I’m probably not alone in saying that the past few years have really made me be intentional about WHY I go to church.

If we can just have church at home…

If I can just read my scriptures and follow along at home…

If I can just share my testimony on social media…

If I don’t have to hear comments from people that aren’t super Christlike…

And then add in having to take care of little kids and babies who make it difficult to even be present in the rooms I should be in…

Why am I going to church?

I can’t overstate enough that the actual main reason is because of my devotion and love to God to keep His commandments and my desire to take the sacrament and be washed clean and renew my covenants.

But after all that…

My congregations throughout the years have brought me the sweetest examples of service and cheering others on.

When I’ve been in a rough place and a good friend pulls me aside and asks me how I’m doing.

When I’ve been emotional and someone just looks at me and smiles.

When I’ve laughed til I’ve cried at funny things kids have said.

When I’ve walked out of sacrament meeting (yet again) with a screaming baby, just to be met by 3 different people who all walked out to give me a break.

When someone has said hi when I’ve felt forgotten.

It’s all service.

It’s all love.

It’s all compassion.

It’s all Christlike.

“They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.” (Isaiah 41:6)

We all need some help.

We all need someone to remind us to be of good courage.

We all need some help to point us back to Christ.

And I think we all have buried within us an innate desire to give that help.

To be that good neighbor.

To give that little smile.

To point someone else toward Jesus.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Service and Christlike love first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

As I’m sure most others do.

He was the guy who was foreordained to prepare the path for Christ, preaching fearlessly and using his priesthood power to baptize.

John the Baptist was amazing.

In Isaiah 40:3, we read this prophecy:

“The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord”.

But… what if we turned that prophecy around and looked at ourselves for a bit?

How do you and I prepare the way for Jesus right now?

We absolutely are working together to prepare the earth for the Second Coming of the Savior, gathering Israel and getting ready for Christ’s return.

But what about on a smaller, more personal level?

I’ve been thinking recently that I want to prepare the way for Jesus to come into the hearts of everyone that I meet.

It’s a lofty goal.

But I want to prepare the way for Jesus to get to other people.

I want every interaction that I have to leave everyone feeling so seen, loved, and noticed, that the Spirit has a place to enter into their hearts and testify of a truth that they need.

And no matter their religious affiliation, I think everyone needs a little message from Jesus in their heart.

Whether they are old or young.

Whether they are a member of my family or not.

Everyone needs a little more of the Spirit of God in their hearts, delivering any message that they need to hear in that moment.

I want to prepare the way for Jesus to come anywhere that I go.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

Waiting.

Long past my scheduled appointment time.

Shouldn’t they call me back soon?

This is so frustrating when I have people watching my kids and it takes longer than expected.

As my patience drained, my good attitude and Christlike heart drained with it.

So there I was, sitting in a crowded waiting room, annoyed and frustrated.

And still waiting.

Isn’t that the real problem with having to wait?

It’s because some thing is supposed to be happening that isn’t happening yet.

Waiting for a job interviewer to call me back. Waiting to get over a sickness. Waiting for my husband to get home from work. Waiting at school pickup. Waiting for blessings in a bad situation.

Waiting can be so so so draining.

But then I think on other times in my life when waiting has been beautiful.

Waiting for a new baby to arrive. Waiting for a trip with my family. Waiting for a treat to finish cooking. Waiting for guidance from the Lord. Waiting for an answer to prayers. Waiting for a session in the temple to begin.

Beautiful waiting and draining waiting have one big difference:

Trusting in God’s timing.

“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength”. (Isaiah 40:31)

When I wait while turned toward the Lord, no matter how serious or trivial my waiting may be, I draw spiritual strength.

I have my energy constantly renewed.

I feel invigorated in my waiting because I completely trust that things will happen when God intends them to happen.

There’s a lot of waiting in this mortal life.

But waiting for and with the Lord makes all the difference.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

Crazy winds and constant lightning. Sheets of rain pouring down.

I, of course, immediately started to pray.

“Please let this storm be short. Let it be over quickly.”

But the storm kept coming.

“Please keep the lightning away.”

The strikes seemed to come even closer.

“Please stop the roads from flooding.”

All the cars moved to the center lane as water pooled on the edges of the road.

“Should I just stop and pull over?”

Immediate doubts filled my mind. That wouldn’t be the right option for me right then.

I took a deep breath.

“Please be with me in the storm. Help me to make good decisions. Help the cars around me. Calm my heart and my mind.”

My mind was alert and racing as I drove the rest of the way home, but calm filled my heart.

