As I made my way from Kansas City to Wichita to film the story of Vincent, The Sacred Artist, it happened to be one of the windiest days we had experienced in years. Driving across the Flint Hills, I found myself fighting just to keep the big SUV on the road.
The Flint Hills are majestic. There is something about their openness and beauty that speaks of the grandeur God has placed in creation. You feel it when you are there. And perhaps that is part of the special vocation of an artist: to take something of the beauty we encounter in nature and in the human person and translate it in a way that awakens the deeper questions and longings of the heart.
I sensed those deeper sensibilities in Vincent even before I arrived. He had been on a long journey. He had begun searching for God, while at the same time trying to understand what the gift he had been given was actually for. His love of sacred art would eventually lead him into places he never expected.
Vincent and I laughed about the wind that day because it was almost absurdly strong. Yet as we filmed, I kept thinking about the Holy Spirit. You never quite know when the wind will rise or where it will lead. Sometimes it comes gently. Sometimes it pushes hard against you. Yet there is always a purpose in that movement.
In many ways, a subtle and steady wind seems to have been moving through Vincent’s life for years, guiding him toward a place he could never have planned for himself. What strikes me most, though, is that the same Holy Spirit is at work in all of our lives. What Vincent gradually learned was to make room—to loosen his grip, pay attention, and allow God to act. It is something he speaks about beautifully in the film: doing his part while leaving room for God to do what he cannot.
I once heard a wise priest say that one sign of the Holy Spirit at work is that He often leads us into places that are uncomfortable, yet ultimately produce growth and fruit. Vincent’s journey is a beautiful example of that. I partnered with the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception to produce this story for their EWTN show, Living Divine Mercy available at: DivineMercyPlus.org.
I pray his story blesses you as it blessed me. It is a reminder that before we ever begin searching for God, He is already searching for us. He loved us first. And perhaps knowing that should give us a little more confidence to make room, pay attention, and respond generously when we sense the wind at work.
To learn more about Vincent’s work please visit: evwiii.com
