Nik Wallenda Announces His Next Challenge: A "Spinning Eye?"

Leah Marieann Klett : Apr 16, 2015
The Gospel Herald

"It's extremely unique. My whole life is about facing death in the eyes. Do I think of death? Often." -Nik Wallenda

Christian stuntman Nik Wallenda has revealed that on April 29, he plans to walk on top of a 400-foot-tall "observation wheel" called the Orlando Eye, while it's spinning. (Photo via The Gospel Herald)

"When I look for a new event - something to walk on, if you will - I'm always looking for something that will not only challenge me, but will inspire others, and I believe we found the perfect match for that," Wallenda said during a recent press conference.

He also specified that he will perform the stunt without a harness and without the aid of a balancing pole.

"It's extremely unique," the famous tightrope walker said. "My whole life is about facing death in the eyes. Do I think of death? Often."

The 35-year-old Florida native credits his strong Christian faith for giving him the courage to complete his stunts, and he can often be heard praying as he walks across various tightropes.

"My faith plays a huge role in my life, and I am very blessed to be where I am. One of the questions I always get is, "Are you testing your faith / are you testing God?" I don't see it like that at all. I don't believe God keeps me on the wire," Wallenda told Christianity Today back in 2013.

"I believe God gives me a unique ability to walk the wire, but it's up to me whether I train properly. There's a lot of people that have amazing relationships with Christ that lose their lives in a car accident. Does that mean they didn't have a good enough relationship with Jesus? No. Life happens and God created us all in His image, but we're all our own people. We're not robots. We make decisions."