But I desperately needed answers and figured I might as well call the specialist and see what I could get.

I said a prayer and dialed the number.

As I introduced myself to the receptionist, she said,

“Well, is there any chance you could get over here this afternoon? I just had a last minute cancellation and can fit you in if you can make it.”

I moved heaven and earth to get to that doctor’s office within the next couple of hours, and I was able to get some medical answers I desperately needed.

I’ve learned that I think the Lord loves to prove Himself in seemingly impossible situations.

“And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.” (2 Chronicles 14:11)

Asa knew his army was facing insurmountable odds.

And yet, he showed faith that the Lord could still help their troops prevail.

And the Lord pulled through! 

By an absolute miracle, the enemies of Judah were destroyed.

Sometimes it can be scary to need and ask for a big miracle.

But I think the Lord loves being able to prove Himself when it is His will and show that impossible things can be done through faith in Him.

So if you need a miracle right now, try humbly asking and see what goodness God is able to show, whether it’s what you expected or not.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

Although I love reading scripture stories of dramatic examples of faith, sometimes I feel like I only have a little bit of faith to offer in comparison. ⁣

After her husband died, she owed a lot of money.⁣

It seemed to had gotten to the point that the creditors were coming to take her two sons as payment for the debts. ⁣

Elisha went into problem-solving mode to help this widow: ⁣

In 2 Kings 4:2, he asks, “What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? ⁣

“And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.” (2 Kings 4:2) ⁣

That’s what I feel like! ⁣

Like I’ve only got a small pot of oil to offer the Lord. ⁣

And yet Elisha made this work. ⁣

He had her gather up a whole bunch of other vessels, and pour from the small pot of oil that she had. ⁣

And she ended up filling every single vessel that she collected with oil! ⁣

Not only was that in and of itself a miracle, but this miracle allowed her to sell these vessels of oil for profit, and pay off her creditors. ⁣

No matter how little your offering of faith might seem to the Lord, whether it’s just a small offering of your time, your modest talents, or even a short attention span spent in the scriptures, the Lord can multiply what we have into so much more than we could imagine.

The Lord multiplies our offering. ⁣

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

I could write out a whole list. ⁣

Some things, you would probably say are very well justified. ⁣

Other things probably seem much larger to me than they really are. ⁣

Regardless, I’ve found a lot of things that have piled up in my mind. ⁣

Getting everything done or handling everything with grace seems… well, impossible to me. ⁣

It’s all impossible. ⁣

And so this question has not been able to leave my head:⁣

“Is any thing too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14)⁣

Because it sure seems too hard for me to handle. ⁣

But here’s a beautiful connection I’ve recently made: ⁣

If my Lord can handle it all,⁣

And if He has promised to take my yoke and bear my burdens,⁣

Then nothing is impossible for me when I partner with the Lord. ⁣

Sarah laughed when she heard she was getting a son, when it was biologically impossible. ⁣

Impossible. ⁣

And yet, it happened. ⁣

The Lord can make miracles happen all on His own. ⁣

I’ve had a few, tender, sacred moments in my life where I have seen these truly impossible miracles occur. ⁣

But more often, I see it more as a partnership. ⁣

A very, very, unfair and unequal partnership. ⁣

Where my load seems quite impossible. Mentally; physically; emotionally. ⁣

But I know that nothing is too hard for Him. ⁣

And so I rely on Him even more. I invite Him in. I tell Him the intricacies of what I’m facing. ⁣

And the cliche is true— the burdens are still there. The load is still as big as ever. ⁣

But I’m able to feel those moments of peace and relief as I endure. ⁣

With God, nothing is impossible. ⁣

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Nothing is impossible to Him  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Teaching middle school was tough.

I prayed that there would be some kind of help for me the following school year.

There ended up being major teacher shuffling that happened that summer.

All of a sudden, almost by default, I was being offered a team lead position.

I was going to be in charge of attending professional trainings.

And then I would need to share the information I learned by creating trainings for all the Language Arts teachers at the school.

Accepting that team lead position was EXACTLY what I needed, both professionally and personally!

It was absolutely the miracle that I needed.

A total answer to prayers.

But. . . it also seemed very logical.

I could tell you exactly why Mrs. A needed to change schools, why Mrs. B was making a career change, and why Mr. C got a position at the high school.

All of which led to the basically default decision that I would be offered the team lead role.

In fact, most of these people had their own professional miracles that opened the way for my miracle.

The Lord orchestrates everything.

Sometimes, He moves mountains for us.