The storm wasn’t going anywhere, but I was going to be okay. I would make it home.

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through fire, thou shalt not be burned”. (Isaiah 43:2)

The Lord doesn’t take away those disasters that are coming our way.

The floods still come.

The fire is still there!

But the Lord stays with us during the trial.

He makes the consequences sting just a little less.

He comforts us.

Isn’t that a great lesson to remember?

The Lord doesn’t always take away our hard times– He walks through them with us.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The floods and fire first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“A marvelous work and a wonder.”

I think of temples dotting the earth, messages from prophets that are spread instantly throughout the globe, well-oiled service systems ready to go in times of disaster.

There is indeed a great and marvelous work, filled with wonder, filling the earth today.

But what about in my little life?

“I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder”. (Isaiah 29:14)

Right before and after this verse, the Lord is actually talking about changing the prideful and hypocritical tendencies of people’s hearts.

I think one of the coolest, most marvelous wonders that the Lord can do is on an individual, personal scale.

I remember some super rude things that I’ve said to someone, feeling completely justified.

And now I feel embarrassed about it, and would never say something like that.

I remember having very judgmental thoughts in my mind almost constantly.

And now I have a lot more love in my heart.

I remember coming up with excuses for why I can’t keep certain commandments or principles of the gospel.

And now I sincerely want to follow the best I can.

What a marvelous work and a wonder He has done on my heart and on my will.

And just to be clear, there is a WHOLE lot more work to go.

In fact, the more Christlike my heart becomes, the more aware I am of just how far away I am from being Christlike.

The temples, the missionary force, the buildings, the service opportunities, the conferences…

It’s all amazing.

But it isn’t amazing just because it’s huge and grandiose and super cool.

It’s amazing because it allows our Savior Jesus Christ to do a marvelous work and a wonder in as many individual hearts as will let Him.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post A marvelous work and a wonder first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I heard someone say something similar to this recently.

To anyone who has studied child development, there are pretty clearly lots of different reasons why this toddler didn’t help.

The task may have been too broad and overwhelming, there may have been a distraction, they may not have understood exactly what the mom was wanting, it may have seemed like a boring thing to do, maybe they literally could not do it…

The possibilities are endless!

Anyone with a kid knows that just telling them to do something one time won’t immediately give you the lasting result that you may be hoping for.

And the funny thing that I think most of us forget is that we are exactly the same, no matter our age.

If I could just do what I was told to do all of the time, without any reminders or assistance, then I would never get frustrated, I’d have no sins, I’d never forget anything, and I’d just be perfect.

Keep the sabbath holy. Oh okay, got it!

Always be kind. Yup, perfect, I’ll do that now.

Make the temple a priority. Okay yes, done!

Nope.

Not realistic for anyone!

Not employees in the workplace. Not for us in our spiritual journeys. Not for little kids learning how to function.

So how do we do it?

Do we just throw our hands up in despair and think that our kids will never learn how to clean their messes up?

And that we’ll never figure out how to actually pray consistently?

Of course not.

“For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little”. (Isaiah 28:10)

Little steps.

It’s breaking the big task into smaller chunks that are more achievable.

It’s feeling excitement when even just a little bit of progress is made.

It’s being okay of having to give, or even receiving, reminders over and over again.

And so much more.

God is a perfect teacher in the same way that we can attempt to be good teachers for the rising generation.

Step by step.

Line upon line.

Here a little and there a little.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Reminders and steps first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I have… in the last week!

Arizona summers always baffle me.

I’ve lived here for eight years now, and most of the summer is marked by heat.

Like, extreme heat.

That sweat-dripping-down-your-back, blindingly bright, oppressive heat of the summer.

One of my favorite feelings is walking into my air-conditioned house and feeling that dramatic difference.

And then every once in a while (although this summer, more than usual), a monsoon moves through the desert.

Often without warning, high winds, thick dust storms, pounding rain, roaring thunder and constant lightning crash through the valley.

Trampolines and trees everywhere, roads flooded.

Just a few days ago, I sat inside my home as a monsoon roared through, filled with gratitude for walls, windows, and roofs that were strong enough to hold the danger outside.

I couldn’t help but notice the familiarity of these two phrases that Isaiah writes about the Lord:

“For thou hast been … a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat”. (Isaiah 25:4)

A refuge from the storm.

There are some summer monsoons that are small, and some that are destructive and deadly.

But He is there as a refuge during those storms.

Giving me peace to endure. Peace with whatever the outcome is. Peace when everything else is chaotic.

