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EXTREMEJanuary 2009

Nulla facilisi:Pellentesque eu aliquet vel. Vitae vehicula lobo rtis. Ultricies mole stie libero dignissim id mauris, mus nec tempus lorem.THE WORD

Spring 2010

So, What can you expect from this edition of The Word?

The Gospel Concert

The Snow ServiceThe Lock-In

Warning! Contains Truth Warning!

Caution Contains Truth! Caution Cont

Welcome to another edition

of The Word, a publication

of the Impact Movement

chapter at Carnegie Mellon

University. In these next

few pages you will get a

glimpse into the heart of

our chapter and see how

we are sharing with others

the love and peace we

have found only through a

personal relationship with

Jesus Christ. This semester

was a unique time that

involved a lot of firsts for

our chapter. Before you

read, we must warn you

that this newsletter does

contain the truth of Jesus

Christ. Those who read it

be ready to hear of the love

of Jesus Christ!

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- Mark Thornhill, Senior (University of Pittsburgh)

*Alright everyone, that was our last round… Now we’re going have a time for discussion. Right now we’re passing around slips of paper for you to write down questions. We’ll place those questions in a box and draw them one at a time for the group to discuss.*

*Alright everyone we’ll give about one more minute for you to finish your questions.*

…I’m tired man. Can’t even really think of a question… I’m thinking ‘bout how uncomfortable this corner is, dagg…

*Ok everyone, if we could have your questions.*

And so the night began…

After finishing a high energy session of Taboo, I was spent! Still a part of me wanted to witness what laid on the minds of the believers. Tired, I forced myself to wake up so I’d be able to. I’m glad I did. The conversation that ensued over the next three and a half hours was genuine and transparent. The questions ranged on topics like depression and minority status on campus to relationships, marriage, manhood/womanhood, and yes, we even shared our fears about the “friend zone”! More than anything I witnessed the ability of the Body to build up its members with words of wisdom and encouragement. Even without submitting a question, I feel as if I might have benefitted the most. Sometimes, it’s simply nice feel, and genuinely be, a part of something. Rarely throughout the week do I find myself in a situation with fellow brothers and sisters comfortable enough to open up and let my guard down. This night was different. Through a madman’s round of Taboo, I experienced the benefits of fellowship and the privilege of a sense of being a part of something. In the discussion time, I was able to connect with brothers and sisters, seeing the Christ in them as we spurred one another on with biblical truths.

*Ok everyone that was our last question. Now that we’ve heard all the prayer requests, let’s pray.

“God thank you…”*

The Lock-InYou can think of the Lock-In as a sleepover of sorts packed with

plenty of time to get to know our fellow students. This Friday night was filled with fun and food as well as a time where we opened the floor, allowing for anonymous questions that we answered with scripture from the Bible. The summary on this page is one student’s take on what happened at the Lock-In.

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On a college campus with students from across the world, it is still challenging to get outside of your comfort zone of friends. This massive snow storm gave us the opportunity to meet some new faces, connect with some old friends, and most of all, be united as Christians. Students from different races, cultures, Christian organizations, and even colleges (both Carnegie Mellon & the University of Pittsburgh) came together on Sunday morning to worship God. The memorable service was led by

two students from the Impact Movement, who led a discussion using the Bible Study

resource “The Grill”. The topic was definitely relevant to college student: worry. From tests, to extra-curricular activities, to paying for school, there are many things that are on a student’s mind. On this snowed in Sunday we shared together our own

struggles and encouraged one another in how God wold have us view

all that is going on in our lives. It is important that we truly put our trust in

Jesus Christ and trust in His plan for our lives.

The blizzard of 2010When Pittsburgh got hit with 2 feet of snow in just one weekend, everything was closed even church on Sunday. So, about 5 Christian groups from CMU and Pitt came together and held a service on campus. And the say Sunday is the most segregated day of the week...

SNOWED IN...