But I think most of the time, the plan is so intricately interwoven that miracles just look like a bunch of logical and reasonable changes.

In fact, this was the cause of the demise of the Nephite nation.

They were saved over and over, but:

“. . . they did not realize that it was the Lord that had spared them.” (Mormon 3:3)

Do we brush off the “normal” things that happen in our lives, the things that just make sense?

Is getting home safely from an activity, being nourished by food, or meeting someone new seem like something that will always happen?

Or do we recognize God in all the little, logical, miraculous details of our lives?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

I have definitely thought this before.

He could just go “live”, do some awesome miracle, and boom, everyone will be converted to Jesus.

Now truthfully, most miracles are sacred and personal.

Many aren’t meant to be displayed or even proclaimed publicly. ⁣

But I can think about stories in the scriptures when miracles HAVE been performed for large groups of people.

Like when Nephi told the people their chief judge had been murdered and then accurately told them how to catch the killer.

“And it came to pass that they went and did, even according as Nephi had said unto them. And behold, the words which he had said were true.” (Helaman 9:37)

After this crazy, public, dramatic miracle…

Some people were converted.

But… others explained it away.

What?

How could you see that and not believe?!

Here’s what I’ve learned:

Faith is a choice.

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

We choose whether or not we see life through a lens of constant miracles or through a lens of random unorganized events.

We choose whether or not we allow miracles to humble our hearts and turn to God or whether we will appeal to our prideful knowledge and doubt.

“It is not by marvelous manifestations unto us that we shall be established in the truth, but it is by humility and faithful obedience to the commandments and laws of God.” – Joseph F. Smith

Miracles, both big and small, are everywhere.

If we look for the small miracles each day and intentionally try to grow our faith, then the big stuff will only strengthen us even more!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

Things that are unexplainable, grand, and inspiring. ⁣

But I have found that most of the time, my success comes from my hard work, my desire to learn, and my application of knowledge. ⁣

… so is that taking God out of the equation to acknowledge that?⁣

Let’s look at Captain Moroni’s battle against Zarahemnah’s Lamanite troops. ⁣

Moroni and Lehi had surrounded the Lamanites and were asking for their surrender.

Moroni verbally expressed that he knew the Nephite armies had prevailed because of their faith in God. ⁣

Zarahemnah’s response as he was surrounded by Nephite armies?⁣

“We do not believe that it is God that has delivered us into your hands; but we believe that it is your cunning that has preserved you from our swords. Behold, it is your breastplates and your shields that have preserved you.” (Alma 44:9)⁣

In other words, “Moroni, it certainly wasn’t a god who helped you. You just wore armor and were very smart about your battle plans – that’s why you won!”⁣

What Zarahemnah did not know is that Moroni had gone to the high priest Alma in order to find out where the Lamanite armies were going and how they should attack. ⁣

Moroni was cunning and brilliant with his battle plans – because he had faith in God who showed him what to do. ⁣

And that armor they wore? The Nephites traditionally always had better defensive wear than the Lamanites. So I’m sure Moroni used his God-given brilliance to continue those same preparations. ⁣

Zarahemnah was partially right in his argument. ⁣

Moroni won due to his cunning and armor. ⁣

But Zarahemnah missed the big, obvious connection that Moroni attributed his cunning and armor to the One who gave him breath. ⁣

Using my talent and intellect to find success in this life is exactly what God intends me to do with my gifts.

But He also wants to make sure I don’t lose sight, like Zarahemnah did, of where all of my power comes from.

Miracles that look like logical outcomes are still miracles from a loving Heavenly Father.

And acknowledging this constantly is what can help keep my heart soft and humble. 

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post That wasn’t a miracle!  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I love Hebrews chapter 11 because Paul lists what many righteous people have done “by faith.”

Abel. Enoch. Sarah. Abraham. Moses. Rahab.

And so many more!

One that he mentions is Noah:

“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” (Hebrews 11:7)

Like… huge miracles.

Amazing stories.

Quiet but essential moves.

All made because of an individual’s faith in Jesus Christ.

So… what would your personal verse be in Hebrews 11?

What big thing have you needed to do in your life “by faith”?

What small things have you needed to do “by faith”?

When we build our faith in Jesus Christ day by day with small intentional actions, we lay the foundation for our own “faith story”.

We’ll each have different details and different paths, just like all of these scripture characters in Hebrews 11.

But we can unite in our mutual faith in Jesus Christ to watch the amazing miracles that He performs because we choose to believe.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post What’s your faith story?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

She is described as a disciple.

