I can give you all the scripture study tips in the world, but they don’t hold a candle to this one.

It’s great to review context before reading.

It’s great to have a pen ready to go.

It’s great to make connections and write down notes.

But having the Spirit with me when I study the scriptures opens my eyes to what I need to know.

It is essential.

The Spirit enacts my individualized learning plan with exactness, showing me what is essential for my progression.

That sounds pretty awesome to me. I want this to happen as much as possible.

So… how do we invite the Spirit to join us in our scripture study?

Here’s what I’ve learned:

When I say a prayer to get started and invite the Spirit,

When I stop reading and just ponder for a bit,

When I reflect at the end of my reading,

And when I read my scriptures with real emotion and intent, searching desperately for the answers that I need,

THAT is when I have learned that the Spirit guides me along so personally.

But Elaine Dalton also said something when I got to interview her recently that has stuck with me:

If we are living a righteous life, then we have the Spirit’s companionship all the time.

And we need to pay attention much more closely to when and how we LOSE the Spirit’s presence.

So I think it’s just as important to take a moment to reflect on what habits I have that lead the Spirit away when I go to study the scriptures.

What might I be doing to drive the Spirit away prior to reading?

And when I reflect on these questions, I get a clearer picture of what I need to be doing in order to invite a member of the Godhead to accompany my scripture study each and every time.

Happy Studying!

–Cali Black

The post The best scripture study tip of all time first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

But… Joseph could try his best.

And that’s exactly what he was asked to do.

Angel Moroni promised Joseph, “If I [Joseph] would use all my endeavors to preserve them… they should be protected.” JSH 1:59

He had to try his absolute best to keep the plates from being stolen by the many curious neighbors who attempted many times, sometimes even with extreme violence, to view these ancient records.

Joseph was promised that if he would constantly put his best effort toward keeping them safe, then they would be protected.

God would make sure they were not discovered, as long as Joseph kept his efforts up.

This is what I’ve seen in my life time and time again.

One area I’ve noticed recently is with teaching my daughter about the gospel.

I’m not amazing at it, and I don’t present her information in the most developmentally-appropriate way…

But I’m trying.

And it amazes me at how much I can feel God adding to my efforts as I try.

The little primary song that I could only sing to her one time, the scripture story I got interrupted ten times during my retelling, the real life example where she wasn’t paying attention.

I can feel my Savior’s grace being added to my efforts, amplifying them to become even more powerful than I could ever be on my own.

President Nelson loves teaching that “the Lord loves effort”.

And I think one of the reasons is that we’ve got to give Him something to work with.

He’s not going to magically protect the gold plates as Joseph leaves them on his front porch, and He’s not going to step in and teach my kids what I’m deliberately neglecting to do.

But when we give Him an inch, He takes a mile in the best way possible.

His grace allows me to be infinitely more effective, righteous, and faithful than I could ever be with my own efforts.

What a beautiful message of hope and grace.

As President Hinckley taught, “All the Lord expects of us is to try, but you have to really try!”

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Trying and some grace! first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I’ve had this overwhelming emotion in my life plenty of times – where there are so many people that I know who are in need of help or love, but there’s no way that I can reasonably help everyone.

And yet, my heart shows me the way.

I truly believe that our natural desires and intuitions are often Heavenly Father’s way of showing us our personal path.

I usually feel drawn to just a couple people who I know that I can help.

My heart is turned toward them.

I feel that godly love for them, I feel compelled to action, and I know my energy is being spent in the right way.

Family history work is not a topic that I am amazing at. At all.

But I want my heart to be turned to my predecessors.

I want to feel that pull, to love them, to be compelled to action on their behalf…

Why?

Because I think it’s a beautiful concept.

Starting from Father Adam and Mother Eve, God has done nothing but pour out blessings and covenants upon those who remember Him.

And yet, I feel that the adversary tries to convince me that I am completely isolated in my faith journey – I can only look at what has happened to me and what miracles I’ve seen as evidence.

But when my heart is turned to my mothers and fathers, from immediate to distant relatives, I remember that I’m not alone.

Just as I hope my children can rely on the strength of their family members, and so on.

We have help. We have people, both on this earth and on the other side, cheering us on.

And when we allow our hearts to be turned, filled with love and action, we can feel that tender reminder that we are not alone.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Where is my heart turned? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“I’ve totally fallen behind on the assigned readings! I feel so overwhelmed/inadequate/frustrated!”

Sound familiar to anyone out there?!

You are NOT alone if you have ever fallen behind – whether it’s one week or many months.

Like… not alone at all!

But here’s my favorite advice that I always share to those who fall behind that you may or may not agree with:

Stop trying to catch up, and just join us where we are!

My reasoning?

The gospel is so repetitive.

You are NOT going to miss some big essential gospel truth that you never would have learned about if you didn’t read one particular chapter!

