Riverside Church in Albuquerque

It is a brown city. They only get 8-10 inches of precipitation a year. But it is also a gorgeous city surrounded by mountains. Even in April, the tops were covered in snow.

I returned late last night from a 2-day trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico. I was honored to speak at an area-wide youth rally called Spiritual Explosion. The theme for the weekend was "In His Image." Talk about a homerun theme.

The host church was the Riverside Church of Christ and they embody the essence of hospitality. They made me feel so welcome the entire time there. They fed me good, allowed me time to rest, and provided little nuggets of encouragement with constant phrases like, "We woke up praying for you this morning."

The youth rally far exceeded my expectations. It was a very diverse, eccletic crowd. They were hungry and receptive, which can make preaching fun.

I spoke 7 times over a 36 hour period, so I am completely drained today, but it was well worth it.

I missed my own people at SVC yesterday, but I was grateful to be where I was.