A holy place, to me, is a place where I feel closer to God. ⁣

It is different than the ordinary. It is special. ⁣

⁣Unique. ⁣

And when I think of holy places, there usually is something different that I do with my outward appearance in order to reflect the holiness that I feel.⁣

⁣One of my favorite parts of learning about Moses seeing the burning bush is one of the first things that the Lord says to him:⁣

⁣“And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5)⁣

⁣Moses was asked to make a change, a symbolic change, to reflect how his heart felt about entering a holy place. ⁣

⁣My church building is a holy place to me, a place where I partake of the sacrament and renew powerful covenants. ⁣

And so I dress a little nicer than I do the rest of the week.⁣

⁣When I attend the temple, I also dress nicer as I enter, and I prepare for more opportunities to make my outward appearance reflect the uniqueness of the temple spirit. ⁣

⁣I know that God is with me in the casual moments, in the messy house and the undone hair and the random sprinkles of shredded cheese that somehow always make it on the floor. (Anyone else?!) ⁣

⁣But I also love being able to take opportunities to show God that I am willing to make an effort to show my gratitude for the holy grounds that I am able to walk on.⁣⁣

What is one way you show God gratitude for your holy places?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

I’ve noticed that as parents, it’s tempting to either want to brag about our kids, or complain about the difficult stuff.

But what if there was a different way to view our kids that didn’t involve us getting prideful and jealous, OR annoyed and demeaning?⁣

What if we viewed our children as holy individuals who we need to teach, and who we expect will make plenty of mistakes along the way as they learn?⁣

Of course, I’m not even close to the first person to suggest this. ⁣

The Lord reminded us in D&C 74:7:⁣

“Little children are holy”. ⁣

This certainly doesn’t meant that their actions are always holy. ⁣

But it does mean that they, their souls, who they really are, are holy. ⁣

They are literally protected from Satan’s influence. ⁣

Former Primary President, Joy D. Jones, once said:

“There is a uniquely special time in children’s lives when they are protected from Satan’s influence. ⁣

“It is a time when they are innocent and sin free. ⁣

“It is a sacred time for parent and child.”⁣

Now, this doesn’t mean that kids younger than 8 aren’t capable of doing something that they know is wrong. ⁣

I think any parent of a 3-year-old can tell you that. ⁣

But… they aren’t held accountable for them yet. ⁣

It flips the narrative on parenting just a bit, and I love what the repercussions are. ⁣

Yes, let’s share our kids’ amazing accomplishments and vent to a friend after a super frustrating day. ⁣

But let’s also help remind each other that our children are holy. ⁣

And we have a sacred responsibility to teach them in word and in deed. Setting positive examples and treating them with love. ⁣

These kids are holy, and they deserve our best.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

Not being moved. ⁣

Elder Holland so eloquently taught:⁣

“It is inevitable that after heavenly moments in our lives, we, of necessity, return to earth, so to speak, where sometimes less-than-ideal circumstances again face us.”⁣

Holy moments are precious. ⁣

Sometimes they are big and notable. ⁣

But more and more often lately, they’ve been really small and mighty. ⁣

A quick prayer offered in a time of need met with immediate assistance. ⁣

Glancing at my kids’ faces during a particularly difficult moment and seeing their divine potential. ⁣

Pondering that leads to life-changing realizations. ⁣

Writing my gratitudes down and seeing how obvious the Hand of God is in my life. ⁣

I do all that I can to stand in holy places throughout the day. To create holy moments. ⁣

And then… a kid starts crying. ⁣

And I get a headache. ⁣

And someone asks me if I’ve finished that project yet. ⁣

And the dishes need to be done for the millionth time. ⁣

And I have an awkward moment with someone I meet. ⁣

And all of a sudden, I’m down, off the mount.⁣

Back to real life and all the weird, lame, uncomfortable, frustrating moments. ⁣

“My disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved.” (D&C 45:32)

To stay in a holy place all the time seems impossible. ⁣

But I at least have the desire to experience holy moments all of the time. ⁣

And… God actually tells us that He will bless us for our desires, as we strive to do so. ⁣

So even when the world is in chaos around me after I come down off the mount of my holy moment, my desire to keep holiness with me can be strong enough to carry that feeling in my heart. ⁣

Because even though I am moving from the holy place…⁣

My desires are not moving. ⁣

My intentions are not moving. ⁣

My Savior is not moving. ⁣

That is what can stay constant. My desire to be good. Even if I’m on a roller coaster of what my actions look like, my desires of my heart keep me tethered to Christ. ⁣

I can stand in holy places as often as I can, and my thoughts and righteous desires can never be moved.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Holy moments in time first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Growing up, the attitude of many things from my vantage point in the Church was very black and white.

