performs at Samford University on March 14, 2020, as part of the Good Things Take Time Tour. Visit www.premierproductions.com to learn more and purchase tickets.

Tour Life. When asked what has been crucial for maintaining a healthy marriage with Andrea and strong relationships with his sons while he is touring, Hampton shares technology has been a lifeline. They use Facetime to stay connected and Hampton and his sons play games on their phones as another way to spend time together even when they are apart. He also credits Bill Gaither with making time at home a priority. “He does a great job of getting us home. I am home the majority of the week,” he explains.

The Gaither Vocal Band has won many awards over the years, including a Grammy for Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album. “It still blows my mind that it’s on my shelf in my living room.” Some of Hampton’s favorite tour memories are centered around international travel. “The energetic crowds in South Africa and Brazil are incredible to experience,” he reflects adding that singing at Billy Graham’s memorial service in 2018 is a memory he will always cherish. “It was a huge honor to do that. I am still so grateful.”

Wes Hampton and Bill Gaither
Wes Hampton shares that Bill Gaither has been influential in his life as a husband, father, and friend. He adds that Gaither has modeled how to not pursue opportunities unless God plans it.

Bill Gaither’s Influence. “I haven’t seen anyone like Bill- with the drive and love of what he does,” says Hampton about the leader of the Gaither Vocal Band who has taught him to be a better listener and lifelong learner as well as how to leave room for the Holy Spirit. “He encourages us to let the songs speak for themselves and to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.” Hampton says that Gaither shares with him wisdom like that of a grandparent. “We don’t need more information in today’s world. We need more wisdom.”

Wes Hampton's Family
Wes Hampton married Birmingham native Andrea, 22 years ago this August. She homeschools their four sons, Barrett (14), Hudson (12), Carden (9) and Sutton (8).

Home Life. The Hamptons have lived in Birmingham, Ala. for 22 years. Wife Andrea homeschools their four sons, Barrett (14), Hudson (12), Carden (9) and Sutton (8) and the family attends Church of the Highlands at the Grants Mill campus. “I am so grateful for Pastor Chris Hodges’ shepherding. He has been influential in making me who I am today,” says Hampton. A Bible verse with special meaning to Hampton is John 15:5. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Hampton admits that he deals with the insecurity of not being good enough and explains that this verse is a reminder that he can accomplish nothing without Christ. He adds that the verse is a reminder that, “This is what God called me to and He will give me what I need to do it.” He strives to spend the first part of every day with God in an act of daily surrender.

WescipesIn addition to singing, Hampton has a passion for cooking. “I love it,” he explains. Growing up, he recalls his mom being a great cook and he remembers having stained hands from gardening lima beans, corn and more. Inspired by the Food Network channel, he found cooking to be relaxing and started pushing wife Andrea out of the kitchen so he could take over. The hobby then turned into a passion. He started creating recipes and eventually compiled them into his first cookbook titled, Wescipes. Visit www.birminghamchristian.com/food for a taste of his cooking and be on the lookout for Wescipes Volume Two available later this year.

Home Performance. Hampton will have the opportunity to perform for his hometown fans on March 14, 2020 at Samford University. “There will be so many great songs and messages. We will sing new songs and the Gaither classics,” says Hampton of the upcoming Good things Take Time Tour. “It’s something you need to experience.” Learn more at www.premiereproductions.com

-Melissa Armstrong

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Cover Story

The year 2020 is special to Birmingham Christian Family (BCF) magazine because it marks 20 years of sharing Good News with readers like you. 20 years can bring a lot of changes, so keep reading to find where past cover stories are now! You can also read the full length, powerful faith stories they shared with us over the years at www.birminghamchristian.com/issues.

Tim Hudson Plays in World Series Tim Hudson

After playing baseball for Auburn University, Tim Hudson went on to play for the Oakland Athletics and Atlanta Braves. After appearing on the cover of BCF in April of 2012, he transferred to the San Francisco Giants and helped the Giants win the 2014 World Series!

Allyson Felix Breaks Records Allyson Felix

Olympic Gold Medalist sprinter Allyson Felix continues to go for gold since talking with BCF in August of 2016 about her God-given gift. She broke records in 2019 when she won her 12th Gold Medal during the IAAF Doha competition.

Alabama Heisman Mark Ingram Stays Faith Focused Mark Ingram

After sharing his faith with BCF in October 2010, Mark Ingram went on to play in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens, where he still plays today. He also continues the mission of the Mark Ingram Foundation, “To enrich and contribute to the well-being of at-risk youth and families affected by incarceration through social development, goal setting and strengthening of character through sports.”

