There’s always something I should be doing, right?⁣

I remember, after being in school for years, going straight to BYU, immediately getting a teaching job and teaching for 4 years, and then quitting…⁣

I suddenly had a newborn to care for, and nothing else to do. ⁣

Sometimes, the newborn took a lot of attention. ⁣

But other times, the newborn didn’t need anything while she napped for a long time, and I felt like there wasn’t anything for me to do. ⁣

No homework to finish, no lesson plans to write, no papers to grade… Just, nothing. ⁣

And I felt so guilty just doing nothing. ⁣

Was I supposed to organize my kitchen now? Redo the laundry room? Prep dinners? Scrub a toilet?⁣

I now look back and think: “Oh, I wish I would have enjoyed that more and just relaxed, guilt free!”⁣

But I still struggle with thinking that the only reason I can truly relax is because I don’t have anything on my to-do list. ⁣

But what happened during the Creation?⁣

“And the Gods concluded upon the seventh time, because that on the seventh time they would rest from all their works which they (the Gods) counseled among themselves to form; and sanctified it.” (Abraham 5:3)⁣

The day of rest was PLANNED. ⁣

It wasn’t just “Wow, we totally finished everything ahead of schedule! I guess we can take a day off to do nothing, since there isn’t anything else important to do!”⁣

It was deliberate— a day set aside for the ESSENTIAL purpose of rest. ⁣

What a concept. ⁣

So, if you are like me, and feel that weight of guilt that you always need to be doing something, let’s take a hint from the Lord God’s example: ⁣

Plan for rest.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Plan for rest  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I was working so hard to just do the bare minimum that was required of me. ⁣

By my second year, I felt like I could handle the basics better. ⁣

And so I started figuring out how to be an even better, kinder, more involved, and more effective teacher. ⁣

It’s not like I was a bad teacher my first year. I was good. My students liked me, their test scores were good…⁣

But I improved SO much each year that I taught. ⁣

And by the time I quit my job, I was an awesome teacher.

But, I still could have been even better and certainly would have improved more if I had stayed in the classroom.

The phrase that the Lord uses in the beginning of D&C 59:9 has always been powerful to me:⁣

“That thou mayest MORE FULLY keep thyself unspotted from the world…”⁣

It’s not a yes or no thing. ⁣

Just like it wasn’t “good teacher” vs. “bad teacher”, this isn’t a cut and dry “totally unspotted” vs. “spotted”. ⁣

It’s a spectrum of cleanliness. ⁣

And the Lord is effectively saying:⁣

Hey, do you want to move the needle on the spectrum even closer to ‘purity’? Do you want to become even more clean?⁣

Do you want to rid yourself from all the worldly grime that’s darkening your spirit?⁣

Then try keeping the Sabbath day holy even better. ⁣

It’s not like you’ll do it “right” or “wrong”— I just know that you can do it even better than what you’ve been doing. ⁣

And it’s going to add cleanliness to your life if you choose to do it. ⁣

What a cool message, right?!⁣

We are constantly invited to do just a little better.

Not that we were necessarily doing it “wrong” before, but more that He knows the blessings and extra peace that await us when we move the dial on that purity spectrum just a little bit more. ⁣

Whether it’s Sabbath day observance, or a different commandment that you are feeling pulled toward focusing on right now—⁣

I love that we can always find ways to become just a little bit more unspotted.

The post More fully unspotted  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Questions were flying everywhere!

“Well, does it count if I text them one month, as long as I see them in person the next month?”

“What if my person only wants to talk on the phone?”

“Ugh, I’m so confused on what ‘counts’ as a visit now!”

Isn’t life sometimes easier when someone tells you exactly what to do?

Although the strict rules that the Pharisees followed may seem like a burden…

These rules were likely comforting to them.

They just memorized the rules, checked all the boxes, and that was it!

They were officially good people because they checked all the boxes.

But Jesus was trying to teach them a higher and more sincere way of living the gospel.

He shared the same message that my sweet Relief Society president was trying to teach the women in our class that Sunday morning.

