Reading the Bible and praying are central to the Christian way of life, giving us ways to communicate with God. On this page you can find lots of resources to help you engage with Scripture and with praying individually or as part of a group.
Story of Scripture
The story of the Bible is fundamentally about how God created us, how things have gone wrong, and how God faithfully throughout human history has called people back into relationship with him. Our free online course on the Oxford Diocesan Learning Hub helps you go deeper with your Bible study and devotions. Enrol on the Hub now.
The Bible Project
The Bible Project is a growing website based in America which provides really exceptional audio-visual Biblical learning resources. It is mostly aimed at personal use by people seeking to grow their knowledge and understanding of Scripture but many of the resources can be downloaded and used within a group setting. Their videos and booklets are really engaging and offer a way to develop an understanding of the Bible that takes complex topics and presents them in a way that's accessible to all.
Pray as you go
Pray as you go is an app-based daily Bible reading and reflection. It is very popular with a wide range of Christians due to its thought-provoking meditations combined with beautiful music which gives time for peaceful personal prayer. It also offers instruction in traditional spiritual practices such as Lectio Divina (the meditative reading of Scripture) and the Ignatian Examen.
Lectio 365
Lectio 365 is a new resource from Pete Greig, founder of 24-7 Prayer, founded on the principle of Lectio Divina (medititation on a passage of Scripture). It offers a daily Bible reading and reflection based on themes such as The Vision is Jesus and Pilgrimage of the Soul. As well as the readings, there is also Morning and Evening prayer and access to other 24-7 prayer resources.
YouVersion Bible App
YouVersion may be the world's most popular Bible app. It gives you access to the whole Bible on your phone, with over sixty different translations. Plus it features a huge array of additional podcasts, videos, and study material. You can save your progress and read along with friends & family remotely. Over half a billion people have downloaded the app so far. There is a huge amount to explore and discover, accessible to users of all ages.
Other resources
The below list features some other great resources for praying and reading the Bible alone or as part of a group:
The national church has a wealth of resources for personal and communal engagement with Scripture. These include liturgies for communcal worship, as well as apps such as Daily Prayer which features the services of Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer and Compline (Night-time Prayer), or the free Time to Pray which has alternative prayers and readings for day-time and night-time use. There is also Reflections for Daily Prayer which includes an extended meditation on Morning Prayer.
Discovering prayer is a suite of over two hundred guided meditations and exercises to help you grow your confidence in making prayer a part of your everyday life. With extensive use of the Christian tradition, discovering prayer gives you space to explore and experience prayer as a way to enhance your everyday faith.
Bible in One Year is a project from Holy Trinity Brompton that enables you to work your way through the whole Bible in one year. It is led by daily communications from Nicky Gumbel which you can access as a printed booklet, an app, as emails, or as an audio podcast.
The Bible Reading Fellowship aims to provide resources accessible to people of all ages that can help grow their understanding of the Bible.
The Bible Society offer a huge array of resources for individuals and groups to engage with Scripture including podcasts, books, daily reflections, videos, and maps of the Holy Land. Their very popular eight-part Bible Course, which looks at the whole story of the Bible, is available for individual and small group use.
The Taizé community in France is world famous for its music, prayer, and engagement with young people. Their website gives you access to a range of their material as well as the ability to livestream worship.
Engage Worship encourages a new attitude to prayer based on resting and pausing. It offers a book and video material for individual and collective use to help engage with restful worship. Some of the material ties into LICC's Whole Life Worship approach.
Christian Art offer a daily Gospel reading and reflection that follows the lectionary and pairs each day with a piece of Christian artwork.
The Centre for Action and Contemplation was founded by Richard Rohr with the aim of combining contemplation with Christian social action. They offer daily meditations, podcasts and a number of books about the Christian life.
The Examen is a popular type of prayer invented by the founder of the Jesuits, Ignatius of Loyola. The Reimagining the Examen app helps you put this traditional Christian practice into use in your everyday life.You might also find it beneficial to explore the offerings of Oxford Anglican Cursillo, which offers weekends away and short courses designed to provide opportunities to grow in faith and discover the meaning of life in Christ.