We had a stake conference probably two years ago that blew my mind.

The evening adult session was all about missionary work— but with a completely new perspective that has stuck with me for a while.

One speaker kept coming back to this point:

We aren’t the ones converting people to the gospel.

There are so many prophesies and so many scriptures that are similar to what we find in D&C 135:7:

“The religion of Jesus Christ… will touch the hearts of honest men among all nations”.

There are SO MANY people out there who have willing and honest hearts, who the Spirit is working with to mold and prepare.

They are ready to hear and receive.

They are ready to completely change their lives and make eternal covenants with God.

We have such a small but important role in this entire process (because it’s really mostly between that individual and God).

We need to be examples, make friends, show love, and then extend simple but powerful invitations, as prompted by the Spirit.

That’s it.

We just need to introduce as many people as we can to what truth and godly power really mean, and the Spirit will take care of the rest— quickly carrying it unto the hearts of those who have already been prepared.

Missionary work isn’t about tons of pressure to be the perfect example, inviting to the exact right event, and then teaching every aspect of the gospel.

Isn’t that refreshing?

That’s how I’ve felt ever since I heard that message.

I don’t have to do it all. No one has to do it all.

We don’t even have to do that much.

The Gathering of Israel is going to happen, and the hearts of God’s children are being prepared throughout the world.

And all we’ve been asked to do is to love and invite, so that the Spirit can do what He does best:

Convert.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The best missionary is the Spirit first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Joseph Smith had the most essential gift of the Spirit with him:

“I am going like a lamb to the slaughter; but I am calm as a summer’s morning;” D&C 135:4

Abinadi.

Jesus Christ.

And I know there are others.

Beautiful examples of peace while heading toward certain death.

I most likely will not have to face this specific situation.

But something I CAN relate to?

Calm even when everything from a mortal viewpoint is NOT going to be okay.

It takes a lot of faith.

It takes an eternal perspective.

It takes having the presence of the Holy Ghost.

It’s feeling peace even when other people think you should be falling apart.

But it also doesn’t mean needing to love the situation.

Joseph tried to escape as the mob attacked.

Abinadi kept preaching and trying to soften the hearts of his abusers.

Even the Savior asked if the cup could be removed from before Him.

It’s the moments when people say, “I’m so sorry. That sounds terrible.”

And you say, “It has been really rough. But I’ve also surprisingly had these moments of peace that carry me through. I’ve felt so many blessings and so much strength while still having to endure this difficult circumstance.”

Life is filled with rough mortal experiences.

And no amount of righteousness will ever excuse us from them.

But we can still endure and feel as calm as a summer’s morning.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Calm as a summer’s morning first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Life isn’t perfect.

Maybe today isn’t even what you planned.

Maybe you’ve got a lot of “other stuff” going on so you feel like you can’t be fully present.

But no matter what your circumstances are like today, no matter what kitchen mishaps or missing family members or awkward moments…

“Praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing, and with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving.” D&C 136:28

A prayer of praise and thanksgiving is always an option.

Praise. And thanksgiving.

Don’t those go perfectly hand in hand?

Recognizing the goodness and glory of God, and then feeling gratitude for all that He has done for you?

Today, no matter what my day looks like, I’m going to offer a prayer of praise and of thanksgiving.

And, knowing me, there will be some music and singing involved, too.

But I want to praise my Lord by remembering all that He has given me!

This beautiful earth!

My body!

My friends, both old and new!

My family members!

The opportunity to change when I make a mistake!

My scriptures!

Feeling overwhelming love!

The Holy Spirit!

My covenants!

Something to be optimistic about!

The chance to be alive!

Praise and thanksgiving to my Lord today, and every day.

What are you feeling especially grateful for today? Comment below and let’s share the thanksgiving spirit! 

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Praise and thanksgiving first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

My son will never know how much I had to do to keep him healthy and thriving.

My soon-to-be daughter will never understand how much I have to do to keep her growing while my own body freaks out.

And you know what?

It’s okay.

I don’t understand all the intricacies of what my own parents did day in and day out to provide the life for me that I had.

There’s no way I could fully understand.

So then I think about my spiritual heritage.

All 16 of my great-great-great grandparents on my mom’s side joined the church at some point, usually at a great physical or financial sacrifice.

