Presence and PowerSample

Refuge and Fortress

Jeff Simmons seemed to have his life figured out. He gave his life to Jesus at a young age and thought he’d always go into business like his father did. But after graduating from college, the Holy Spirit nudged him in an unexpected direction — ministry. Later, in 2003, God called Jeff and his wife, Lisa, to plant a church in Nashville, Tennessee. What started as 15 people in an apartment clubhouse on Thursday nights soon blossomed into Rolling Hills Community Church, which now has five campuses around the state (plus one online).

Today, he’s sharing a non-negotiable spiritual practice.

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I’m a doer. I like to be moving. I love to be active. So it’s hard for me to be still. Also, I’m an extrovert with a capital “E.” I love being with people. They energize me. When my wife and I were first married, she told me after about three weeks, “I need time with you.”

I said, “What are you talking about? We are out every night with someone and doing something.”

She replied, “Not you and everyone — just you.”

That’s a picture of the command to “be still and know that I am God.” That time. Alone. Solitude. Silence. It has always been a challenge for me. However, as I’ve grown older, this time has become the richest and most soul-nourishing part of my day.

Every morning, I schedule an hour to be alone with God. There is always the temptation to go to a breakfast meeting with someone, work out, or even jump into work, but I protect this time like a soldier protecting a fortress. I need my time with God. And now, I crave this time alone with God. When COVID-19 hit in 2020, it was a very overwhelming and challenging time for everyone, but especially for pastors. Do you shut down the church or not? And everyone had an opinion about masks and more. Yet through that time, God sustained me. My time with him galvanized my faith and resolve. This Lord is my Refuge and Fortress.

—Jeff Simmons, founder of Rolling Hills Community Church, as told to Rapt Interviews