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 There is a genuine sense in which to pray is the easiest, simplest and most natural thing anyone can ever do.

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 And yet there can be times when getting started in prayer is not quite so straightforward.

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 For all kinds of reasons, we can find ourselves getting a bit stuck.

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 Sometimes we just dry up.

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 Sometimes we find it hard to get motivated.

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 It's as though the inspiration just isn't there.

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 Now, as I say, the reasons for this are many and they can be quite complex.

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 But it's important that we remember that it's very, very common.

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 In fact, I think I'd go so far as to say is I think it's universal.

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 At some point, sooner or later, all of us can find prayer, something that ought to be straightforward, actually rather difficult.

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 So this morning, I'm going to share with you one, two, three, four, five practical things that I have found helpful when I found myself, well, stuck.

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 I'm going to share with you five ways which we can give our prayer life a bit of a kickstart.

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 Now, let me mix up the metaphor a bit here.

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 I'm not a biker, so I don't really have much experience of kickstarting.

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 But I do enjoy cycling.

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 You know, it was well over 40 years ago that I learned to ride a bike, but I still vividly remember the first time I went without the stabilizers.

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 I recall the sense of vulnerability involved in pushing those pedals ever so slowly, not quite sure about the whole balancing thing.

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 And then the thrill of discovering that once you start moving forwards, well, then you're off.

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 I think prayer can be a bit like that.

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 Once you get the pedals going and you start moving, well, you're away.

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 But getting started can be the hard bit.

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 So here are five things you might want to try.

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 The first is try engaging a wider range of your senses.

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 For example, you could light a candle.

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 Now, that's something that you can see and you can smell.

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 Or you could burn some incense.

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 Or you could hold a wooden cross.

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 Or play some background music.

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 Or if you do that already, try silence instead of music.

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 It's important to remember that none of those things are about trying to engage God more.

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 Lighting a candle does not make God sit up and pay more attention to your prayers.

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 But by being more multi-sensory in our approach, it can help engage our hearts and minds a bit more.

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 It's just one way of kick-starting ourselves out of a sense of spiritual inertia.

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 The second thing you might like to try is putting a structure into your prayer.

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 Or if you already have a structure, try a different one.

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 Now, the thing with structures, or indeed lack of them, is that they can become routines.

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 And routines can become, well, boring.

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 So by introducing a new structure to the way you pray, you can help break yourself out of what might have become a bit boring for you.

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 Again, let me stress, it's not God who's bored with your prayers.

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 But you might be bored with your prayers.

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 So think about how you might try a slightly different structure when you pray.

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 Now, here's just one example of a really simple structure.

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 It's an idea that's been around for years.

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 You may have heard of it before.

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 I've seen it used by all ages.

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 But it's a simple and an easy one to remember.

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 Teaspoons.

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 Now, by that, I don't mean you try lighting it like a candle or waving it over your head in some kind of weird ritual.

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 I simply mean the letters used to abbreviate it.

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 Teaspoon.

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 T-S-P.

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 The T stands for thanks.

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 So you could start by focusing your prayers specifically on being thankful.

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 Think for a few moments about all the stuff you have in your life to be thankful for.

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 I'm thinking about the really, really ordinary, mundane stuff.

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 Food.

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 A roof over your head.

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 The clothes on your back.

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 Someone you love.

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 Something that made you laugh or smile.

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 Anything.

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 You could even write it down if you want.

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 That's the T.

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 The letter S stands for sorry.

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 So when you're ready, take a few moments to say sorry to God.

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 Bringing before him the areas of your life where you've messed up.

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 Things that you've said.

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 Things that you've done.

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 Things you've thought.

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 Things you've left undone.

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 And in your own time, lay before God the things that you struggle with.

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 And by the way, there's no one on earth who doesn't struggle.

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 So we've got T.

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 We've got S.

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 And we've got P.

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 And the P stands for please.

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 Reach out to God.

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 And ask him to meet your needs.

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 And the needs of others.

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 Pray for our community.

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 Pray for our country.

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 Pray for our world.

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 So you've got T.

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 S.

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 P.

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 Thanks.

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 Sorry.

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 And please.

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 That's just one example of a structure that you might want to introduce.

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 Remember, a structure is not a formula.

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 It's just a way of switching things around a bit.

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 To try praying a bit differently.

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 Here's a third idea.

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 If you're finding your own prayers boring or repetitive, or you're finding it hard to think of what to pray,

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 why not try praying something that someone else has written?

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 Get hold of a book of written prayers.

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 Or you could try using one of the church daily liturgies for morning or evening prayer.

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 Or try using one of the countless daily devotional guides that are available in printed form or online.

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 Remember, a lot of these you can get as an app on your phone.

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 There's Lectio 365.

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 There's Every Day with Jesus.

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 There's Crosswalk.

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 There's an absolute ton of stuff out there.

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 A lot of it's free.

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 Now, maybe you already use one of these things,

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 but you're still finding yourself in a bit of a rut.

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 Well, maybe it's time to try a different one for a while.

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 Remember, it's not about a formula.

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 It's just about trying new things.

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 Idea number four is as simple as it gets.

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 Go for a walk.

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 You know, there's something about being outside and moving that can really help us to refocus.

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 Now, of course, going outside for a walk might not be the most practical option for absolutely everyone right now.

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 But if that's your situation, why not just try praying in a different room?

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 Sometimes simply changing the environment, even ever so slightly,

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 can be a really helpful way of introducing some difference to your prayer life.

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 My last suggestion for kick-starting your prayer life is this.

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 Why don't you try out one of the many classic approaches to contemplation?

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 You see, there's nothing at all new about struggling to pray.

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 And Christianity has a 2,000-year history of finding different ways of responding to that struggle,

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 from Julian of Norwich to Lectio Divina.

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 The approach I find particularly helpful is something called centering prayer.

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 Now, I'm someone who finds it difficult to concentrate sometimes,

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 basically because I'm easily distracted.

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 Centering prayer is a very simple but effective method of intentionally letting go of your thoughts.

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 And in the process of doing so, making yourself more present to experience the reality of God.

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 If you're interested in finding out a bit more about that, then go to the website contemplativeoutreach.org.

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 There's even an app there that can help you with it.

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 Ours is not the first generation to have found that sometimes we need to find some practical ways of engaging ourselves

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 with the God who is already there, ready and waiting for us.

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 Even the writers of the New Testament itself knew this.

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 I love the way Eugene Peterson paraphrased 1 Peter 1, verse 13 in the message.

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 He wrote,

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 So roll up your sleeves.

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 Put your mind in gear.

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 Be totally ready to receive the gift that's coming when Jesus arrives.

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 Teaspoon.

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 You know, I think that sounds like a good excuse for another cup of tea.