Bert Montgomery

Of Jaws, Fishing for Men, and the Kingdom of God

January 31, 2012

Quint the fisherman, played to perfection by the scene-stealing Robert Shaw in the 1975 Steven Spielberg masterpiece, Jaws, was a rugged, thick-skinned, and independent man who played by his own rules and ...

If You Wanna Get to Heaven, You Might Wanna Listen to the Ozark Mountain Daredevils (Ode to Dale and Mary)

Bert Montgomery

January 14, 2012

General

Dale and I became fast friends a few years ago because of our love for the music of that Missouri band of rural hippie farmers known as the Ozark Mountain Daredevils. Their song “Beauty in the River” is one of ...

Love Comes to Town

Bert Montgomery

December 28, 2011

General

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God … And the Word became flesh and lived among us (John 1:1-2, 14a). Or, as Eugene Peterson puts it, "The Word became flesh and ...

Of Mice And MIN…ISTERS (Ode to Advent and Axl Rose)

Bert Montgomery

December 18, 2011

General

I've heard it said that Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose was, and still is, an angry, angry man. I have no reason to doubt it. There simply is no denying that they literally burst forth into the nation's con...

How To Satisfy Jesus (via the Gospel of Elvis)

Bert Montgomery

December 4, 2011

General

I wish I had a nickle for every time God spoke to me through Elvis. Like Elvis' song “A Little Less Conversation”: A little less conversation, a little more action please; All this aggravation ain’t satisfacti...

Politics, Prejudices, and Hungry Dogs

Bert Montgomery

November 21, 2011

General

It was a cold and drizzling Easter Sunday morning, early just before the sun rises, in rural northern Kentucky. I was assisting the local Methodist pastor in leading the community Sunrise Easter Service. Rev...

Nevermind the Nonsense (Ode to Jesus & Johnny Rotten)

Bert Montgomery

November 11, 2011

General

The notorious, belligerent, somewhat anti-social punk rocker Johnny Rotten, at the end of his final live show with his band the Sex Pistols, yelled out to the audience, “ever get the feeling you've been ch...

Thanking God for R.E.M.

Bert Montgomery

October 23, 2011

General

As soon as the news hit a few weeks back that rock band R.E.M. was retiring after over 30 years together, a call went out to writers to compose tributes to favorite R.E.M. songs. I can't say I've been a fan of...

Listening to the Dead

Bert Montgomery

October 9, 2011

General

In the fall of 1980, when I was 12 years old, I went with my dad into downtown New Orleans to his office on Magazine Street. Driving down Canal Street, the home of the beautiful and historic Saenger Theatre,...

Of Politics, Religion, and Gynecological Rockers (Ode to Ted Nugent)

Bert Montgomery

September 30, 2011

General

Quickly now, name the first three things that come to your mind when you hear the name Ted Nugent. Wait – make that the first three things that come to your mind which you can say in polite company. Recently ...