Here are a few ways to get the most out of the Bible Tour, helping you read with confidence, see the bigger story, and stay encouraged along the way.
Daily Readings
In the Daily Readings section, you’ll find a monthly post with an introduction to each week and links to the daily readings. Each day’s reading will take you straight to the passage on Bible Gateway. We’ll use the New Living Translation, but you can easily switch to any version you prefer. Here’s an example of the daily readings and weekly introductions for January.
Each weekly introduction will give you a little background, highlight the main themes, and offer encouraging insights to help you stay engaged. There will be introductions for both Old Testament and New Testament readings, so you can choose to read one Testament or the whole Bible over the year.
As you read, you’ll notice details that speak personally to you. Expect God to meet you in his Word, and take a moment to respond in prayer. Yet the main aim of the Bible Tour is to help you see the big picture of Scripture. We’ll draw attention to recurring images and themes, and to seven key areas of biblical truth (see below).
Whenever we begin a new book of the Bible, you’ll find a short Book Background in the Support Materials section. Here’s an example – Jeremiah.
key aspects of Bible Tour
To help you gain an overview of the Bible’s story, we’ll highlight key areas as you read:
Images
Biblical images and motifs – objects, features, places, and patterns that recur throughout Scripture – help us see how the Holy Spirit teaches through repeated pictures. A study of trees, for example, reveals much about the nature of spiritual life. Images will appear in bold italics. Click the link and it will take you to the relevant brief post in our Dictionary of Biblical Images and Motifs.
Themes
Repeated images in turn point to major themes that run through the Bible and reveal what God is doing in his eternal purpose. Understanding themes like pilgrimage or worship helps enrich your reading. Themes will be shown in bold font. Click the link and it will take you to the relevant brief post in our Dictionary of Biblical Themes.
Key Truths
We’ll also highlight seven foundational areas of biblical truth. Since the whole Bible is about Jesus, he comes first. Insight into the eternal purpose of God is also comes by understanding the key themes of Kingdom and Covenant, and this is filled out by four further truths. There are many truths we could look at in the Bible but the seven key truths we have chosen to focus on are:
When you first encounter one of these in your readings, you’ll see a link (bold and underlined) to a short article that explains its meaning and relevance.
Character Studies
New for this year are bite-sized studies of key Bible characters and what we can learn from their lives. Links to these will appear in blue font. Here’s an example – Noah.
You Need the Holy Spirit
The Bible Tour is simply an aid to help you read Scripture and see its overall shape. But the Bible itself is living and active. God speaks through it. As you read, ask the Holy Spirit to give you insight.
Alongside the daily readings, it’s wise to sit with shorter passages in your regular prayer rhythms. The Bible Tour gives you the overview; meditating on smaller portions strengthens and guides your prayer life (see my article on the meat and potatoes approach to Bible reading). Often, these shorter passages will be ones that stand out to you during your daily reading on Bible Tour, and you can go back to them to meditate and pray through them.
However you are reading the Bible, let the Psalmist’s prayer inspire your approach each time you open the Scriptures:
“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.
Psalm 119:18 (NIV)
A Different Kingdom 
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