I Presepi e Natale in Italia/Nativity Scenes and Christmas in Italy

Christmas is not the time of year that attracts most tourists to Italy. But I personally would love to visit during the Christmas season (or anytime for that matter).

And one of the things I'd really love to see are the many presepi that are always on display in Italy around this year. 

A presepe (or also presepio) is a nativity scene recreating the birth of Christ. It includes shepherds, Mary, Joseph, Wise Men and of course a manger (in which Baby Jesus often is placed in until Christmas Eve). 

I hear it's fairly common place for these presepi to be displayed throughout Italy both in homes and public places; and they are often very elaborate, sometimes even life-size.

A Plan for this One Year Journey, Pt. 3

1 Kings 4 tells the story of a married woman who was without child. But one day God's prophet Elisha announced to her that around this time next year she'd be holding a son in her arms.

About this time next year. Think of what that means.

For you and I, it means that within one year we can have something we've never had before. Some of us have never read through the whole Bible or even the New Testament in English; let alone in Italian. But now we're embarking on a journey to do just that.

And I like how it says, about this time next year, or in Italian, In questa stagione. That's in this season, next year.

A Plan for this One Year Journey, Pt. 2

Throughout the Bible, God's people often followed a plan, or disegno in Italian, (as mentioned in Part 1), to accomplish something for His Kingdom. Whether a one-time project or a regular activity, it helps to know what has to be done and when, in order to accomplish your goal.

So here in Acts 20:7 we see the disciples coming together to break bread. And the Bible says that it was the first day (il giorno), of their week (la settimana). It sounds like they did this every week, and on the first day of every week.

Likewise, here on the Insights From the Italian Bible blog you'll find a special setup for a 52 week plan, that requires reading just 1 chapter a day, for just 5 days per week. Each day's reading should take about 15 or 20 minutes. This is how you'll be able to read the entire New Testament in one year. I think it's pretty amazing how reading the New Testament in a year fits into such a neat schedule. It's almost as if we were meant to read this way.

For example, here's the daily schedule for the first week of this journey:

Week 1 (For the week of Sunday, Jan 1, 2017) Day 1 (Mon 1/2/17):  Matthew 1 Day 2 (Tue 1/3/17):  Matthew 2 Day 3 (Wed 1/4/17):  Matthew 3 Day 4 (Thu 1/5/17):  Matthew 4 Day 5 (Fri 1/6/17):  Matthew 5

You can find this weekly reading plan on the blog's home page.

Now here's the part that makes this blog's reading plan fairly unique, (or at least more convenient).

A Plan for this One Year Journey, Pt. 1

You're Going to Need a Plan

One thing I've learned from other projects I've taken on, is that if I want to complete it successfully (or just complete it at all), I should have a plan. I Kings 6:38 tells us that Solomon was able to complete the building of the temple by following all the details of the plan that was mapped out ahead of time. I like the Italian word used here for plans, disegni.

It emphasizes the fact that our plans are really more like designs or blueprints.

So this is what I'm doing to help me complete my journey through the Italian New Testament in one year. I've developed a plan, or rather, a creative design, il disegno, to not just give me a schedule for reading, but also to help with the fact that I'm reading in another language; Italian. Likewise, you need to determine the plan, disegno, that suits you best. This post along with the next couple in this three-part series are designed to help you make that determination.

Things to Consider

• You have to find an Italian version of the Bible. (Which Italian version will you be using?)
• You'll need a quick and convenient way to find the English meaning of the words you don't know.
• The number of days per week you'll be doing your readings
• How much you'll have to read each day or how much time it will take you. (Keep in mind that you'll be reading in Italian.)
• Will you be using an online Bible or Bible app? Or will you be using a printed Bible?
• If an online Bible or app, does the plan/schedule have direct links to the required Scriptures for each day?
• Is the plan/schedule you'll be using just for the New Testament, and for an entire  year?
• Does it let you choose when you'll start or does it only start on January 1st?

None of these are big issues (other than making sure you have a Bible to read in Italian, of course). You can get started without having figured it all out and then put your plan in place as you go.

My Plan (and yours if you choose)

The plan that I will be following calls for 5 readings a week, 1 chapter each of those days. (Couldn't be simpler.)

The first week of reading begins with the week of Sunday, January 1, 2017.

You choose just five days of the week to read, e.g. Monday through Friday.

Week 1 Readings:

• Matthew 1-5

Day 1 Reading:

• Matthew 1

I will also be using a special computer setup of the Bible to read from each day. It's my own disegno that I created just for this journey. It shows the Italian and English translations for each chapter side by side.

This is the plan that's followed (and all setup for you), on the blog. So if you don't have a better setup, feel free to use this one.

Make Your Choice and Get Started Right Away

So having a plan will be a big help to you but more importantly for now, just get started. (Even if you're not starting at the same time that I am.) I hope you'll follow along by reading the NT for yourself. But at the very least, check out the weekly Bible posts. Either or both should help you increase your Bible knowledge as well as your Italian knowledge.

Look for parts 2 and 3 of this series for more direction and insight on how to prepare.

I can't wait to get started!

The Start of a New Journey thru God's Word

Hi, My name is Marcie and first and foremost I want to say that I am a Christian who loves God and loves His Word.

All my friends know this about me. They also know that I love many things about Italy and that my heart's desire is to travel there. But for one reason or another, I haven't been able to make this journey… yet.

In the meantime, I've decided to learn the Italian language. And hopefully, by the time I actually get there, I'll be able to speak it really well.

So I started learning the Italian language and it dawned on me. What better way to practice than to read the Bible as I regularly do, but in Italian! And as I started doing this, something happened that I didn't expect.

I found that as I read God's Word in Italian, I began to see things in the Italian language version I'd never seen while reading in English. I began to experience and understand the Word of God in a whole new dimension… All I can say is awesome! It brought out different shades of meaning that I didn't get from the English. It hasn't replaced my study in the English, but it has definitely enhanced it.

Let me give you an example, (without spoiling what's to come).

One of the first things I wanted to know, as a Christian, was how to say worship in Italian. So my research began and I found the Italian word adorare. (Don't worry if you don't know any Italian at all. You'll still be able to follow along throughout this blog.) This was good but to me was more like our English word adore (which this Italian word can also mean). I wanted a word just for worship… But I didn't find one. Here's what I came to realize.