Useful Resources

Welcome to the resources recommendations page of All Saints. Here you can find some things that we think can be helpful in your personal journey and spiritual development.

The Bible Project podcast

The people behind the Bible Project also created the Read Scripture app that we as a church used in our 2017 Year Of Biblical Literacy (YOBL) where we collectively delved deeply into the scriptures. The Bible Project weekly podcast is free and a fantastic way to expand your bible knowledge. Click here for the link, or find it in a podcast player. Their website also offers a lot of brilliant free resources and videos that focus on each book of the bible, and biblical themes running throughout the bible click here for the link.

The Read Scripture App

The Read Scripture app created by the Bible Project is a great way to engage with the bible. It helps to highlight how the Bible is a unified text that points to Jesus as it guides you through the scriptures. It includes videos that give context to each book of the bible. Click here for the link or find it in your App Store.

The Prayer Course

The Prayer course, made by the 24/7 Prayer movement looks at the Lord's Prayer and uses it to examine the different elements of prayer, as well as how it can be applied in our day-to-day lives. The sessions are short videos, which are relatable and easy to follow. There is also a toolkit of extra resources to take advantage of. The course can be done as a personal reflection or in a group setting. It’s free and accessible for both new Christians and old, and those who want to intentionally pursue a deeper life of prayer. Click here for the link.

Looking for a new Bible - not sure which to pick?

Bibles that are more ‘word-for-word’ such as the NASB and ESV stick closer to the original text but may be a bit ‘clunky’ to read as they are trying to stick a bit closer to the original language. Although these translations can be a bit hard work, they are very faithful to the Greek and so are great for more in-depth Bible study.

More ‘dynamic’ translations such as the NIV and NLT are less concerned with keeping the exact wording, but are more concerned with communicating the meaning well. These translations tend to be much nicer to read as the intention is to make it understandable in modern English.

The paraphrases such as The Message and The Passion can be recommended as helpful for our devotional reading. However it is important to note that there is a point where the translating process becomes so loose, it becomes an interpretation as much as a translation. Paraphrases should be used in parallel with a more accurate translations.

The below image gives an idea of some different bible translations, as well as their characteristics. Rev Andy Smith has elaborated and written some interesting notes here

A great way of going deeper into scripture without buying a million different commentaries is to get hold of a good study Bible. Study Bibles, in addition to the scriptures themselves have expanded footnotes which give additional historical and cultural context along with helpful theological insight. If you're not sure where to start, the 'Life Application' series of study Bibles are very good and available in several translations. The pick of the bunch is probably the New Living Translation (NLT).

Recommended Books

We are excited to announce a new partnership between All Saints and St Andrews Bookshop. We have our own book store with discounted rate.  Check it out here and see some great recommendations from Owen and Rich for your reading enjoyment!

Additionally, here are just a few books that the staff team can recommend for some ‘light‘ reading:

And some recommendations from our pastoral team: