This is the time of year for reflection. I have been doing this for a few weeks now, thus my lack of posts. It was November when I last shared my thoughts with you.
Why the pause?
Honestly, I’m discouraged about the blogging world. We have been doing this since 2008 and it has been a joy. The friends we have made around the world is one part. But those of you who have shared your stories with us and even asked for help and hope is what we love most.
Many blogs have moved their websites to Substack where it is easier to connect with like-minded people. I’ve tried this, and even started our own Substack, but it is confusing and I can’t seem to find the help I need to navigate yet another platform.
Others have started podcasts, which isn’t my forte at all! I’m a writer, not a public speaker.
But the main reason I’m discouraged is another new wave of technology—bots who access our blog posts for content they can reuse. I know this is happening because I will get one hit on hundreds of posts. There are no comments. It’s like my blog has become an outpost for lonely robots wandering Cyberspace. This is not helping marriages thrive, which is our purpose in blogging.
In 2026 the Lord is leading me to begin writing in earnest again. It may or may not include writing here, that is up to the Lord to decide. I wanted to let you know why the absence.
We are also starting a marriage community group in our home in January. We are going through the book, I Still Do, by Dave Harvey. We highly recommend it! We haven’t led a small group since 2020. We are excited to connect face-to-face with couples in our church as we seek to learn and grow.
Anyway, that’s where we are right now. We appreciate your prayers, and if we can pray for you, please let us know in the comments. This alone will prove you aren’t a lonely robot. ❤️
Happy New Year!
The Romantic Vineyard 
Glad you have taken time to reflect and wait on God for His direction for you and this blog. Time & technology has certain changed things and it can be discouraging at times to try and navigate it all. We trust you will hear from God and follow His leading. Glad you’re going to have a marriage group in your home again.
Randy was recently diagnosed with Mesothelioma in his left lung, along with a couple other lesser issues so we’ve had lots of dr appt’s and test and he just had his 2nd chemo/immunotherapy treatment the day after Christmas. God has kept us in His supernatural peace and joy in this challenging season and we have so many friends and family praying for us. We know God’s got us and it’s another season of growing stronger in our marriage.
Blessings to you and Tom as you continue to encourage marriages and follow God’s leading in your lives.
Blessed by you in 2025 and wishing you God’s great blessings in 2026.
Randy & Vickie
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Vickie,
I’m sorry to hear about Randy’s diagnosis. A new world of medical challenges and doctors appointments. Praying God heals him through these treatments.
Thank you for sharing with us,
Debi
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I am discouraged by the substack world and I don’t want it. My blog began in 2010 and it was very regular until this year. It’s a strange world we live in. I have read your blog for years.
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Your comment is anonymous. Can I ask who this is? And thank you for reading our blog. We are grateful.
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I have noticed your absence, of course. I’m asking those questions too. I get far more responses and interaction on my Facebook page yet I’m hesitant to give up blogging as it’s more reflective and detailed but people don’t necessarily take the time to read as many posts (I think), including me. I have gotten huge responses to my silly, fun reels. It may be that’s the future for me. We’ll see. We’ll talk in January.
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I’m not even doing videos. It’s just not my thing.
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Some of us out here still read blogs, even if it is a dying format. Bless you for your service.
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Thank you for sharing that with us. We will keep writing as God leads.
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I’m sure that the blogging world has changed along with so much on the internet, especially with the shortening of the topical attention span and the increasing popularity of social media and its increasing focus on quick videos.
But the need for marriage ministry has no doubt increased in the same period, so I hope that God gives you wisdom for how to move forward and continue your writing ministry. It sure has been a blessing to me!
We’d appreciate prayers for our marriage as we navigate new parenting challenges. Our oldest (barely an “adult”) found their first S.O. this summer and spent more and more time with them while checking out of our family more and more. Some of that is natural, along with growing in independence, but there was friction, disrespect, lies, and defiance, and it led to a recent moving out and then in with the S.O. and a single parent. It came about with too much emotion and not enough communication, which has left my wife and I feeling rejected and hurt, but also concerned for the path ahead for the two of them. Although we’re closer that ever, we’ve felt the enemy’s attempts to divide us. Our younger child is taking this hard and feels caught in the middle – almost like in a divorce – and although there are lessons for them to learn from it, there is also a negative influence against us and our Christian values by their older sibling.
Thanks for asking, and please keep up the great work, even if it is on a new platform or in a new direction!
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Markus,
We are sorry you are facing such a difficult season in your family. Parenting adult children is a huge shift in focus. And when they choose paths that we prayed would never happen, all we can do is pray and trust God to be there with them when we no longer can be.
But that can be hard on the rest of you.
Your encouragement means so much to us. Thanks you for sharing your heart and heartache.
Praying God gives you wisdom for each day.
Blessings,
Tom and Debi
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Hello. Happy New Year. Your post resonates with me. I’ve been blogging since 2009. Actively initially but down to one or two posts per year now. I hope to find my writing mojo because it gave me a lot of joy in the initial years, but equally I felt joyous in life, which made me write. I hope to continue finding my joy. I appreciate your posts.
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I find joy in writing too, but the last few years it’s been waning. I’ve decided in 2026 it is time to recapture that joy too. I encourage you to join me. Send me a link to your blog if you will.
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I’m at gcroft2.wordpress.com Here’s to finding joy in writing in 2026.
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