For a Jesus who encourages, accepts, and loves. ⁣

For a Jesus who doesn’t shame, but who invites. ⁣

For a Jesus who is fair and understanding. ⁣

Jesus Christ visited Joseph and Oliver in the Kirtland temple just days after its dedication. ⁣

And the words He spoke to them are so telling of His character and nature. ⁣

“Let the hearts of your brethren rejoice, and let the hearts of all my people rejoice, who have, with their might, built this house to my name.⁣

“For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here; and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house.” (D&C 110:6-7⁣)

Love. Acceptance. Mercy. Power. Patience. ⁣

There are only limited words that I can read that I know my Savior spoke. ⁣

And these few messages and words that He spoke in the Kirtland temple that April day let me know that He is one and the same. ⁣

He is kindness and love and mercy. ⁣

I am so grateful for any opportunity I get to learn more about Jesus Christ. ⁣

To study His words and know that Jesus is my kind, wise heavenly friend.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post My Savior’s words  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I was asked to play the organ for the opening and closing hymns at his funeral services. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

Although I’ve played the piano for years, I hadn’t had any organ-related opportunities for quite a while so I knew I wanted to practice a lot. I didn’t want to be rusty for this important occasion. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

I was able to get into the chapel the night before his services. I checked my email for the two hymns and practiced them over and over – I really wanted them to be perfect. “Love One Another” and “The Lord is My Shepherd”. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

The morning of his funeral, I walked in with the family processional. I went to the stand and quickly traded places with the lady who was playing prelude music. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

As I was changing the registrations, pedals, and books, I heard the person conducting announce the opening hymn:⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

“Love at Home”. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

NOT “Love One Another” like I had practiced. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

I hurriedly glanced at the program next to me to confirm that yes, he had announced it correctly. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

I had no time to even panic – I just turned to hymn 294 and started the introduction. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

I immediately and silently pleaded with the Lord to help me transfer the practice time and energy from the one hymn to the new one. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

“Love at Home” actually isn’t that difficult of a hymn to play, but I had the most beautiful experience. I KNEW that everything was going to be okay. I felt strength and confidence in my playing. I’m sure my dear musical Grandpa, my Heavenly Father, and probably others were supporting me. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

To me, THAT is GRACE. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

The Kirtland saints pleaded with heaven in the dedicatory prayer: “And now, Holy Father, we ask thee to assist us, thy people, with thy grace”. (D&C 109:10⁣⁣)⁣⁣

They knew they didn’t really know what they were doing. They knew they had a lot to figure out still.

And they asked for God’s grace to carry them along all the right notes.

God’s grace is so good.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Grace at the organ  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

So many factors to consider, so many strategies to try, so many ways to craft a lesson plan to optimize engagement and learning. ⁣⁣

It was fascinating to me. ⁣⁣

Especially because growing up in the church, we put everyone in “teaching” callings and call it a day!⁣⁣

But there is so much research behind how to actually be a good teacher, and it blew my mind. ⁣⁣

I loved learning it, and I loved putting it into practice. ⁣⁣

Here’s the thing about church teaching assignments, though. ⁣⁣

You don’t have to know anything about the most up-to-date pedagogy. ⁣⁣

In one of the most comforting verses for teachers ever, the Lord reminds us:⁣⁣

“Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you”. (D&C 88:78⁣)⁣

Diligent teachers have the Lord’s grace with them. ⁣⁣

Grace that covers gaps in teaching skills, or engagement strategies, or even doctrinal knowledge. ⁣⁣

Don’t get me wrong, I still love learning from masterful teachers. ⁣⁣

But I’ve had teachers who focus on entertainment more than bringing the spirit. ⁣⁣

And I’ve had teachers who probably read too much during the lesson, ask obvious questions, or don’t really engage as well as they could, where the Spirit still speaks powerful words to me because I can tell they are doing their best. ⁣⁣

Feel like you aren’t the best teacher, and yet you’ve been asked to teach?⁣⁣

The Lord’s grace will attend you.⁣

I’ve felt this time and time again as I’ve taught, sometimes using my best teaching strategies, and other times being pulled in a totally different direction. ⁣

If we as teachers are diligent in our preparation, both of the material and of our hearts, the Lord’s grace will cover any gaps.⁣

And His Spirit will do the real teaching.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post For the teachers first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

This has been a question on my mind for years now.

