{"id":730,"date":"2014-11-02T14:39:51","date_gmt":"2014-11-02T14:39:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/peanutsandpopcorn\/?p=730"},"modified":"2014-11-02T14:39:51","modified_gmt":"2014-11-02T14:39:51","slug":"wallendas-walk-a-walk-of-faith-or-testing-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/peanutsandpopcorn\/2014\/11\/wallendas-walk-a-walk-of-faith-or-testing-god.html","title":{"rendered":"Wallenda\u2019s Walk: A Walk of Faith or Testing God"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Nik<\/a>
Nik Wallenda will attempt to tightrope walk over Chicago blindfolded at it will all be recorded live on the Discovery Channel. (Photo: Discovery Channel)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Born a seventh \u2013generation member of circus act, The Flying Walledas, Nik Wallenda made headline two years ago when he became the first person to walk a tightrope over Niagara Falls. The event was broadcast live on the Discovery channel. Today, he will attempt to tightrope walk over Chicago. Blindfolded.<\/p>\n

Beginning at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (4:00 p.m. Pacific), \u201cSkyscraper Live with Nik Wallenda<\/a>\u201d will air in more than 220 countries on the Discovery Channel. The event will be hosted by Willie Geist, Natalie Morales (both from NBC\u2019s \u201cTODAY\u201d show) and Jim Cantore from The Weather Channel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m always pushing myself both physically and emotionally. I hope to inspire people around the world and show that the impossible is not so impossible if you set your mind to it,\u201d said the 35-year-old Wallenda in a recent press release.\u00a0 \u201cThis has been a dream of mine and something that I\u2019ve been practicing for awhile.\u201d One would hope so.<\/p>\n

For the first part of the tightrope crossing, Wallenda will walk uphill rising to a 15-degree angle \u2013 from the Marina City’s west tower to the Leo Burnett Building at more than 50 stories high above the Chicago River.\u00a0 Not only will this be the highest skyscraper walk in the history of the Flying Wallenda family, it will be the first time that he has ever attempted it at such a steep angle. As if that were not enough, he will then continue to walk blindfolded while dozens of cameras and microphones capturing every step and every phrase he utters.<\/p>\n

So, is Wallenda crazy for doing this? Is his a journey a walk of faith or is he testing God? \u201cI believe that God has given me a unique talent and it\u2019s up to me on how I\u2019m going to use that talent, how I\u2019m going to train for that talent and how I am going to prepare for that talent,\u201d Wallenda says in a promotional commercial for the event. \u201cIn no way do I believe that He\u2019s magically holding me on or that there\u2019s angels holding me up there. Not at all.\u201d So then, why do it? \u201cI\u2019m incredibly excited to show the world what you can do if you put your mind to it, pursue your dreams and never give up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wallenda\u2019s journey is more like a partnership with God rather than testing his faith. He views his occupation as just another one of life\u2019s challenges that God will help get you through if you let Him. \u201cMy faith plays an important role in my life whether it be a challenge with one of my kids being sick or whether it be a challenge of losing a family member of whether it be walking across a wire. They are all challenges. It was the way I was raised was to rely on my faith no matter what challenge I was going through. I believe that He helps keep me calm, cool and collected to be able to stay confident, to make it up this wire and to make it across to the other side.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wallenda is also very aware of what he is attempting to do and the ultimate risk involved. Some might call him over-confident or cocky, but he seems to have a more grounded view of his mortality. \u201cThis walk will be challenge. They all are. Every walk that I do is a challenge and every walk I am facing death. I believe that it is very important to know where you\u2019re going when you die whether I get killed in a car accident on the way to the airport, on an airplane crash on the way home or walking the wire. It doesn\u2019t matter. It\u2019s important that you know that you can have that confidence\u2026that trust\u2026that faith about where you\u2019re going to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, whether he succeeds or fails, he has already made a statement in a way none of us ever could. May his walk be an inspiration to people around the world. Preach it brother.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Born a seventh \u2013generation member of circus act, The Flying Walledas, Nik Wallenda made headline two years ago when he became the first person to walk a tightrope over Niagara Falls. The event was broadcast live on the Discovery channel. Today, he will attempt to tightrope walk over Chicago. Blindfolded. Beginning at 7:00 p.m. Eastern…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":558,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[272],"tags":[726,724,728,725,727,125],"class_list":["post-730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tv-shows","tag-discovery-channel","tag-nik-wallenda","tag-personal-faith","tag-skyscraper","tag-tightrope-walking","tag-tv-special"],"yoast_head":"\nWallenda\u2019s Walk: A Walk of Faith or Testing God - Peanuts and Popcorn<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/peanutsandpopcorn\/2014\/11\/wallendas-walk-a-walk-of-faith-or-testing-god.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wallenda\u2019s Walk: A Walk of Faith or Testing God - Peanuts and Popcorn\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Born a seventh \u2013generation member of circus act, The Flying Walledas, Nik Wallenda made headline two years ago when he became the first person to walk a tightrope over Niagara Falls. 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