LESLIE Montgomery
Success in life despite a harsh childhood “I’ve tried everything, but I haven’t tried You.”
Leslie Montgomery is the author of many books, but her favorite book is still the Bible, and she reads and studies it frequently. (Photo by Gaye Bunderson)
By Gaye Bunderson Leslie Montgomery carries a well-worn Bible wherever she goes. By most standards, the Bible would be considered too ragged and tattered from overuse, something more fit to be tossed into the trash than carried around like a close friend. But by spiritual standards, it could be considered profoundly beautiful. Why? Because the Word saved Leslie’s life, and she absolutely fell in love with it and its Author. The English and Greek handwriting in the margins and the bright yellow highlighting on every page are merely a visual display of her commitment to be a devoted student of God’s Word and a humble servant of the One who became flesh and dwelt among us. Included in this story about the successes in Leslie’s life as a songwriter and author are segments, in her own words, of the story of her early life. But first, a caveat: parts of Leslie’s early life are difficult to read.
The Beginning – Part 1
I was born in Lakewood, Calif. My parents moved to Mountain Home when I was 3, and I was raised here. My dad was an abusive rageaholic and alcoholic. I was the middle child and the only girl. While my brothers were quiet about the abuse in our home, I was confrontive. I put myself in the middle, and I felt I had to protect my mom.
6 March / April 2022 | Christian Living
Our dad would put us kids in the center of a room between him and my mom. He’d demand, “Choose who you love more: me or your mother.” We were scared to answer and would huddle together crying. On another note, when drunk and raging, my father would sometimes carry around a gun and threaten to kill us. When he wasn’t looking or had passed out, my mother would take the gun, dismantle it, and hide the pieces throughout the house. She came from a rough background – one that deprived her of any shred of self-esteem and made her afraid to stand up for herself. She only had a 10th grade education and had three kids to raise, so she put up with my dad. When I was about 11, my family lived in Pine, where my dad worked as a maintenance man for the Forest Service. There, I met a woman named Marta Tiege, who asked me to be a part of her wedding ceremony to Walt Tiege. She took me under her wing. During the ceremony, my dad got sloppy drunk, was hitting on other women, and pulling the fire alarm. I hid from him. That night I helplessly watched my dad rape my mother in horror. I tried to kill myself for the first time. I OD’d on aspirin and got very sick. After that, I just became an angry person. I was angry at everyone – we were being hurt and no one was stopping it.
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