Winter Light: A Christian's Search for Humility

In this book, which is one man's journal and is written in a style somewhere between prose and poetry, Bruce Ray Smith journeys into his own heart in search of what makes a person, against all odds, proud. Drawing on Scripture and writers as diverse as Shakespeare, Bernard of Clairvaux, and Jean-Paul Sartre, Smith seeks to find what makes us proud, what can make us humble, and finally, what can make us whole. In the honest pages of Winter Light, I found the prideful secrets of my own heart revealed. As I read I breathed a quiet, “me too.” Bruce Ray Smith’s par- ticular quest for humility gives voice to our common longing for transformation. We want to be changed, but the heart is deceitful above all things. We want to know God in our very bones, but there is a cost. With poetic and personal style, Smith offers a deeply insightful reflection on pride and humility that flows from the narrative of his life and prayers. Winter Light is that rare kind of book, where literary writing meets lived, biblical theology. It's a treasure! Andi Ashworth Author, Co-Director of Art House America Nashville, TN I commend Bruce Ray Smith’s book Winter Light. Once I had begun to read I could not stop―both be- cause of the raw power of the content and because of the brevity and starkness of the style which match the subject so well. I was deeply moved by its sometimes painful honesty and by the moments of profound joy that light up these pages. Bruce is acutely insightful in his analysis of our ar- rogant and self-centered manner of living and of our need to recognize our spiritual poverty and to discov- er our dependence on the support and love of oth- ers. This slim volume deserves to be widely and often read. I know that I will return to it again and again and use it as an aid for my own self-reflection and prayers. The endless patience and grace of God shines a bright light across this bleak landscape of the heart. Jerram Barrs Professor of Christianity and Contemporary Culture Resident Scholar at the Francis Schaeffer Institute Covenant Theological Seminary St. Louis, Missouri When Martin Luther penned the first of The Nine- ty-five Theses, “When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ said, 'repent,' he meant that the entire life of believers should be one of repentance,” he gave a gift to us all, for he cast a glorious light upon the blessed path to close communion with our Triune God. Winter Light modeled that life of repentance with a ruthless beauty and searching vulnerability that I find rare in Christian authors. Because Bruce Ray Smith found God’s searching grace a holy gift (Acts 5:31), I was encouraged as a reader to do the same. He helped me to kiss the blade of God’s convicting grace and pull it in. I have been significantly helped in my repentance and faith by this work. I am a thankful debtor to the author, a brother I have not met, but who has helped me “find the old paths, and walk in them.” Joe Novenson Senior Teaching Pastor Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church Lookout Mountain, GA Brother Lawrence himself could well have written this story; and those of us who find strength, hope, and instruction in Brother Lawrence's words will find those same things here in the confessional words of Bruce Ray Smith. Phyllis Tickle Editor, Author, Playwright, & Compiler of The Divine Hours Millington, TN