My husband and I started blogging on The Romantic Vineyard in 2008. It was an extension of our marriage ministry and was initially meant to be a reference site for our friends and those who live locally for date night ideas and great resources. It didn’t take long for it to become much bigger than we ever expected. With the growth came new friends who also had marriage blogs–couples who shared the same vision and passion to see marriages become all God intended and to last a lifetime.

These couples ended up becoming friends. We read each other’s blogs regularly. We encouraged one another and did all we could to help as well. We even ended up meeting most of them in person. What a joy it was to finally meet face-to-face.

We saw a need as many new marriage bloggers became discouraged in their first year. They struggled with either lack of technical understanding, or difficult responses to posts they had written. Isolation made many call it quits. So we formed the Christian Marriage Bloggers Association. We have a statement of faith we all believe in and it’s from this creed that visitors to our blogs know if we line up with their beliefs too. It has broadened our community and we are thrilled at what God has done.

When we began in 2008, there were very few Christian marriage blogs available offering help and good Biblical advice. Now, fourteen years later and there are too many to count. And many are so helpful.

When we were prompted to share the blogs we follow regularly, I knew I had to include the background in order for you to understand how I came to know and respect these bloggers/now friends.

We have a Core Team. These consist of the 6 couples who began the CMBA.

• Paul and Lori Byerly – They have several blogs devoted to marriage: The Generous Husband, The Generous Wife, The XY Code
• Brad and Kate Aldrich – One Flesh Marriage
• Scott and Jenni Means – Heaven Made Marriage
• Julie Sibert – Intimacy in Marriage
• Chris Taylor – Honeycomb and Spice

I also love to read good writers blogs. Some of the following are friends and some are columnists. But I read every post.

• Life on the Lighter Side – Bonnie Anderson has been a friend for as long as I can remember. We share many interests, which makes any time we have together a blast. Her blog is inspirational and humor focused.
• Not That Big A Deal – Roxanne Chin is another dear friend who always makes me laugh. Her humor is usually pointing inward on something she said or did. And I think she’s a pretty big deal.
• Sean of the South – Sean Dietrich’s biography linked here has enough credentials to draw you closer. His storytelling skills are unmatched. I look forward to his posts; I will laugh, cry and think about what he’s written for a while afterward.
• The Power of Story – Mitch Teemley found our marriage blog and commented. Which let me find his and I am so very grateful. He is a fantastic storyteller. His Fool’s Odyssey series is one hooked me. You can start this with his first post, My Big Epiphany in London

This is my 20th post in The Ultimate Blog Challenge to post everyday in November.