Few complete strangers have influenced my life the way that Jackie Pullinger has. Ever since I heard that she let former prostitues and druggies sleep in her bed I have been drawn to her story. Not only is her book, Chasing the Dragon, the best book I've read all year, but I do believe that it's one of the very best books I've read in my entire life.
Jackie was only twenty years old when she felt God calling her to China, and she was so sure of this calling that she simply got on a boat and didn't get off again until He told her to. This was only the beginning of a grand adventure that is still continuing on today.
Chasing the Dragon isn't one of those books that you can pick up, read, and put down again, simply saying, "That was nice," and then moving on to Beth Moore or Joel Osteen. Instead, it takes your world, turns it upside-down and inside-out, shakes it, plunges it into a vat of hot oil, then ice water, then lemon juice, and then tosses it in the trash compacter. And that's just after the first five chapters. You think that you understand poverty and the power of God until you read this book, and then you realize that what you thought was poverty was one step below suburbia.
Jackie was called to minister to the Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong, where over 30,000 people resided. Did I mention it was on a property comprised of six acres? And it was so full of filth, crime, prostitution, drugs and everything else imaginable that the government chose to demolish it in 1993. However, from the 1960s to the demolition of the city, Jackie ministered to its residents like there was no tomorrow. And it wasn't just some mamby-pamby "God loves you and that's all" ministry- God used Jackie to literally transform everyone that she encountered, from powerful gang leaders to sixty year-old harlots.
If I had to recommend one book to someone who needed a boost of faith, energy, passion and awe in their walk with Christ, I wouldn't think twice about telling them about Chasing the Dragon. Jackie writes in a simple, easy-to-understand style, but her story is as powerful as something straight out of the Bible. The best part? She tells about how ours can fit in that category, too. Talk about inspiring!
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