Taking Rescue for Granted

In a time of global-positioning systems and cellular phones, extreme sports' aficionados and weekenders take greater risks, assuming that they can always be rescued. But too often, we leave our souls in danger by ignoring the rescue offered by Christ.

The Empire State Building.

The Chrysler Building.

Two of New York City's skyscrapers, right?

Wrong. Targets.

Not the targets of an international cabal of terrorists, but of a man with a parachute. Several months ago, a backpack-toting Norwegian, Thor Alex Kappfjell, 32, rode the elevator to the top of the Empire State Building, and in a moment when security guards were not looking, climbed over the protective railing and jumped.

The parachutes he was wearing quickly deployed, and he landed safely on 34th Street below. Gathering up the parachutes quickly, he disappeared into the crowd before irritated police could catch up with him.

A few days later, Kappfjell repeated his daredevil, death-defying performance by jumping off the Chrysler Building. Landing safely, he hailed a cab and again disappeared unmolested. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani huffed that these "flights of fancy" were irresponsible and "jerky," and ordered that Kappfjell be arrested on sight. Authorities believe that the nefarious...