J B Hazelton

Having grown up on the East Coast, and now living on the West Coast, I have an abiding love for the water. I grew up swimming, sailing, water skiing and cruising on a motor boat. My favorite place to be is in, on, or near, the water. I love to paddle board. However, despite the lovely illustration in my recent book (Life, Faith, and Saltwater Taffy), my dog does not like to paddle board. After unceremoniously dumping me in twice, she is no longer invited along.

With a master's in music education and a minor in religion, I enjoy playing and teaching music, and have been a church musician for many years.

My faith developed within a unique family background. On one side, my grandparents were Norwegian-American: a Lutheran pastor/seminary professor and a church organist. On the other side, they were Jewish immigrants from Germany and Russia. I wear cozy Norwegian sweaters—and love the show "Fiddler on the Roof". After my parents divorced and each remarried, a Roman Catholic stepfamily was added to the mix, and I gained a priest for a stepbrother. The family tree includes a Russian Orthodox priest, as well.

I have worked for, worshiped with, and learned from, a wide variety of faith communities within the Judeo-Christian tradition, and have come to appreciate what each has to offer. While I do not believe any human being or group can have perfect understanding of an infinite God, we grow when we wrestle with the right questions. Even on days when my faith and my doubt spar for the upper hand, I believe the Scriptures are a storehouse of wisdom, available to all.

You may wish to visit my blog at SplashesOfEncouragement.com.