I'm in Phoenix today at the Arizona Church Equipping Conference with, among many fine speakers, are two men who are way more spiritual than I.

Don Whitney is one of my favorite writers on spiritual formation... as is Earl Creps but in a totally different way. It's great to see them speaking at the same conference.

Don is a reformed Baptist and Earl is a missional Assemblies of God. Both of them have a passion for spirituality and Don has more books that Earl, but only Earl asked me to endorse his! I'm ready and willing, Don, just ask. :-)

Earl recently (sort of) left academia to become a church planter. He announced his departure the week I was there teaching a class in the AGTS doctoral program. Since he blamed me for contributing to the decision to plant and then announced as I was speaking at his school, I am starting to get a complex.

I say he "sort of" left academia because they devised a plan that he is still on faculty while planting in Berekely, CA. I will work hard to avoid Earl for the rest of conference so as not to get blamed for anything else. :-)

I talked to Don briefly tonight and he is free of cancer. I am glad he is well and continuing to think and write. We have used Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life at several of the churches I served. I am buying his new book, Family Worship, tomorrow at the conference. Don is one of those gifted people who is appreciated all over by diverse groups.

Both of these men are worth listening to and learning from. I introduced them last night and hope they get some time to connect.

I'll be preaching this morning, doing a couple of hours of seminars, and then flying off to Norfolk, VA to speak at First Baptist Norfolk on Sunday.