Monk's Musings: The Kingdom of God is Near

“The time has come”, Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”

“Come, follow me”, Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” Mark 1:15,17

After a warm start, winter has well and truly arrived at Beacon! Wherever we live and whatever season we are experiencing, it’s great to enjoy God’s wonderful creation and worship Him as the Almighty Creator. But God is not just a Mighty God, He also became a Merciful Redeemer when Jesus came to give his life on the cross for us. It is good to remember that the main reason Beacon exists is to continue the work Jesus began when he came to announce the Kingdom of God. It is still true today that “repentance and faith” in the “good news of Jesus Christ” is what makes us into children of God; and “fishing others” to come to Jesus is still the hallmark of every one of His disciples.

So we encourage everyone to take to heart the words of Jesus and accept His Kingship in your life. Let Him truly be the Lord of your life and the one who directs your life decisions. “Turning eyes to creation, and calling hearts to God” is our camp’s motto. So yes, let us admire and enjoy God’s handiwork in the forests, lakes and stars; but even more, let us each listen to His voice calling our hearts to love and follow Him. And as we reflect on His calling, we want to especially encourage adults and young adults to invest their lives in serving God and loving people into the Kingdom of God.

Perhaps God is calling you to come up to camp to volunteer, and in this way to help carry out Jesus’ invitation to his disciples to be “fishers of men”. Or perhaps He has another calling for you. One thing is certain, we are all called: let us be active in serving Him!

Whatever we do, may we all follow God’s calling and leading this year.

With all our best wishes for us all,

Andrew “Monk” & Marianne “Tia” Nunn

Monk's Musings: I Am With You. Now Go!

And God said [to Moses] “I will be with you…” Exodus 3:12 
“Now go, I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” Exodus 4:12 

Here at Beacon we are now in the middle of the Winter Camp Season. Thick snow covers everything. Perfect for cross-country skiing and for sliding down the tube-run. Also great for gathering round the fireplace to enjoy a hot chocolate drink and a chat with friends. But wherever we are, the same God who called Moses also calls each of us. He has a meaningful plan for our lives. He calls us to follow Him and to serve others, and he also promises “I will be with you…” Moses felt small and insufficient and afraid, perhaps we do too. Moses made excuses and tried to wriggle out of obeying God’s calling, perhaps we have also. But God reminds us, as he did Moses, that He will help us and teach us each day what to do and what to say. The Great I AM said to Moses “Now go…” He also says this to us: No excuses. Just like centuries later Jesus called the twelve disciples: “Come follow me… Now go, I send you out…” May each one of us also obey His calling, and step out in faith to follow where He leads and to live as He wants us to! 

On behalf of all of us at Beacon, may we all follow God’s call, trusting Him to lead us day by day. 

With all our best wishes for this winter season, 

Andrew “Monk” & Marianne “Tia” Nunn

Monk's Musings: Grandparents, Parents, and Children

He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers… I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. (Malachi 4:6 and 2 Timothy 1:5)

Two of our most memorable Fall Camps this Fall Season have been “Mother & Daughter” and “Father & Son”. We were so encouraged to see parents and grandparents investing in their children, young and older, spending quality time together with their own kids and with like-minded parents. We got to see God turn parents’ hearts to their children and children’s hearts to their parents. 2000 years ago, Timothy had a godly mother and grandmother who shared their sincere faith with him, until he too believed and committed his life to following and serving the Lord Jesus. We are likewise all challenged to invest our limited time and resources in the coming generations that are closest to us. It is one of the most durable and strategic investments we can ever make! Let us be proactive in seeking opportunities while we can.

Of course, each son and each daughter must make their own decision, whether to follow or reject Jesus. We cannot force the issue. Even God does not force anyone. He is the patient Father who waits for each prodigal son and daughter to freely return to Him. And even Jesus had a Judas, who after three years of discipling, rejected and betrayed him. Nevertheless, we can and do play a significant role in instructing and encouraging those closest to us to come to Jesus and love Him, through our life example and our thoughtful words.

May the Lord help each one of us to grow in our own “sincere faith” and to be a faithful instrument in God’s hands to help the next generation to also grow in their faith and love for the Lord Jesus.

