​Over the past 25 years of ministry, I have heard one answer over and over and over. The question: What is your biggest roadblock in discipleship? What is the biggest roadblock to people pouring their life into another spiritually? 

The answer: Time. I don’t have time. They don’t have time. I get it. As a mom of two busy sons with a full schedule of speaking engagements, writing deadlines, exercising, and errands, the sheer thought of trying to line my schedule up with somebody else’s is almost impossible … almost.

It is easy to lose hope in prayer when we don’t feel as if our prayers matter. We wonder if they are even being heard; we wonder if we are praying correctly. We wonder if we are hindering our own prayers somehow. There could be temptations to throw up our hands and think, “Why bother?” 

James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” 
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Do your prayers seem powerful and effective? In this two-part series, we will explore why our prayers are not as productive or powerful as we would like and what can be done about it. ​

Do your prayers seem powerful and effective? In part one of this series, I shared how many people do not feel their prayers are effective because they either do not think they can change God’s mind, or they are simply losing hope. 
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In part two of this series, we will explore two more reasons our prayers may not be as effective or powerful as we would hope. ​

Many people want to pay it forward! They want to invest in another spiritually to show gratitude for the people who helped them in their walk with God. Getting in the boat with another person spiritually and helping them become grounded in the basics of the Christian faith is exactly what we are called to do.

​I love how Paul said to Timothy, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”

It’s the number one hindrance facing women when it comes to discipling other women. I don’t have time. They don’t have time. Who has the time?

I surveyed 100 women formally — and countless others in casual conversations — over my 20 years in women’s ministry to discover what was their biggest roadblock to pouring their life into another woman spiritually. Time was the number one answer. I get it. As a mom of two active boys with a full schedule of speaking engagements, writing deadlines and running a ministry, the sheer thought of trying to line my schedule up with somebody else’s is almost impossible … almost.