“Fire, more fire,” the director called as stuntman Monte Perlin prepared to carry a stunt girl through fiery flames and kick through a door on the other side. Gas pipes built up the fire until there was a full explosion. The distinct possibility of being burned alive as the flame enveloped the home seemed imminent.

It was just another day on the job for Perlin, who makes his livelihood doing death-defying stunts in live shows and on movie sets. A career stunt man, this tough athlete knows all about manipulating danger. More than that, he knows that only God can bring him through to the other side, in tact. A seasoned Christian now, it wasn’t always that way.

As a young teen, all Perlin knew was a hard core party lifestyle that came with racing motocross. “Radical” is one way he described his life as a fifteen year old. Drinking and fighting were the norm for a decade. “No one told me any different, especially when I took that first drink. No one was around to tell me about Jesus Christ or a different way of life,” he explained. Then he met his wife Pamela, who showed him the path to Righteousness. “I decided to dive in full with the Lord. He took away the drinking and the partying from me in the blink of an eye,” said Perlin.

At the time of his conversion, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life. The stunts had a rough start, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to pursue that career. So this new believer prayed with his wife. They challenged God to show him what he should do. That same weekend Perlin had a live stunt show out in the desert in California, far away from Hollywood. It so happened that a Hollywood heavyweight was there and he wanted Perlin to be his new stunt man in movies worldwide.

Perlin accepted the offer, and went on to survive the stunt going through the house on fire … “exactly like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,” he said. “I should have burned alive.” Since that day in the desert, this veteran stunt man has been a double for Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 3, Keanu Reeves in Chain Reaction and Adam Sandler in Bedtime Stories, among a plethora of other roles. Another miracle happened on the set of Terminator 3 when a safety cable malfunctioned and he was left dangling from a cable like a fish on a hook, weaving in-between telephone poles. One misstep and he would have been fish food on the side of the pole. Oh, the stories he can tell.

His reputation has been built on doing seemingly impossibly stunts … sober and without compromise. Perlin hasn’t had a drink in over twenty-five years, even around so many who thought “cool was cocaine and beer and being radical and drunk …” The resident “Jesus Freak,” many laughed at him. Yet as miracles began happening on set, like going through fire without being burned, he garnered the trust of his comrades.

One day a colleague sat down next to him at lunch. Instead of being his usual jokester self, this fellow stunt man went from laughter to tears as he shared his life story with Perlin. After sharing the gospel, his friend surrendered to Jesus’ love right there. His life had changed, and Perlin was a testament to it. Just two weeks after witnessing to his buddy, this new believer was killed in a high fall accident.

Since then, every opportunity to share Jesus is a joy for Perlin, witnessing to a whole host of movie stars, stunt buddies and well, anyone who will listen. One of his most powerful messages involves his “globe of death.” During a live, motorcycle stunt show where the kids are invited inside and then this stunt man will lock the door. “Come on out,” he’ll say while they look on perplexed, knowing they are trapped. “This is just like Satan,” Perlin tells the kids. “He lures you into a trap that looks intriguing and fun. The next thing you know you look around and you can’t get out. You’re locked in. I want you to have this mind picture the rest of your life. Don’t ever let the enemy trick you and lock you in so you can’t get out. I know the keys that set you and set me free.” Then all the kids scream “Jesus” and the gate opens.

There have been times of testing throughout Perlin’s career. “People have betrayed me or I’ve lost jobs or situations or money, or been broke and not been been paid for jobs I’ve almost killed myself on,” he admitted. One time during a financial drought, he was offered a stunt on a major movie, but there were inappropriate actions written into the script. So Perlin said ‘no,’ and lost a contract that he sorely needed. Then God provided something bigger and better. It’s how he’s lived his life. During the tough times he’ll look back and remember God’s faithfulness. “That encourages and builds me up and strengthens me to go on,” he mused.

There was one crash on a movie set that left him wondering if his days doing stunts were over. The idea was to jump a Harley through a train. When he landed this one, the bike snapped in half and crushed his ankle. Four of the best doctors said “you’ll do nothing but tiddlywinks.” They almost amputated his leg, when these professionals decided in unison to piece the ankle together, like a jigsaw puzzle. It was perfect. The doctors were befuddled at how well it worked, but Perlin knew. “That’s the power of God,” he said. This born risk-taker has worked through injuries and pain. “Christ gives you the strength, the courage, the boldness to move on, through the pain” he said. “It doesn’t just apply to broken bones it applies to broken lives, to a broken heart.”

Life and death hang in the balance as Perlin is willing to defy the odds and do stunts no one else is willing to do; but not until he is assured with the “Peace that passes all understanding.” Before each stunt he stays in the presence of the Lord in his dressing room “until I know that I know that God is with me,” he said. “That gives me the courage to go on.” It was another day, another motorcycle trick flying through a moving train this time, as he doubled Adam Sandler in Bedtime Stories for a spectacular stunt. One mistake on the timing or in the depth would mean death for not only Perlin, but for the girl who rode with him on the bike. The responsibility of another life weighed heavy, along with the thought of leaving his wife and children behind. Sleepless for two nights and praying harder than this family man had ever prayed, he was scared about this one; up until the moment of reckoning came. “This feeling of supernatural peace came over me,” he remembered. God gave him the faith of David and the courage of Daniel in the lion’s den. And of course, the jump was perfect.

Look closely and you’ll see Perlin doubling for Tom Beringer in the new movie “Inception,” starring Leo DiCaprio. In another risky stunt, he’s buckled into a van that goes under water. The trick comes in maneuvering out of the seat belt, taking off the oxygen and waiting for someone else to break through a window for the rescue.

Monte Perlin lives and breathes danger and risk, but not without the covering of his Savior. “I’m just a normal person like anyone else,” he said. “What makes the difference is to believe the scripture and have faith … I’m excited to see what God is going to do next!”