The Savior, speaking about the Sabbath day as an example, said:

“Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.” (Matthew 12:12)

My exasperated Relief Society president echoed the same message that morning: “Just do good things! Everything counts! Stop thinking so much about it!”

Just do good things!

Stop stressing about all the rules!

Whether it’s worrying about if an activity is appropriate for the Sabbath day,

Or if something “counts” as service,

Or if that was okay for scripture study for the day,

Turning to the Savior’s simple advice can help us stay focused on what matters most.

Just do good things!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Just do good things!  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

There’s always something I should be doing, right?

I remember, after being in school for years, going straight to BYU, immediately getting a teaching job and teaching for 4 years, and then quitting…

I suddenly had a newborn to care for, and nothing else to do.

Sometimes, the newborn took a lot of attention.

But other times, the newborn didn’t need anything while she napped for a long time, and I felt like there wasn’t anything for me to do.

No homework to finish, no lesson plans to write, no papers to grade… Just, nothing.

And I felt so guilty just doing nothing.

Was I supposed to organize my kitchen now? Redo the laundry room? Prep dinners? Scrub a toilet?

I now look back and think: “Oh, I wish I would have enjoyed that more and just relaxed, guilt free!”

But I still struggle with thinking that the only reason I can truly relax is because I don’t have anything on my to-do list.

But what happened during the creation?

“And the Gods concluded upon the seventh time, because that on the seventh time they would rest from all their works which they (the Gods) counseled among themselves to form; and sanctified it.” (Abraham 5:3)

The day of rest was PLANNED.

It wasn’t just “Wow, we totally finished everything ahead of schedule! I guess we can take a day off to do nothing, since there isn’t anything else important to do!”

It was deliberate— a day set aside for the ESSENTIAL purpose of rest.

What a concept.

So, if you are like me, and feel that weight of guilt that you always need to be doing something, let’s take a hint from the Lord God’s example:

Plan for rest.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Planning for rest 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.

“Let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy FASTING may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy JOY may be full.

“Verily, this is FASTING and prayer, or in other words, REJOICING and prayer.” D&C 59:13-14

To be honest, fasting has always been tough for me.

I’ve always obeyed and fasted on Fast Sunday, but I’ve known I’ve had a disconnect.

Here are my two takeaways that I’ve learned as I’ve tried to focus on finding the purpose and joy within fasting:

First, pray, pray, pray.

I love this pretty popular quote from Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, who said:

“Without prayer, fasting is not complete fasting; it’s simply going hungry.”

This is the first thing that has helped me find some JOY in fasting.

When I pray, specifically at the open and close of my fasting experience, I feel like my fasting has more purpose.

And my fasting has in turn elevated my prayers to feel even more genuine.

But here’s the other thing that has helped my fasting journey recently:

Really understanding that FASTING and FAST OFFERINGS have an inseparable connection.

I’m not gonna lie, I wasn’t super familiar with fast offerings when I started living on my own. I feel like it’s just not something we talk about a ton.

The Church Handbook states that:

“The Lord has established the law of the fast and fast offerings to bless His people and to provide a way for them to serve those in need.

“When members fast, they are asked to give to the Church a fast offering at least equal to the value of the food they would have eaten.

“If possible, they should be generous and give more.”

Remembering that my fasting and accompanying fast offering is also a way of taking care of the poor and the needy in my immediate community, those who may be fasting breakfast out of necessity and not out of commandment, has given me huge growth in my understanding of and love for fasting.

In fact, sometimes, it brings me true joy. 

If you feel like you’ve found joy in fasting, I’d love to hear it! What has helped you rejoice?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Getting real with fasting first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I was working so hard to just do the bare minimum that was required of me.

By my second year, I felt like I could handle the basics better.

And so I started figuring out how to be an even better, kinder, more involved, and more effective teacher.

It’s not like I was a bad teacher my first year. I was good. My students liked me, their test scores were good…

But I improved SO much each year that I taught.

And by the time I quit my job, I was an awesome teacher. But, I still could have been even better and certainly would have improved more.