Romans 15:5-6 “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

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The premise for this year’s concert was simple. It

aimed at tackling the issue of pride that we saw

all too often in our communities. It is even more

prevalent on a college campus where people

can become reliant on their own intellectual

abilities and abandon any thoughts of needing

God. The struggle with pride does not end once

you come to know Christ, but rather becomes

an internal battle between your old self and the

person God wants to shape you to be.

The Bible says it best in Romans 7:21-23,

“21So I find this law at work: When I want to do

good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my

inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see

another law at work in the members of my

body...”. No matter where we are in our spiritual

journey we must recognize one thing: when we

choose to live without God we are nothing

(hence Rags), but when we choose to live for

God in humility we have a life made Righteous

through Jesus Christ.

In portraying this message, we had a lot of help

from some really talented artists. Corey Lankford

and the Oasis Theatre Company started it off

with a dramatic presentation of the internal

struggle between you and your inner monster

that only wants to reap havoc in your life. He

then passed the baton to Pittsburgh’s own hip-

hop artist, Mele Mel. With songs like “Only You”

whose lyrics declare that “Only You God can

save me from my sin” and with his own personal

experiences, he truly expressed to us his heart

for God and the humility and love it takes to live

this life as a Christian!

By this point the theme was pretty evident, the

artists were excellent, and the concert was just

only beginning. Returning to the stage was

Corey Lankford, this time with the rap group

Bloodsent.

They brought an unbelievable authority and

intensity to the stage. As soon as they got on the

stage, you could really feel the energy in the

room. They rapped about letting go of all the

things that are not like God and do not line up

with His word, the Bible.

“Get it out of me.Take it off of me...” they proclaimed about

ungodly things and ways of life. Corey then

broke it down to us even further as he spoke on

the topic of pride and the internal struggle we all

face.

To finish it off, we had the young, talented neo-

soul artist Leah Smith. At just 21 years of age,

her voice and ministry showed the maturity and

dedication that can come only from a life in right

standing with God. Her single from her recently

released EP “Beautifully Made” was right in line

with the flow of the night. The single called

“Monster” wrapped up all the things the other

artists had said and was just what we needed.

We are all running from the monster that’s on the

inside of us, but we can know one thing- through

a reliance on Jesus Christ in our lives, we are

saved from ourselves and what we would

foolishly make of our lives. The next few pages

give a more personal look into a few of the

artists from the concert; Corey Lankford and

Leah Smith. Check it out!

From RagsTo RighteousBlack History Month Gospel Concert 2010

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It is a privilege beyond belief to be able to tap into the infinite creativity of God and even more to be able to use these gifts to transform lives! Working with the Impact Movement allowed me to reach into the depth of this art and make what others merely think of become tangible for all to see and understand. In the process of coming up with the blueprint of the skit titled "Monster" I was intrigued by the hit song "Monster" from recording artist, Leah Smith's, demo. It was this theme that would manifest itself into the psychological, emotional and spiritual illustration we demonstrated.

My approach was to create something that every individual can relate to- whether wealthy, poor, popular, unpopular, attractive, shy and even saved or unsaved. One thing that everyone can relate to is their secret issue, or struggle that wars against their mind that no one knows about. While brainstorming with Impact Movement representatives (Chris Streeter and Brianna Kent) I used the movie "Mr. Brooks", starring Kevin Cosner, as a visual parallel to the direction I wanted to go. It was a movie about a millionaire CEO who had a secret addiction for killing that no one knew

about except him and his alter ego friend whom only he alone could see!

To those who are believers in Christ, we realize that this struggle is between the spirit and the flesh. It is the constant spiritual warfare that wages against our members consistently and fervently...everyday! Where many would simply believe that its just human nature, these illustrations bring light to the fact that our rebellious nature is destroying our need to be obedient to the word of God. I bring to light the inevitable truth that If we don't subdue our "Monster"...it will soon subdue us!

