Nik Wallenda talks about the power of faith in St. Charles
Two weeks after he captivated the nation with a high-wire act over downtown Chicago, professional daredevil Nik Wallenda captivated the audience at Christ Community Church in St. Charles with a much more grounded act - talking about his life and his faith.
Wallenda's appearance on Sunday was part of the church's WOW Weekend, a regular event in which the church brings in special guest speakers to energize the congregation and attract new followers.
Senior Pastor James Nicodem interviewed Wallenda. He alternated questions about Wallenda's record-setting daredevil stunts with questions about his spirituality.
"I don't know how I would make it through everything I do without God in my life," Wallenda said.
Wallenda comes from a long line of high-wire performers. His great-grandfather, noted wire-walker Karl Wallenda, brought the family to the United States from Europe to perform in the circus. Nik Wallenda's parents also were wire performers, and he started perfecting his own wire-walking skills when he was just 2 years old, he said.
In recent years, Wallenda has walked on wires over Niagra Falls, the Grand Canyon and, on Nov. 2, across the Chicago River in downtown Chicago. He has set multiple world records.
Wallenda said that his family continues to be a source of inspiration for him, especially his great-grandfather, Karl.
"He was an innovator, a creator," Wallenda said. "He lived by the three words 'never give up,' which are the words I live by, as well."
Wallenda talked frankly on Sunday about the tragedies in his family's history. Two relatives died and a third was paralyzed when they fell while performing the family's most famous high-wire stunt, the seven-person pyramid, in Detroit in 1962. In 1978, Karl Wallenda fell to his death while performing a wire walk in Puerto Rico.
Nik Wallenda said people often ask why he continues to perform risky stunts in light of that family history. He said he and others in his line of work know so much more about safety than early generations of his family did.
"What I do now is more of a calculated risk," he said.
"Yeah right," Nicodem said, eliciting a big laugh from the crowd.
Wallenda also talked on Sunday about his Christian faith. He said his parents were devout Christians, and that his relationship with God has always been a big part of what he does.
"I know that God placed this desire in my heart, to perform," he said.
Wallenda has often been caught praying while performing stunts on television. He said he's noticed that the media, even comedians like Jimmy Kimmel, have not given him any flack for it.
"I think they realize that this is just me living my life," he said. "Even Howard Stern said, 'I'd be praying to Jesus too if I was up there.'"
Laura Durante, an Elgin resident who attended Sunday's service, said she enjoyed listening to Wallenda. She bought a copy of his autobiography immediately afterward.
"It was amazing," she said. "He seems like Superman when you read about what he does, but then today you see that his life really comes down to family and faith. I like that."