SEC Nation’s Lauren Sisler Engaged Lauren Sisler

Lauren Sisler weighed in on what matters in the game of life in BCF’s August 2018 issue. Since speaking with us, Sisler became engaged to John Willard and is planning her wedding.

UAB Coach Bill Clark Wins Conference Championship UAB Coach Bill Clark

Since appearing on BCF’s cover in September of 2017, Coach Clark’s team went on to win UAB’s first conference championship in 2018. 2019 was another great year for the team. The Blazers are the 2019 C-USA West Champions and as of print are preparing to play in the New Orleans Bowl.

Congressman Gary Palmer Continues Call to Serve Congressman Gary Palmer

Since talking with Congressman Palmer in March of 2017, his Republican colleagues chose him to serve as chairman of the Republican Policy Committee which places him fourth in the hierarchy of Republican House leadership. “This a role in which I believe I can best serve my colleagues and my constituents, a role that my 25 years with the Alabama Policy Institute gave me the experience and expertise that will be of great benefit to my fellow members,” says Palmer.

Alabama’s Tiger Dabo Swinney Does It Again Dabo Swinney

Coach Dabo Swinney appeared on the cover of the September 2016 issue. Since then, his Clemson Tigers football team has won a second College Football National Championship (2016, 2018). As of print, Coach Swinney’s team is prepping for another College Football Playoff game.

Fox 6’s Janet Hall Remains Anchored in Faith Janet Hall

After nearly 40 years on with WBRC-TV, Janet Hall O’Neil continues to anchor weekday newscasts from 4-5:30 each day on FOX6 News. She and her husband Frank are active founding members of Asbury United Methodist where they raised their two children, Allie and Jack. Allie is now working at a non-profit in Washington D.C. where she researches grants for international development. Jack is an engineer in Nashville and is engaged to be married this summer. Janet says, “I am blessed to have a long journalism career in my hometown, a wonderful marriage, children who have grown into outstanding adults and a loving church family that strengthens my faith every day.”

James Spann Covers Weather & Community James Spann

“We have got to come together as a Christian community, and a publication like (ITALIC)Birmingham Christian Family is the perfect way to do that,” says James Spann who was featured on the cover of BCF in August 2000. Since being featured, Spann has won several awards including National Weather Association’s Broadcaster of the Year.

Bassmaster Classic Champ Randy Howell Gives Back Randy Howell

Since BCF talked with Randy Howell in May 2014, he continues to partner with the King’s Home to help women and children in our community. 2019 marked the ninth year for him to provide the boat for the Campfire for the King Boat Giveaway which raised more than $200,000!

Bud's Best CookiesBud’s Best Cookies Stays in the Family 

Bud Cason, founder of Birmingham’s Bud’s Best Cookies, was on the cover in December of 2004. In April of 2012, at a special meeting of employees and management, Bud announced that he was promoting his son, Al, to company President. Bud remains CEO and Chairman of the Board. Be one of the first 250 guests at the Celebrate the Family Expo to receive a free bag of Bud’s Best Cookies!

Rick & Bubba Celebrate 20 Years on Radio Together Rick & Bubba

After appearing on the first cover of BCF in July of 2000, Rick & Bubba continue their radio talk show, the Rick & Bubba Show, and are celebrating their 20th anniversary!

J.T. Gives Thanks Jeff "J.T." Tyson

“Thank you Jesus for all you have given me and please keep directing me in the direction you would have me best glorify You!” says J.T. Nysewander as he shares changes since he appeared on the cover August 2006. He and wife Judy were able to cheer their son Michael on as he played football at the University of Alabama and was a part of three National Championships and three SEC Championships under Coach Nick Saban. He now coaches running backs at Samford University. Daughter Alex also graduated from Alabama and teaches 5th grade at Mountain Brook Elementary. J.T. adds “Judy now drives a school bus for Hoover Schools and loves it!” while he enjoys hosting “Alabama’s Morning News with J.T.” 6-9 a.m. on 105.5 WERC in Birmingham and on MAGIC 96.5 FM every weekday afternoon 2-7 p.m.

Kevin Derryberry & Marc Phillips’ Music & Ministries Continue Marc Phillips & Kevin Derryberry

In December of 2003, BCF talked with Kevin Derryberry and Marc Phillips. Both had experienced successful secular music careers, and both chose to also use their musical gifts to praise God. Today Kevin Derryberry Ministries (KDM) hosts LIFETECH events that minister to men preparing to be released from prison and to date thousands have come to faith in Jesus. Marc Phillips’ recent music project, “Pouring It Out On Me” features songs that ministered to him as he battled throat cancer as well as original songs about the experience. He also leads children’s worship at Double Oak Community Church on Sunday mornings and leads worship at Grace Point Church in Pelham on Tuesday night as well as overseeing an after-school music program for children living at King’s Home. He is also wrapping production on the recording of the audio version of fellow BCF cover story, Sherry Burgess’ book, Bronner: A Journey to Understand, available in early 2020. Hear Phillips and Derryberry perform songs from their latest projects at the Celebrate the Family Expo!

