The week before, a rare summer storm had moved through the area, producing more than 12,000 lightning strikes and sparking fires across the state, but especially hitting the Bay Area.

Over the course of a week, that fire grew and moved until it was about 6 miles from my hometown, where my parents and countless friends and former ward members live.

While the town was still in “warning” mode, the worst news came – ANOTHER rare storm was coming that weekend.

It was going to bring strong winds that would blow right towards Morgan Hill, and this storm had a 100% chance to produce even more than the 12,000 strikes from the previous weekend that had sparked hundreds of fires.

The situation was dire.

The warnings shifted to mandatory evacuation orders for thousands as the coming storm was expected to bring that fire right to town limits, and new lightning strikes would add additional chaos.

And so the stake presidency called for a day of fasting and prayer.

They fasted and prayed specifically that the strong winds would shift, that the lightning strikes wouldn’t start new fires, and that the firefighters would remain safe.

My parents weren’t in the section of town that needed evacuation, but they had a family stay with them and even walked around another family’s house on FaceTime, collecting the things that they were told to save, as this family was away on vacation.

That Sunday came, and word spread that people were joining in fasting and prayer. Members of the town, both church members and those of other faiths, joined in special prayers that Sabbath.

They braced for the worst, but faced the future with faith.

And on Monday, the town of Morgan Hill released a statement: “The storm that was forecasted did not develop as anticipated which is positive for Morgan Hill.”

The winds that had been forecasted and threatened the entire town, never came.

The more than 12,000 lightning strikes that were 100% certain to occur and spark additional fires, resulted in less than 400 total strikes, and no consequential fires.

By Monday evening, in a totally unexpected move, the orders were completely lifted and everyone could return back home.

It was nothing short of a miracle.

Certain destruction became a minor inconvenience. 100% forecast became a minor asterisk.

The town Facebook page lit up with testimony after testimony of people sharing their gratitude to God and their feelings of unity during the fast.

And yet, sprinkled throughout those posts were comments such as, “You really think that your prayers caused all this?”

Miracles are real. They happened just as Samuel prophesied, and they happen today.

And just as in times of old, WE decide if we are going to believe.

Because miracles are explained away by nonbelievers, and completely life-changing for those who believe.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post A fire evacuation miracle first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

He shared his message while standing on a wall. After he finished, some people got really angry and starting throwing rocks and shooting arrows at him. He knew he was being protected by the power of God, but he also knew his mission was complete. When the Nephites started moving forward to capture him, he jumped down from the wall and decided to just preach to his fellow Lamanites.

What actually happened:

There were MANY people who heard Samuel’s words and believed instantly. They knew exactly what they needed to do next: find the high priest Nephi. They found Nephi and confessed their sins to him. He baptized many of them and continued to teach them as they developed their testimonies. Nephi was able to show them signs and great wonders as the time of Christ’s birth approached.

Nephi got to see most of the fruits of Samuel’s labors.

We don’t know exactly how much Samuel knew about the positive results of his mission, but I’m going to guess that he wasn’t on that wall for very long before people wanted to silence him.

This seems to be a pretty common pattern.

Some people do a lot of preparing and teaching… and don’t see many results.

And other people see miraculous results… from people who had already been prepared.

I think of worn-down parents who feel like they aren’t getting through to their kid – and the youth leader who compliments them on their vast gospel knowledge.

I think of neighbors who share kindness and little gospel messages for years before moving – and the missionaries who get to teach and baptize later on.

We’ve got different roles to play at different times.

Samuel spent the rest of his life teaching his own people, and probably witnessing first hand the success and impact he was having.

He may have looked back on his unique wall-preaching experience as faith-building, but not a success.

And Nephi himself had experienced plenty of times where the people wouldn’t listen to him.

And yet when Samuel came, Nephi was able to organize a large group of saints and see the beautiful fruits of his work.

Times and seasons.

If you are being a Samuel right now, don’t give up. The fruits will come.

And if you are being a Nephi, give praise and rejoice in the goodness of God and others who cleared the way.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post No fruits to be seen first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

She told us we would have to report to her at the end of each of the three weeks of conditioning on whether or not we hit that goal.

The first week, I ran a mile on five different days and recorded my times.

I was happy to report to my coach that I had met the goal – but she never asked.

That second week, I missed a day, so I only ran 4 days, but I still recorded my times.

I had my excuse ready to go, but again, my coach never asked.

The third and final week, I figured she didn’t really care about us running on our own, and so I only ran one day.

She never asked, and that was it.

Looking back, I realized my only motivation for running was the fact that my coach had asked and wanted me to report.

But I also noticed something else.

I recorded my mile times in a little notebook that stayed on my bedside table for years as I added other random notes.

And when I looked back at the times?

I had improved every single time. I had gotten faster and stronger. I had gotten more healthy.

And I hadn’t even noticed or cared.

So while I thought I was “getting away” with not running the mile, I really was just harming my own strength and endurance journey.

I can’t help but draw the connection to scripture study.

Sometimes, we feel like we can “get away” with not reading every day. If your family isn’t encouraging you, if your spouse doesn’t find out, if your friend doesn’t check on you… then no one is the wiser!

