And guess what?

That was all that she needed!

Her body only needed that milk, nothing more.

She had exactly what she needed for her healthy development. ⁣

But then she got a little older. ⁣

She needed to practice and learn how to deal with different textures and tastes. ⁣

Her body didn’t really need this other food, but she needed to prepare and practice for when that would be her only source of nutrition. ⁣

Sometimes she loved the new things she tried; other times, she would spit them back out. ⁣

Then she got even older, to the point that milk alone could no longer support her growing body.

She needed the nutrition from a variety of foods. ⁣

She needed to learn how to feed herself. ⁣

Do we see the parallels in our own gospel growth? ⁣

“I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.” (1 Corinthians 3:2)

It doesn’t really matter our age, or even if we were raised in the church. ⁣

We’ve gotta start with the basics. ⁣

Just go to church. Read your scriptures. Pray. Serve others when you can. ⁣

And that’s all that we need at first!

That’s what starts to mature us spiritually. ⁣

And then we start taking bites of the heartier meat of the gospel.

Truly studying the scriptures. Learning how to communicate better in prayer. Worshipping in the temple. Serving in a holier way. ⁣

Some of these new bites are hard to handle at first.

But the “milk” concepts are no longer quite cutting it on their own.

We recognize that we need something more in order to continue our spiritual growth. ⁣

The way I prayed when I was 8 years old looks very different than what “prayer” even means to me now.

But I needed that simple step of nice, easy instructions for prayer first.

We start with milk.

And then meat.

Sometimes we need to simplify and recenter ourselves with the basics.

And other times we know we are getting a little too comfortable, and feel a longing to deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Which principle of the gospel are you ready to dive into more today?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Milk before meat  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Those who have heard sound bits of my religion and see me as a devout follower.

Those who only see the differences between them and me.

Those who left the faith and can’t imagine why anyone would stay.

And I’m pretty self-aware.

There are certainly things from the outside looking in about my faith, and the church that I believe houses God’s priesthood power, that look foolish.

Paul counseled:

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him.” (1 Corinthians 2:14)

But for everyone who thinks I am foolish for staying so dedicated to the undeniable revelation I have received…

There are also people I know who are some of the most well-educated and kindest and most giving humans I’ve ever met.

Brilliant minds who stay.

Independent and powerful individuals who join.

I mean, I think the gospel of Jesus Christ actually logically makes a lot of sense.

But just reasoning things out will never be enough to convince someone to fully convert.

The Spirit is the key.

The Spirit has to be involved when seeking gospel truths, hearing revelations, listening to prophets, and reading scriptures.

The Spirit has to whisper those confirming messages.

The Spirit has to give us that feeling of warmth.

The Spirit has to appeal to our logical mind and show how it actually all makes perfect sense. ⁣
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Are we just believing the foolish traditions of our fathers?⁣

Not when the Spirit is involved! ⁣
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Are we just exercising blind obedience and following whatever some authority figure tells us to do?⁣

Not when the Spirit is involved!⁣
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When we have the Spirit with us, we shake off the bands of “foolishness” and begin to see what truth is!

And at the end of the day, we can only get that heavenly perspective by keeping the Spirit with us.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Am I foolish for keeping the faith? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

What it is, and why it’s so detrimental.

Shame = you are bad because you did something wrong. ⁣

It’s not super helpful to feel SHAME.

And we really should aim to never be the cause of anyone else feeling shame.

“I am a bad person because I did something wrong.”

“Only bad people do things like that.”⁣

Do we feel SHAME when we make poor decisions or don’t do good things?

Do we automatically go to: “I am bad”?⁣

Do we knowingly or unknowingly SHAME those around us when we see them making poor decisions?

Calling a child “bad”, telling a teenager they are ruined because of a poor choice, telling a young woman she is bad for wearing certain clothing, showing less love to others when they make certain decisions. ⁣

Well that’s exactly what Paul said he was NOT doing!

He was trying to correct some pretty serious sins that these Corinthians were committing.

But he makes it clear that he is NOT shaming them. ⁣

“I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.” (1 Corinthians 4:14)

He is WARNING them.

Teaching them. Rebuking them. ⁣

What’s the difference?⁣

Love. Forgiveness. Direction on how to correct. More love. Pointing to the Savior. Building up true worth. ⁣

We do believe that there are “rights” and “wrongs”.

Which means, there are “wrongs” that we need to correct in our own actions, and in the actions of those we have stewardship over. ⁣

But warnings to others and commitments to do better ourselves should always be framed with our Savior in mind. ⁣

We are not bad people.

We are loved beyond belief. We have infinite worth. We are spiritual sons and daughters of God the Father. ⁣

We make bad decisions. But we can correct ourselves and repent. And we will make bad decisions again. And we can correct ourselves and repent again. ⁣

That’s the whole purpose of this gospel! ⁣

Continuous change. ⁣

Not through shaming ourselves or others.

But through kind and loving warnings and corrections.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Shame or warning? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

And I ended up going pretty far!

I honestly learned a lot in the process of just competing.

I learned the best structure for captivating speeches.

I knew to start with an interesting hook.

To switch my tone of voice often.

To balance lighter anecdotes with heavy, straightforward points. ⁣

And then I got a formal teaching degree.

And now I truly enjoy giving talks in church and teaching lessons.

I feel pretty confident in “how” to do it, at least in the way it is formally taught.

But that doesn’t make me more qualified to teach a Sunday School lesson than anyone else.

Paul said, “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” 1 Corinthians 2:4

⁣in other words, the best way to preach is not the way that professionals can teach us about how to teach.

The best way to teach is to teach WITH THE SPIRIT.

Isn’t it cool that everyone, from prophets to members of our congregation, doesn’t need any formal “speech” training to change lives through the Spirit?

We don’t pick our local bishop based on who gives the best sermons.

We don’t have a competition for who is good enough to speak at General Conference.

Because we don’t NEED someone who is entertaining or well-educated in order to learn about Jesus.

The professional training doesn’t qualify anyone for the work.

What matters is whether or not we teach and preach and testify WITH THE SPIRIT.

So the next time you are nervous to teach a lesson, bear your testimony, or share that spiritual thought, trust that God can make amazing things happen through humble people who are willing to access the Spirit of God in their lives.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Am I a good speaker? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.