And He’s a shadow from the heat.

That oppressive, all-encompassing uncomfortable heat.

He has been that relief. Making my load feel a little lighter. Giving me comfort.

And yet my mortal mind still forgets to turn to Him sometimes.

I’ll be out wandering in the intense heat, or trying to endure a powerful storm, and I forget to ask for help.

I forget that He is the refuge and the shadow that my soul so desperately needs.

But as soon… AS SOON as I remember Him, that protection and that relief is there.

He is my refuge and my shadow.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Refuge and shadow first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

That person who gave a great lesson about loving others but then said something rude.

That guy who talked about the importance of serving others but can’t show up to help at the ward service project.

That family member who tells you not to judge, and then says judgmental comments all the time.

“Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me”. (Isaiah 29:13)

We could all sit around and point fingers endlessly.

But what about if we turned that finger around and looked at ourselves for a bit?

Could you give a great spiritual thought about the importance of keeping the Sabbath holy by doing good things that bring you closer to Christ?

How does that compare with your actual Sabbath observance?

Could you talk about the importance of temples?

How does that compare with your feelings about your personal worship in the temple and your attendance habits?

Could you give lots of reasons for why it’s so easy and important to share the gospel with other people?

How does that compare with your willingness to bring up gospel topics with people who aren’t members of this church?

At the end of the day, we ALL are able to teach about certain gospel principles much better than we are able to live them.

But here’s what I’ve learned about what actually matters most:

Where is your heart?

Our lips and our actions aren’t always going to align.

But our heart can be aligned with our lips and our actions.

Our actions will fall short, even though we have good intentions.

We wanted to serve but got too tired, we tried to make the Sabbath a delight but the kids are crazy, we want to love the temple more but we haven’t gone in a long time.

“Jesus Christ blesses those who want to improve and who try to keep the commandments. We always get credit for trying.” -Elder Holland

We always get credit for trying.

…But we have to really try.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Lips and hearts first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

The atonement isn’t some event that had its own power that we worship and revere.

Instead, it’s all about the Savior!

It is the Savior’s atoning sacrifice.

He is the one who made the amazing, selfless sacrifice and chose to atone for our sins.

We worship the Savior, not “the atonement”!

Now I was recently at our stake conference where our visiting general authority taught us that President Nelson has also started teaching about another angle of this same truth, all focused on:

The temple!

I love the temple.

But we often mistakenly attribute the power of the temple to the temple itself.

As if the building has power because it is a temple.

But why are temples so amazing?

It’s because they are the literal houses of the Lord!

Jesus Christ’s spirit is even more present in the temple walls, and that is what the “special spirit of the temple” is really all about.

Isaiah taught us in Isaiah 2:3:

“And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths”.

The temple is where we go to learn about Jesus, to be taught by Jesus, in the home of Jesus.

It’s all about Jesus.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The temple’s power first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It was over a year ago now, but I remember it like it was yesterday.

“I know everyone says that bishops aren’t perfect, but I didn’t realize they would call someone so normal like us!”

“Oh no, we are going to be judged a lot.”

“This isn’t a convenient time in our life.”

“Will I ever see my husband again?”

“Hey this actually might be a lot of fun!”

… and a lot more weird, conflicting thoughts.

But it’s like our stake president could read my mind as we sat there in his office, processing the call.

He very wisely said:

“The Lord didn’t call you guys because you are perfect. Or even near-perfect. The Lord has called you because you are willing to serve.”

Prophets, apostles, bishops, RS presidents, counselors, leaders of any kind throughout time have never claimed to be perfect.

I’ve loved reading in the Old Testament this year about flawed, VERY FLAWED, humans that God used to spread His message and accomplish miracles.

But He was able to use them because they were WILLING to serve.

Isaiah, the man that we often revere as some kind of special guy who could spout off powerful prophecy that is complicated and deeply spiritual, felt unworthy for his call, too!

He felt so inadequate.

But then the Lord cleansed Isaiah from his sins, and he had a change of heart:

“I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)

Now Isaiah was ready to accept the call.

Not because he no longer had any weaknesses or desire to sin.

Not because he would always make good decisions in the future.

But because he was now willing to accept the call.

That’s all God really wants from us.

Willing moms and dads, not perfect moms and dads.

Willing ministering brothers and sisters.

Willing missionaries.

Willing musicians.

Willing scriptorians.

Willing hearts.

He wants you, not in some future, perfected state.

But exactly as you are right now, if you are willing to give your heart to Him.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Bishops and willing hearts first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.