Full of good work and almsdeeds. ⁣

She was sick. I like to think she was still full of good works and kind acts even in her sickness. ⁣

She made coats and other clothing items. She probably gave them away as service. Maybe this was her passion that she enjoyed fulfilling, too. ⁣

And then, she died. ⁣

Peter came.

Her friends were all there, crying. They showed Peter all the clothes that she made. ⁣

I don’t know if Peter knew Tabitha prior to her death, but it’s hard to not feel compassion for someone when you see what their life story was. ⁣

Peter sent everyone out, and then prayed.

It’s difficult to imagine what sincere and humble words he might have prayed in that moment.

Should he use his priesthood power to bring her back?

How could he comfort these grieving friends and disciples?⁣

What was the Lord’s will for Tabitha?⁣

Peter got his answer.

And he told Tabitha to arise. ⁣

“But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise.” (Acts 9:40)

Peter didn’t keep God small. He didn’t walk into that tragic situation and think, “How can I comfort these grieving friends by myself?”

Instead he allowed God to do the big miracle.

He probably asked for or left space for the biggest miracle of all to occur.

And he got a yes. ⁣

What miracle do you need right now?

What seems almost impossible to you but would fill you with great joy?⁣

Have you asked in sincere and humble prayer if that miracle could be yours?⁣

I have found that when I remember that I can ask the Lord for BIG blessings, He actually blesses me with them quite often.

These brave moments with the Lord have created some truly humbling and miraculous experiences that are too personal to share. ⁣

Sometimes it’s hard to remember to just ask. ⁣

I’m glad that Peter allowed God to do the big, impossible miracle.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Peter, Tabitha, and asking God for the big miracle first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I think that answer is actually pretty easy and obvious to most of us.

Right?

He had to sacrifice His physical body for us so that He could then overcome the grave.

He knew it had to be done to fulfill the whole plan. ⁣

And yet, the priests and others passing by Christ’s crucifixion said:

“He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.” (Matthew 27:42)

They put specific requirements on the miracle that Christ had to perform in order for them to “believe”. ⁣

Yet Jesus had spent His whole life performing miracles.

(Which they actually reference by saying “he saved others”.)

And He was about to perform the greatest miracle of all. ⁣

And STILL these onlookers decided that He only was a true Savior if He could get Himself off the cross.

Do we sometimes put our own requirements on the help we get from heaven? ⁣

“I haven’t received a yes or no answer yet.”⁣

“This terrible thing happened even though I followed a prompting.”⁣

“I keep praying for a way to help my daughter but I’m not getting an answer.”⁣

With our own limited viewpoint here, we think we know exactly what we need sometimes, right?

I need to know if I should do this or not.

I need to get inspiration for this.

I followed a prompting so nothing unsatisfactory should come from it. ⁣

And yet there is someone above who sees the whole big picture. ⁣

Sometimes the answer is no answer. ⁣

Sometimes the prompting is to do nothing.

Sometimes following the Spirit leads to terrible suffering. ⁣

What we or what others think the miracle “needs to be” is not always what it is. ⁣

God’s ways are not our ways. ⁣

And I’m so grateful for a Savior who understood this and knew that performing NO miracle in that moment is what would lead to the greatest outcome for all.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Why didn’t Jesus save Himself?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Why did Peter walk on water?

Why did he leave the boat?

Why did he think he could?

“We can’t know for certain, but perhaps Peter understood that the Son of God came NOT JUST TO DO wonderful things for the people but to EMPOWER people like Peter to do wonderful things too…⁣” -Come Follow Me Manual

This weekend in General Conference will be packed with goodness.

We will hear invitations.

We will probably hear stories of miracles.

We will listen to women and men who have devoted their lives to serving Jesus.

But this weekend isn’t meant for us to just listen.

We can, like Peter, turn it into an invitation to act!

To take part in the gathering of Israel.

To help those who suffer.

To wake up and do something more than dream of our mansions above.

“And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.” (Matthew 14:28-29)

Jesus doesn’t want us to just be observers and listeners in the gospel.

I mean, we do need to listen. By all means, sit on the couch and watch 10 hours of church this weekend. It’s awesome.

But then we act!

We have the faith to get up and act on what the Spirit prompts us to do!

Feel overwhelmed with a million things you want to do that all seem good?

Pray about it.

No really.

The Spirit has always helped me focus my mind to what my next step needs to be when I try to become perfect in one fell swoop.

We can go through life and be acted on.

Or we can wake up, take that frightening but exhilarating step out of the boat, and be empowered to join with Jesus in changing everything.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Peter and General Conference  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.