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

Into the Woods with Curio: Nature by the numbers

"This is the day the Lord has made; let’s rejoice and be glad in it." Ps. 118:24

Late winter and into the spring and early summer are the times for wildlife surveys. The types of surveys range from the Great Backyard Bird Count this upcoming weekend, (Feb 16th to 18th) to nocturnal owl surveys, frog surveys and marsh bird surveys in early spring. May is the time for ‘Big Day’ bird counts, and the start of a variety of breeding bird surveys, which go through to the end of June. July sees a butterfly and the dragonfly counts. Different associations organize these surveys and recruit citizen scientists to gather the valuable data they need for their many research projects. 

Beacon has been part of an annual turtle survey for several years now, conducted by a local conservation organization each spring. Every July there is a butterfly count done near Torrance by members of the Muskoka Field Naturalists. This dedicated group often finds upwards of 50 species and many hundreds of individual butterflies. 

Silvia and I used to participate in a few wildlife surveys on a regular basis. In mid-June, we’d be out on a breeding bird survey that took us down the Southwood road, past camp. Starting a 5 am at the first stop near the 169 and the Southwood Road intersection, we’d listen to the bird calls for 3 minutes, and record the different species, all the while battling the bugs. Then we’d jump back into the car and drive 0.8 km to the next stop, and repeat. There were 50 stops in total, taking us through the Torrance Barrens and down to the Trent-Severn. By the time we finished, we had usually tallied approximately 60 species of birds and several hundred individual birds. 

We also did an owl survey each spring, picking a clear night in early April to drive our 20 km route in south-eastern Muskoka. Stopping every 2 kilometres, we’d play owl calls through the car’s radio and listen for a response, while standing outside for 15 or 20 minutes at each stop in the bone-chilling cold. The results varied, but we never failed to hear at least 1 or 2 barred owls reply to the recorded calls.

These surveys not only provide data for the various conservation organizations, such as Birds Canada but are also an opportunity to see and learn more about which animals live around the local area. Despite minor hardships from weather and bugs, it’s always a rewarding time for the participants. You’ll often encounter wildlife other than what is being surveyed for. At night you might catch the eyeshine of a deer or fox in the car headlights. You’ll hear other night noises – the sleigh bell-like notes of spring peepers, wood frogs quacking, a dog barking in the distance, the plaintive ‘peents’ of woodcock, or the weird, winnowing reverberations made by a snipe.

You never know what to expect when you go out looking for owls, other birds, butterflies, or just going out. God's Creation is always delightfully surprising.

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