The phrase that the Lord uses in the beginning of D&C 59:9 has always been powerful to me:

“That thou mayest MORE FULLY keep thyself unspotted from the world…”

It’s not a yes or no thing.

Just like it wasn’t “good teacher” vs. “bad teacher”, this isn’t a cut and dry “totally unspotted” vs. “spotted”.

It’s a spectrum of cleanliness.

And the Lord is saying:

Hey, do you want to move the needle on the spectrum even closer to ‘purity’? Do you want to become even more clean?

Do you want to rid yourself from all the worldly grime that’s darkening your spirit?

Then try keeping the Sabbath day holy even better.

Is not like you’ll do it “right” or “wrong”— I just know that you can do it even better than what you’ve been doing.

And it’s going to add cleanliness to your life if you choose to do it.

What a cool message, right?!

We are constantly invited to do just a little better. Not that we were necessarily doing it “wrong” before, but more that He knows the blessings and extra peace that await us when we move the dial on that purity spectrum just a little bit more.

Whether it’s Sabbath day observance, or a different commandment that you are feeling pulled toward focusing on right now—

I love that we can always find ways to become just a little bit more unspotted.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

I try to pay attention to little promptings, and I feel proud about every piece of writing that I post on my account.

I also have received countless messages where people have told me that something I wrote has been an answer to their prayers– some even in specific and dramatic ways.

I don’t say this to make myself sound awesome. In fact, I want to make a point about this–

I am not authorized to receive revelation for any of you.

I have not been set apart with priesthood power, nor have I entered into a priesthood covenant that gives me stewardship over any of you (unless my children or members of my Sunday School class are reading this). 

I AM grateful that Heavenly Father wants to answer your prayers and give many of you comfort, and that He sometimes uses the words that I write or speak in order to answer those prayers.

But I think it is super important to know who we have stewardship over– and who we don’t.

I LOVE that the Lord is so organized when it comes to how revelation happens in this church.

The Lord reminded Joseph and Oliver in Section 28:2 that “no one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., for he receiveth them even as Moses.”

So the prophet is the only person who can receive revelation for the entire church!

When I’m deciding whether or not an activity is appropriate for the Sabbath day, I can look to the prophet and other general leaders for their counsel.

And if there isn’t anything specifically about my situation, I can use my best judgment and personal revelation to make my decision.

And then I don’t have to worry AT ALL about what my neighbor chooses to do or not do on the Sabbath… because I don’t have any stewardship over them!

But I can help and guide my children on what we do on Sundays, because I do have stewardship over them.

And then I can be inspired with how to teach my Sunday School class about the Sabbath day in a way that might be an answer to their prayers. I have been set apart with priesthood power to teach them.

I think it is so important to know who we have stewardship over, and to help guide and teach those people.

And it’s equally important to know who we don’t have stewardship over, so that we can love and lift them where they are.

God’s house is a house of order.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Knowing our stewardship first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

P.S. If you have teenagers, check out THESE TIPS – or read my entire general Survival Guide HERE!

Solidarity to all of you who have had the thought, “No more nursery?!” or “No more primary?!” cross their minds recently. 

I’m a young mom with a 2-year-old and a 2-month-old, and I also have my degree in Elementary Education. I’ve run the @comefollowmestudy social media accounts since January of 2019, and also have my own site with all of my study thoughts each week. I know a fair amount about kids’ development, how to appropriately teach at each age level, and I have a huge passion for studying the scriptures.

And still, this is no walk in the park. 

But here are some tips that I have for making your new completely home-centered Sundays run as smoothly as possible. Some of these ideas come from my own experiences, and others have been crowd-sourced from my amazing followers on Instagram. Please, if you have anything else to add, comment below on this post, or head over to @comefollowmestudy and join the conversation!

Flexible Routine, NOT Rigid Schedule

Two super important words for young kids! 

First, make a routine. I recommend creating “blocks” of time. For example, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. we are doing “arts and crafts”, even though the hour might look like coloring for 5 minutes, drawing with chalk for 20, coloring a picture for 10 again, building a temple out of blocks for 15 minutes… you get the picture. Routines help little minds know what to expect, and they also give you as the adult some structure to work with. 

