Our Guest Karen Wheaton

Sid: I’m so intrigued with Karen Wheaton’s teen group called “The Ramp” that started with just 7 kids and now 1000’s have participated in this. And as I said to her I’m sure these young kids are really keeping her young.  Karen tell me how you taught them to be worshipers.  How did you do that?  Did you have a seminar? How did that happen?

Karen:  You know in the early days of working with these young people here in Hamilton, Alabama I had fallen in love with the Holy Spirit myself… when I was a young child and I experienced His presence and I knew that I didn’t exactly have a manual of how to work with young people but I did know the way to presence of God.  I thought you know I may not be cool in their eyes but if I can get them to His presence He will wreck their lives for Him like He did me.  And so I taught them that #1 that there’s a real God and Sid most church young people need to understand and believe and be taught that there is a real God.  Not a religious God but a real God who comes when we seek Him.  And those young people began to seek Him and He came.  How did they learn to seek Him, it’s kind of funny, I remember when I first met with them for prayer we’d join a circle and we’d join hands and I say “Now guy’s we’re going to pray, come on now I want you to pray with me.”  They all bowed their heads and said nothing, you would have thought that we were saying the blessing at the table.  Because that’s really the only prayer that they had been around.

Sid: But you know it’s not just young kids I believer that most Christian’s don’t know how to worship God.

Karen:  It’s sad but true Sid. I determined that day I’m going to pray like I want to hear them pray someday.  So with those kids in a circle with me I prayed with all of my heart and all of the awkward silence just the way someday I would want to hear them pray.  And if you were to come to the ramp today you would hear 100’s of kids roar in prayer and roar in worship.

Sid: Okay, I’m going to grab one of your hands right now and there’s someone listening to me that’s going to grab the other hand and we’re among those original 7 kids that you started with. For about 1 minute I want you to pray like you might have prayed at that time.  I want to hear that Karen.

Karen:  Father we give you praise that You are real and there is no God like You in Heaven or Earth.  We worship You that You are God and nobody else is.  Father we praise You that when we call on You You are not far away but You are near.  And when we pray You come, so come Holy Spirit, come among us and reveal yourself and reveal Your heart and reveal Your worship.  We declare Jesus that You are Lord, You sit high and You are holy and You’re eyes look upon us now and we declare out of our mouth right now that You are God and You are our God and Jesus You are Lord.

Sid: Now when 100’s of young kids are holding hands and praising God like that Karen I have to believe anything is possible.

Karen:  [Laughing] Well, let me tell you something.  When you call on Him He comes and does not disappoint a true seeker.  And what I found in this generation is they have a heart that are seeking for truth.  And He is what they are looking for.

Sid: Now tell me just briefly about the song “Taken It Back.”

Karen: “Taking It Back” is a song that is a word of encouragement that everything that Satan has taken from us through the Word of God we are able to recover it.  And maybe today you’re listening and maybe Satan has come into your home and maybe to take your children.  Maybe your kids have come out and left and gone into bondage and gone into rebellion, well it’s just the devils tough luck that God gave that son or that daughter to you, because you’re going to stand in faith.  You go to the door of your house today open the door or your house like I did and say “In the Name of Jesus I call my son and daughter back to truth and in the Name of Jesus I take back what Satan has taken from me.”

Sid: This is a warrior song let’s hear Karen Wheaton “Taking it Back.”