For example, R-rated movies = bad.

But I’ve loved this ongoing Restoration, this maturation of our understanding.

Less rules and checkboxes from the Church. ⁣

This is what my mind was immediately drawn to when reading about how Christ appeared to the Nephites. ⁣

He is telling the Nephites that the strict, prescriptive Law of Moses is gone. ⁣

“Therefore those things which were of old time, which were under the law, in me are all fulfilled. Old things are done away, and all things have become new.” (3 Nephi 12:46-47)

But here’s the important shift – ⁣

In place of these lower, specific commands and counsel, we are instead given a higher law to self-administer. ⁣

Instead of not killing, we shouldn’t even be angry. ⁣

Instead of not committing adultery, we shouldn’t even lust in our minds. ⁣

Instead of loving our neighbors, love our enemies too. ⁣

And that’s what we’ve seen as a religious people in recent years. ⁣

Instead of sitting and passively listening to a lesson for an extra hour at church, make your own plan and teach your family. ⁣

Instead of visiting your assigned sister every month, figure out what she actually needs and do it, whenever that may be.

Instead of avoiding R-rated movies, figure out how to avoid the evil influences of Satan in any way possible. ⁣

Jesus’s powerful invitations shared in His “Sermon on the Mount” and His sermon at the temple in Bountiful are beautiful reminders that restrictions being taken away isn’t a free pass – it’s a call to a higher way to live.

Because in reality, Jesus doesn’t want really good rule followers.

Jesus wants people who are ready to become better out of their own free will and choice.

He wants disciples that use their agency to seek after the kingdom of God above all else.

Jesus Himself knows the blessings, confidence, and access to priesthood power that come when we choose the higher and the holier way to live.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Higher and Holier  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

A holy place, to me, is a place where I feel closer to God.

It is different than the ordinary. It is special.

Unique.

And when I think of holy places, there usually is something different that I do with my outward appearance in order to reflect the holiness that I feel.

One of my favorite parts of learning about Moses seeing the burning bush is one of the first things that the Lord says to him:

“And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5)

Moses was asked to make a change, a symbolic change, to reflect how his heart felt about entering a holy place.

My church building is a holy place to me, a place where I partake of the sacrament and renew powerful covenants.

And so I dress a little nicer than I do the rest of the week.

When I attend the temple, I also dress nicer as I enter, and I prepare for more opportunities to make my outward appearance reflect the uniqueness of the temple spirit.

I know that God is with me in the casual moments, in the messy house and the undone hair and the random sprinkles of shredded cheese that somehow always make it on the floor. (Anyone else?!)

But I also love being able to take opportunities to show God that I am willing to make an effort to show my gratitude for the holy grounds that I am able to walk on.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

How do you keep the Law of Tithing holy?

I’ve often heard that while most commandments are on a spectrum (you can’t ever say, “yup, I’m perfect at loving my neighbor now!”), tithing is the one law you can say that you are keeping 100%.

But… what if we could still do better?

I mean, yes, attend tithing settlement and confidently proclaim whether you are a full tithe payer.

But could we keep this law even more holy?

I think of the commandment we often associate with keeping holy— Sabbath day observance.

That’s a HUGE spectrum, right?

“Keeping the Sabbath holy” to me means focusing on my mental intention for each activity I choose on Sunday.

So what if we could keep the Law of Tithing even more holy by being more intentional with our thoughts around it?

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE paying tithing online. Super convenient.

But has it become just something that we do each month while looking at our online statement? Possibly.

Could there be more intentionality and holiness associated with this act?

For sure.

“And I say unto you, if my people observe not this law, to keep it holy, and by this law sanctify the land of Zion unto me… behold, verily I say unto you, it shall not be a land of Zion unto you.” D&C 119:6

That’s my question I’m pondering on today, and I’d love to hear your thoughts.

How do you feel you can keep the law of tithing more holy?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Keeping tithing holy first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Either parents feel the pressure to subtly act like their kid is the best in every way.

Or parents feel the pressure to nag on their kids and hate on all the bad things they do.

(This is, of course, a huge overgeneralization, but I’ve noticed that these really are the two biggest trends: brag on them or complain about them)

But… what if there was a different way?

