Foundation • the rock
Getting to the Point is the Hideaway Point blog. It is the place where we share our larger vision for this special place - what inspires us, what we value and the hopes and dreams we have for Hideaway Point.
If you have spent time with me in person, you will know that I love taking photos and documenting the details of our days. That habit started as an anxious response to my poor memory when our kids were little and has turned into a passion for capturing beauty in the details of our daily life together as a family.
Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Over the years, I have cultivated a practice of reflecting on photos in a way that is similar to the Jesuit tradition of the daily examen - remembering the joy, heartache, pain from particular seasons, becoming aware of God’s presence despite our circumstances, paying attention to the emotions I was feeling, prayerfully looking ahead to the future with hope.
So much of my life and faith is linked to visual imagery. I can see and then feel the presence of God in the beauty of creation. There is almost no image that is more meaningful to me than the rock. The Bible is bursting with imagery on this topic… an endless collection of thoughts about the rock being a foundation that we can depend on.
Deuteronomy 32:2-4 Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just.
In 2023 I was the camp speaker at a high school camp on Ponui Island in the Hauraki Gulf. Scripture Union is an organization that supports churches to help children and young people discover Jesus and become life-long disciples who serve the world around them. The teaching topic for the week was “foundations” and we used the discovery method to study the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5-7.
Psalm 144:1 Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.
We are made with a desire for things that are lasting and real. We know that good things are built on solid foundations - but we all struggle in this world to build lives that are rich and meaningful. The sermon on the mount culminates with thoughts on this idea.
Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Psalm 31:2-3 Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me;
I’ve taken lots of photos and written all kinds of words. You will find plenty of details about my life and story. But there is nothing more notable than the fact that I have a strong faith in Jesus - it is a foundational part of who I am and how I live. We are building Hideaway Point on this foundation.
Psalm 18:2 “The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.”
Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
We believe in the power of retreat and would love to help you imagine what time away at Hideaway Point could look like for you and your family, community, organization or business. Let us know how we can help.
