But I wasn’t really feeling like it was the right time, or that I had enough resources to get it started.

But that desire was underneath everything else that I did.

And then suddenly, the opportunity presented itself, I had the courage to put myself out there BECAUSE of my desire.

Everything fell into place, and I became the co-host of the One Minute Scripture Study podcast in the beginning of 2021 (!!!) with the amazing @kristenwalkersmith.

And boy, did everything feel right. ⁣

I had held onto such a strong desire to start a podcast, and now the opportunity was presenting itself, and I felt the Spirit confirm that this was the answer I had been waiting for. ⁣

My desire to share my testimony in new ways was the prompting I needed to guide my decisions. ⁣

I’ve been really struck by David, Oliver, and Martin’s passionate pleadings this week. ⁣

I had always pictured Joseph asking God who the Three Witnesses to the gold plates should be, and then God giving these three men’s names. ⁣

But really, David, Oliver, and Martin were all moved with a desire to become one of the witnesses that they knew had been prophesied of. ⁣

And they ASKED Joseph to be witnesses to the gold plates. ⁣

Section 17 is the result of Joseph asking the Lord if these three men were acceptable for this sacred responsibility, and the Lord approving. ⁣

But these weren’t random names that the Lord happened to approve—⁣

Because they each had a burning, righteous desire to be a witness in the first place. ⁣

Our righteous desires can be promptings from the Lord on how we can use our talents to build up the kingdom of God. ⁣

The righteous, selfless, or useful things that we really want to do? ⁣

Those desires can be the first whisperings of the Spirit on what opportunities we should be on the lookout for. ⁣

And then we can ask. ⁣

We can ask to be included, we can ask to be in consideration. ⁣

We can let our righteous desires drive us to righteous action.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post I wanted to start a podcast  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I was weirdly shocked by just how dark it was.

Outside, inside…

Everything just seemed eerily quiet and dark.

We turned on the flashlights from our phones and were surprised at how well we could see with just this small light source.

And then, finally, the power came back on.

From a scientific standpoint…

Darkness isn’t real.

There are varying degrees of light or an absence of light.

But there is no darkness.

And light cannot be hidden in darkness.

There is no such thing as “too much darkness that drowns out a light.”

What a powerful metaphorical reminder about our most powerful and only essential light source, our Savior Jesus Christ.

”Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, who created the heavens and the earth, a light which cannot be hid in darkness.” (D&C 14:9)

There will never be “too much darkness” in the world for Him to overcome.

And when we try to shine as much of Christ’s light out to others as we can, we can be sure that we are making a difference.

We may envision ourselves being a bright sun, sharing light with so many around us.

But most often I feel like a little cell phone flashlight in a giant, dark house.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that though.

Because I don’t think that Christ would say that is “not enough light.”

Any amount of light will conquer any amount of darkness.

Anywhere that there is an absence of Christ…

Then any amount of His presence makes all the difference.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Too much darkness  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I get people messaging me a form of this question pretty often. ⁣

And I always laugh. ⁣

Because if you want tips on how to organize your time, I’m probably not the person to admire. ⁣

And not because I’m not a great planner…

It has more to do with the three kids that I am primarily responsible for each day. ⁣

Little kids have a lot of needs!

Unexpected, constant needs.

I don’t handle everything at all. ⁣

If I’m making dinner, I’ve probably put a show on for the kids. If I’m writing posts for Instagram, I’m ignoring the pile of laundry in my laundry room. If I’m playing with my kids, I’m not responding to urgent messages on my website.⁣

But there is one not-so-little secret that makes many of my days run more smoothly. ⁣

And those are the days when I remember to pray and ask: ⁣

“What should I be doing right now to best make use of my time?”⁣

Now that doesn’t mean that I’ve got God as my scheduler. ⁣

I want to make that clear – I’m not putting all my decision-making on God. ⁣

I still make decisions all the time as to how I can spend my day wisely. (Or sometimes, not-so-wisely…)

But when I feel clarity with my schedule, or I feel urged to switch something up, that’s how I know I’m doing what I should be doing at the moment. ⁣

In D&C 15:4, the Lord told John Whitmer: ⁣

“For many times you have desired of me to know that which would be of the most worth unto you.”⁣

I think this is such a beautiful question to ask. ⁣

What is of most worth for you in this time in your life?⁣

What is of most worth for you this week?⁣

Today? In the next ten minutes?⁣

Try it out this week, and see where the Spirit takes you.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post My perfect life  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

When she said her name, I thought, “Oh, that’s a memorable name! I will definitely remember that one!”

And then, as soon as my husband asked what her name was later that day…

I had completely forgotten.

Even though I think I will remember important things, my memory is not always the best.

Memory fades.

