I love looking at all the styles and sizes and colors and backyards as they build!

But there are a few SUPER nice neighborhoods being built that I drove by the other day.

Every house seems to be a mansion.

The exterior walls are trendy white with dramatic black accents.

Raw wood beams.

Pools and pool houses.

Beautifully green landscapes that are in contrast to the brown desert.

HGTV’s dream.

And mine, too.

As I drive past, I picture the “someday”.

Wouldn’t it be so nice to live there?

To have room for everything and more? To throw all the parties and host the receptions? To have “made it”?

But every time my mind starts to go there…

I like to try something.

Do I want that black and white house, or do I want to be in the temple more?

I want the temple. 100%.

It changes my perspective immediately.

“How often are we so focused on pursuing the so-called good life that we lose sight of eternal life?” -Sheri Dew

Maybe we’ll be in a starter home our whole lives, but we’ll be so dang happy and serve the Lord every chance we get.

Maybe we’ll have to even downsize.

Or maybe that black and white mansion will become a (distant) reality!

In the end, it doesn’t matter nearly as much as where my heart is.

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:21)

Sometimes my brain needs a little reminder that my heart is on Jesus.

And if my heart is on Jesus, then my real goals and treasures in life become much more clear!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The black and white mansion  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I mean, he has always been a great speaker.

But there was something different about how he spoke now.

I could feel this spiritual power behind the words that he said.

A friend reminded me that what I was noticing was the mantle of his calling which gave him new authority to speak and prophesy to the entire world.

After Jesus gave His beautiful Sermon on the Mount, the people listening to Him were astonished because He taught with authority. ⁣

“For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” (Matthew 7:29)

I’m not the prophet, and I’m certainly not Jesus.

But can I speak with authority, too?

I’ve spent a lot of time recently pondering on and studying about priesthood power.

What is priesthood power?

And how can I access more of that priesthood power— God’s holy power— in my own life?

The Church General Handbook says:

“God’s priesthood power flows to all members of the Church —female and male —as they keep the covenants they have made with Him.”

Priesthood power comes through covenants.

So accessing priesthood power means actively keeping my covenants.

What can I do with my priesthood power?

I can act with authority in my callings at church, within my home, and when seeking revelation for my own life.

Covenant keepers have access to priesthood power.

It’s an area I’ve been living below my means in, and I’m ready to step up and humbly claim the power that God is already willing to allow me to use in order to speak and act with authority when it comes to those I have stewardship over.

And in my own small but confident way, I can also speak with a new level of power and authority because I am keeping covenants.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Accessing my priesthood power  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

No one may ever know that you changed the song on your playlist to the next one because you realized it wasn’t a song that invited the Spirit.

That you taught your kid about how much you love Jesus while they were playing a game.

That you spent extra time preparing the lesson for family night, praying for what each family member really needed to hear.

That you brought dinner to someone when your life was already chaotic.

That you paid extra fast offerings because you know you area needs it.

That you pulled out your scriptures to read just a couple verses instead of going to sleep like you so easily could have.

That it was really difficult to say “yes” to that calling and to actually show up to fulfill it.

That it was a huge personal sacrifice for you to follow a prompting.

That you chose to not complain when you so easily could have.

There is so much. SO MUCH.

So much goodness that we do in the quiet corners of rooms and homes around the world.

That no one will ever recognize with an award, or even be aware of its existence.

But that’s okay.

We don’t do it for the awards.

We aren’t following Jesus for the accolades and pats on the back.

We’re just trying to follow Jesus and keep our covenants because we love God.

But even if we don’t need the appreciation…

There is someone who is actually completely and totally aware of each little sacrifice that we make to bring more goodness and righteousness into the world.

He sees it all.

Those little moments of courage. Those small efforts. Those quiet displays of solid faith.

And He is actually ready to more than compensate each of us for any sense of sacrifice or effort on our parts.

“Thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.” (Matthew 6:4)

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Seeing in secret  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

But not every monsoon is exactly the same.

If you’ve never experienced a monsoon in the desert, it’s always a surprise what kind of storm you will get!

Sometimes the monsoon starts with a big dust storm, lowering visibility and covering everything with a thin layer of dirt.

Other times, the wind is intense, uprooting trees and flipping trampolines. (Ask me how we know that!)

And other times, the rain seems never-ending, flooding parks and creating rivers down streets.

Now let’s talk about spiritual monsoons.