And I’ve got a similar spiritual heritage on my father’s side.

I will never fully understand what they had to give up, the hard decisions they had to make, and the cost of their consistency and devotion to the gospel.

And it’s okay that I don’t fully understand (although I love learning their stories and trying!).

What Joseph Smith sacrificed to bring forth the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and numerous other revelations that have quite literally brought salvation to millions across the world, is incomprehensible.

He sacrificed his own life for the cause.

I will never fully understand what that is like.

And I will never fully understand what my Savior Jesus Christ did for me, and continues to do for me.

I learn, I study, I receive blessings, and I get little glimpses into what He has done.

But I’ll never truly “get it”.

Not understanding the extreme sacrifices of our predecessors is a natural, short-sighted, human thing to do.

But that doesn’t excuse me from the opportunity to be grateful.

To reflect on what my family members, both near and far, have done for me. To ponder on the prophet Joseph and other spiritual leaders. And to revere my Savior for His great atoning sacrifice and continued, sustaining help.

I will never fully understand all the sacrifices made to give me the plethora of privileges I enjoy.

But I can still learn about them and feel extreme gratitude for those who have given me my firm foundation.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Sacrifice and privilege first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I’ve focused a lot this year on growing my testimony of this prophet. And I’ve been really impressed with how much he did for me, very personally.

On June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith was killed in Carthage Jail.

And here just are a few things he accomplished in the 20 years of his ministry (D&C 135:3):

“He has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents;”

THE BOOK OF MORMON. This importance cannot be overstated.

The Book of Mormon has changed my life and kept me tied to true doctrine.

“Has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth;”

This has blown my mind. Literally within MONTHS of the Book of Mormon being published, people were sent on missions to spread the word.

No fancy training, no years of experience… getting the gospel out to the world was clearly a top priority.

“Has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men;”

The Articles of Faith, the Doctrine and Covenants, and many other revelations have laid the foundations for the modern church and restored religion that I know.

“Gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain.”

Joseph Smith did a lot.

He started with nothing.

He started with a question about the state of his soul and whether or not he was good enough.

And he prayed.

And he acted in faith.

And he received more knowledge and light, and he prayed and acted even more.

It was just step by step.

That’s what I’ve really learned from Joseph.

He accomplished inhuman tasks by taking the next step, asking the next question, and then acting with great faith.

I am grateful for Joseph Smith, the great prophet of the Restoration, for acting in faith over and over in ways that have snowballed and completely changed my life for the better.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Joseph Smith’s legacy first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Singing and joy and happiness are so intertwined.

So I know that He sings.

How do you think our Heavenly Parents sound?

I know They sing.

Singing is joy and praise.

But it doesn’t always feel that way, right?

When we open our hymn books in church to sing the opening hymn, it’s oftentimes routine.

(Or time to try and keep your kids from tearing pages out of the book.)

Yeah, yeah, opening hymn. It’s what we do.

But how would our congregations, and more importantly our own hearts, be transformed if we sang with joy and praise in our hearts?

Without a care in the world about technique or right notes.

My heaven is filled with a whole lot of singing.

“And they shall sing the song of the Lamb, day and night forever and ever.” D&C 133:56

It’s not gonna be somber when we see Jesus.

Reverence and praise work together!

And singing, with our hearts and souls and intent fully behind it, is a beautiful way that we WILL use to praise Jesus.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Singing with Jesus first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Everyone’s experiences are vastly different, and they even vary greatly from pregnancy to pregnancy.

I’m halfway through my third pregnancy right now, and carrying a baby sure does a number on my body and my mind.

It’s a lot of work to bring a baby into this world.

I also recognize that there are so many who long for this experience and have not had this opportunity yet. My heart is with you.

There’s an entire baby that is completely dependent on you for everything from nutrition to hydration to comfort.

They just take everything that they need from your body, often at your own expense.

It’s pure sacrifice for another human’s sake.

And out of that is borne a great and pure love.

Righteous sacrifice can’t help but produce love.

“In his love, and in his pity, he redeemed them, and bore them, and carried them all the days of old;” D&C 133:53

He has redeemed us, He bears our burdens, and He carries us each day.