What if there was a different way to view our kids that didn’t involve us getting prideful and jealous, or annoyed and demeaning?

What if we viewed our children as holy individuals who we need to teach, and who we expect will make plenty of mistakes along the way as they learn?

Of course, I’m not even close to the first person to suggest this.

The Lord reminded us in D&C 74:7:

“Little children are holy”.

This certainly doesn’t meant that their actions are always holy.

But it does mean that they, their souls, who they really are, are holy.

They are literally protected from Satan’s influence.

Former Primary President, Joy D. Jones, gave a powerful talk in the most recent conference about little children, and this stood out to me when she said:

“There is a uniquely special time in children’s lives when they are protected from Satan’s influence.

“It is a time when they are innocent and sin free.

“It is a sacred time for parent and child.

“Children are to be taught, by word and example, before and after they have ‘arrived unto the years of accountability before God’.”

Now, this doesn’t mean that kids younger than 8 aren’t capable of doing something that they know is wrong.

I think any parent of a 3-year-old can tell you that!

But… they aren’t held accountable for them yet.

It flips the narrative on parenting just a bit, and I love what the repercussions are.

Yes, let’s share our kids’ amazing accomplishments and vent to a friend after a super frustrating day.

But let’s also help remind each other that our children are holy.

And we have a sacred responsibility to teach them in word and in deed. Setting positive examples and treating them with love.

These kids are holy, and they deserve our best.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

Not being moved.

Elder Holland so eloquently taught:

“It is inevitable that after heavenly moments in our lives, we, of necessity, return to earth, so to speak, where sometimes less-than-ideal circumstances again face us.”

Holy moments are precious.

Sometimes they are big and notable.

But more and more often lately, they’ve been really small and mighty.

A quick prayer offered in a time of need met with immediate assistance.

Glancing at my kids’ faces during a particularly difficult moment and seeing their divine potential.

Pondering that leads to life-changing realizations.

Writing my gratitudes down and seeing how obvious the Hand of God is in my life.

I do all that I can to stand in holy places throughout the day. To create holy moments.

And then… a kid starts crying.

And I get a headache.

And someone asks me if I’ve finished that project yet.

And the dishes need to be done for the millionth time.

And I have an awkward moment with someone I meet.

And all of a sudden, I’m down, off the mount.

Back to real life and all the weird, lame, uncomfortable, frustrating moments.

To stay in a holy place all the time seems impossible.

But I at least have the desire to experience holy moments all of the time.

And… God actually tells us that He will bless us for our desires, as we strive to do so.

So even when the world is in chaos around me after I come down off the mount of my holy moment, my desire to keep holiness with me can be strong enough to carry that feeling in my heart.

Because even though I am moving from the holy place…

My desires are not moving.

My intentions are not moving.

My Savior is not moving.

That is what can stay constant. My desire to be good. Even if I’m on a roller coaster of what my actions look like, my desires of my heart keep me tethered to Christ.

I can stand in holy places as often as I can, and my thoughts and righteous desires can never be moved.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Standing and then moving first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

No way. Of the devil. Not allowed.

There were some church leaders who gave this advice to avoid R-rated movies, and it kind of grew into a cultural fact.

But within the past decade or so, Church leaders have really moved away from calling out specific movie ratings.

The “For the Strength of the Youth” pamphlet currently says: “Do not attend, view, or participate in anything that is vulgar, immoral, violent, or pornographic in any way.”

Not a single sentence about the rating of a movie.

In fact, the church as a whole has started moving away from strict structure.

Eliminating an hour of church, getting rid of Personal Progress, eliminating home and visiting teaching…

Less rules and checkboxes from the church.

This is what my mind was immediately drawn to when Christ appeared to the Nephites.

He is telling the Nephites that the strict, prescriptive Law of Moses is gone.

But here’s the important shift –

In place of these lower, specific commands and counsel, we are instead given a higher law to self-administer.

Instead of not killing, we shouldn’t even be angry.

Instead of not commuting adultry, we shouldn’t even lust in our minds.

Instead of loving your neighbor, love your enemy too.

And that’s what we’ve seen as a religious people in recent years.

Instead of sitting and passively listening to a lesson for an hour, make your own plan and teach your family.

Instead of visiting your assigned sister every month, figure out what she actually needs and do it.

Instead of just avoiding R-rated movies, figure out how to avoid the evil influences of Satan in any way possible.

Restrictions being taken away isn’t a free pass – it’s a call to a higher way to live.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post A higher and holier way first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.