In our spiritual lives, we know storms are unavoidable.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches that the rain will come, the floods will rise, and the wind will blow, no matter what.

But just like monsoons each come with their own unique signature, our trials each have their own flair as well.

Sometimes, we’ll have more rain where trials keep pouring in.

Other times, the wind will blow, making it hard to stay focused on the gospel.

And other times, the flood waters rise, almost suffocating us with competing priorities.

Sometimes we have bigger and scarier intense storms that pass in a flash.

Other times we have storms that brew for a long time.

But we all have them! ⁣

The difference, of course, is Christ. ⁣

“And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.” (Matthew 7:25)

We can go through hard things with Him or without Him.

We don’t need to lose faith just because the storm comes; He said it would.

But Jesus will love us and help us grow through it.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Different monsoons  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“Blessed are the peacemakers”. (Matthew 5:9)

Be kind!

Share!

Be a peacemaker!

Buuuuut… “Lord, is it I?”

There is probably a more “spiritually mature” way that I could work on becoming a peacemaker, too.

In my home, yes, but also every sphere that I interact with!

Here are some ideas I’ve thought of:

– Fulfilling your church calling without adding any drama⁣

– Serving your spouse in a way they would appreciate ⁣

– Not posting things on social media with the sole purpose of riling people up⁣

– Reaching out to serve someone in a way that will add peace to their life

– Not passing gossip or dramatic stories on when they aren’t your stories to share

– Choosing not to complain to or guilt trip someone

– Making time a priority for your own quiet “peaceful” time to reset yourself or study the gospel ⁣

– Learning new parenting strategies and applying them to help you in interactions with kids⁣

– Following guidelines at work or at school that help others to also be peaceful and successful

– Allowing others to make decisions you disagree with⁣

I did hear once that “being a peacemaker is different than just agreeing with everyone”.

And I like that.

We can still have our opinions, needs, boundaries, and standards while also being a source of peace.

Or rather… while pointing people to the real source of peace.

The Prince of Peace.

The more Jesus that I experience in my life, the greater peace I feel.

And the greater peace that I feel on the inside, the more likely I am to be able to spread that with the people around me.

Everyone’s looking for peace.

Peace on earth.

And if we can’t make everyone see that there is peace in Christ, we can at least find our own peace.

And then become a peacemaker to share a bit of that calm joy with others.

Blessed are the peacemakers.

How are you a peacemaker?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Blessed are the peacemakers  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I can already tell you that one of my kids would choose to wait for the two marshmallows.

And the other would gobble up the first one before I even finished the question. 

Let’s consider this famous marshmallow experiment in the spiritual sense.

Has it ever seemed like people who are not members of God’s covenant church have a lot of good things going on in their lives?

Of course, there are amazing people who are not members of the covenant who are still building up the kingdom of God in good, righteous, amazing ways.

But even the people who deliberately choose evil or purposefully break covenants can often seem super happy, successful, rich, and indulgent.

When that happens, I think a part of us goes, “huh.” ⁣

But Christ has told us that this is what happens!

People do “find happiness” in things other than the gospel.

Not lasting peaceful joy, but some immediate happiness.

And in Matthew 5:12, Christ teaches:

“Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven.”

Are we “spiritually mature” enough to not need the greatest of our rewards RIGHT NOW?

Can we wait and endure?

Can we be okay with being persecuted and poor if that is part of our path?

Can we find joy and peace along our journey, no matter what we may encounter?

If we can endure some time right now looking at the marshmallow that others are enjoying, then later we can receive unspeakable rewards in heaven!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The marshmallow experiment  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I immediately had a name come to mind.

The teacher then invited us to try to sincerely pray for that person.

I was shocked to discover that I couldn’t do it!

I was so angry that I couldn’t even say a prayer on their behalf.

I knew I had a problem.

I worked for a long time to have my heart softened toward this individual.

A lot of intentional effort, prayers, and pondering.

And then finally…

I could do it.

I could say a sincere and honest prayer on their behalf.

And it was at this point that I realized that even though this person hadn’t changed, I had changed for the better.

When Christ preached His Sermon on the Mount, He first talked about the lower law.

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.” (Matthew 5:43)

Doesn’t the world teach that lower commandment all the time?

Love everyone, but hate the people who aren’t nice to you.

But Christ teaches us the higher law. This is the law He hopes the more spiritually mature individuals will follow.

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)

It’s a higher law that is easier said than lived in this messy mortal life filled with very imperfect people.