But guess who can help us remember things perfectly?

The Holy Ghost!

In fact, it’s one of my favorite roles of the Holy Ghost.

He can help us remember important things that have happened to us.

David Whitmer was a new acquaintance to Joseph Smith.

The Smiths were now living at the Whitmer home.

In a revelation to David, the Lord tells him:

“. . . you shall receive the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance, that you may stand as a witness of the things of which you shall both hear and see.” (D&C 14:8) 

I truly believe that we see the hand of God everywhere, every day.

We are surrounded by miracles and tender mercies.

And yet, even if we think, “Oh, what a beautiful tender mercy,” during the day…

We might find ourselves getting to bedtime and feeling that nothing special happened that day.

The Holy Ghost can help us remember the miracles we have seen and heard.

We just need to ask, wait, and listen to hear what He is ready to bring to our minds.

When we are reminded, our hearts are filled with gratitude for the abundant spiritual experiences all around us!

“The Holy Ghost brings back memories of what God has taught us.”⁣ – Henry B. Eyring

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post What was her name again?! first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“Just do your best!”⁣

I know that many people have pure intentions when they say it. ⁣

But I have a hard time with it because… ⁣

How am I supposed to know if I did my best?⁣

There are some days where my the TV is on for a lot of the day.

And I think… was I really doing my best today?⁣

Sometimes, I’m super sick, or totally overwhelmed, or utterly exhausted, and I think that I did my absolute best for keeping children alive that day. ⁣

But other days, I wonder. ⁣

Was that really my best, or am I giving myself an out?⁣

It’s hard to know. ⁣

But I find comfort in the Lord’s beautiful advice to avoid laboring more than I have strength. ⁣

“Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength… be diligent unto the end.” (D&C 10:4)

Because I’ve realized that my strength really is different each day.⁣

Some days, I have strength to conquer the world and look good doing it. ⁣

And other days I have to muster the strength to care for my kids and all that they need, and I look like a hot mess doing it. ⁣

PLUS every single person has different “strength” each day, too!⁣

Comparing my amount of strength to other people’s amount of strength is the fastest way to feel pretty terrible about myself. ⁣

So instead, I’ve started thinking… “Man, good for them. I’m so glad she had strength to organize that for her family today.”⁣

Don’t run too fast. Don’t labor more than you have strength. ⁣

But find comfort in the fact that the craziness of mortal bodies and mortal trials gives us different levels on different days. ⁣

And when we don’t know if we are “doing our best” or just slacking off, we can follow the Lord’s advice in the very next verse. ⁣

Pray. Pray always. ⁣

And that’s how I get the nudge to push myself a little more, or to take a breather. ⁣

Because the Lord knows my strength.⁣

He isn’t judging me on a sum total of my actions each day. ⁣

He knows what I can do, what I can’t do, and what I need support on. ⁣

And He will gladly send His Spirit to give me this wisdom each and every day. ⁣

All I have to do is ask.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The phrase I actually DISlike first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

They thought Joseph was deceiving many people into supporting and believing him.

And so an evil plan entered their minds…

And they chose to keep thinking it:

“Why don’t we steal the transcribed pages, alter them, and then frame Joseph after he re-translates?

“Sure, it involves lying and deception on our end.

“But it’s okay because we are exposing lying and deception.”

Thus, the plan was put in place.

And a book of scripture was lost to our generation.

It can feel tempting to fight sin with the same type of sin and feel justified in doing it.

If someone is angry with me, I’m going to become angry with them, too.

If someone is outraged at something, I’m going to become outraged at how outraged they are.

If someone complains a lot to me, I’m going to complain to other people about how much they complain.

Satan wants us to believe that we are justified in sinning.

And he’ll use any strategy to get us there.

And I think he has succeeded quite a bit with this strategy in particular—

Sinning with the illusion that it is justified because of another’s (real or perceived) sin.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, wo be unto him that lieth to deceive because he supposeth that another lieth to deceive, for such are not exempt from the justice of God.” (D&C 10:28)

God doesn’t want us “fighting fire with fire.”

He wants us to keep His commandments and show love with integrity to all.

No matter what those around us choose to do. 

He wants us to fight fire with love and peace.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post This lie will expose that lie first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Because when I first searched for “Come, Follow Me” resources in January of 2019…

I only found ways to teach your kids about the scriptures.

Basically, family scripture study support.

And I so selfishly thought (with a 1 year old who I wasn’t really concerned about teaching yet)…

What about me?!

Where is my help and support?!

(Which led to the prompting for me to start this account, but the full saga is a story for another day.)

I have gained SUCH a strong testimony that we have to learn for ourselves first. ⁣

We have to put the oxygen mask on ourselves first.

