Recently, a friend mentioned that he had been blogging for twenty years.
Twenty years.
That got my attention.
I started blogging in 2008 with a little blog called Joshua’s Hope. In 2013, I launched The Devotional Guy.
So, depending on how we’re counting, I’ve been doing this for somewhere around 18 years.
Which is kind of crazy when I think about it.
I’ve written through different jobs, different seasons, different churches, different struggles, and different joys. I’ve blogged between mountaintops, on hills and valleys, through thick and thin. My blog is anything but sanitized. It’s often a reflection of the raw realities of life here on the third planet from the Sun.
Since I started, the internet has changed. Smartphones and social media continue to evolve. So does blogging.
I have changed. I’ve grown. I’ve grieved. I’ve growled and groaned.
And yet, here I am.
Still writing.
Still wondering.
I’m living in a world that I am still trying to make sense of amid this strange, beautiful life of following Jesus.
Over the years, I’ve learned that blogging isn’t really about having something profound to say every day.
It’s mostly about paying attention.
Pay attention to what God is doing and to the people around you. Listen to the nagging questions that won’t leave you alone. Lean into the ordinary moments that contain the hope of something extraordinary.
I’ve learned that you don’t have to have everything figured out before you write. I discover what I think by writing it down.
I’ve learned that authenticity matters as much, if not more than, consistency. Consistency certainly matters when it comes to building integrity.
I’ve learned that numbers aren’t the best measure of whether something I posted mattered. It may only resonate with one person, but if it’s the right person who needed to read the words I wrote then maybe it mattered for a lifetime.
I still don’t completely understand why anyone reads what I write. However, I’m grateful they do.
That’s one of the gifts of blogging.
You start by thinking you’re going to tell people something only to discover you’re also learning something yourself.
So I’m curious:
How long have you been blogging?
And perhaps more importantly:
What has blogging taught you?
I’d love to hear your story. Drop it in the comments below.
Until my next post…
Be salty, stay lit.
Rainer Bantau —The Devotional Guy™
© 2026 Rainer Bantau | The Devotional Guy™ | All Rights Reserved
=)
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🙏
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Grateful for you blogging so long!
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Thanks for sharing! How did you come up with your title? Blogging can be therapeutic (as is true of writing or any form of creativity). Sometimes, we do need to reevaluate and ask “Is this working for me?” Again, thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.
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Thank you 🙏
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Very true! It can be terrifying at first, Nicola. I think we all develop our own rhythm. Sometimes, puzzles are made of big pieces. Other times, small. That’s kind of how I view consistency. A blog becomes a tapestry we’ve put together over years. I think you do great, Nicola. I’m encouraged (and humbled) to hear that insights I’ve shared have helped you along the way.
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I started in 2018 Rainer after putting it off for ages! I was terrified at first by the thought that something I had written was now out there, somewhere in this vast blogging space. I remember finding your blog and the advice you provided on blogging which really helped. I started to relax into it and my terror has thankfully receded. I didn’t expect to find and make such great relationships through blogging. That was a surprise. The encouragement I have received has been such a blessing. I’m not a structured blogger and my content varies so consistency is something I’m still learning.
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I have been blogging since my Mother passed away so around 16 years, now.
It started with feelings about her passing, then, my first Divorce, etc.. At one point, I had to edit my readers and reevaluate some things but it has really helped to share my life with strangers and to make friends with some of them, too.
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Congratulations on 18 years. Wow!
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Amen 🙏 indeed it is. Truth!
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Nine years (!!) It doesn’t seem like it. But I have learned that, like God’s love, God’s word is wide and long and high and deep, and I can never reach the end of what it can reveal to me.
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That’s wonderful, Patricia! Thank you for reading my post and for sharing what you’ve learned from blogging these last 12 years. I hear you on the monetization. Happy writing!
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Love your question. I’ve been blogging for about 12 years. I write to grow my writing skills. Blogging gives me a space to express thoughts and feelings. Every year, I plan to monetize my posts, but I haven’t yet. Maybe I’ll move in that direction in ’27. For now, I’ll continue writing and posting short stories and other passages to share with readers.
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Thanks for sharing your insights, Rosie.
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Well, I am the newbie, a year and a half. I do think blogging is an ongoing classroom in more ways than one. Learning from others has been a great help. The more we know the more there is to know about blogging and life. I think you said it, that we write and end up learning more about ourselves in what we’re trying to share.
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Thank you for your kind words David🙂
I am blessed to be connected on this Christian corner of WordPress with brothers like you and Rainer.
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Agreed. Brother Alan is a consistent and prolific blogger who also creates great content. I’ve been following him since shortly after he started. He is a dear friend and brother in Christ.
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Thanks, David. You are a great writer. Blessings.
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I still have a couple of years to go before I make 20, Alan. But our friend SlimJim just made 20. You’re doing an amazing job in my book Alan. Keep up the good word!
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I started blogging in 2018, but only began regularly posting in May of 2020. Since that time, I’ve improved as a writer and befriended many other Christian bloggers. I’ve even met some of them in person, such as The Devotional Guy. I hereby certify that Rainer is exactly the same guy in person as he is in print. 🤗
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Congratulations on your 20+ years pin brother 👍🙂
I am a blogging baby, having only been here 6 years. I have been blessed in many ways through this journey. I think the biggest lessons I have learned are about serving God and His Kingdom; particularly in encouraging His children. Thus, I see what I do as a Divine calling. I pray that He will continue to shine the light of His Word in my corner of His Kingdom, guiding me each day.
God bless you and your ministry today brother Rainer 🙏
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