As I stood a little bit speechless on the doorstep with chaos behind me and a husband who still wouldn’t be home for a couple of hours, she said:⁣

“I felt a prompting that you needed dinner tonight, and I just had to act!”⁣

I graciously accepted the meal, thanked her profusely, and held my tears back until the door had shut. ⁣

I wanted to feel embarrassed that I hadn’t even started thinking about dinner yet, but I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude and love. ⁣

The sister who brought the dinner had redirected all the credit I wanted to give her to the Lord, and that made a big impact on me. ⁣

She didn’t want any of my praise that I tried to give her. ⁣

She said she was just following through on what I know to be one of her spiritual gifts— acting immediately and confidently on promptings. ⁣

In Joseph’s time, everyone was starting to recognize him as the dream interpreter. ⁣

The butler and the baker learned about him in prison. ⁣

And now the pharaoh was learning about his skill, too. ⁣

But each time that someone tried to label Joseph as the one who could interpret dreams, he was always quick to point out:⁣

“It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” (Genesis 41:16) ⁣

God was the one giving Joseph the ability to do this. ⁣

I love two things about this:⁣

First, that Joseph recognized where his gift came from. ⁣

But secondly, that he seemed to point this out to other people, too!⁣

I think most of us know that we should be showing gratitude to God for our gifts and talents. ⁣

We try to redirect our minds to give God credit and to show how grateful we are. ⁣

But how often do we mention that to others?⁣

YOU may know that your gifts come from heaven, but do other people know that you know that?⁣

What a sweet and simple way to bear testimony. ⁣

The woman who brought me dinner wasn’t making me feel her love.⁣

She was helping me to feel God’s love.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

Life isn’t perfect. ⁣

Maybe today isn’t even what you planned. ⁣

Maybe you’ve got a lot of “other stuff” going on so you feel like you can’t be fully present. ⁣

But no matter what your circumstances are like today, no matter what kitchen mishaps or missing family members or awkward moments…⁣

“Praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing, and with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving.” (D&C 136:28⁣)

A prayer of praise and thanksgiving is always an option. ⁣

Praise. And thanksgiving. ⁣

Don’t those go perfectly hand in hand?⁣

Recognizing the goodness and glory of God, and then feeling gratitude for all that He has done for you?⁣

Today, no matter what my day looks like, I’m going to offer a prayer of praise and of thanksgiving. ⁣

And, knowing me, there will be some music and singing involved, too. ⁣

But I want to praise my Lord by remembering all that He has given me!⁣

This beautiful earth! ⁣

My body! ⁣

My friends, both old and new!⁣

My family members!⁣

The opportunity to change when I make a mistake!⁣

My scriptures! ⁣

Feeling overwhelming love!⁣

The Holy Spirit!⁣

My covenants!⁣

Something to be optimistic about!⁣

The chance to be alive!⁣

Praise and thanksgiving to my Lord today, and every day. ⁣

What are you feeling especially grateful for today? 

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post  Praise and thanksgiving!  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Singing and joy and happiness are so intertwined. ⁣

So I know that He sings. ⁣

How do you think our Heavenly Parents sound?⁣

I know They sing. ⁣

Singing is joy and praise. ⁣

But it doesn’t always feel that way, right?⁣

When we open our hymn books in church to sing the opening hymn, it’s oftentimes routine. ⁣

(Or time to try and keep your kids from tearing pages out of the book.)⁣

Yeah, yeah, opening hymn. It’s what we do. ⁣

But how would our congregations, and more importantly our own hearts, be transformed if we sang with joy and praise in our hearts?⁣

Singing without a care in the world?

My heaven is filled with a whole lot of singing. ⁣

“And they shall sing the song of the Lamb, day and night forever and ever.” (D&C 133:56⁣)

It’s not going to be somber when we see Jesus. ⁣

Reverence and praise work together!⁣

And I think the newest songs being added to our hymn book are encouraging us to realize that joy and reverence can go hand in hand.

Singing, with our hearts and souls and intent fully behind it, is a beautiful way that we WILL use to praise Jesus.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Does Jesus sing? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I usually kept things super high energy and busy on the first day, so that the kids didn’t have an option but to be engaged and get to know me. ⁣

And within just a few minutes, this particular student was already being defiant and apathetic. ⁣

So I made it a goal to say 5 positive, non-behavior-related comments to him each day. ⁣

⁣I complimented his shoes. I asked him what they did in P.E. today. I asked him to help me hand out pencils. He wrote a sentence about a movie when I had asked for a paragraph, and I talked to him all about my favorite parts of the movie. ⁣

