There was a time when Terry Solley thought his story was already written. Growing up with a drug- and alcohol-addicted father, hiding under the bed while his dad beat his mom, he learned early that life was violent and chaotic. Yet his father was still his hero, the man he wanted to be like. Following in his footsteps, Terry was arrested with his dad at 14 and sent to prison at 17 for multiple aggravated robberies. Over ten years behind bars, including five in a five-by-nine concrete box, seemed to confirm that this was all his life would ever be.
When he got out, it didn’t take long before he and his father were arrested again—this time for robbing a bank. In county jail, Terry finally broke. Lying face down on a cold concrete floor, he cried out to God and confessed that he could not keep living this way. He didn’t just need Jesus to rescue him from consequences; he needed Jesus to rule his life. In that moment, he surrendered—asking Christ to transform him and use him anywhere in the Texas prison system.
Jesus answered that prayer.
Over the next 18 years, God walked with Terry through the prison system, opened doors, and changed him from the inside out. Through mentors, discipleship, and biblical training, Terry grew into a man of God and even became a missionary behind bars, impacting many other inmates with the hope of the gospel. What looked like a wasted life became a redeemed life with a clear mission.
Terry’s story is living proof that no one is too far, too broken, or too lost for Jesus. God can reach anyone. God can restore you. And God can give you a purpose and a mission that are bigger than your past.