Chasing the Dragon

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Pullinger writes with humor and flair; she feels within her right to invoke mild sarcasm at times toward the church where it failed to share her burden. While I couldn't give less than five starts for the dramatic impact of this book, there were a few ways in which I'd have liked to see the story improved. It wasn’t all roses and kudos; she faced violent opposition from the gangs and apathy from officials and the community but she persevered. Over the decades, she developed St Stephen’s Ministry, which is now an international ministry to drug addicts. Pullinger Recommends I feel like this about 3.5 weeks a year on average, so as you may have guessed I don’t read more than one memoir a year. But the way she brings this gift across even has me questioning my own prejudices (which is always a good thing). The presence of God and the power of Jesus are undeniable in her accounts. The sort of life that seems to me the natural path for a Christian is showing up in what she's doing. Maybe I'm the one who's missing something. The fact that British police (in earlier decades, anyway) recognized the dangers of witchcraft as a punishable offense by the law and indicted criminals accordingly

Many addicts who prayed for Jesus’ help found themselves freed of their addiction without going through any kind of withdrawal. On loving selflessly: "It was as if God had given me a special love for him and that I was meant to show it, although it was not necessarily an emotion that should or could be returned. This love was for his good; it was quite different from any love for other people that I had before, in which I had always wanted something in return. I had never before loved somebody entirely for his benefit without caring what he felt for me." I've never experiences speaking in tongues before, but it gave her the power to pray continually, and I was amazed that EVERYONE who she converted was also able to speak in tongues. The fact that different people were able to interpret it in different languages was a testament to God's power, and a confirmation of the messageFull Book Name: Chasing the Dragon: One Woman’s Struggle Against the Darkness of Hong Kong’s Drug Den Immediately, things began to change in her ministry. Although she used the same words and same methods in sharing the Gospel, now she began to see powerful results. As she walked about the Walled City praying in the Spirit quietly under her breath, h earts were miraculously opened and lives changed! Drug addicts and gang members began to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I took away a star because each story was separate from the next, without much of a thread through them. Since each chapter started in media res, sometimes it was disorienting or hard to understand her point. I wish that she included more of her internal struggles and failures, because it felt like she only included success stories and everything worked out perfectly for her (she kind of painted herself as a savior). I also wish she included more at the end about where she is now. It was some time before I realized what had changed. This time, I was talking about Jesus to people who wanted to hear. I had let God have a hand in my prayers, and it produced a direct result. Instead of deciding what I wanted to do for God and asking His blessing, I was asking Him to do His will through me as I prayed in the language He gave me.

I am not pentecostal. I grew up suspicious of anyone who raised their hands in church. Speaking in tongues, signs and wonders, healings and resurrections were all a bit far for my home church. Even today, I'm still a bit iffy about things like prophetic words and power evangelism. If God want to act in that way, great! But it will take a little work on God's end to overcome my scepticism. A very influential gang member was impressed by her resilience and that she hadn't left the Walled City, so he concluded that she must be serious about Christianity I’ve learned not to start memoirs, especially memoirs about women who do amazing things in Christ’s kingdom, unless I am in the right frame of mind. Not too depressed, but not too optimistic; an equilibrium of positivity and realism. This book challenged me to pray in the Spirit more and to encourage others to employ this gift also. Speaking in tongues is biblical … and it is for today! Let’s not forget it’s value, nor allow religious tradition and the fear of man to keep from speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives us utterance. The needs are too great, the hour is too late, and hell is too hot for us to neglect to use this wonderful gift to help us to reach people and deliver them from Satan’s grip. Pullinger found work teaching in a primary school in what was known as “The Walled City”– a place that was notorious as the most impoverished place in the world. The Chinese called it, “Hak Nam”–“darkness.” Many of the Walled City’s inhabitants could only scratch out a living by slaving in sweatshops under appalling conditions. Others became prostitutes or sold drugs.All of them lived in fear of the infamous Triad gangs – even though most of the gang members were just teenagers. This particular memoir sat on my nightstand for over a year. Why? Memoirs are a dangerous thing for dreamers and the restless. CtD carries a latent pentecostal punch. Only after you've committed to Pullinger's story does the gift of tongues come to center stage. Honestly, speaking in a Holy Spirit language is both catalyst and content to much of her work in Hong Kong's Walled City.