“…He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me.” - Psalm 27:5
“The men who shook the world were those who knelt in hidden places and touched heaven.” - EM Bounds
I’ve been thinking about this weekend’s newsletter topic all week. To be candid, I’ve been bouncing between the rubber walls of “too many ideas” and “none of them feel right”.
I’m currently in the Shed in my backyard that doubles as our home gym and my home office — and the question just came to mind “What is it that *I* would need to read most right now, for my own heart?”
“The secret place…” immediately scrolled across the whiteboard of my mind’s eye.
Behind the scenes
Our life for the last 15 years has been extremely seasonal. It’s just the nature of my career at camp.
And with the turn of every season, I set evaluate the last few months and then attempt to set new goals.
Entering into this fall, I’ve wanted to increase the level of some goal-setting — which means increasing the intensity of my daily/weekly process. (Hello, fellow type-A high achievers!)
These goals and new daily rhythms PLUS a kid starting middle school, entering into a new role at work, my wife growing her new business, maintaining a home, and much more — I feel as though I’ve drifted a touch (briefly and not far) from the heart of what I want my life to be all about:
Living and leading from the presence of God; a life marked by the secret place.
Marked by the secret place
If you’ve actually read this newsletter the last 7 months I’ve sent it out, you know I wrote very short book (more of a pamphlet) on the secret place — which you can see here!
When we look at the life of Jesus, we don’t see two separate lives — public and private — but one beautifully integrated together. We constantly find Him slipping away.
Jesus had a hidden life. Not a divided one, but a deeply connected one.
His secret moments with the Father empowered everything seen and witnessed in public.
This hidden life was His source of strength, direction, and clarity. Jesus lived from the secret place — and history was changed forever.
What is the secret place?
In my short book linked above, I define the secret place as a two-sided coin:
A physical environment that is secluded, quiet, and only for you; where you meet with God to sit, listen, and receive everything you need.
An inner framework, the operating system of living like Jesus did that propels you to do only what He is doing.
What does it look like?
The secret place is both where you go and how you live.
It could look like carving out time and space before the world wakes up — a chair, a Bible, a journal, listening — and settling into the presence of God.
It could also look like a 30-second pause in the parking lot at work after you turn your car off, taking some deep breaths, opening a door of your heart and mind to ask the Holy Spirit to go in the office before you.
But it doesn’t end when you leave the chair or your driver’s seat. The same presence you cultivate there becomes the operating system (the way you think, feel, respond, etc.) you carry into your day.
These meetings with the Father transform into movement, noticing what He is doing or saying for your day or in the moment.
When practiced from a place of dependence and delight, the secret place becomes a rhythm, not a ritual — the sacred thread running through work, conversation, rest, and decision.
This forms a life lived with God, not just for Him.
What about your inner life?
I’ve entered into a naturally busy season. I’ve added busyness into it. And that’s okay.
The issue for me is how I allow these things I’ve signed up for and the things I can’t control to drive and shape my inner life lately.
What does this look like for you right now?
If you feel similar to me — like you’re drifting or being drug around by the events of life around you — here’s my encourage to you this weekend:
The Secret Place has everything to offer you.
It makes you whole and hides you in Him. “He takes great delight in you… He will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)
It fills the gaps in your thinking and reshapes the framework of your mind. God gently realigns your thoughts with His truth and steadies your inner world. “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are stayed on You.” (Isaiah 26:3)
It anchors your confidence and teaches you to confide in Him. It’s where you remember your identity isn’t found in performance or religion — but in a Person. “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God… Christ, who is your life.” (Colossians 3:3–4)
It makes you untouchable — by self, by the world, by the enemy. In this place, nothing is held over your head or heart except the banner of righteousness raised by God Himself. “In the day of trouble He will conceal me in His shelter; He will hide me in the Secret Place of His tent and lift me high upon a rock.” (Psalm 27:5)
It simplifies both your theology and your lifestyle. Striving quiets. Overthinking fades. You don’t need to prove anything, perform anything, or fix anything. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)
It offers endless, right now freedom. The pressure to “be disciplined” dissolves—because that pressure never came from God in the first place. It’s often the voice of self, culture, or even the enemy. But here, you remember what’s already true: you are fully in Christ, and He is fully in you. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” (Galatians 5:1)
For Jesus, the Secret Place wasn’t optional—it was essential.
Is it for you?
By the way…
I wrote months ago about an idea for a new side project. I’m plodding along with outlining, writing, figuring out how to best set it up for the initial launch stage. I hope to release “Phase 1” in less than 2 weeks.
It will be a semi-extension of this newsletter.
Putting this here to keep myself accountable! And to get past the ever-pesky self-doubt and fear of judgment. HA.
Love to you all.
Taylor Jervis
Tyler, Texas
October 24, 2025
PS - if this was in any way valuable to you, will you:
1) reply and let me know?
2) forward it to a friend who would be encouraged?