Conversations with God

Conversations with God

I asked three teens from our In-Flight youth group to share their thoughts about Conversations With God. Their insights are shared here.

"I like to play with my dollhouse, because it makes me really happy when I'm sad," says four year-old Mari in response to my bundle of questions, of which included," What do you do to make yourself happy when you're sad?" and, "how does it make you feel, calm or excited?" This, like many of the other answers I might have received from other younglings, astonished me mostly because it is something we all simply do, a universal reaction to certain situations that could be uncomfortable or different. We, as people, tend to turn to our favorite activities when faced with difficult tasks. Upon finding the topic, Listening and Having a Conversation With the Voices of God, I immediately asked for some answers from the children, whom I like to think of as the Wise-Ones because all questions we may have can almost always be answered by them. So, in Mari's case, I see her 'playing with the dollhouse' situation as a sort of initial invention of how she perceives life to be, or how she would like it to be. In some other activities we may include ourselves in for enjoyment or to change a mindset, I can see this in play as well. So I see this as the Universe, or God, or Spirit, or however you prefer to title It, speaking directly to me, and listening, I can receive some of the answers I desire.
-Kaylee Allen

This Wednesday I attended a Wednesday Wisdom concert with my mom and had an out of  mind and out of body experience. I attended a Anton Mizerak concert with soothing sounds of nature and stories about his journeys in nature and becoming one with the universe. His music inspired me to just stop throughout my everyday life and to just listen to the sounds around me and breathe.  Mizerak told the group about his music-making process and how songs come to him through the birds, the trees rustling in the wind and the weather.  We learned chants which led in to a powerful visualization/meditation that Mizerak guided us the whole way through. As I was meditating to the beautiful music I had an eye-opening realization. I realized that all of his songs and chants were voices speaking to me from the universe and that I was really listening to God through the music that Mizerak was singing.  At the end of his concert all I could think was Wow! It was almost a "what just happened" kind of moment. On the way out of the center my mom and I bought one of his CDs that is full of peace, relaxation, healing, and overall the voice of God.
-Katie Isola

Some people, like my friends, may find it strange, but I spend a lot of time talking with adults. I love it! I like the different maturity levels, the different types of humor, and the diverse varieties of advice that they all have to offer to teens, like me. So when I talk to my best friends' mother, Octavia Tuohey, we have some really hysterical conversations, and then some really deep ones, too. We talk about her son and daughter, Grace and Gabe (my friends), and how they used to express themselves as small children. She says, "From the time my kids could talk I knew they were old souls. Gabe is a little autistic, and sometimes he used to mentally go somewhere else when he was bored or sometimes just when he wanted to. So when he was little I used to ask him ,'When you go away little bit where do you go, and why can't I go with you?' And he responded with, 'Anyone can go there. It's my special place I go whenever I want to. Everyone has a little autism like me, just in a different way. Anyone can go if they want.' And that just made me so proud to know that he knew the truth. Even though some people think autism can be really bad, he reminds me that everyone has that part of them that may be apart of some bigger power; a power that we can't comprehend." From the time I met Grace, Gabe and Octavia I knew that they each had something to teach me. They taught me the true meaning of brotherhood and sisterhood, and friendship. Octavia also told me of Grace's godliness. "I used to take Grace and Gabe with me everywhere. One time I took them to see one of our friends. I never told them though that she was sick, she had a tumor in her brain, and she wasn't doing very well. So I was talking with my friend and I stopped to do something that called me into the other room, but I quickly returned to see that Gracie had her hand on the woman's forehead. Grace told me that she had an 'Ow-y!' on her head and she could feel that it was hurting her. I know that Gracie has an ability that is really special, and the fact that she was using it at a very young age really amazed me! I am so blessed to have my twins! They are sooo talented!" When Octavia told me this I couldn't help but think that this was God in action. And when Pattie said that the theme was Voices of God I thought of Octavia telling me these beautiful things. Octavia is the voice of god, as are her children, as am I. And I am absolutely grateful to know that.
-Karyssa Allen