If you missed us talking about personal revelation and asking questions last week, you will most certainly hear about it again pretty soon.

I think about Joseph experiencing the Angel Moroni coming to his room 3 times in one night and telling him the same words.

And then appearing to him the next day to remind him to tell his father.

And then Joseph going to Hill Cumorah, only to be told that he can’t take the plates yet, but needs to return the next year. And then the next. And then the next.

This gospel is so repetitive in the best way possible!

We can learn about charity and service as a little kid.

And then it can take on new meaning as we learn a lesson on charity in Young Women’s.

And then after a loved one passes away, those charity lessons become even sweeter.

Repetition is the way we learn.

Secular lessons. Spiritual lessons. Life lessons.

So I’m working on feeling more gratitude for repetition.

Instead of, “Well, another lesson about Sabbath day observance.”

I’m trying, “Sweet. I’m so grateful I get to learn this at a deeper understanding than I ever have before!”

The gospel is repetitive. Thank goodness.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Over and over again first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Because sometimes, His path for my life and His blessings just seem completely out of left field.

Right out of BYU, I thought I had this one teaching job in the bag.

I loved the job, I wanted it, and I knew the staff and principal liked me.

And then I found out that I didn’t get the job due to some unforeseen complications.

I was devastated.

And I was humbled.

Instead of relying on my networking to get me a job, I had to turn to cold interviews.

My humility was through the roof. I was relying on God like I hadn’t in a long time. I was praying constantly. I was turning my will over to His.

And then, suddenly, a random recommendation, an interview, and a job offer that changed my life for the better.

Out of left field.

But the miracle came because I had humbled myself.

I think about young Joseph, who had been so excited after the First Vision. He was ready to learn about this new church!

But after three years, his heart was growing weary. He felt weak and unclean from sins.

So he went to his knees in humility, wanting to repent and turn his heart back to God.

I can almost guarantee he wasn’t expecting an ancient prophet from a forgotten civilization showing up in his bedroom and telling him about gold plates buried in a hill three miles away!

But that was exactly the unexpected miracle that Joseph, and all mankind, needed.

Miracles happen. Unexpected miracles happen. Completely unexpected and unlikely miracles happen.

But the first requirement that I’ve seen over and over?

Humility.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Out of left field first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Does that phrase (or a variation of it) find a place in your prayers right now?

The past year or so, I’ve really been focused on removing this in my prayers.

I’ve been trying to avoid casual asks for forgiveness from sweeping generalizations of “weaknesses” and “sins”.

I was really struck by the in-depth sincerity with which young Joseph prayed to a loving Heavenly Father in his bedroom.

“I betook myself to prayer and supplication to Almighty God for forgiveness of all my sins and follies.” (JSH 1:29)

He was in his bedroom, weighed down by the sins he was committing, and asking for forgiveness.

Pleading. Calling.

Thinking through each sin.

I personally have found exponentially more power and access to my Savior’s atoning sacrifice when I take time to be specific and to reflect.

Instead of, “Please forgive me for losing patience with my kids today.”

My prayers have transformed as I’ve transitioned to:

“I am so sorry that I lost my patience earlier today. I knew that my daughter was in a stressful situation and I was putting my needs before hers. Please forgive me for this shortcoming, and help me to improve my patience and love for her. In fact, I think that next time this situation happens again, I can try…”

So much more useful, right?!

I find myself starting a real conversation. I find myself listening to promptings. I find myself pleading for true forgiveness instead of just saying it.

And ultimately, I’ve found myself changing much more!

Which is the point of repentance – that we feel godly remorse, turn to our Savior, and truly and sincerely try not to repeat it again.

Have you tried making this change before? Do you want to try it now?

Make those prayers of forgiveness heavy, real, and specific…

And I believe true miracles can come from this sincerity of heart.

Artwork by Michael Malm

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Pleading and calling first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

This was a question that I asked myself over and over again a few years ago.

Every General Conference where I knew I needed to have a question in mind, every sacrament meeting, every Fast Sunday…

I just felt so confused by this event that everyone in the church seemed to talk about over and over without much explanation.

And yet every time I asked the question, I didn’t feel like I was getting much of an answer.

I didn’t feel like God was giving me wisdom liberally in response to my asking.

And then one Sunday, I was asked to share my thoughts on “the atonement” for a few minutes in a church lesson.

I felt like this was a little ironic, as I wished I could have heard from other people on this topic, but I jotted down some notes to get my thoughts in order prior to class.

And suddenly, I realized how much clarity I had gained, little by little.

Even though I felt like I hadn’t received any wisdom, I recognized that I had learned to always refer to the event in reference to the Savior (“the Savior’s atoning sacrifice”).

I knew what His atoning sacrifice meant for me.