And second, be flexible. If “song time” is going great and your kids are rocking out to all of the Article of Faith songs over and over, then keep it going. If next week, “song time” runs its course in 10 minutes, don’t stress. You’ll lose their attention fast if you are trying to force something that they aren’t interested in right now. 

Make it Fun!

In my undergrad classes at BYU, I was taught that during the first week of school, I needed to have my students leave my classroom thinking, “That was such a fun class!” If I could get them to leave thinking that for the first few days, then I could throw in all the hard work and rigor I wanted to later, and they would buy into it because my class was “fun”. 

So find ways to make the Sabbath fun! Sundays do not have to be boring days. You might not want your kids watching the same shows or playing the same games they do on weekdays, so what can you offer to make the day more special instead of seeming like a chore?

Some ideas to make the day fun in appropriate ways:

• Church videos on YouTube or on the Church’s website
• Listen to Primary songs
• Listen to other Church songs on YouTube by current popular artists
• Delete their normal game apps for the day so they aren’t as tempting of an option
• Pull out board games or card games that might not be used as often
• Get some outdoor activities for your backyard that you don’t usually use or have time for
• Get new church-related or uplifting books

If “fun” is a theme of the day, then it’s a lot easier to get real “learning” in!

Let Them Help Plan!

Kids LOVE getting buy-in. During the week (or even on Sunday morning), ask them what they would like to do as Sunday-appropriate activities. You might be surprised at the good ideas they come up with! If they have some ideas that you don’t want to pursue on the Sabbath, keep it positive by telling them it’s a great idea for a Wednesday, and put it on your calendar if possible. This helps keep them feeling like their contribution is meaningful! 

For super young kids, giving them two choices is a fun way to still create buy-in (“Would you like to take a walk around the neighborhood, or read a picture book?”)

Give Them Jobs!

Along with getting their buy-in in the planning phase, get their help executing the plan, too! This can look completely different based on the ages of your kids, but can be really effective in keeping them engaged. 

For the older kids, have them help plan part of an activity. They can: 

• Cut out olive trees to use for a reenactment
• Learn how to read a few verses so they can read it out loud to the family
• Color visual aids
• Think of a personal story to share
• Come up with a fun game for the family to play in the backyard

For the younger kids, give them jobs during the activity to keep their interest. They can:

• Bring you supplies when needed
• Hold visual aids or props
• Act stories out
• Dress up for a story
• Repeat simple phrases over and over

Spread it Out!

Kids are usually most attentive in the morning to mid-morning. Consider:

• Activities or lessons that require more focus earlier on in the day
• Nap time or “quiet time” in the early afternoon
• More active plans for the later afternoon
• A church or uplifting movie for the evening 

Don’t feel like you need to cram all of the day’s activities into a two-hour block, just like church. 

Take the Wins, Ignore the Losses, and Don’t Stress

A million things will go “wrong”. Because that’s what happens when you try to work with little, developing personalities and maturities. 

But Jesus loved the little children, temper tantrums and all. Reframe the Sabbath as a way to just shower your kids with love while teaching them correct principles, and you can’t go wrong. Get them in the scriptures if you can. Bear your testimony in small and simple ways. Share personal stories that they can connect with. 

Make it a process that YOU enjoy, because this is your Sabbath day, too. 

Find time to reconnect with your spouse. To dive into the scriptures by yourself. Put that oxygen mask on yourself before helping others. 

I know, easier said than done with little ones. 

But when you make Christ a priority in YOUR life, it will naturally spill over into the way you interact with and teach your kids. This was my complete motivation behind starting @comefollowmestudy and it is what keeps me going. We’ve got to fill our own buckets first and feast upon the words of Christ. 

Have any more ideas for working with young kids on the Sabbath? Drop them in the comments below or head over to Instagram and share there! We are in this together.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Young Kids Edition: Totally Home-Centered Church Survival Guide first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.