In this episode of Stories of His Glory, Ryne sits down with Troy Solhjem, FCA area representative for southeast North Dakota — farmer, rancher, Army National Guard veteran, powered paraglider pilot, and one of the most interesting people you'll ever meet.
Troy shares his journey from a childhood on a remote North Dakota farm, raised in a solid Christian home yet mistaking moral living for genuine faith. He opens up about years of drifting through college without direction, how the Army gave him discipline and purpose, and the surprising detour through a European dairy farm that led him back to the family operation.
The conversation turns to the moment everything changed: how God used the birth of his first daughter — and the unlikely ministry of AM Christian radio, heard through the open windows of a dusty tractor cab — to open his ears to the gospel for the first time.
Troy then shares the hardest chapter of his story: the loss of his young son in an accident in 2015. With remarkable honesty, he describes the Abraham-like moment of surrender at the scene, his daughter quoting Scripture through tears, and how God turned unimaginable grief into a ministry to bereaved parents through While We're Waiting.
Finally, Troy recounts the astonishing chain of confirmations — including a divine connection he never saw coming — that led him onto FCA staff, and reflects on the providence of God in suffering: that the Lord doesn't just carry us through trials, He produces something eternal in us through them.
In this episode you'll hear:
- Why Troy's lifelong dream of flying led him to strap a propeller to his back.
- The difference between living a good moral life and truly knowing Jesus.
- How AM Christian radio was used by God to save both Troy and his wife.
- The story of Jeremiah, and the moment of surrender that shaped everything after.
- Why the church often struggles to walk with grieving parents — and what helps.
- How the While We're Waiting ministry brings hope to bereaved families.
- The two extraordinary confirmations that led Troy onto FCA staff.
- Why trusting God's providence transforms how we see our deepest trials.
Verse of the Day:
"Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous works among all the peoples." — Psalm 96:3
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Resources:
💪 Learn more about FCA in North Dakota: https://www.fcand.org
🙌 Support the mission: https://fcand.org/donate
☕ Thanks to our sponsor: Copper Dog Waffles & Coffee – Mandan, ND
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