Or, other times, we feel like “the big Coach” is watching over us and just getting really disappointed that we aren’t fulfilling that commitment every day.

But the reality is:

Scripture study blesses your life. It strengthens your ability to receive personal revelation. It increases your endurance for the trials of life.

And so when you stop reading,

You are only harming yourself.

So when talking about external and internal pressures, it’s good to stop and consider:

Where does my motivation lie?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Running the mile first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Because of the internet. Because of social media.

We can choose to produce goodness, to share goodness, and to consume goodness.

When our house is completely dark at night and I need to take care of a crying baby, all it takes is one little light to allow me to see.

By being just a small light, we can make a bigger difference than we could ever imagine.

I’ve got a testimony of that, for sure.

Samuel told the people living in Zarahemla that the Lord needed to destroy the entire city because of their wickedness.

“But behold, it is for the righteous’ sake that it is spared.” (Hel. 13:14)

One righteous person can keep an entire city from being destroyed.

And one righteous person can shine a light and share goodness on social media.

We can choose to post wisely.

We can choose to avoid division.

We can check facts.

We can resist cheap digs.

We can create beautiful and powerful content.

And whenever we choose to share our opinions, we try to always be led by the Spirit.

And that’s how we transcend the darkness and bitterness around us.

We stand out in different and distinct ways from the rest of the world and our difference can be tenfold (or more) what it could have been 20 years ago.

Just one person. One post. One comment. One moment of restraint.

Can make all the difference between darkness and life-changing light.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Making a viral difference first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I was in high school. It was October.

Over the course of a week, four of my close friends each had very serious and very sad life events occur.

Everyone was really down.

And I had a little prompting jump into my head, “If YOU are doing alright, you should make all your friends some treats to cheer them up.”

To say this was outside my comfort zone is an understatement.

I did NOT bake.

But I felt strongly that I should do it out of my place of emotional privilege, and so I made a scared-but-eager trip to the grocery store for ingredients for Pumpkin Bars.

I felt this nervous excitement as I made them. I was following through on a scary prompting, and I could just picture how this would brighten up my friends’ weeks!

When the timer went off and I pulled the tray out of the oven, I looked down at a dark brown thin substance.

And then I touched it. And it jiggled.

After my confused mom tried to talk me through what I had done while making them, we realized that I had forgotten the flour!

I’m extremely good at laughing at myself, but I felt really frustrated in the moment.

I knew I was following a prompting, and yet it hadn’t turned out. I just wanted to help my friends. I gave up.

But as I sat there looking at our messy kitchen, that same thought came back: “Cali, you can help your friends. Bring them the treat.”

So yes, I sliced up, plated, and Saran wrapped servings of this dark brown gelatinous substance and brought it to my friends the next day.

Like I said, I’ve got a good sense of humor, but this seemed just a little TOO weird.

But I did it. One by one, I approached my friends, told them of my baking debacle, and gave them the plate.

One friend did actually take a bite, and thus the term “Pumpkin Barf” was born.

This has always served as a silly but beautiful lesson for me. Cuz guess who totally cheered up her friends, created an infamously hilarious story, and lightened the whole mood with a weird but sincere gesture?

Initial promptings are tough to follow. And they get even more tough when they don’t turn out the first time we try. And even the second time we try, the results don’t look like anything close to how we thought they would.

But if we follow the first prompting, over and over, God will turn our messy kitchen concoctions into the beautiful little miracles He wants for His sons and daughters.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Prompting and baking mistakes first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

There he is, watching the demise of his people, and rewriting the records from hundreds of years of Nephite history.

Mormon has the gift of wisdom, and while he does a great job at narrating the events from the plates, he can’t help but interject his own lessons throughout his abridgment.

And what’s that famous phrase that signals us that Mormon is about to teach a lesson?

“And thus we see…”

(Sometimes, “thus we can behold…”)

He switches from story-telling to spiritual commentary.

He takes a time out from telling us about who was chief judge and who was murdered and who was baptized…

And instead focuses on the lesson to learn.

“And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him.” -Hel. 12:3

Mormon is a great example at using BOTH storytelling and explicit teaching in order to get a point across.

I think it can be easy to think that by living a pretty righteous life, our kids will catch on.

Don’t get me wrong, setting the right example is probably the most important element in teaching the gospel to our kids.

But it’s not that only element.

We also need to explicitly teach gospel principles to our children.

I think this was why Family Home Evening was first instituted, and why home-centered church has been a huge push (even before it became essential).

Because we probably need to do MORE straightforward teaching.

And not always in formal settings either! Mormon beautifully weaved his “thus we see..”s throughout his summaries.

So when my kid sees a church building out of the car window and yells, “church!”, I can take that moment to teach her about why I love church and how happy it makes me.

I can’t be afraid to teach. Or even hesitant to teach.

I HAVE to be explicit. I have to point out the spiritual lessons in real-time as much as I can.

Because we truly need both: the examples and stories, and the Godly principles being boldly proclaimed.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Boldly teaching our children first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

And one day, my very perceptive husband came home from an earlier day at work and said, “I’m completely handling Quin. Leave this house. Go do something you want to do on your own.”