I knew when I had repented, His atoning sacrifice was what made that possible.

I knew it wasn’t necessary to know the details of what the Savior’s sacrifice looked like in the moment.

I had been given such wisdom about the Savior’s atoning sacrifice, and I didn’t even realize it because it didn’t all come at once.

I keep thinking about Joseph right after the First Vision.

While we look back at that event as the start of a very large stone that now fills the whole earth, Joseph likely saw it as a small step.

He had asked about the state of his soul, and which church to join.

He was told that he was forgiven and that he should not join any of them.

But he wasn’t given any further instruction in that moment.

He had no clue about the Book of Mormon. No clue that he would organize an entirely new church. No clue that he would help restore ancient ordinances and covenants. No clue that he would change the world.

Because sometimes, receiving liberal amounts of wisdom from God looks like tiny baby steps in the moment.

The post Liberal wisdom in small steps first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Harry had just been “killed”, and was in a heaven of sorts.

He has a cathartic conversation with Dumbledore, and receives clarity on what he should do next.

It’s kind of a strange scene.

And at the end, Harry says, “Is this all real? Or is it just happening inside my head?”

And Dumbledore responds with:

“Of course it’s happening inside your head, Harry.

“Why should that mean that it’s not real?”

Satan is SO GOOD at convincing us that spiritual experiences we’ve had in the past were just “all in our head”.

That girls camp testimony meeting feeling?

That quiet but firm nudge in a certain direction?

Little “coincidences” that you knew in the moment were anything but coincidences?

Joseph Smith encountered many who treated his great First Vision lightly and with contempt. (1:21)

They wanted him to write it off as a deception from the devil, or a mindless delusion.

But Joseph knew. And he knew that God knew. And he could not deny it.

It might seem like an odd question, but do you know that your past spiritual experiences are true?

Just like you know the First Vision is true, or the Book of Mormon is true?

Can you trust your past self?

Or do you sometimes deny the Godliness of those moments, writing it off as “all in your head”?

The Spirit speaks to us in our head and in our heart.

So yes – many of my past spiritual experiences are all in my head.

But that doesn’t make them any less real.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Is this all in your head? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Darkness gathered around him, he couldn’t speak, and he was in full despair.

It was a power he had never felt before, and he knew it wanted to destroy him.

But then, suddenly, light! And glory! And two heavenly beings.

“One of them spake unto Joseph, calling him by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” JSH 1:17

President Nelson has very poignantly directed us toward noticing how we also Hear our Savior.

“Hear Him” has been one of our current prophet’s most prevalent themes.

But our beloved prophet also made an important note about Joseph’s circumstances. President Nelson said:

“Joseph Smith was in the grips of a force of darkness just before the heavens opened.

“Our Father knows that when we are surrounded by uncertainty and fear, what will help us the very most is to hear His Son.

“Because when we seek to hear—truly hear—His Son, we will be guided to know what to do in any circumstance.”

Isn’t that powerful?!

Of course, learning to truly hear our Savior is an important skill to have at any time!

But especially when we feel like we are being closed in by darkness, when we feel all alone and like we can’t speak for ourselves, it is hearing our Savior that will bring us light and peace.

Uncertainty.

Fear.

Darkness.

And what we need to do the most is to hear God’s Beloved Son.

#HearHim in darkness. In pain. In suffering.

Hear Him to find peace. And light. And hope.

Artwork by Jorge Cocco Santangelo

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Hearing in the darkness first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“No way, not me! I’m not starting an account. That seems like a big commitment. Is that something I really want to or even could do?”

And just as quickly as I came up with my objections, I heard the Lord speak in my mind:

“It is not meet that I should command in all things… Verily I say, men should be ​​​anxiously engaged​ in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness”. (D&C 58:26-27)

Boom.

The Lord put the ball in my court, and I went for it. I started the account and shared my testimony each day of what I was learning.

But why did D&C 58:26-27 pop into my mind?

Because I had just studied those scriptures that morning.

I had just been in the scriptures, studying these words that the Lord had previously spoken.

He didn’t speak to me in foreign, unfamiliar words.

He used the words that I had just given Him.

And that’s what He did for young Joseph.

The Lord wanted to give Joseph a special message.

He knew of Joseph’s confusion around religion. He knew of the turmoil that swirled in his head.

And the Lord wanted to tell Joseph that he could just ask for help.

But the way He told Joseph this required action from the young boy.

Joseph had to be in his scriptures.

And then, he read the words.

James 1:5.

And the Lord used those words to speak directly to Joseph. To give him direction for his next step.

This is why I love studying the scriptures.

I want Him to be able to get any message through to me, because He has plenty of scriptural words, fresh in my mind, to pull from.

I want to expand the Lord’s vocabulary in my life.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The Lord’s vocabulary first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.