Because sometimes, His path for my life and His blessings just seem completely out of left field. ⁣

Right out of BYU, I thought I had this one teaching job in the bag. ⁣

I loved the job, I wanted it, and I knew the staff and principal liked me. ⁣

And then I found out that I didn’t get the job due to some unforeseen complications. ⁣

I was devastated. ⁣

And I was humbled. ⁣

Instead of relying on my networking to get me a job, I had to turn to cold interviews. ⁣

My humility was through the roof. I was relying on God like I hadn’t in a long time. I was praying constantly. I was turning my will over to His. ⁣

And then, suddenly, a random recommendation, an interview, and a job offer that changed my life for the better. ⁣

Out of left field. ⁣

But the miracle came because I had humbled myself. ⁣

I think about young Joseph, who had been so excited after the First Vision. He was ready to learn about this new church!⁣

But after three years, his heart was growing weary. He felt weak and unclean from sins. ⁣

So he went to his knees in humility, wanting to repent and turn his heart back to God.⁣

“While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a light appearing in my room”. (JS-H 1:30)

I can almost guarantee he wasn’t expecting an ancient prophet from a forgotten civilization showing up in his bedroom and telling him about gold plates buried in a hill three miles away!⁣

But that was exactly the unexpected miracle that Joseph, and all mankind, needed. ⁣

Miracles happen. Unexpected miracles happen. Completely unexpected and unlikely miracles happen. ⁣

But the first requirement that I’ve seen over and over?⁣

Humility.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Out of left field first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

But. . . he could try his best.

And that’s exactly what he was asked to do.

Angel Moroni promised Joseph,

“If I [Joseph] would use all my endeavors to preserve them . . . they should be protected.” (JS-H 1:59)

Joseph had to try his absolute best to keep the plates from being stolen by the many curious neighbors who attempted to view these ancient records multiple times, sometimes even with extreme violence.

As long as Joseph kept his efforts up, God would make sure they were not discovered.

I’ve seen this time and time again in my life.

I make a tiny, imperfect effort to improve my prayers…

And then I can feel God’s strength being added to mine.

I start telling my kids a scripture story, and then someone is distracted because they need a snack.

But I can still feel my Savior’s grace magnifying my efforts.

God didn’t say that He would protect the gold plates if Joseph carelessly left them on his front porch.

And God’s not going to step in and teach my kids what I’m deliberately neglecting to do.

But when we give Him an inch, He takes a mile in the best way possible.

“God magnifies those He calls, even in what may seem to you a small or inconspicuous service.” – President Eyring

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Joseph wasn’t powerful enough first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Does that phrase (or a variation of it) find a place in your prayers right now?⁣

The past year or so, I’ve really been focused on removing this in my prayers. ⁣

I’ve been trying to avoid casual asks for forgiveness from sweeping generalizations of “weaknesses” and “sins”.⁣

I was really struck by the in-depth sincerity with which young Joseph prayed to a loving Heavenly Father in his bedroom. ⁣

“I betook myself to prayer and supplication to Almighty God for forgiveness of all my sins and follies.” (JSH 1:29)⁣

He was in his bedroom, weighed down by the sins he was committing, and asking for forgiveness. ⁣

It wasn’t an add-on to a prayer he was already going to say.

That WAS the prayer.

Pleading. Calling. ⁣

Thinking through each sin. ⁣

I personally have found exponentially more power and access to my Savior’s atoning sacrifice when I take time to be specific and to reflect. ⁣

Instead of, “Please forgive me for my weaknesses today.”

My prayers have transformed as I’ve transitioned to:⁣

“I am so sorry that I lost my patience earlier today. I knew that my daughter was in a stressful situation and I was putting my needs before hers. Please forgive me for this shortcoming, and help me to improve my patience and love for her. What does my daughter need? What could I do to help her? Hmmm… I think that next time this situation happens again, I can try…”⁣

So much more useful, right?!⁣

I find myself starting a real conversation.

I find myself listening to promptings.

I find myself pleading for true forgiveness instead of just saying it. ⁣

And ultimately, I’ve found myself changing much more!⁣

Which is the point of repentance – that we feel Godly remorse, turn to our Savior, and truly and sincerely try not to repeat it again. ⁣

Have you tried making this change before? Do you want to try it now?⁣

Make those prayers of forgiveness heavy, real, and specific…⁣

And I believe true miracles can come from this sincerity of heart.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post I’ve taken this out of my prayers first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I hear people saying something similar to this whenever we read the scriptures on a specific study schedule.

(Looking at you, Come Follow Me…)

Here’s my favorite advice I always share with people who are concerned:

Stop trying to catch up and just join us where we are!