His constant sacrifice on our behalf produces the most pure love toward us.

It’s a simple formula, really.

Sacrifice = love.

Have you wanted to grow more love toward someone or a group of people recently?

Maybe you’ve even wanted to feel more love for God?

Sacrifice for that person.

Sacrifice your time talking to them more often.

Sacrifice your resources learning more about them.

Sacrifice to serve.

Willing sacrifice, performed with good intentions, will always produce greater love.

Christ loves us. Our Heavenly Parents love us.

Mothers and fathers love their children.

And we can grow our love toward others when we endure the cost of willing sacrifice.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Sacrifice, pregnancy, and love first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

This is what He does.

He knows we will try, and that our faith might falter, and we’ll slip below the surface just a bit.

And He will always be there with His arm outstretched, ready to save.

Not annoyed that we need Him again, but instead, “mighty to save.” D&C 133:47

But if you’ve followed my account for any amount of time, you know that I prefer to get to the nitty gritty of topics.

What does it look like to be saved by Jesus?

Peter was able to be pulled out of the water, being literally saved by the Savior.

But for most of us, it’s much more abstract.

When I felt overwhelmed by a big change that was about to happen, to the point that I didn’t know how I was ever going to handle it, I collapsed in prayer.

I cried and shared everything that was in my heart, and I called on my Savior’s help.

Immediately, I felt a strong prompting of an action to take, and a blanket of peace covered me.

It was still a difficult change, but I felt like the Savior was with me, empowering me through each step.

Another time, I was drowning in a wave of inaction.

I knew what I wanted to be doing and what I should be doing to draw myself closer to heaven, but I couldn’t bring myself to do anything.

I kept throwing half-hearted cries for help into heaven, but nothing was changing. I was stuck with my actions not matching my desires, and I felt like I was slowly sinking.

And then it was a talk at church, by a very average member of the ward, that included exactly the story that I needed to hear.

The one that shook me awake enough to recognize this was what I needed.

And this time I prayed with much more real intent to act on any promptings I received. And I received one, and I acted on it.

Those are examples of how I’ve been saved— promptings, prayer, peace, and action steps.

It can look different for everyone, depending on your relationship with the Lord, and what you need saving from.

But Jesus is always there to save.

Not just willing to save, but saving with the godly power that only He can.

Jesus is mighty to save.

Artwork by Yongsung Kim

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Mighty to save first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Because there was someone who experienced almost everything in His mortal ministry alone.

It’s so easy to picture Jesus as a man who always had a smile on His face, surrounded by people.

But He was so misunderstood, even in His lifetime, right?!

Even His closest friends and dearest apostles didn’t fully understand what He was doing or what He could do.

When I feel all alone, this is my comfort to turn to:

“I have trodden the wine-press alone, and have brought judgment upon all people; and none were with me;” D&C 133:50

He knows true loneliness.

And He endured it so that He could comfort us.

Life can be very lonely sometimes.

When there’s no one to relate to, or a friend who forgets something important, or kids who make you miss that social event again…

It’s okay to feel lonely.

But we don’t ever have to actually be alone, because Christ knows exactly what this feels like.

He is always near me, though I do not see Him there.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Lonely but not alone first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I was a really good parent before I gave birth!

Come to my home now at any time of day and you’ll see dried mac and cheese, cracker crumbs, yogurt or any other assortment of foods hidden somewhere on my kids’ faces.

Now don’t get me wrong, I still want my kids to have clean faces.

I’ve just changed my expectations of what “clean faces” looks like.

It doesn’t look like constantly clean faces.

Instead, it looks like constantly washing dirty faces.

“Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord.” D&C 133:5

Being clean before the Lord seems like an impossibly high standard.

Because I’m getting “dirt” on me all the time.

A little splash here.

A little fleck there.

Staying clean constantly isn’t what I’m shooting for.

Instead, I’m deciding to never give up on washing the spots off.

I’m scrubbing here and wiping off there.

I’m taking full showers whenever I need them (which is often).

That’s what real repentance and change look like!

Not staying spotless, but committing to becoming spotless as soon as we realize we’ve gotten a bit dirty.

My kids vary greatly in how clean they are each day.

But I’m never going to give up on helping them get clean once again.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Be ye clean first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.