Do you think he ever drove his parents crazy and made big messes?⁣

Oh, I’m sure. ⁣

And then he had to deal with the tragic death of his father at a young age.

I think it can be tempting to look at someone like President Oaks and think, “Wow, he is different. His gospel knowledge and spiritual strength are unparalleled.”⁣

Now of course, President Oaks has received gifts of the spirit and powerful abilities from his mantle and priesthood keys. ⁣

But… he also had to grow and develop like anyone else.

He had to figure out his relationship with the gospel of Jesus Christ. ⁣

He had to decide if he thought it was true. ⁣

He had to study the scriptures and pray and learn how he best receives personal revelation. ⁣

He had to endure heartbreaking trials and devastating setbacks. ⁣

He had to practice serving others and communicating well. ⁣

He learned how to teach and speak with priesthood authority. ⁣

Of course, we aren’t all aspiring to become the prophet, but we can still grow in the Lord.

David was the king of all Israel… who started out as a sheep herder. ⁣

“And David went on, and grew great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him.” (2 Samuel 5:10)⁣

David had to learn to be great, too.

Knowing how to study the scriptures isn’t just for the old guy in your gospel doctrine class. ⁣

Loving and understanding the temple isn’t just for that sister who’s been serving for 20 years. ⁣

We can all grow great! ⁣

What are the next steps for you? How do you want to “grow great” next?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

People in the streets were saying that Saul had slain thousands of wicked people, but David had slain tens of thousands of wicked people. ⁣

Saul did NOT like this comparison! ⁣

“Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him… And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.” (1 Samuel 18:8-9) ⁣

Saul couldn’t be happy that the threat of destruction from the Philistines was gone because he was bothered that David had done even more than he had done. ⁣

AND people were noticing the difference! ⁣

Do we ever get caught up in this mind game of comparison? ⁣

It can be difficult to be confident with our act of service, our family scripture study, or our sacrament meeting talk in church if we are constantly comparing what we are doing to everyone else. ⁣

Our family scripture study looks very simple right now. ⁣

And when I think about it, I feel this little confirmation and peace in my heart that it’s perfect for what my family members need right now. ⁣

It’s only when I start to hear what some other people are doing for scripture study that I start to feel inadequate. ⁣

But I’ve also realized that this trap of comparison is so self-focused and has literally nothing to do with my relationship with God. ⁣

Is my version of family scripture study teaching us more about God and Jesus? Awesome. That’s what it’s supposed to do.⁣

And if other families accomplish that same goal in different ways, I’m gonna cheer them on for turning closer to the Savior too. ⁣

So if the teacher in church the week after you gives an amazing lesson that everyone won’t stop talking about, awesome. More people turned toward Jesus. ⁣

If someone else’s kid has a better knowledge of the gospel than yours, good for them! More people with a knowledge of Jesus. ⁣

We’re all on our own path.

Saul couldn’t stop comparing himself to David, and it ended up causing a lot of issues for his heart. ⁣

When it comes to building up the kingdom of God and becoming like Jesus, the more the merrier.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Saul vs David first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It’s an idea I’ve heard repeated many times, especially since the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet changed significantly a few years ago.

Jesus is the strength of youth!

Jesus is the strength of parents!

Jesus is our strength!

But something hit me differently after April’s conference.

Did I actually believe this for me personally?

I started, quite literally, thinking about Jesus anytime I needed strength.

Tired and my alarm is going off?

Think about Jesus.

Someone says something condescending to me?

Think about Jesus.

My child tells me something that frustrates me?

Think about Jesus.

Scrolling social media?

Think about Jesus.

I can’t even begin to explain what started to happen.

Other than I am positive that Jesus is my actual literal strength in everything.

From the big stuff to the small annoyances and everything in between, He is it.

As David approached Goliath, he had otherworldly strength, not because of his stature.

But because he knew Jesus was his literal strength.

“For the battle is the Lord’s”. (1 Samuel 17:47)

Christ gives us strength and power to slay the Goliaths in our lives.

“Thinking about the Savior gives us clarity of mind to make decisions, to act without fear, and to say no to what is contrary to God’s teachings.” – Andrea Munoz Spannaus

How will you call upon Jesus for literal strength today?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

It’s one of the biggest warnings given throughout scripture. ⁣

Because you know what Satan is so good at?⁣

Making it seem like we can’t trust our spiritual memories. ⁣

Oh, there’s no way you were actually feeling the Spirit at girls camp. That was just all your happy emotions. ⁣

That wasn’t a miracle, it was just a coincidence. ⁣

You didn’t really receive a prompting to do that. ⁣

He’s so sneaky at making us distrust our own memories, right?!⁣

And I think the adversary succeeded pretty well at convincing the Israelites that their memories, as well as the memories of their ancestors, deceived them. ⁣

And there on the battle field, facing Goliath, none of them were remembering what God had done for them. ⁣

They were just stuck in the moment. ⁣

But David?⁣

He remembered. ⁣

“David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.” (1 Samuel 17:37)⁣

He KNEW he could defeat the Philistine BECAUSE he remembered what the Lord had already done in the past. ⁣

The Lord had strengthened David and delivered David from all sorts of dangerous situations. ⁣

And David remembered and accurately gave credit to God for his protection in the past.