With all our best wishes for the Fall Season,

Andrew “Monk” & Marianne “Tia” Nunn

Monk's Musings: Labour for God is never in vain!

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 CORINTHIANS 15:58).

With the Lord’s help, we have just finished the 2023 Summer Camp Season! In total, 223 brothers & sisters in Christ came as volunteers in one capacity or another. Without their help and dedication Beacon would simply grind to a halt. So we want to take this opportunity to thank each one for giving to the Lord and our campers a week or more of their valuable summer time to serve, and to grow in their faith as they did so. We know the Lord will bless each one as a result: because “your labour in the Lord is not in vain”!

At this time, we would also like to thank Susan Mikitka, Mark & Judy Vandervecht, and Suzie Rofaiel, from the bottom of our hearts for their service at Beacon. Each one has let us know that they are planning to transition out of their present role at Beacon over the upcoming months, while helping to train up others to take over their responsibilities. May the Lord bless you as you serve out the remainder of your time at Beacon, and as you embark on the next chapter of your service for the Lord Jesus! Again, remember: “your labour in the Lord is not in vain”!

We are also grateful to the LORD for the great Summer Staff team we had this year: Brio, Chief, Cuppa, Kernel and Moth. Thank you, once again, for serving at Beacon Bible Camp. And don’t forget: “your labour in the Lord is not in vain”!

Finally, to all of us, wherever we are living, and however we are serving the LORD: Let us take heart, and persevere in serving Him joyfully and with all our hearts. For “our labour in the Lord is not in vain”!

With all our love and best wishes,

Andrew “Monk” & Marianne “Tia” Nunn

Monk's Musings: What we can Learn from a Wedding!

On the day you were born… you were thrown out into the open field… Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and I said to you, “Live!” I made you grow like a plant of the field. You grew and developed and became the most beautiful of jewels… Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your naked body. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine. Ezekiel 16:4-8

This past month has been a time of weddings! A number of our friends and relatives have “tied the knot” and entered into a lifelong covenant of love and faithfulness. Each one has chosen someone special with whom they wish to spend the rest of their lives, serving, encouraging, and building up one another until death do them part. Each time I attend a wedding I am reminded that God’s Word illustrates His relationship with us as a marriage covenant: Jehovah with Israel in the Old Testament, and Jesus Christ with the Church in the New Testament.

It’s not that God chose us because we were such a wonderful bride! In the graphic passage of Ezekiel quoted above, he likens us to a rejected baby thrown out in a field, bloodied and despised, awaiting certain death. But He intervened, and elected to love us, to rescue us and give us eternal life. He provided generously for us and helped us to grow. Then, amazingly, He entered into a marriage covenant with us, so that we might be His people and we might be His Beloved forever! Being married to another human being is privilege enough, but being married to the Creator of the universe is mind-blowing! Human marriages are only designed to last for this life, but the Lord’s covenant with us will last for all eternity! This is an incredible picture of God’s love and grace towards us.

And so, may you and I have our hearts warmed towards Jesus. He not only wants to save us and make us a child of God, He also wants to enter into an eternal covenant of love with us! May this thought be the driving force that spurs us on to live for Him. That we may love Him because He first loved us. And with what a love!

With grateful and humbled hearts,

Andrew “Monk” & Marianne “Tia” Nunn

Into the Woods with Curio: Fireflies

“Neither do men light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shineth unto all that are in the house.” Matt. 5:15

It only happens a few nights each summer. That’s when a marshy area, such as along the Beach trail at camp, or a wet meadow such as Beacon’s old soccer field, come alive with the ethereal light of fireflies.

A steady blinking of light on the other side of a low, wet area gives one away. Its soft light blinks on and off for a few seconds, then is gone. Another starts from the nearby bushes, blinking on and off, on and off, then disappears, only to reappear further away. Gradually more and more fireflies start blinking from different locations. Most move giddily through the air, their soft glowing lights turning on then off, keeping you guessing where they will appear next, while others remain stationary near the ground.

