| Click
on the image to view full size |
 Broken
by God of her pride and desire to please others, Bree Vander
Jagt threw part of her wardrobe into a bonfire while her youth
group watched. |
Dozens
of high school students huddle near a bonfire. But they aren't singing
"Kumbahyah" or roasting marshmallows. They try not to breathe
in the toxic smell of flames consuming items like Red Hot Chili Peppers,
Dave Matthews Band, and DMX CD's along with Glamour magazine, cigarettes,
love letters, and spaghetti-strapped tank tops. All of this symbolizes
how God works in the lives of teenagers who are sold out for Christ.
Last July, about thirty students from the high school group at West
Canon Baptist Church in Belmont, Michigan, attended a Teen Leadership
Conference (T.L.C.) in Pennsylvania with hundreds of other high school
students. Most of their time was spent learning from the Word in worship
and prayer. Daily seminars on topics like modesty and purity were
held throughout the week, challenging the students' thinking.
The moral issues addressed in these sessions convicted students, lead-ing
them to repent of different sins. "Walls that were there because of
friends or other sins were given up," says John Nixon, pastor of Student
Ministries at West Canon Baptist Church.
"They are transformed," Nixon adds. "I have parents
or brothers and sisters of these students coming up to me saying,
'What happened?' "
The testimony of those who attended T.L.C. didn't stop there. Several
students in the youth group were impacted by the changes in their
peers. "Others were drawn into it because what they saw in these
students was real, genuine," Nixon says.
With this new zeal for serving Christ, the youth group members searched
for a way to outwardly show their personal commitments to God. The
final outcome was a bonfire in which they burned items associated
with sins that they wanted to give up.
| Click
on the image to view full size |
 At
a backyard bonfire last summer, students from West Cannon Baptist
Church in Belmont, Michigan, burned their music, magazines,
and even a pile of clothes (above) in an outward demonstration
of their commitment to give up things that hinder them in their
walk with Christ. At left, Becky Elyea burns a CD, and Justin
Loree (right) confesses before his peers. |
The
idea for a bonfire was sparked by one of the students, Bree Vander
Jagt. Bree explains that at the conference, God broke her of her pride
and the desire to please other people. Because her heart was softened,
Bree was able to respond when her friend confronted her about the
tight clothing she was wearing.
"I was devastated," Bree says. "I never realized that
my actions could have such a huge impact on others." Bree believes
that her problem had everything to do with her purity. "You can
pick a dandelion, but you won't get rid of it until you pull up the
root."
The problem wasn't only the clothes she was wearing but the motives
and attitude behind them, which were simply to get attention. "Before,
I wanted everyone to like me, but now I know that I have to find myself
in light of Who God is and what He wants me to be," she shares.
It was as simple as that. Bree knew what she had to do, and that included
getting rid of her immodest clothes. But giving them away was not
enough for her. "I couldn't bear the thought of someone else
wearing those clothes that were so much a part of my sin," Bree
explains. "So I wanted to burn them."
When Bree planned to burn her clothes, she invited the entire youth
group to come to her house for a bonfire. Many other students had
items to burn, so the event became a sharing time where they talked
about what God was doing in their lives.
Although some people may be skeptical at the thought of such a bonfire,
"If it's a source of temptation, it's okay to get rid of it,"
Nixon says.
Bree says that this event has brought the girls in the youth group
closer together. As Bree tried on all her clothes, the girls helped
her decide what to burn. "All the girls are like sisters now,"
Bree said. "We are knit together, and we will tell each other
if we are not dressed modestly."
Throughout her school Bree is known as "the girl who burned her
clothes." She tells that at first she was dreading going back
to school because she didn't know what people would think. But now
she sees it as her own little mission field.
A year earlier, before she quit the search for popularity, Bree was
the freshman representative on the homecoming court at Sparta High
School. Now she wants people to know "I am different, and I want
them to ask me why."
Since the T.L.C. conference, about ten students from the youth group
have been baptized, Bree included. "A bunch of people were talking
about why they wanted to get baptized,"shares Bree. "Listening
to them made me realize that commitment was something I needed to
do too."
Even though a year has passed, Nixon says he believes the commitments
these students made are lasting because they are grounded in the Word
of God. The students are also committed to holding each other accountable.
"My greatest accountability is that I made these commitments
in front of the entire youth group and I don't want to dishonor God
by going back on them," Bree explains.
The youth group was inspired by truths in 1 Thessalonians that address
not only the topic of physical purity, but purity of mind. "The
students were burning things they felt were hindering their purity
and stifling their relationship with God," Nixon says.
| Click
on the image to view full size |
 Above,
in a show of commitment to modesty and accountability, Bree
Vander Jagt stands before friends and throws several items of
clothing into the bonfire. At left, Josh Elyea stands next to
Erik Shelner as Erik throws a shirt on the fire. |
Fire
is an appropriate symbol for God changing the hearts of His children.
Psalm 66:10 says, "For thou, O God, hast proved us; thou hast
refined us, as silver is tried." In order to make gold and
silver more valuable, it must go through a purification process.
The goldsmith heats the gold in a fire that burns off all the dirt
or impurities.
God does the same thing to His followers. As Christians grow in
their walk with the Lord, God will reveal areas in their lives that
need to be purified, that need to go through God's fire. All Christians
should ask themselves, What areas in my life need to be burned-not
only in a bonfire, but in God's refining fire?
Author Bio:
Janea Brown
Current position: student at Pepperdine University
(creative writing major). Favorite activities:
running & singing. Meaningful quote: "Sin
will keep you from the Bible, or the Bible will keep you from sin."
Farthest from home: Egypt. Meaningful personal
accomplishment: Surviving without running water for 2 weeks
on a missions trip in Albania.
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