Rich Dixon finishes a story from last week.

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My friend Paul Hurkman is currently involved in what I believe to be a super-human act of generosity and sacrifice. As part of the Great World Race, Paul and several other folks will run seven marathons – on seven continents – in seven days.

You read that correctly.

This photo shows Paul in Antarctica during marathon #2 (air temperatures -20°, winds 20-30 mph – explaining Paul’s somewhat unconventional running gear). At the finish line, as part of a brief interview, Paul said this experience was “brutal but beautiful.”

By the time you read this, he will have completed marathon #7 in Miami.

People engage in these sorts of insane challenges for many reasons. Paul’s reason is clear – he’s following Jesus. He believes he’s doing what he can with what he has, and trusting Jesus for the outcome.

So far, the community surrounding Paul has donated more than $300,000 to rescue trafficked girls through VENTURE, Paul’s nonprofit. His team, 30 FOR FREEDOM, has raised more than $1,000,000.

I’ll also bet if you had a conversation with Paul, he would tell you the dollars are a big deal – but not the central issue. The central issue is Jesus.

If you listen to Paul speak, he’ll frequently reference the literally dozens of times the Bible talks about justice for the weak, the orphan, the immigrant. He’ll talk about love for our neighbor and what that means – because “neighbor,” as Jesus sees it, is moral rather than geographic.

The event in which Paul is participating is called GREAT WORLD RACE. At the end of each marathon, participants receive a medal. Paul will go home with 7 medals, and I’m sure he’s proud of that. Who wouldn’t be? I’m also sure those medals aren’t even on his list of reasons for making this remarkable sacrifice of time and effort.

Some folks are trying to win. Paul is there for a bigger purpose.

His wife, Candace, and their beautiful children will greet him at the finish line. I’m sure that will bring him great joy as well. But he’s thinking about all the girls that will be rescued as a result of his sacrifice. He’s thinking about the people who will see Jesus in his efforts.

Well done, good and faithful servant.

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During the GREAT WORLD RACE, Paul acquired a nickname among organizers and competitors – Galloping Jesus. One of his friends used AI to create this fun picture.

Paul’s Great World Race Here’s a FB link if you’d like to see more details.

You might wonder how we became friends with such an amazing man. If you’ve followed our story, you might recall a 2012 500-mile bike trip from Cincinnati to Washington DC. Paul was the leader of that group.

On that tour, Becky and I had our first serious encounter with the notions of modern-day slavery and human trafficking, which led to the beginning of the FREEDOM TOUR and our support of the kids at the Home of Hope.

Paul’s a remarkable speaker. Open YouTube, type in his name (Paul Hurkman), and listen to some of what he has to say.