Hear from Corey Lankford on the

process of creating the concert’s opening

dramatization

Running From a Monster...

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Leah: Life, Love, and Lyrics

CLO: First I want to say thank you for doing this interview.Leah: Thank you.

CLO: So, how did you get started in the music scene?Leah: When I was around 4 years old. I sung first in school, and then in church. Different adults would affirm that I could actually sing. I was in and out of choirs… “I knew I wanted to be a singer.” Eventually my demo got in the hands of Israel from Israel and New Breed. When I was a senior in high school, I relocated to Houston, TX. I had to have my schoolwork mailed to me. The funny thing was it never got lost. I did my work through the mail. I sang and toured for about a year and a half and it wasn’t until then that I decided to go solo. In October 2008 I did my first solo work…

CLO: What is your motivation behind writing songs?Leah: It’s different at different times. I may be going through something and decide to write about it, or I may see someone going through something. “A good way to express human experience is through song. Looking at how music has strayed from Christ and His expectations [also] motivates me to write. I write to give a different point of view of life through the 3-4 minutes of a song... I almost always write intentionally.”

CLO: As an artist, is it sometimes harder to live because you are always being watched?Leah: “Yes... Yes. Yeah.” “Even though I am a low-key artist at the beginning of my career, there is constant critiquing. There is a struggle on a daily basis, or every other day basis with feeling watched or

I was nervous when I was given the opportunity to interview the lovely Leah Smith, but after actually talking to her, the nervousness died down a bit. Not only is Leah a talented and unique artist, but she is a great person as well. They say that first impressions are lasting impressions, and I will always remember Leah as a friendly, open, down-to-earth person with a good sense of humor who unquestionably is going hard after God. This, singer/songwriter/musician from the streets of Philly definitely has it going on. I hope the interview blesses you.

- Chloe Lynn Oxley, Freshman

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critiqued. And then there is pride. Everyone struggles with pride. I don’t want to let people down. I am learning to take correction and critique. It is a love-hate relationship.”

CLO: How does it feel being on stage?Leah: “I always get nervous. But once I make a big mistake, I think: it can only go up from here, they already heard my worst note... I pray for strength.” “But when I’m up there, it’s a zone and it’s like it’s not me. I am not doing it in my own strength.”

CLO: How do you balance your relationship with God?Leah: “Work flows out of my relationship with God. It influences every piece of my work. For example, the ethic behind it, how I act…etc.” “Jesus is the vine and my job is the branch…”

CLO: Who is the person behind the music?Leah: “Silly. A Goofball. I like to read and learn. I am family oriented. I enjoy the quiet and being alone sometimes.”

Random questions…CLO: What was it like singing with David James?Leah: “So cool. I enjoy him as a person and I enjoy his music. He is a man with a lot of integrity.”

CLO: For all the ladies wondering, what do you use on your hair?Leah: Water and a whole bunch of other things that I just experiment with.

CLO: Lastly, any words of encouragement for those reading this?Leah: “Abide in Christ. You can’t go wrong.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself….

Want more from Impact?In just our second year on campus at Carnegie Mellon University, we continue to be amazed at how God is using us to reach the CMU campus, surrounding communities, and world with the truth of Jesus Christ. We ask that you join with us in prayer for what God is doing in the city of Pittsburgh and that He

would allow you to be a spark in your community in bringing the Good News!

The Impact MovementCarnegie Mellon Chapter

Email:

impact.cmu@gmail.com

Facebook Group:

“The Impact Movement: Carnegie Mellon Chapter”

As you can see, there is no shortage to what God is doing through us. In just

our second year on campus at Carnegie Mellon University, we continue to be

amazed at how God is using us to reach the CMU campus, surrounding

communities, and world with the truth of Jesus Christ. Be sure to contact us to

stay updated and to work with us in any way possible. We ask that you join

with us in prayer for what God is doing in the city of Pittsburgh and that He

would allow you to be a light in your community in bringing the Good News!