It was towards the end of the day and she was crying from the pain. ⁣

She’s a super logical kid, so my husband and I comforted her and explained that the best way for sprained ankles to get better is to give them rest. ⁣

We told her that when she slept that night, her ankle muscles would start to relax and heal. ⁣

She eventually calmed down and went to sleep pretty soon after. ⁣

But when she woke up the next morning, she was not too happy to discover that her ankle still hurt! ⁣

“I rested it all last night, so it’s supposed to be better now! Why does it still hurt?!”⁣

I realized I needed to better explain that even though it is amazing that our bodies heal themselves, often it takes a lot longer than we want. ⁣

Within a few hours, she was running around like normal again and hasn’t mentioned her ankle since.⁣

But how often do we tell the Lord our own timetable for healing?⁣

“Okay, I took a nap, did some service, and prayed about it. Why is my emotional pain still here?”⁣

The Lord taught the Israelites: ⁣

“I am the Lord that healeth thee.” (Exodus 15:26)⁣

He has blessed us with beautiful bodies that are, for the most part, able to heal ourselves when we have injury. ⁣

He heals the wounds of sin. ⁣

He heals emotional hurt. ⁣

He heals broken hearts and broken trust. ⁣

He heals pride and contention. ⁣

He heals quickly and miraculously. ⁣

He heals slowly and gradually. ⁣

He heals in a completely different way than we thought we needed to be healed. ⁣

Elder Richard G. Scott taught that we must:

“Accept [Christ’s] invitation to let Him share your burden until you have sufficient time and strength to be healed.”

The Lord heals. ⁣

But how and when is up to Him. ⁣

How has the Lord healed you recently?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

Does being dunked underwater cleanse your soul?

Does someone placing their hands on your head remove sickness from your body?

No!

These actions mean absolutely nothing…

Without the power of Jesus Christ.

It is our Savior’s atoning sacrifice that allows us to partake of the sacrament and have our sins forgiven.

It is our Savior’s atoning sacrifice that allows us to be baptized and have our souls cleansed.

It is our Savior’s atoning sacrifice that allows us to receive a blessing that can heal us.

And that same power has been given to people here on earth to allow all of God’s children the opportunity to repent, be cleansed, be healed, and so much more.

We know this as priesthood power.

It was a quiet day in May of 1829 when Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were the first people in this dispensation to receive this now-restored priesthood power.

The Restoration Proclamation teaches: “The resurrected John the Baptist restored the authority to baptize by immersion for the remission of sins.”

This simple priesthood restoration would eventually flood the earth.

“Priesthood keys distinguish The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from any other organization on earth.

“Many other organizations can and do make your life better here in mortality.

“But no other organization can and will influence your life after death.” – President Russell M. Nelson

What a miracle it is to be alive when God’s priesthood power is available to each of us to cleanse, heal, and empower us.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Does bread have power?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It had “LDS” in the name. ⁣

President Nelson had already made statements about the full name of the Church, but in my mind, “LDS” wasn’t really a harmful acronym. ⁣

But in March of 2019, the Church announced that they were changing lds.org to churchofJesusChrist.org. ⁣

And that’s when I had the strong impression that I needed to change the name of my Instagram account to remove the “LDS” acronym. ⁣

I, personally, didn’t feel that putting the name of our Savior into my name was the right thing to do; but I knew that I didn’t want to perpetuate any names for our Church that removed our Savior. ⁣

It seems kind of small looking back on it, but it was an important and powerful, tangible change for me at the time. ⁣

I already had a few thousand followers on my account at that point, and I was growing exponentially every day. ⁣

And yet, I knew I needed to change it. Thus, “Come Follow Me Study” was born!⁣

The Savior taught his disciples in 3 Nephi 27:5 that the church needs to be called in His name. ⁣

“Have they not read the scriptures, which say ye must take upon you the name of Christ, which is my name? For by this name shall ye be called at the last day”.

It is His church. We worship Him. And others need to know. ⁣

Elder Neil L. Andersen taught us recently that, “As the world speaks less of Jesus Christ, let us speak more of Him.”⁣

We can do our part to remove harmful or dismissive abbreviations or nicknames for our Church. ⁣⁣

But then we have to fill their places with more talk of Christ! ⁣

In virtually every post that I make on this account, I try to make the connection between the principle I’m sharing thoughts about, and my Savior. ⁣

I would hope that anyone scrolling through my feed would know that I am not afraid to preach of my Savior. ⁣

And I’m working more on making sure my family and friends get that same dose of “Jesus” from me, too!⁣

This is Jesus Christ’s church. Any little adjustment we can make to rid ourselves of harmful phrases and add statements about our Savior will yield blessings! ⁣

As Christ himself teaches, “whoso taketh upon him my name, and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the last day.” 