When well-intentioned people say, “You don’t have to be perfect, just try your best!”

It’s a little confusing because every day looks drastically different for me.

And so how do I know if I’ve actually done my best, or if I’ve fallen short with a mediocre effort for the day?

Most of us are familiar with this famous scripture in 2 Nephi 25:23:

“For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.”

Initially, it’s easy to think that we have to do ALL we can do first, and then Christ steps in with grace to fill the gap.

But the more I have studied and learned and pondered about grace, I’ve realized—

Christ’s grace is what enables us to even try to “do our best” each day.

Sure— my mental capacities, busy schedule, attitude, health… they all affect what my “best” could possibly look like each day from the outside.

But I think that our outward results don’t really always convey where our hearts are at.

I think doing “my best” or “all I can do” each day actually means that my heart is turned to my Savior.

The dishes may or may not get done, my scripture study may or may not be meaningful, I may or may not have time to serve someone else…

That stuff changes all the time.

But Jesus asks that we always remember Him.

He’s invited us to covenant to do that, in fact.

And if we turn our minds to Jesus over and over again, if we are spiritually-minded, if we repent constantly, if we praise God…

Then our Savior’s grace is with us all day (and all night) long.

“We must do our best, which includes repentance, but it is only through the Lord’s grace that we can realize our divine potential.” – Clark G. Gilbert

We will never earn grace.

“Our best” from an outside viewpoint will never be enough.

But crafting a covenant relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ will create the best and most grace-filled days imaginable!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Did you really do your best? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

He had felt the pain from that metaphorical thorn for a long time.

He prayed earnestly 3 times.

Each time, pleading for God to take this trial or affliction away. ⁣

But God didn’t take the pain away.

Instead, the Lord responded:

“My grace is sufficient for thee.”⁣

And Paul really, truly believed it.

Gods grace was sufficient for Paul’s thorn.

This makes me think about my own thorns.

The little small ones, and the really big and dramatic ones.

Do I actually believe what God says?

Do I believe that God’s grace is sufficient for ME?

Often, in this church, we talk about “getting through” a difficult time or talk about what we might learn after a trial. ⁣

But what about the trials that don’t end?⁣

Is there any hope?⁣

Look what Paul said in response to the Lord’s consolation that His grace is sufficient:

“My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

(2 Corinthians 12:9)

Paul said that he will GLADLY GLORY in his infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon him. ⁣

How do we find that joy when we know that our trials will not end in this life?

How can we possibly be okay with that?⁣

How do we endure health challenges, life circumstances, results of our choices or of others, that will be a thorn in our side for a really, really long time?

“My grace is sufficient for thee.”⁣

We learn more about Jesus and grace. ⁣

We learn that we have the strength, through Christ, to still be a good person and do what is right on top of dealing with those challenges. ⁣

We learn that our Lord gives us grace EVERY SINGLE time we need extra help.

Not just the first or second time. Every time. ⁣

Our trials, though excruciating and painful, teach us what it truly means to rely on our Savior.

Because we don’t have to do it alone.

We get to be filled with HIS strength.

The thorn in our side may remain, but the sting can be taken away by the one who perfectly knows how the thorn feels.

Happy Studying!

Cali Black

The post The thorn in my side  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“Love at Home”. ⁣

NOT “Love One Another” like I had practiced. ⁣

I hurriedly glanced at the program next to me to confirm that yes, he had announced it correctly. ⁣

I had no time to even panic – I just turned to hymn 294 and started the introduction. ⁣

It was my grandpa’s funeral a few years ago, and I had been asked to play the organ for the service.