My reasoning?

The gospel is so repetitive.

You will NOT miss some big essential gospel truth you would never have learned about if you didn’t read one particular chapter.

If you missed the scriptures talking about personal revelation and asking questions last week, you will most certainly hear about it again soon.

I think about Joseph experiencing the Angel Moroni coming to his room three times in one night and telling him the same words, and then appearing to him the next day to remind him to tell his father.

“. . . He then again related unto me all that he had related to me the previous night, and commanded me to go to my father.”(JSH 1:49)

I imagine Joseph then going to the Hill Cumorah, only to be told that he can’t take the plates yet but needs to return the next year.

And then the next.

And then the next.

This gospel is so repetitive in the best way possible!

We can learn about charity and service as a little kid…

And then the principle can take on new meaning as we learn a lesson on charity in a Young Women class…

And then after a loved one passes away, a scripture about charity takes our understanding to an even deeper level.

“Repetition is a law of learning”. – President Gordon B. Hinckley

Just be in the scriptures each day, and the Lord will take care of the rest!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post  I’ve fallen behind! first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“No way, not me! I’m not starting an account. That seems like a big commitment. Is that something I could even do?”⁣

And just as quickly as I came up with my objections, I heard the Lord speak in my mind:⁣

“It is not meet that I should command in all things… Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness”. (D&C 58:26-27)⁣

Boom. ⁣

The Lord put the ball in my court, and I went for it. I started the account and shared my testimony each day of what I was learning. ⁣

But why did D&C 58:26-27 pop into my mind?⁣

Because I had just studied those scriptures that morning. ⁣

I had just been in the scriptures, studying these words that the Lord had previously spoken. ⁣

He didn’t speak to me in foreign, unfamiliar words. ⁣

He used the words that I had just given Him. ⁣

And that’s what He did for young Joseph. ⁣

The Lord wanted to give Joseph a special message. ⁣

He knew of Joseph’s confusion around religion. He knew of the turmoil that swirled in his head. ⁣

And the Lord wanted to tell Joseph that he could just ask for help. ⁣

But the way He told Joseph this required action from the young boy. ⁣

Joseph had to be in his scriptures. ⁣

And then, he read the words. ⁣

James 1:5. ⁣

And the Lord used those words to speak directly to Joseph. To give him direction for his next step. ⁣

This is why I love studying the scriptures. ⁣

I want Him to be able to get any message through to me, because He has plenty of scriptural words, fresh in my mind, to pull from. ⁣

I want to expand the Lord’s vocabulary in my life.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Expanding the Lord’s vocabulary first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Before Joseph could experience the light, darkness gathered around him.

Evil darkness.

He couldn’t speak.

He was in total despair.

It was a power he had never felt before, and he knew it wanted to destroy him.

And then, there was suddenly light and glory!

Two heavenly Beings appeared.

“One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (JSH 1:17)

When I read this verse, I usually focus on the final two words:

“Hear Him!”

It is essential for each of us to figure out how to hear our own personal messages from God on a daily basis.

But I also can’t help but notice that dramatic contrast.

Joseph didn’t just have a pleasant experience and learn how to hear the Lord.

Joseph was saved from the destructive darkness first.

And then he could hear Him.

Learning to truly hear our Savior is an important skill to have at any time, but it is especially imperative when we feel like we are being closed in by darkness.

When we feel all alone.

When we feel like we can’t speak for ourselves.

When there is darkness and temptation and fear…

It is hearing our Savior that will bring us light and peace.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Hearing in darkness  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

This was a question that I asked myself over and over again a few years ago. ⁣

Every General Conference where I knew I needed to have a question in mind, every sacrament meeting, every Fast Sunday…⁣

I just felt so confused by this elusive “atonement”.

And yet every time I asked the question, I didn’t feel like I was getting much of an answer. ⁣

I didn’t feel like God was giving me wisdom liberally in response to my asking. ⁣

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5)

And then one Sunday, I was asked by a teacher to share my thoughts on “the atonement” for a few minutes in a church lesson. ⁣

As I nervously spoke to my class, I suddenly realized what a large testimony I had gained of Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice!