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post LDS no more first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

He asked if I wanted to share headphones with him to watch it together.

But I turned him down, telling him I was going to take a nap.

Well, I didn’t take a nap.

Instead, I kept watching the documentary out of the corner of my eye while only reading the captions on the screen.

The main person being interviewed looked like a big, tough guy.

(It was a sports documentary.)

I could just imagine what he sounded like as he spoke the words I was reading on the screen.

Finally, my husband insisted:

“You’re watching it anyways, just wear the headphones!”

As I slipped the headphones over my ears, I was shocked to learn that this man’s voice sounded nothing like what I had been imagining for the past 20 minutes with subtitles!

I had unknowingly built up a voice for this man without ever hearing him speak.

I was surprised when I discovered that wasn’t how he sounded at all.

Jesus taught:

“But behold, ye have both heard my voice, and seen me; and ye are my sheep, and ye are numbered among those whom the Father hath given me.” (3 Nephi 15:24)

In order to choose to be Jesus’ sheep, we can’t just guess what Jesus would say and do.

We can’t make good assumptions based on what we think a good person would do.

We need to KNOW His voice and KNOW His actions.

And in my experience, the best way to really get to know Jesus?

Dive into the scriptures.

Dive in with an open and humble heart to learn what Jesus would do.

And the Spirit can do its job to testify, confirm, and teach.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

“Search, ponder, and pray.”

I’ll admit that the first verb, “SEARCH”, is sometimes the trickiest for me.

Mormon, the author and compiler of 3 Nephi, counsels:

“And now, whoso readeth, let him understand; he that hath the scriptures, let him search them.” (3 Nephi 10:14)

But what does it mean to search the scriptures?⁣

When I’m preparing a church lesson, I often search through the scriptures for something related to my topic.

But I’ve discovered that there are other ways to search the scriptures, too.

I can search for manifestations of God’s love.

I can search for personal revelation.

I can search for calm.

For motivation.

For hope.

For peace.

Reading the scriptures just to cross them off my list is a good first step to creating a good relationship with them.

But it is so powerful to feel the freedom and excitement of opening the scriptures with a question or intent in mind and then searching for an answer that I know and EXPECT will come!

“Just as a road map not read, the scriptures not searched are of little value to us in providing directions.” – L. Lionel Kendrick

What are some ways that you SEARCH the scriptures?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post SEARCH the scriptures first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

The hen who has carried, borne, labored, and delivered her little chicks. ⁣

The hen who has nourished her little chicks time and time again, and gathered them every time they scattered. ⁣

There is such love because there was such sacrifice. ⁣

Selfless service and total sacrifice produce the purest love that is possible. ⁣

This is why our Savior loves us with such tender devotion. Because He sacrificed everything for us.⁣

For me. ⁣

His body was broken for me, and His mental capacity was overwhelmed with the weight of my sins.

And because He did that, He loves me fully and completely, in a special bond that can’t quite compare.⁣

Except to a mother. ⁣

Elder Holland gave his iconic, “Behold Thy Mother” talk in 2015, a few years before I became a mother. I remember thinking, “Wow. I can’t even imagine that kind of love.”⁣

“No love in mortality comes closer to approximating the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for her child.” – President Holland

I’m now a mom to three.

There is a lot of sacrifice in order to be a mother. My body has been broken, and healed, and broken, and healed. My mental capacities have been stretched to the limits. ⁣

And because of the sacrifice, there is great love. There is a special bond that comes from that ultimate service. ⁣

Of course anyone who sacrifices out of pure love can feel this bond, too.

But Christ Himself decided to compare His feelings of love to that of a mother.

“How oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and have nourished you.” (3 Nephi 10:4)

I think about the Motherly figures that He learned from, both in heaven and on earth. ⁣

It makes His comparison all the more powerful. ⁣

And so, when Christ calls to us, when He wants to gather us under His wings and give us nourishment, it isn’t out of duty or pity.⁣

It’s out of the pure love and devotion that can only come from a moment of total sacrifice.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

I have had times when my testimony has been built on friends.

It’s sometimes been built on awesome ward members and leaders.

Sometimes it’s been built on callings I’ve had or organizations I’ve been part of.

Sometimes it’s even been built on how much I love “the Church”.

Honestly, I think that these aren’t bad things to have testimonies of. ⁣

There are some great important but tangential aspects to love and feel strongly about out.

But Helaman wisely warned his sons of the dangers of building their foundations on anything other than Jesus Christ:

“And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation;

“that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.” (Helaman 5:12)

The storms WILL come.

Ward members will be rude and insensitive.

Leaders we love will make serious mistakes.

We will get released from callings.

And so much more.