This remembrance gave David the spiritual confidence to trust in the Lord again!⁣

Do we have accurate spiritual memories, or are we letting time affect how we give credit to the Lord?⁣

Remember. Remember the spiritual experiences from the past in order to gain strength for the giants ahead.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Don’t let the adversary trick you! first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Everyone was taking the sacrament. ⁣

Everyone has gotten dressed up in their best clothes out of respect for the ordinance. ⁣

And I felt like a hot mess. ⁣

Trying to keep a baby from crying, trying not to let my kid flip the bread tray over (like he has before), trying to be at least kind of reverent. ⁣

Just trying. ⁣

But still a hot mess. ⁣

“Everyone else has it all together. Everyone else can handle their kids and keep them reverent. Everyone else is worshiping appropriately.”⁣

Those words started to creep in my head. ⁣

But then guess what happened?⁣

Over the next two hours, all the “perfect people” around me gave talks, led lessons, shared comments, chatted with me in the hallway…⁣

Each person opening up about a sufficient trial they are going through. ⁣

I KNOW this, and yet I still forget!⁣

Of COURSE the pews aren’t filled with perfect people who haven’t got a care in the world. ⁣

We are all a hot mess in one way or another. ⁣

Just because we smile or we wear nice clothes doesn’t mean our hearts are okay. ⁣

“The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)⁣

The Lord knows the sins, the heartaches, the distractions, the loneliness, the overwhelm that fills each seat at church. ⁣

And I think this is how I want to become more Christlike. ⁣

I see the outward appearance, yes. ⁣

But I want to know the hearts around me, too. ⁣

I want to connect and mourn and love. ⁣

So that instead of sitting in the pew, wallowing in self-pity, I can learn to see and love as the Savior does.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Perfect people in the pews first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

King Saul was chastised by the prophet Samuel.

He had taken some sheep and oxen from their enemies during battle, directly disobeying the Lord’s commands.

Samuel told the king:

“To obey is better than sacrifice.” (1 Samuel 15:22)

I’ll be honest that this scripture has confused me for a long time.

Isn’t sacrifice good?

Doesn’t the Lord want us to sacrifice things for Him?

But I finally found some meaning in this advice when I was sacrificing a lot of sleep, effort, and many of my talents for my calling at church…

While ignoring promptings that I need to do better at teaching my family the importance of the scriptures.

What I learned is that sometimes WE want to sacrifice the things that we want to sacrifice for the Lord…

Instead of just obeying what He has already commanded or prompted us to do.

ABSOLUTELY many of the commandments require sacrifice in order to obey—

That’s really not we are talking though.

What the Lord needed to teach Saul, and each of us, is that we step into spiritually dangerous territory when we trick ourselves into thinking that simply because we are sacrificing something for a good cause (whether that’s fulfilling a calling, paying tithing, attending the temple on a schedule, or sending out a missionary) that we are being obedient to the Lord.

Those sacrifices are so good.

Just like offering an animal sacrifice was in Saul’s time.

But if we do it at the expense of obeying our first and great commandment: to love the Lord God above all else, then we are in spiritual danger of deception.

I thought I was on the right track by fulfilling my calling at church.

But I realized I was offering a sacrifice that I wanted to make (or felt I had to make) while ignoring the things that would actually bring me to a closer relationship with my Savior.

Nothing else will matter in the end if we don’t know and love the Lord with all our heart and soul.

And the best way to show and grow that love?

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

Am I offering God the sacrifice I want to give, or the obedience He is asking for?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Is obedience really better than sacrifice? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

And she was so nervous!

She vented to me that she didn’t enjoy teaching or speaking…

But she had accepted the assignment because she was willing to try.

She wanted to share an important message despite feeling completely inadequate. 

I walked into her lesson ready to cheer her on.

And I was blown away by the power of the Spirit in that room.

She seemed to radiate confidence as she taught, and I could feel the Spirit manifesting the truth of her words to me. 

When Saul suddenly started to prophesy, people noticed something different about him:

“And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.” (1 Samuel 10:10)

Watching someone be filled with the Spirit of God as they fulfill a calling from the Lord is thrilling.

Something special is added to our very imperfect efforts when we agree to teach, minister, serve, or lead as an official call or assignment.

“Callings from the Lord are tailor-made for our growth.” – Patrick Kearon

How can you better invite the Lord’s Spirit to be with you as you step into your callings with confidence? 