He seemed surprised at first. ⁣

But he started to warm up to me. ⁣

Then, I slowly introduced private conversations about his behavior. ⁣

“Hey, I get that you were trying to be funny when you made that comment earlier, but it really derailed the entire class for a while. Could you help me out and save those kinds of comments til after class or when we have some free time?”⁣

And then, when he’d start to talk out in class again, I’d give him a little “knowing” look.⁣

He caught on. ⁣

Honestly, he was a good kid. He really struggled academically, but the behavior issues subsided to the point that they weren’t so disruptive. ⁣

I made A WHOLE LOT of mistakes while teaching. ⁣

But I never let a child leave my classroom without knowing that they were seen as a real human being, and that they were loved. ⁣

I LITERALLY thought of this scripture often, and even taught a training to my co-workers using this “saying that I once heard”…⁣

“Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;” (D&C 121:43⁣)

I now use this in my parenting all the time.

When the positive comments VASTLY outweigh the corrective or negative, no matter how many there are, there is a feeling of love and “I’m on your team”-ness. ⁣

God sees us as more than our mistakes, and I think He wants us to emulate that, too.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The defiant 6th grader first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Like literally, what do you picture in your head when you hear that phrase? ⁣

In some ways, this phrase is really big, and can encompass so many different actions.

But in other ways, this phrase is really vague and can easily not really translate to anything at all.⁣

That’s how I’ve felt for the longest time. ⁣

What does it really mean to “worship Jesus”? ⁣

This is why I love Section 93 so so so much. ⁣

Because we are being taught more about the Savior. ⁣

Not just what He did on the earth, although that is important (head to the New Testament for all those beautiful details).⁣

But we are learning more about who He is, and how He grew, and what He is really really like. ⁣

We learn new titles for Him, we learn about different roles that He has played, and we learn about the power that He holds. ⁣

And SO MUCH MORE.⁣

Why are we learning so much about Jesus?⁣

In D&C 93:19, the Lord Himself tells us why in some of the most plain wording: ⁣

“I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness.”⁣

Through studying these words, we learn HOW to worship, and we learn WHAT we worship when we worship the Savior. ⁣

The more we get to know Him, the more natural it is to worship. ⁣

For me, the more I know about His nature, His involvement, His power, the more I see Him everywhere. ⁣

In the physical world around me, yes. ⁣

But also in the small little miracles, the fun moments between friends, the magical moments with a child. ⁣

My worship becomes gratitude, love, passion, music, prayer, happiness, and service. ⁣

So if your mind drew a vague blank when I asked what it looks like to “worship Jesus Christ”…⁣

Studying Section 93, in addition to any time we learn more about our Savior, can teach you. ⁣

It can teach you who you are worshipping, and how to do it. ⁣

Because the more we learn about Jesus, the better we can worship Him. ⁣

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

No weapons.

The Anti-Nephi-Lehies were walking out onto the battlefield completely defenseless, knowing what was inevitably coming.

And what did they do as they walked to almost-certain death?

⁣They began to praise God.

“The Lamanites saw that their brethren would not flee from the sword. . . but that they would lie down and perish, and praised God even in the very act of perishing under the sword.” (Alma 24:23)

They praised God even in the very act of perishing.

Even as they anticipated death, their hearts were still communing with God in gladness and peace.

What an impressive but important feat–

To be able to praise God at all times completely independent of what we are going through.

To praise God even when life is falling apart.

To praise God even when we have hit our emotional limit.

To praise God even when we are frustrated.

Why does this matter?

Why would this be a goal for us— to be able to praise God at all times?

Most importantly, God deserves all the praise because of who He is.

The more I learn about God, the more I naturally praise Him and His Goodness.

I’ve also learned that praising and worshiping can be for our benefit.

Pondering about the goodness of God, feeling gratitude for Him, and being filled with reverence and joy ultimately brings us peace, joy, and happiness completely independent of what we are enduring.

We too can do as these brave soldiers did long ago and choose to praise God at all times, even if we are in the very act of perishing.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Praise while perishing  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I felt both embarrassed and frustrated.

I felt embarrassed for putting all the effort into running a campaign, making stickers, and giving an enthusiastic speech in front of the entire school.

And I felt frustrated that no one (or not enough people at least) could see the value that I would bring!

I thought that I truly was the best person for that position, but that I hadn’t been able to convey that to everyone.

Lehi shared a prophecy about Joseph Smith.

The Lord said, “And I will make him great in mine eyes.” (2 Nephi 3:8)

I can’t help but think–

Whose eyes do I want to be great in?

I learned early on that I can’t count on being seen as “great” in the eyes of my peers.

(For the record, I had an amazing group of friends in high school and I ended up taking another student government position that year.)