Rick Karle & Mike Dubberly Join Morning News Teams Rick Karle & Mike Dubberly

Rick Karle and Mike Dubberly were featured on the cover of BCF in September of 2011, both at the sports anchor desk. Today they are both anchoring the morning news. Karle is a brand-new member of the WVTM-13 morning team after 38 years as a sportscaster. Karle also celebrates continuing being cancer free for 32 years! Dubberly has been a part of WBRC’s Good Day Alabama team since 2012. He shares, “It’s been a blessing to be part of this top-rated morning show for so long.”

Mark Whitlock Jr. Continues His Father’s Legacy at Mark’s Outdoors Mark's Outdoors

When BCF featured the Whitlock family on the cover in September 2007, Mark Whitlock, Jr. was only sixteen years old. Today he carries on his father’s legacy of helping others enjoy God’s great outdoors by running Mark’s Outdoors in Vestavia. “My dad ran this store for over 32 years. He was the only person that I know who truly loved his job and would rather be working than at home relaxing. There was nobody else like him. I stepped in once I graduated college and have been here for 5 years now. My mom, Dana, and I, are still here and running the store. I handle the sales floor while Mom handles the financials. We have a few big plans for 2020 so be sure to keep tuned-in!

 Artist Daniel A. Moore Continues to Paint Seeds of Light Daniel Moore

This past spring, Daniel Moore (BCF Sept 2001) was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame as its “2019 Outstanding American Sportsman.” His recent works include paintings of Najee Harris and Jalen Hurts and he is working on preliminary research and preparation for a painting that pays tribute to Tua Tagovailoa’s collegiate career at Alabama. “I love Tua’s great testimony and his enthusiastic love for the Lord. I look forward to including his story in a gospel tract that we will print to accompany each print,” Moore shared. “I enjoy using my talents for sowing these ‘seeds of light.’”

Birmingham Boys Choir Thrives Ken Berg

The Birmingham Boys Choir graced the cover of BCF in December 2014. “The choir just keeps getting bigger and better every year,” says Music Director Ken Berg. “We have 150 plus boys right now from 50 different schools all over the city.” Berg is now in his 42nd year of leading the choir and in December the choir performed its 42nd Annual Christmas Concert at Briarwood Presbyterian Church.

Continuing Christian Radio in Birmingham: WDJC-FM WDJC

WDJC’s Roxanne, Justin Brown, and Terry Patilla all appeared on the cover of BCF in April 2018 as a part of WDJC’s 50-year anniversary. Roxanne was recently recognized as one of the Top Women in Alabama Media and now hosts mornings with radio veteran Ace McKay. Patilla continues his popular “Sundays of Praise and Brown has teamed up with 7-year-old daughter Abigail to produce several commercials that have not only aired on WDJC but have also one international recognition.

God Opens Doors for Siran StacySiran Stacy

BCF talked with Siran Stacy in May of 2009 after he tragically lost his wife and four of his five children in a car accident in 2007. Since then, Stacy went into full time ministry. “Over the last 12 years, I’ve been asked to speak at churches, schools, military branches, corporate businesses, retreats, and non-profits just to name a few. On September 21, 2013, I married an amazing woman of faith, Jeannie Marie Petty. God did it again, I fell in love again. We have three children together: Julia Marie Ellie (4 years old), Savanna Grace (2 years old) and Jasmine Anna Rose (6 months old). Shelly is 16 years old now. The grace of God over my life continues to open new doors and opportunities for His Kingdom purposes. I’m thankful for all the support and prayers bestowed upon myself and ministry. I know so many have prayed for me over the years and if I can ever return the favor send me an email through my website at www.siranstacy.org. To God be all the glory.”

To celebrate 20 years of Good News, BCF wants to hear from you! What is one of your favorite BCF cover stories? Join us on our Facebook page to let us know. We also hope you will make plans to join us at the Celebrate the Family Expo on January 11, 2020 where many of our past cover stories plan to be a part of the celebration, www.birminghamchristian.com/expo.

Birmingham Christian Family wants to honor cover story friends who have passed away since their interviews. Their faith stories continue to inspire us today! We remember Bill Bolen, Pat Sullivan, Bart Starr, Jessie Hale Downs and Judy Allison.

–Melissa Armstrong

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