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Filled with the Spirit first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I brought it home, and my parents said they wouldn’t give permission — it was a movie with content they didn’t want me watching at 13 years old.

So when all my friends got ready to watch the movie for three class periods in a row, I went to the office and did an alternative activity.

And honestly?

I didn’t mind.

I was used to being different.

There had already been many times in my life where I had made decisions, or my parents had held firm on decisions, that differed from what everyone else was doing.

And also no one in my class gave me any grief about needing to leave (to my face at least!), my friends were still my friends, I was semi-cool and felt included…

It was all good.

One of my favorite minor effects of being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that I have gotten very used to NOT doing what everyone else is doing.

I naturally stood out, especially where I grew up, where our religion was a small minority.

From what I chose to wear at my prom, to not attending that Sunday pool party, to sending out wedding invites when my friends from back home thought I was a “child bride”…

I’ve grown comfortable with being different than the world.

The Israelites had a problem:

They really WANTED to be like everyone else.

Each nation has a king who rules them, takes responsibility, and leads them in battle?!

We want that, too!

“That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.” (1 Samuel 8:20)

They weren’t comfortable with being different.

But even deeper than that, they didn’t trust that the Lord’s counsel to NOT have a king outweighed the discomfort of being different from everyone else.

Because when I changed the song on the radio while driving my friends around in high school, it wasn’t for the sake of being different —

It was because I truly believed I didn’t want to invite offensive and inappropriate words and ideas into my mind, which could offend the Spirit.

Being different can be tough — at the end of the day, we all long to feel like we belong and matter in some sort of community.

And if the community we desire to belong to more than anything else is a community of disciples of Christ, then it becomes a lot easier to stand alone, understanding that we are truly not alone when we walk with Him.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Not allowed to watch the movie first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

But I don’t want us to tune this question out…

Because the question is actually so EMPOWERING!⁣

It’s not: “How to you get God to answer your prayers?”⁣

It’s not: “How do you get God to speak to you every day?”⁣

It’s not: “Are you worthy enough to have God speak to you?”⁣

No. ⁣

Instead, this powerful question has one big underlying assumption:⁣

God speaks to us. ⁣

All of us. ⁣

Right?!⁣

If we are trying to figure out how to hear the word of the Lord in our lives, then we have to trust that He is actually speaking to us. ⁣

Young Samuel’s story is so relatable. ⁣

The Lord called out his name in the middle of the night, ready to deliver a message. ⁣

… and Samuel assumed it was Eli. ⁣

Eli was the one who taught Samuel how to #HearHim, in a quite literal sense! ⁣

“Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.” (1 Samuel 3:10) ⁣

Thy servant heareth. ⁣

It’s on me, really. ⁣

Am I ready to hear?⁣

Or am I too prideful? Too busy? Too forgetful? Too loud? Too selfish?⁣

Yup, all of those at different times. ⁣

And so I have to work to actually listen. ⁣

To say that urgent prayer in the middle of a kid’s meltdown and listen and EXPECT the Spirit to prompt me on what to do. ⁣

To ask for comfort and direction before I go and do something I’m dreading and then make space for an answer to come. ⁣

To feel overwhelmed and then proactively play some uplifting music, knowing that the notes and lyrics will connect me with Him. ⁣

God does not want to leave me comfortless, directionless, helpless. ⁣

I have faith that this is true. ⁣

He speaks. ⁣

So will I hear Him?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post An empowering question first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

She prayed with her whole soul at the tabernacle. ⁣

“She was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore.” (1 Samuel 1:10)⁣

Her husband didn’t understand. ⁣

“Why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?” (1 Samuel 1:8)⁣

Why do you care so much?⁣

Why so much emotion?⁣

What’s even going on? ⁣

The priest Eli didn’t understand either. ⁣

“Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.” (1 Samuel 1:14)⁣

Too many feelings. ⁣

Too much emotion. ⁣

This can’t be right. ⁣

Hannah’s heartfelt, heartbroken, sincere emotions were misunderstood by those around her. ⁣

Was she crazy? Could she be trusted? ⁣

And yet those deep emotions, that deep bitterness, led her to the Lord. ⁣

Led her to make a sacred vow. ⁣

Gave her both the broken heart and the spiritual confidence to ask for what she wanted. ⁣

Paved the way for a son to be brought into her life, one who would eventually bless all of Israel. ⁣

Hannah felt pain and sorrow and she wasn’t afraid to express it. ⁣

And when the blessing came?⁣

So much joy that she couldn’t contain that, either. ⁣

“And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.” (1 Samuel 2:1)⁣

I am grateful for this emotional, spiritually strong woman. ⁣

And I’m thankful for the strong emotions each of us can experience, even if misunderstood by others at the time, that can lead us closer to God.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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