I had snuck into the chapel the night before to practice on the organ.

And I had diligently practiced “Love One Another” over and over again until the notes, registration, and volume were perfect.

So in that moment when I realized I had practiced the wrong “love” hymn, I started to pray.

I immediately and silently pleaded with the Lord to help me transfer the practice time and energy from the one hymn to the new one. ⁣

“Love at Home” actually isn’t that difficult of a hymn to play, but I had the most beautiful experience.

I KNEW that everything was going to be okay.

I felt strength and confidence in my playing.

I’m sure my dear musical Grandpa, my Heavenly Father, and maybe even others were supporting me. ⁣

To me, THAT is GRACE. ⁣

Divine assistance to carry us through our human frailties.

(I checked my phone afterwards— the correct hymns had been sent to me, I just read it wrong!)⁣

I put in the practice time – that is GOOD WORKS. ⁣

I asked for divine help once I realized my mistake – that is FAITH. ⁣

I was able to play a song flawlessly with zero practice, resulting in a beautiful spiritual experience for myself, and in a reverent introduction for the congregation celebrating my Grandpa’s life – that is GRACE.

“By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:2)

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Grace learned at an organ  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I commit to make a spiritual change in my life.

“Okay, I’m never going to skip a day of saying my prayers ever again.”

“I’m going to show more love to my family members.”

“I’m going to do better at fulfilling my calling from now on.”

I’m ready to repent!

And I do make a change… for a few days.

And I fall back into my same weaknesses.

Let’s look at one of the most famous and powerful scriptures about grace:

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”. (Romans 3:23-24)

We all sin.

But we can all be forgiven.

(“Justified” means redeemed or forgiven.)

So, how do we receive this grace from Jesus Christ? ⁣

Good works AND faith!⁣

When we make a mistake, we adjust our actions. (Good works!)

But we also have to have the accompanying FAITH with our change.

Repentance is a PROCESS, not an event. ⁣

Many times, we will commit the same sins over and over. ⁣

But if we get discouraged each time we fall back into “our sin”, then we’ve lost the FAITH necessary for true change. ⁣

Instead, we need to keep returning to those two elements of grace (and ultimately, forgiveness): 

Do our GOOD WORKS (meaning, try to change the behavior)…

And have FAITH (meaning, believe that you actually can change).⁣

And when we fall short again -⁣

Return to the good works and faith that Jesus really can make all the difference.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. ⁣

It’s a process.

It’s a life-long process. ⁣

Grace. Repentance. Redemption. ⁣

They are all possible because of and through our Savior. ⁣

Our good works are because of His example, and our faith is in Him.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post What do we do when we sin over and over again?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

⁣⁣⁣⁣I was asked to play the organ for the opening and closing hymns at his funeral services.

⁣⁣⁣⁣Although I’ve played the piano for years, I hadn’t had any organ-related opportunities for quite a while so I knew I wanted to practice a lot. I didn’t want to be rusty for this important occasion. ⁣⁣⁣⁣

I was able to get into the chapel the night before his services. I checked my phone for the two hymns and practiced them over and over – I really wanted them to be perfect. “Love One Another” and “The Lord is My Shepherd”. ⁣⁣⁣⁣

The morning of his funeral, I walked in with the family processional. I went to the stand and quickly traded places with the lady who was playing prelude music. ⁣⁣⁣⁣

As I was changing the registrations, pedals, and books, I heard the person conducting announce the opening hymn:⁣⁣⁣⁣

“Love at Home”. ⁣⁣⁣⁣

NOT “Love One Another” like I had practiced. ⁣⁣⁣⁣

I hurriedly glanced at the program next to me to confirm that yes, he had announced it correctly.