Fireflies, or lightning bugs as they are also called, are a type of beetle that produces bioluminescence, that is, their own light. Only a few living things, such as certain algae and deep-sea fish, own this trait. Entomologists, (scientists that study bugs) have been intrigued by the cold light of fireflies for a long time, and have discovered that fireflies produce light in special organs in their abdomens by combining a chemical called luciferin, enzymes called luciferases, oxygen and the fuel for cellular work, ATP. Entomologists think they control their flashing by regulating how much oxygen goes to their light-producing organs.

That’s the how. Why they do it is simple enough – it is to attract a mate. After spending most of the previous year as a larva in the leaf litter eating earthworms and other grubs, then pupating underground for the winter, the fireflies emerge in early to mid-June and start looking for a mate. In most firefly species only the males can fly, while the females remain on the ground or climb up in the grass or into other low vegetation. When the female sees the light of a male of the same species fly by, she signals with her light. They keep signalling each other until they can get together and mate. Remember, this is happening in the dark!

June is the first display of fireflies, and is usually the most prolific. Another more modest display at the end of August is from the offspring from this time. These August fireflies go through the same ritual, in order to produce still another generation, which will be the one to overwinter and give the same kind of display next June.

The repetition of this event does nothing to take away from its charm.

Why has God done this? All of the practical reasons are mentioned above, but the end result is still an amazing light show, (with no noise or fire hazard). It’s a wonderfully pleasing display of God’s amazing love in Creation.

Monk's Musings: Praise the Lord for 60 Years of Beacon

“Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him!” Psalm 147:1

A few weeks ago, 75 “Beaconites” of all ages came together at camp to celebrate Beacon Bible Camp’s 60th anniversary! It was a moving time of worship and prayer, testimonies and thanksgiving, anecdotes and laughter, as we praised the LORD together for His goodness throughout the history of four generations of families and campers whose lives have been indelibly changed though our contact with Beacon. From our simple beginnings with tents and small buildings, to the present day facilities we all know and enjoy, Beacon has encouraged and challenged many of us to have our eyes pointed to the marvels of Creation, and our hearts called to a living relationship with God! He continues to speak to us today through His twin books of Creation and Revelation.

A few were with us who lived those first few years of Beacon’s humble beginnings, and shared stories of Uncle Charlie and Aunt Thirsa, Ted and Barbara Becker, Bill and Mollie Weir, Ron Luke, Lou Landgraff, Ben Van Noppen, who together with many other volunteers, worked tirelessly to build roads and cabins, and run each season of camps, and gradually built up the buildings and facilities, and the reputation and extended camp family that we know today.

Many have helped administrate and keep up the campsite over the years, including Gary & Alice Wood, Tom & Liz Williams, Kevin & Cari McKelvey, Stephan & Naomi Smith, Dave & Julie Charters, Luke & Alyssa LaRocque, Mark & Judy Vandervecht, and now we have the privilege of serving here also. I’m sure there are many more that should be added to this list, but God knows their names, and He will give each their generous reward for God is no man’s debtor.

Praise the LORD for His faithfulness and provision during each of the past 60 years at Beacon Bible Camp! Thank the Lord for each of the pioneers who helped to build up Beacon over the past 4 generations. We are reaping the benefit of their sacrifice and service, but ultimately it is the LORD who has brought all this about, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

With all our best wishes as we anticipate the LORD’s continued blessing and guidance,

Andrew “Monk” & Marianne “Tia” Nunn

March 25: Beacon's 2023 Annual General Meeting

Beacon's Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on March 25th at 6:30PM, at Bramalea Alliance Church (905 Central Park Drive, Brampton).

Join us as we praise God for the past year and plan and pray for the future. The evening promises to be one that will warm all of our hearts as we fellowship and reflect on God's faithfulness over the past 60 years of camp!

Please let us know if you plan to attend by emailing ernietw@gmail.com

Monk's Musings: Be Self-Controlled and Do what is Good!

“Teach older men to be… self-controlled… Train younger women… to be self-controlled… Encourage the young men to be self-controlled” … “Eager to do what is good… Ready to do whatever is good… Careful to devote themselves to doing good… Learn to devote themselves to doing what is good” Titus 2:2-6,14 & 3:1,8,14.