In fact, I think that’s the best way to teach our families!

Now that I have older kids where I DO want to teach the gospel more…

I find that most of my teaching comes from my heart.

It’s from my real life experiences.

From real struggles and testimonies and tests. ⁣

It’s from what I have already studied.

(This is not a knock at lesson-helps by the way – I actually have tried and currently use many that I love. I am so grateful for those who use their talents in that area.)

And now with my Youth Sunday School calling, I try to make my top priority each week studying the material on my own and learning what the Spirit needs to teach me.

Before it even crosses my mind what to teach, I fill my own mind with learning and inspiration for my own life.

Are we sometimes TOO concerned about how to teach a topic to our kids?

How to give a good talk?

How to keep our class engaged?⁣

Or is our focus on how WE can gain a better understanding of a concept?

“Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men.” (D&C 11:21)

“In order to successfully teach the gospel, you must have both the word and the power of the gospel in your life.” – David M. McConkie

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Why I started this account  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I tried it once at a mall— and I remember how weirdly hard it was to get started!

But then I figured it out and it was pretty easy.

I felt cool.

(Obviously I don’t rebel much in my life.)

I’ve heard it said though that our relationship with God is like trying to walk up an escalator that is moving down.

Meaning— it takes EFFORT.

It’s not passive.

AND if we stop making any effort, we aren’t just halting our progression—we are actually moving away from God.

What about if we stop moving completely?

The Lord reminds us what is waiting for us at the bottom of that escalator if we stop trying to connect with the divine:

“Pray always, that you may come off conqueror;

“yea, that you may conquer Satan,

“and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work.” (D&C 10:5)

It’s the adversary and those who “uphold his work.”

I definitely don’t want to fall down there!

So, how do I conquer Satan?

How do I work my way up the escalator so I can feel God’s love and gain more peace if in my life?

“Pray always.”

Prayer is not just a checklist item each day.

When I pray always, I find that I am being kept away from the adversary.

Temptations don’t seem as difficult to resist.

I can more clearly see people who are just trying to drag me down.

I recognize the little lies that he tries to whisper to me.

These are blessings I desperately want in my life.

So I’m going to keep praying as much as I can and keep moving up that escalator, closer and closer to God!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Up the escalator first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“But you are being called because the Lord knows you are willing to serve. And He loves to call people who have a desire serve.”⁣

I’ll never forget when the member of the Stake presidency said this to my husband.

There was no pretentiousness. ⁣

No holier-than-thou back-patting for his new calling. ⁣

It was just -⁣

You have a desire to serve.

The Lord needs someone who is willing to serve. ⁣

So let’s have you serve in this certain capacity for a while. ⁣

Such a cool way to look at callings, right?⁣

We have to accept a calling, meaning we have to signify that we are willing.⁣

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, even as you desire of me so it shall be unto you; and if you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation.” (D&C 6:8)

But what about when we don’t have an official calling? Or we want something more than what we’ve been assigned?

If we desire, we can be the means of doing much good in this generation. ⁣

We can talk with God. ⁣

And figure out what we can do.

And let’s be real— our calling can sometimes seem so unimportant. ⁣

So ordinary. ⁣

So mundane. ⁣

Because we don’t see the way God sees. ⁣

The act of service that your little kid will never remember is adding more love into the world and making their life more peaceful. ⁣

The little moment of patience just taught a future leader how to problem-solve on their own. ⁣

The text you sent to a friend that led to a short, unimportant conversation answered their prayers in a way you will never understand.⁣

If we have desires,⁣

If we are willing,⁣

The Lord will use us to accomplish much good. ⁣

So much good. ⁣

And sometimes we have no clue how much good we are creating. ⁣

Only God knows all of it. ⁣

But if we have desires, and we do the best we can, we will put so much good into the world.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post No pretentiousness first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Meaning, if we develop patience, all the other Christlike attributes, such as faith, hope, and charity, naturally fall into place.

In a divine sense, this makes sense.

Because cultivating patience means acknowledging that God is in control and that Jesus saves us.

It means setting aside our pride in thinking that we know best and using humility to admit that God’s timing is better than ours.

But no one really loves being patient.

(My kids will tell ya that, that’s for sure!)

Patience is tough.

After the eager Oliver Cowdery was given permission to translate the gold plates (not just scribing, but actually translating!)…

The Lord revoked that permission for the time being.

The Lord told Oliver,

“Be patient, my son, for it is wisdom in me, and it is not expedient that you should translate at this present time.” (D&C 9:3)

Being patient, even when we don’t understand or like the reasons why, is really the ultimate Christlike act of faith.

“Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father.

“Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best—better than does God.

“Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than His”. – Neal A. Maxwell

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The gateway virtue first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.