Preston Perry is a popular evangelist, author, and poet who loves to share how God changed his life. Perry grew up in a single parent household, only attending church for special occasions. His grandmother was the only Christian influence in his life while growing up. Living on the impoverished side of Chicago, he grew up surrounded by violence, something that affected his image of God. “My uncle who raised me was murdered; my friend was murdered; my cousins were murdered,” he told The Christian Post. “It was hard for me to reconcile in my mind that there was a God, a just God, seeing so much violence and struggle.” As a teen, he slept around, stole, and sold weed. He was sent to live with his Aunt Denise, a strong Christian woman. His aunt introduced him to an evangelist named Gary, who was on fire for the Lord. He also attended a house church to pursue a girl he liked, which exposed him to the Gospel and the reality of sin. “I didn’t want to deal with the lifestyle that I was living,” he said.

Gary’s influence was a turning point in Perry’s life. “He allowed me to follow him, and I was able to see what Christianity looked like up close and personal. I just needed to see that,” he said. “When I think about the way Gary discipled me, when he would go to New York, he brought me along with him. When he went to the grocery store, he brought me along with him. When he went to go play basketball, he bought me along with him. I saw him loving people. I saw him forgiving his neighbors. I saw him repenting of his sin.”  He recalled a time Perry had confessed flirting with a woman. Gary told him, “Christianity isn’t about behavior modification. It’s about a heart change.” Eventually, Preston would desire the same kind of relationship with God that Gary had and called out to God. “Lord, I want to love you like Gary loves you. Here, God, take it. Here, God, I’ll take you instead of battered shame and overwhelming grief,” he recalled.

Gary’s natural talent with words led him to pursue ministry through poetry. In 2010, he joined the Passion for Christ Movement (PCM), where he met his wife, Jackie Hill Perry. Jackie knew a thing about life change herself, having turned away from a life of homosexuality to a life with Christ. She is the author of Gay Girl, Good God. Preston has authored How to Tell the Truth: The story of how God saved me to win hearts – not just arguments. Preston said he wrote the book to encourage Christians to share with others what God is doing in their lives, the way Gary did for him. He also encourages churches to be open about sin and to encourage heart change. “You cannot have a healthy church if you do not talk about the sin nature of someone’s heart. You could fill seats by not talking about sin, but you can’t truly make disciples if you don’t talk about sin,” he said. Evangelism, he said, can look different for different people, something that should help Christians feel encouraged rather than intimidated. “God wants to use all of us how he has uniquely made us,” he said. “If God made us all different, what makes us think He wants to use us all the same?”