And so I got in the car…

And I had no idea where to go. ????

I needed a break from my baby, but I didn’t know what I needed to replace it.

And so I leaned into the cliche, drove to Target, walked around aimlessly for a while, and then drove home.

Now since that day 2 1/2 years ago, I’ve come a loooong way!

Just this past week during a few kid-free moments, I’ve scrubbed a bathroom, studied my scriptures in total silence, written Come Follow Me posts, attempted to remodel a bathroom, played the piano, talked with a friend, and done other work.

And there was one time when I scrolled social media endlessly, clicking on article after post after video, waaaaay past the “refreshing and relaxing” amount.

Clearly, I don’t have a total handle on my agency yet.

But I’ve come a long way in learning how to make positive, righteous, fun, and meaningful decisions with my time!

And this is what fascinates me about the Lord giving Nephi power to do whatever he wished in Helaman Ch 10.

The Lord trusted Nephi to ALWAYS make a righteous decision in the name of the Lord.

Nephi wasn’t going to sit in indecisiveness. He wasn’t going to waste time. He also wasn’t going to give in to wicked desires.

The Lord KNEW Nephi would make the best decisions with his abundance of agency.

That’s what I’m working towards.

Not that I always have to be “busy”. But that when I’m given “free time”, I make righteous decisions that will either rejuvenate me, bring me happiness, or push me to grow.

Because learning to use my agency wisely is the ultimate sign of trust in my Heavenly Father.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Using agency for good first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I can handle just about anything, and if I don’t know what I’m doing, I’ll figure it out.

If I’m asking someone for help, I guarantee I have thought through every possible way I could solve the problem without needing assistance first.

This is a fantastic strength in many areas of my life.

I can get things done.

Because the truth is, I can be super strong on my own.

The judges speaking against Nephi knew that they could be strong, too.

“We are powerful,” they said.

“Our enemies can have no power over us.” (Hel. 8:6)

And they really did have powerful and strong armies who could get things done and fight off enemies!

But where does all of our own strength come from?

From the One who created us and placed us on earth with a very specific purpose.

He often allows us to use our own natural (yet God-given) strength.

I can learn new things or ace a test on my own.

And the Nephite armies could totally win a battle without any religious sentiment.

But –

What happens if we team up with God?

What happens if we rely on the One who made us to add His efforts to ours?

What if we knew He could make us unstoppable?

A little army of 2,000 with no fatalities.

A man on a wall with arrows completely missing.

A young mom who is defending her home against the seemingly ever-present evils around her.

And against all odds, they all succeed.

We can do things on our own.

Or we can take our strength and add it to God’s.

And that’s where the miracles happen.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

Allow time while you are reading for your mind to wander on related topics.

In other words, ponder.

But this is often really tricky.

Because who has extra time to just sit there and let their mind wander, right?!

Our days are filled to the brim with other priorities.

Plus, we also place value on “getting things done”.

So if I’m just sitting there with my scriptures, staring off into space, and thinking…

What am I actually accomplishing?

It’s a lot easier to just read my assigned scriptures for the day, and then cross it off of my to-do list.

Did you happen to notice what Nephi did in order to allow the voice of the Lord to speak to him and give him great power?

Nephi was pondering.

He was pondering on previous miracles and revelations he had received.

He was just thinking about them.

He wasn’t talking to anyone else, scrolling through a phone, finding something else to clean, turning on music to fill the void, turning on a show…

He was just quiet.

And that quiet pondering is what led the Lord to give him amazing power and praise.

Are we making quiet moments?

This can be so difficult.

But spiritual development isn’t meant to be easy and convenient.

Because it’s not just nice to ponder sometimes.

It is ESSENTIAL to do every single day in order to open up God’s true power, to obtain personal revelation, and to feel peace.

So whenever I feel that my scripture study is starting to lose its power, I try to follow Nephi’s example from Helaman 10, and make space to ponder.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

Most miracles are sacred and personal, and aren’t meant to be displayed or even proclaimed publicly.

But I can think about times when miracles HAVE been performed for large groups of people.

By Jesus Christ, by Moses, by Nephi, son of Helaman…

And the part that baffles my mind?

The public miracles don’t always convert everyone.

In fact, when Nephi told the people their chief judge had been murdered, and then accurately told them how to catch the killer, Mormon narrates that “some” were converted while others explained it away.

What?!

How could you see that and not believe?

But I think it comes back to a principle that has been taught time and time again:

Faith is a choice.

We choose whether or not a miracle will strengthen our faith, or whether we will explain it away.

Giant miracles don’t produce faith for everyone. At least not the conversion-level faith that is required to change hearts permanently.

But I also find the “faith is a choice” concept really comforting.

I’m not going to just lose my faith someday on accident.

If I’m doing the little things that I know will invite the Spirit with the intention to grow my faith, then I will grow my faith.

And the miracles that I see in my life, both small and mighty, will strengthen my faith because I want them to strengthen my faith.

Because the future of my faith is not by chance, but by choice.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Faith by choice first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.