At Beacon’s recent Men’s Retreat, we studied the short book of Titus, written to a committed younger man who was a Christian leader, living in a tough society very much like Canada is today. I was struck by the exhortation repeated to both men and women, young and old: We should live a self-controlled life! Not a self-indulgent one, as consumerism would encourage us; nor a lazy or selfish lifestyle, but one that is purposeful and self-controlled. May God help us, as we live out this year, to grow in self-control - in all our habits, our relationships, our character and our walk with God.

Another very evident challenge in Titus is for us to do what is good. Because it is not enough that we should seek to avoid doing evil: The Christian life is meant to be positively filled with doing what is good! Four times we read: be “eager”, be “ready”, be “carefully devoted” and “learn” to do “what is good”! May each of us grow this year in doing what is good - in our family relationships, in how we treat fellow students and workers, in how we invest our life and resources for eternity. May the Lord be able to welcome us on that day: “well done, you good and faithful servant”.

Perhaps God is calling you this year, as part of growing in self-control and in doing what is good to volunteer to serve at Beacon in some capacity that fits with your gifts and talents? Take courage and step up in faith. God will help you!

With all our best wishes from us both and from all of us at Beacon,

Andrew “Monk” & Marianne “Tia” Nunn

Into the Woods with Curio: What do Animals Wear in the Winter?

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12

Have you put on your winter clothes yet? Dug out the winter ‘woolies’ and scarves, hats, mitts, coats and boots? It takes a lot of layers to stay warm during the cold months of winter in Canada. The animals found at Beacon have been getting their winter ‘clothing’ ready for some time.

Snowshoe hares grow thicker, white coats in winter not just to stay warm. It’s so they can’t be seen by foxes and other predators. If you have ever tried to find a snowshoe hare in the winter you’ll know it works! Come spring their fur changes back to a mid-brown colour.

The foxes at Beacon have grown more fur, making them look very different from the slim-looking animals seen at camp during the summer. Their new winter coats are wonderfully thick and insulating, designed to see them through the winter storms and snow. The same is true of many of the furbearers that make Beacon their home, such as mink, otter, weasel and fisher. All of these animals can stay active throughout the winter because of their thick winter coats.

The birds that don’t migrate add more feathers – 35 to 70% more – during their fall moult, to help them endure winter’s cold. Research on goldfinches reveals that these small seed-eaters, (they only weigh about 13 grams, or ½ an ounce!) have almost 1,000 more feathers in the winter. This allows them to endure temperatures as low as -70C for six or more hours, experiments have shown. While the temperatures never get that low even at camp, it demonstrates how incredibly insulating their feathers are.

But what about a bird’s bare legs and feet? How do they keep them warm?

Chickadees have a way of keeping their feet functional, despite the cold. Even though a chickadee’s feet stay at just above freezing to conserve heat and energy consumption, scientists have found these low temperatures don’t cause any damage to the tissues in their feet. This is possible because their feet have “a continuous blood flow”. The warm blood flowing into the feet through the arteries is cooled by the returning blood in the veins from the feet. This same ‘system’ is what helps ducks keep their feet from freezing when swimming in frigid cold water, and while on the winter ice.

Barred owls have feathers on their feet, right down to their toes, to keep them warm. Ruffed grouse also have feathered legs, and do something else to help them deal with winter -- they grow snowshoes! Called pectinations by scientists, these small, comb-like scales grow along the outside of their toes in the fall. This allows the grouse to walk on top of the snow during the winter. In spring these small scales just drop off. Ruffed grouse also burrow into snow banks to make use of the snow’s insulating properties, and to avoid being eaten, it has been determined. Unlike their cousins, the ptarmigan, which live in the arctic and higher elevations in the mountains and turn white in winter, ruffed grouse stay the same dark brownish-gray colour. This dark colouring makes them stand out in the snow, so they use the snow itself as camouflage.

God has provided these amazing adaptations to help these animals make it through a northern winter. We are encouraged to clothe ourselves in another way, to help us show the warmth of Jesus’ love in this world.