SID: So in 1998, Karen, she moves back home, not because she just wanted to be home, but God told her to move back to a little town in Alabama with 6000 people. And then God shocks her. What did He tell you to do?
KAREN: I had been there about two weeks. I was driving through the downtown area. I see all these young people at 1:30 in the morning sitting on the hoods of their cars. And all I can tell you is my heart was gripped at how purposeless they were. I thought to myself, they don’t know the real God and they don’t have a clue why they’re on the earth. And the Holy Spirit speaks to me and He says, “I want you to work with the youth of this community.” Well I began to explain to God why I was not the best person to work with young people. I told the Lord, “Number one, I’m too old and number two, I’m not cool, and number three, I’m way too busy in the ministry.” But Sid, he said one thing to me that He knew would hook my heart. He said, “But what you invest in the lives of other young people, you’ll reap in your children.”
SID: You know, God knew how to get Karen Wheaton. There’s probably nothing he could have said that would have affected her more. So she was obedient. Your first meeting you had seven young people. Today it’s grown to several hundred thousand have gone to the Ramp. Tell me, and this is the important thing, God made a promise to you. He said, if you would be obedient he’d take care of your children. So?
KAREN: What a wonderful promise, and He keeps his promises. I remember one time I had probably been working with the youth at that point to probably three years. My oldest daughter Lauren, at that point, was 18. She was 15 when I started. She was about 18. She went to her first year of college and she was involved with the youth thing we were doing. But when she got into her first year of college she became affected in a different way. I could tell something was changing because the music in her room changed, and it’s not allowed in our house. Then there was strife between she and I, and that doesn’t work. Come to find out, in her off time at school she had encountered a young man that was quite interested in her, singer, incredible singer, who actually had a band that was signing a contract with a very significant secular contract. And little did I know, Lauren, my daughter was going around to these clubs to hear this young man sing.
SID: Because of time would you just give us the bottom line.
KAREN: She brings the young man eventually to the youth center that we had, where the young man, instead of going into secular music, ends up being saved, filled with the Holy Ghost, becomes the worship leader at the Ramp and is now a worship leader at IHOP in Kansas City.
SID: You know what? I want you to see her young people because it is contagious. I’m telling you that every…Karen has had a lot of valleys. She’s had a lot of big mountains to climb. But for every mountain, God’s there. I want you to hear Karen, “All You Got For Every Mountain”.
KAREN [music, singing]: That’s why I’ve got to praise you, Lord. It’s so this I knew, grace, Jehovah Jireh. You’ve been my provider. So many times, you’ve met my need. So many times you’ve reached out. Oh God have mercy for the mercy, for the mercy. I would praise you. This I knew, praise. You know, there’s so many reasons right now why I want to praise you. But most of all when I remember the mountain, you brought me over. Lord every trial you saw me through. You turned the trial to a blessing. Hallelujah. It was for this I have to come to Chattanooga, Tennessee to give me praise and to sing for every mountain, for the mountain you brought me over and for every trial, for the trial you saw me through. For every blessing I sing Hallelujah….