But I have to almost EXPECT to be underestimated.

We may not always be viewed as someone awesome at school, at work, in our community, in our wards, and even in our families.

We might have a kid who doesn’t win “student of the month”, gets cut from the team, or struggles in a class.

But whose opinion matters the most?

I’ve slowly learned that other people’s perceptions actually have nothing to do with who I really am.

I mean, it is always a good idea to be kind and try to make friends.

To serve and to love.

But when we decide that God’s opinion of us is all that matters, we can gain clarity on how to truly be a “great” person in God’s eyes!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post I lost the election first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

These people are funny at the right times.

They speak their minds in dramatic and eloquent fashions.

Every conversation is meaningful. ⁣

Misunderstandings only happen if they have a purpose, and they always get joyfully resolved in the end.

But real-life, without a team of paid writers scripting our every word, is messy!

We have complex emotions.

We are awkward.

We think of great “comebacks” in the shower two days later.

We say things that sound good to us but make no sense to others.

We offend people when we don’t mean to.

James points out that only a perfect person would be able to actually control their tongue to the point that no one would ever take offense. ⁣

“Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!” (James 3:5)

Our imperfect language can have big effects.

So how am I trying to use my awkward and unrefined words?

Am I lifting my family members and loved ones?

Am I criticizing and nagging?

Those are the decisions I can control.

“Our words, like our deeds, should be filled with faith and hope and charity, … so desperately needed in the world today.” -Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

I want to actively choose as much good as I possibly can.

My words can make a huge difference in the lives of the people I love.

So I want the scale to be fully tipped towards positive and uplifting words as much as I can.

I may not have a script writer, but I can partner with God to create and author as much goodness as I am able.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post This isn’t a TV show! first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Almost every time that I get really frustrated with my kids, it’s because I’m trying to do something else at the same time.

I’m trying to make dinner, but they keep needing me to open and close colored markers every single second.

I’m trying to text back a friend, but they need help getting in and out of dress up clothes.

I’m trying to read an article I saw online, but they keep getting into an argument with each other.

When I’m completely focused on being with my kids and not trying to do anything else, everything is so much better.

I’m able to be in the moment with them.

I catch and stop the arguments before they even start.

I’m happy to help them because I see the needs that they have.

Now, the conclusion isn’t to just be 100% focused on my kids’ desires constantly, because that is not realistic in life!

But I have been intentional in trying to create more moments throughout the day where I am completely focused on them.

Not trying to do something else at the same time.

No multitasking.

Just focused on them.

As we finish our three week study of the Psalms, I can’t help but notice the spiritual connection, too.

“Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord.” (Psalm 150:6)

Praising the Lord requires putting away the to-do list.

Pushing back my mortal exhaustion and distraction.

Valuing connection over productivity.

So I’ve also been trying to make more one-on-one time with the Lord.

Completely focused on Him.

Feeling awe and reverence and respect.

Singing.

Creating.

Pondering.

With nothing else going on.

It’s difficult.

It’s not easy to choose to do something that will not get me any closer to a cleaner house, a more organized life, or a shorter to-do list.

But it’s always worth it. It’s beautiful. It’s connecting.

It’s divine to praise the Lord.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Praise over productivity first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

As I stood a little bit speechless on the doorstep with chaos behind me and a husband who still wouldn’t be home for a couple of hours, she said:

“I felt a prompting that you needed dinner tonight, and I just had to act!”

I graciously accepted the meal, thanked her profusely, and held my tears back until the door had shut.

I wanted to feel embarrassed that I hadn’t even started thinking about dinner yet, but I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude and love.

The sister who brought the dinner had redirected all the credit I wanted to give her to the Lord, and that made a big impact on me.

She didn’t want any of my praise that I tried to give her.

She was just following through on what I know to be one of her spiritual gifts— acting immediately and confidently on promptings.

In Joseph’s time, everyone was starting to recognize him as the dream interpreter.

The butler and the baker learned about him in prison.

And now the pharaoh was learning about his skill, too.

But each time that someone tried to label Joseph as the one who could interpret dreams, he was always quick to point out:

“It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” (Genesis 41:16)

God was the one giving Joseph the ability to do this.

I love two things about this:

First, that Joseph recognized where his gift came from.

But secondly, that he seemed to point this out to other people, too!

I think most of us know that we should be showing gratitude to God for our gifts and talents.

We try to redirect our minds to give God credit and to show how grateful we are.

But how often do we mention that to others?

YOU may know that your gifts come from heaven, but do other people know that you know that?

What a sweet and simple way to bear testimony.

The woman who brought me dinner wasn’t making me feel her love.

She was helping me to feel God’s love.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Gratitude and credit to the Lord first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.