But when we bind ourselves to Jesus Christ, the rock, we can have faith that He will never go away.

It’s all built on Jesus.

And there’s not a single piece of research, news article, scathing podcast, social media comment, or even differing opinion that can ever shake me from that firm placing of my foundation.

How do I feel about Jesus?

What is my relationship like with Him?

What have I personally seen and heard about Him?

How do I choose to tie myself to Him?

If I’m sure in my answers to those questions, I will not fall away from Him.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post How can I never fall?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It’s a question that I have been asked variations of over and over again.

And I have some great suggestions to share that I’ve learned on my own.

⁣But in many of the messages, I actually hear my own concerns from a few years ago echoing in their words:⁣

“I just can’t seem to do consistent scripture study, and this means I am failing.”

In our church, reading the scriptures and praying every day are preached so often, that sometimes we mistakenly start to think that salvation comes through their repetition. ⁣

It’s like reading our scriptures becomes the goal.

We will make it if we can just read our scriptures every day!

But I want to look at what the Anti-Nephi Lehies had so wisely figured out:

“They did not suppose that salvation came by the law of Moses; but the law of Moses did serve to strengthen their faith in Christ.” (Alma 25:16)

Keeping the commandments and reading our scriptures every day are not part of the checklist we need to complete in order to earn salvation and get into heaven.

We keep the commandments and read our scriptures BECAUSE these actions strengthen our faith in the Savior.

Salvation comes only in and through Jesus Christ.

And everything He asks us to do is to point us to Jesus even more.

That is what God really wants us to do.

The goal isn’t to study our scriptures every day; the goal is to be totally focused on Jesus Christ as the center of our salvation, and scripture study is one of the easiest ways to focus us.

Don’t misinterpret here— I’m not saying “the law” or scripture study isn’t important.

I quite literally think effective scripture study can change lives, and it’s a worthy habit to develop.

But consistent scripture study isn’t the endgame.

Feasting on the scriptures daily is important BECAUSE it so naturally points us toward Jesus Christ.

Salvation doesn’t come by keeping the “law,” but the “law” helps us to become more Christlike if we keep willing and sincere hearts.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Failing at scripture study first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“I have faith that I’ll get into that school.”⁣

I remember two friends telling me these statements pretty close to each other. ⁣

They stood out to me because I had been recently studying about faith. ⁣

It seemed to me that faith didn’t always work out. ⁣

People got sick and died.

Friends didn’t get into schools or get jobs that they wanted. ⁣

But… they had faith?⁣

I was reading my scriptures after hearing these statements from friends that just would not get out of my head. ⁣

And then it finally clicked. ⁣

Not faith FOR a certain result. ⁣

Faith IN Jesus Christ. ⁣

And I was reminded of this simple but powerful distinction as I read about Zeezrom’s healing. ⁣

Alma asked Zeezrom, who was on death’s door, “Do you believe in Christ?”⁣

Zeezrom responded with a yes. ⁣

And Alma said, “IF thou believest in the redemption of Christ thou canst be healed.”⁣

In Zeezrom’s situation, Alma knew that God’s will was to heal Zeezrom and keep him on earth. ⁣⁣

But Zeezrom’s faith was not IN his healing, just as the women’s faith had not been IN their saving, or Alma’s faith IN his success for sharing the gospel. ⁣

Their faith was IN Jesus Christ. ⁣

“Then Alma cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord our God, have mercy on this man, and heal him according to his faith which is in Christ.” (Alma 15:10⁣

And when your faith is in Jesus Christ, the outcome really doesn’t matter all that much. ⁣

Healing or succumbing. Succeeding or failing. ⁣

All of it happens to the faithful who place their faith in the One who can bring peace in the storm.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Does faith really work? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“. . .ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear.”

That phrase on its own implies that none of us will be tempted more than we can handle.

Wouldn’t that be nice to have confidence in?

To know that every temptation you face is totally within your power to resist?

But let’s actually look at the whole first part of that verse:

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear.” (Alma 13:28)

People actually WILL be tempted more than they can bear– if they aren’t turning to God!

It happens all the time.

Temptations that are just too difficult for our fallen natural self to resist.

Turning to anger too quickly.

Indulging in inappropriate media.

Judging everyone who likes XYZ candidate.

But how can we avoid this?

How can we stay in that zone where our temptations ARE manageable?

Just flip it around!

If we are humble.

If we are always watching.

If we are always praying.

Then we will not be tempted more than we can bear.

We turn to Jesus with full purpose and with pure love.

Jesus is the answer.

We can watch for the temptation to arise and then pray for power from God to overcome it.

Jesus Himself was tempted while He was here on the earth.

And when we pray for His strength to be with us, we can have His power to overcome temptations just like He did.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Resist the temptation first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.