The Why Guy (a pen name) is a recently widowed husband who was happily married to his beautiful wife for 43 years. Heartbroken, he now pours the remainder of his love into his two adopted dogs.  He does not claim to be a Bible scholar or theologian—he sees himself simply as a critical thinker with strong opinions shaped by a lifetime of asking “Why?”  A published author, songwriter, and musician, he has played in several secular bands, but nothing ever fulfilled him like leading people in worship. At age 15 he had a dramatic, life-changing encounter with God that included a vision of Christ. Almost overnight he received the ability to play guitar, and soon joined his church’s praise team.  For many years he worked as a private music teacher, giving lessons on guitar, banjo, mandolin, and bass to students aged 8 to 80

He and his late wife owned a music store for eleven years, through which he also learned to teach piano, flute, clarinet, alto and tenor sax, trumpet, and bass clarinet. He was once contracted by his local school district to teach music for a year, and to this day he still tunes pianos in his spare time.  He spent years in prison ministry, taking his band J.C. & Co. into facilities such as Walla Walla State Penitentiary, Coyote Ridge Corrections Center, and Airway Heights Corrections Center in Washington State.