I discovered how much clarity I had gained over the past few years, little by little. ⁣

Even though I felt like I hadn’t received any wisdom, I recognized that I had learned to always refer to the event in reference to the Savior (“the Savior’s atoning sacrifice”). ⁣

I knew when I had repented, His atoning sacrifice was what made that possible. ⁣

I knew it wasn’t necessary to know the details of what the Savior’s sacrifice looked like in the moment. ⁣

I had been given such wisdom about the Savior’s atoning sacrifice, and I didn’t even realize it because it didn’t all come at once. ⁣

I keep thinking about Joseph right after the First Vision. ⁣

While we look back at that event as the start of a very large stone that now fills the whole earth, Joseph likely saw it as a small step. ⁣

He had asked about the state of his soul, and which church to join. ⁣

He was told that he was forgiven and that he should not join any of them. ⁣

But he wasn’t given any further instruction in that moment. ⁣

He had no clue about the Book of Mormon. No clue that he would organize an entirely new church. No clue that he would help restore ancient ordinances and covenants.⁣

Because sometimes, receiving liberal amounts of wisdom from God looks like tiny baby steps in the moment.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Rays and pillars  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

There was one day in particular when we both hadn’t been on our phones very much because we had a packed schedule of fun events.

It was evening before we both had a chance to sit down and pull out our phones to scroll social media.

We sat down to just chill and scroll social media a bit.

However, as soon as I had opened it, I immediately had to put my phone away.

I’ve always thought people posting their opinions on social media didn’t affect me much.

But in that moment, I felt such a stark contrast.

I had been living in the moment all day—

Connecting, experiencing, relaxing, having fun, and having meaningful conversations.

And then I opened my phone and saw a literal “war of words and tumult of opinions.”

It was too much for me.

That evening, I stayed off social media, FaceTimed my kids, read my scriptures, and went to bed.

Ignore any historical context you may know about this verse, and try to read it from your current perspective:

“In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done?” (JS-H 1:10)

As I sat there, looking at this war of words online, I realized I could do what Joseph did.

Instead of thinking:

“What do I need to post? What do I need to comment on? Where should I share my opinion?”

I tried to ask myself:

“What is to be done right now? What do I need to do?”

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the war of words?

Weighed down by the tumult of opinions?

Instead of adding to the words and the opinions, I think we would be wise to follow Joseph’s thought process.

Try focusing on what good things we can DO.

In our own spheres of influence.

We can create, serve, worship, love, solve, restore, and praise.

What is to be done?

Let’s do it.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post What is to be done?!  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I didn’t realize that much thought work, planning, and research went into effective teaching.

But pretty soon I was spending my homework time crafting the perfect inquiry-based math lessons and engaging anticipatory sets for literacy. ⁣

And, with the super analytical brain that I have, I started seeing these teaching patterns everywhere, from my own professors to church teachers! ⁣

I started noticing what my Sunday School teachers, Relief Society teachers, and bishopric members did well when it came to teaching gospel topics. ⁣

I do think that effective teaching strategies matter. ⁣

But at the end of the day, it’s not the most important thing, right?⁣

“That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before kings and rulers.” (D&C 1:23)

I’ve learned the gospel from someone who didn’t ask any probing questions. ⁣

I’ve felt the Spirit listening to someone reading a quote completely out of context.

I’ve been bored during a lesson, only to have the Spirit bring one particular sentence the teacher says to my mind. ⁣

The gospel can be proclaimed by the weak and the simple. ⁣

How cool is that?!⁣

And in the most important setting, our home, teaching the gospel in the best ways that we personally can will always be good enough. ⁣

We are good enough to teach our families. ⁣

We are weak. Uneducated in many things. Simple and plain. ⁣

And yet, we can teach the fullness of the gospel.

“Everything that is done in the Church—the leading, the teaching, the calling, the ordaining, the praying, the singing, the preparation of the sacrament, the counseling, and everything else—is done by ordinary members, the ‘weak things of the world.’” – Boyd K. Packer

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Weak teachers  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

A few kids would always raise their hands and ask clarifying questions so that they could get to work.

But I knew there were a few confused students who just wouldn’t raise their hands.

Maybe they were embarrassed not to know something.

Maybe it wasn’t cool to raise their hands.

Maybe they were nervous about asking me anything.

But they just wouldn’t ask questions.

The Lord reminds us gently:

“And inasmuch as they sought wisdom they might be instructed.” (D&C 1:26)

Do you want to know one reason why I love studying the Doctrine and Covenants?

Because virtually every single revelation in this book came as the result of a question.

The Doctrine and Covenants is NOT filled with random revelations that the Lord gave to Joseph while Joseph was hanging out with his friends.

The Lord gave Joseph revelation after revelation after revelation because Joseph (and others) kept asking questions.

“Asking questions isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a precursor of growth”. – Elder Uchtdorf

What questions do you have in your heart?

We can’t forget that we ask.

And the Doctrine and Covenants is proof that, within our stewardship, the Lord uses our questions as an opportunity to teach and reveal.

What a cool pattern!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Afraid to ask a question first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.