Every Christian leader says it must come first. The words "pray to Jesus" produces more than 1.2 million links on Google. But how many of us actually pray? I mean really -- pray?

I'll be the first to admit that I'm being a hypocrite writing an article about praying. I confess to you that I don't do it as much as I should. I ask God to bless this, help with that, make this problem go away, or beg him to bail me out of trouble. But sometimes I hear that still small voice that says, "Come away with me..." and I do my best to ignore it because I don’t really "need" anything at the moment.

And this attitude often extends directly into our small groups. We bring our lists to God in prayer, but how well does your group bring itself to God in prayer?

So allow me to make a vain attempt at reminding all of us --including myself -- to do what's really most important: Spend time with our Creator.

Now some of you are delighted to read something encouraging more prayer and you can't wait to sit in a room by yourself or with others and pour your hearts out to God. Yet I'll bet that many of us cringe a bit at the thought. If we're honest with ourselves, sitting in a dark room talking to God probably doesn't seem at all that appealing. (Don’t worry about offending God; it's not like He's surprised.)

For those who think you might just need a refresher or a reminder about prayer, let's unpack this a bit and try to see it through some fresh eyes.

Rather than thinking of prayer as only when we go into our closets (Matt 6:5-8), we should consider the life of Jesus. Jesus connected with his Father in many ways: through singing (Matthew 26:30), nature (Luke 5:16), relationships with others (John 11:41-42), and of course through what we regularly think of as prayer (Matthew 6:9-13).

And depending on how God formed each of us, one of these ways might resonate more than others. So let's look at these ways a little closer:

Song: Ever look around during a song in church and notice some people are really into it and others make it clear they would rather be someplace else? While some may feel closer to God doing something else, worship is a wondrous form of prayer, and no one should take it lightly. How can you add worship to your small-group time? You don't have to sing every week (although you can if you'd like), but look for ways to bring more "open space for God" into your group's prayer time.

Nature: Others prefer to be out in creation, sometimes with a few friends, and many times alone. Through the trees, ocean waves, birds, and stars, they connect closely with the one who holds it all together by the power of His word. Again, how can you infuse this more into your group time? It might be as simple as taking your meeting time outdoors. Now that Spring's upon us, it's a good time to consider it.

Others: Jesus created us to be social creatures with a deep longing for connection. Unfortunately in our culture, our connections tend to shallow at best and faked at worst. But when a group of people connect on such a level that there is no pretense, and people are free to be who they are, flaws and all, then God is present. Whether it is deep intellectual conversation or emotional gushing, something happens when people let their insides out in a place of freedom and safety. Make your small group a place where that can happen, and where you can take all of it to God.

"Regular" Prayer: All of these connections involve some sort of communication, but simple talking and listening to God in a living room is still an important way to connect and build relationship with Him. And others.

It's important to realize that everyone's created differently and therefore connects with God a bit differently. Don't forsake the ways that are most intuitive to you, but also look for ways to help others connect with God the way they're built. By understanding how each other tick and providing the opportunity to leverage that, our time with God can be more of a true relational time and less of a chore.

If you want to start a small-group ministry, or just live life to its fullest, then start here. Start with prayer. Start with finding what works for you, and then simply listen and respond accordingly. Start by doing what comes natural -- and by letting your group members do the same -- and your group's prayer life will increase in time, quality, insight, and even creativity.

David Fisher and his wife Makeesha lead the missional community "Revolution" in Fort Collins, Colorado.