But we aren’t asked to make the judgment call for others.

We are just asked to love.

Because God knows that when we love our enemies, it doesn’t change them; it changes us.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Pray for your enemies first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Whole. Complete. Finished.

But I heard one alternate translation about 10 years ago sitting in a religion class at BYU that I’ve never forgotten.

What if we replaced “perfection” with “spiritual maturity”?

As the mom of a 5 year old, 3 year old, and almost 1 year old, I am very very VERY familiar with what it is like dealing with emotionally IMMATURE (but very cute) little human beings all the time.

Crying about wanting a popsicle when I’ve just offered them ice cream.

Getting frustrated that I insist they wash their hands after going to the bathroom.

Wanting to do everything by themselves, even if they absolutely are not able to.

Not understanding that temporary situations or requests won’t last forever.

They are immature adorable little kids who I have full faith with grow in maturity as they develop patience, broadened perspectives, empathy, and reasoning abilities.

So when Jesus invites us to “Be ye therefore perfect”, (Matthew 5:48)…

What would that look like if we thought about it in the sense of:

Be ye therefore spiritually mature.

When I examine my life, I find many areas of spiritual immaturity.

Impatience for when I want prayers answered on my timeline, or when I want other people to change immediately.

Pride that makes me think I don’t need constant humility and dependence on the Lord.

Annoyance that other people are doing better than I am, and boastfulness that urges me to judge others for everything they are doing wrong.

And that’s what I see as I read the Sermon on the Mount!

Jesus is teaching principle after principle aimed at raising our levels of spiritual maturity.

No one expects us to reach perfection in this life.

But it seems reasonable to me to keep moving toward that mark of spiritual maturity.

To grow and develop so much that I start to realize how silly it was that I had all those rules about keeping the Sabbath, or how embarrassing it was that I judged that woman by what she was wearing, or how blind I was in thinking that God was nowhere to be found.

Be ye therefore spiritually mature.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Spiritual maturity first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Her circumstances weren’t all that great.

Even in Samaria, she was likely an outcast.

Living with a man she wasn’t married to.

A woman with “a past”.

How might she have felt?

Alone? Forgotten? Frustrated? Guilty? Shameful? Confident?

I’m not sure.

But honestly, none of it mattered once she was converted to Jesus, the true living water.

“And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman”. (John 4:39)

She shared Jesus, and others believed!

Here she was, changing the world and turning hearts to Jesus.

“Her past and present circumstances did not determine her future.” -Susan H. Porter

She stopped focusing on herself and instead focused on Jesus.

And that’s when the good stuff happened.

He sees us with our potential.

He knows what we can become.

And not even just “what you can become” in the eternities.

But what you can become tomorrow.

And what you can become next week.

He knows because He’s seen this radical change over and over again when people choose to truly follow Him and preach of Him.

Lepers. Liars. Adulterers. The prideful. The stubborn. The rich. The poor. The woman at the well.

When we focus on Jesus, where we’ve been doesn’t really matter.

And He can use our willing hearts and our bold testimonies to share goodness and do His work.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The woman with the past  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

As a teacher, “teacher evaluations” where an admin would just tell me everything I could have done to make my lesson better were the worst.

And in our personal lives, I’m pretty certain none of us love getting laundry lists of what we are doing wrong.

But on the other hand…

We each know we aren’t perfect.

We know we have blind spots to certain weaknesses, we know we mess up constantly, we know we aren’t living up to our full potential.

So if we don’t like hearing everything we are doing wrong, but we also are fully aware we aren’t doing everything right, how do we still grow?

“God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:17)

Jesus isn’t one to condemn.

He is one to love and save.

Jesus isn’t making lists of everything we are failing at.

(So maybe we shouldn’t either.)

But Jesus also knows how we can improve.

“God loves us as we are, but He also loves us too much to leave us this way.” -Brad Wilcox

Jesus invites us to follow Him.

He find us at the well, loves us, and invites us to believe and change.

He is there when we need help and healing, and invites us to exercise even greater faith in order to see the miracles unfold.

He sits with us and teaches us eternal truths that broaden our limited perspective.

He’s not here to condemn.

He’s here to love and save.

And while we take comfort in this, I think we can follow His example, too.

We aren’t here to condemn, whether it’s ourselves or others.

We are here to love. To love and invite and then love some more while constantly looking to the Savior.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Not condemn, but save  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.