⁣⁣⁣⁣I had no time to even panic – I just turned to hymn 294 and started the introduction.

⁣⁣⁣⁣I immediately and silently pleaded with the Lord to help me transfer the practice time and energy from the one hymn to the new one. ⁣⁣⁣⁣

“Love at Home” actually isn’t that difficult of a hymn to play, but I had the most beautiful experience. I KNEW that everything was going to be okay. I felt strength and confidence in my playing. I’m sure my dear musical Grandpa, my Heavenly Father, and probably others were supporting me. ⁣⁣⁣⁣

To me, THAT is GRACE. ⁣⁣⁣⁣

The Kirtland saints pleaded with heaven in the dedicatory prayer: “And now, Holy Father, we ask thee to assist us, thy people, with thy grace”. D&C 109:10⁣⁣

They knew they didn’t really know what they were doing. They knew they had a lot to figure out still. And they asked for God’s grace to carry them along all the right notes.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post What is grace? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

So many factors to consider, so many strategies to try, so many ways to craft a lesson plan to optimize engagement and learning.

It was fascinating to me.

Especially because growing up in the church, we put everyone in “teaching” callings and call it a day!

But there is so much research behind how to actually be a good teacher, and it blew my mind.

I loved learning it, and I loved putting it into practice.

Here’s the thing about church teaching assignments, though.

You don’t have to know anything about the most up-to-date pedagogy.

In one of the most comforting verses for teachers ever, the Lord reminds us:

“Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you”. D&C 88:78

Diligent teachers have the Lord’s grace with them.

Grace that covers gaps in teaching skills, or engagement strategies, or even doctrinal knowledge.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love learning from masterful teachers.

But I’ve had great teachers who focus on entertainment more than bringing the spirit.

And I’ve had humble teachers who probably read too much during the lesson, ask obvious questions, or don’t really engage as well as they could, where the Spirit still speaks powerful words to me because I can tell they are doing their best.

Feel like you aren’t the best teacher, and yet you’ve been asked to teach?

The Lord’s grace will attend you.

I’ve felt this time and time again as I’ve taught, sometimes using my best teaching strategies, and other times being pulled in a totally different direction.

If we as teachers are diligent in our preparation, both of the material and of our hearts, the Lord’s grace will cover any gaps.

And His Spirit will do the real teaching.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Grace and teaching first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

My French skills were dismal at best, but each morning, I would pull out my English-French dictionary and write the best paragraph that I could.

After a couple weeks, she asked for us to turn in our notebooks. The next day, she handed them back.

I opened mine and found tons of red marks.

And then I realized… She had underlined everything I had written CORRECTLY in red pen.

She had also responded in very simple French to each entry with encouraging words or a personal connection.

I felt so empowered!

She was pointing out everything that I was doing right.

My accuracy was definitely below 50%.

But I suddenly felt that my teacher really wanted me to learn French.

She was on my side.

It’s a silly little story, but it’s stayed in my mind for over a decade.

She cared about me, she was on my side, and she made me want to learn French even better.

On a much grander, and much more serious scale, this is what our Savior does.

“Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him”. D&C 45:3

He is looking for every single thing that we do correctly.

Every righteous desire. (Even if your actions didn’t totally line up.)

Every righteous effort. (Even if the results didn’t turn out the way we wanted.)

Every righteous action. (Even if someone else took offense.)

He is PLEADING and ADVOCATING.

For you.

He is underlining in red every single good thought, effort, action, ordinance, sacrifice, service…

He is giving you the benefit of the doubt even when the rest doesn’t quite make sense.

And the irony in it is this:

Christ being on my side and looking for every good thing that I’ve done, doesn’t make me feel like I’ve got a free pass.

In my French class, I suddenly had a natural curiosity to learn French even better so that I could communicate more clearly.

And this knowledge about my Savior motivates me to add even more goodness in my life.

Because He is my personal advocate.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post My personal advocate first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.