Rooted & Rising: Growth from the Greenhouse

About Faith Beyond Abandonment

• E's Greenhouse • Season 1 • Episode 5

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The wounds of abandonment run deep. When Stephanie's father walked away from their family to chase wealth and status, she was left questioning her worth and value. His choices eventually landed him in prison, leaving a trail of destruction that seemed beyond repair.

Yet God had other plans. Through years of faithful prayer, Stephanie asked not only for her father's salvation but for her own heart to forgive. The journey toward reconciliation culminated in a divinely orchestrated prison visit that showcased God's attention to even the smallest details.

From a mysterious promise on the airplane—"Enjoy the view"—to finding herself unexpectedly surrounded by worship instead of worldly comforts, God prepared Stephanie for the emotional reunion ahead. The breathtaking vista of Garden of the Gods that greeted her the morning of the visit wasn't just scenery; it was a tangible reminder of God's presence and promise.

The prison visiting room became holy ground as Stephanie witnessed her father's genuine transformation. What started with an awkward greeting ended with a heartfelt embrace that years of separation couldn't prevent. Most precious was the supernatural gift Stephanie had prayed for—the ability to truly forgive. Their relationship was redeemed in ways only God could orchestrate, proving that no situation is beyond His redemptive power.

This powerful testimony reminds us that persistent prayer avails much, even when answers seem delayed. God specializes in redeeming what looks utterly broken, pulling us from pits of despair and setting us on solid ground. For anyone carrying the weight of rejection or unforgiveness, Stephanie's story offers hope that God is working behind the scenes, bringing beauty from ashes and restoration where it seemed impossible. Surround yourself with truth-speaking community, and never cease praying for those God has placed in your heart.

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Denise Jackson:

Okay, it's on, but we're just having a conversation so it doesn't matter. Okay, Hi, stephanie Cullen, I'm so glad to see you today. Are you doing good? I am. I'm so thankful you decided to have a conversation with me today. It sounds like God's been really working in your life and doing some big things, right.

Stephanie Colon:

Oh yes, I mean he's never late, we'll say that you think you're going through a trial and then, when it comes to an apex, he definitely shows up.

Denise Jackson:

Yeah, he does. We both love him. We love to praise. That's one of our favorite things to do right Last night. So good, it was so good.

Stephanie Colon:

That was so funny. It's so amazing to be there in praise and worship and then to be so in it and then, opening my eyes and seeing you gone, I thought for sure you were raptured. You were on your knees and I love that. But that was beautiful. I love it, thank you.

Denise Jackson:

You know, I am so thankful that we have the ability to just let go and be in our father's presence. Um, I think it's really hard for a lot of people to just praise him and forget what the world thinks well, yeah, they're embarrassed or they see someone, and you know it's funny.

Stephanie Colon:

when I was younger and I would see the waving of flags or people raising their hands, sometimes I would almost be embarrassed because I was so. But now I look at it and I'm like the freedom and the beauty of just showing your love for Christ. There's nothing embarrassing about it. You know, it's counted as joy, it's awesome.

Denise Jackson:

You know, we think like we're too grown up for that. Except we do it at football games, which just blows my mind. We'll praise that for that. Except we do it at football games, which just blows my mind. We'll praise that. Or basketball games We'll praise those teams and not even worry about it, not feel foolish.

Denise Jackson:

But to be little children with our Abba is something that is so good for our spirits. We carry weight during the day. We carry our families, we carry our jobs, we carry our jobs. We carry all that stuff but, like when we get to just lay it down with our daddy, it's a big deal, it's everything. Yeah, you have a story about daddy and physical and you know my father has died and a lot of stuff did not get settled before he did, because he disappeared to Guatemala. I didn't know where he was. I mean, we knew he was in Guatemala somewhere. We really didn't know where he was and for a long time I had a lot of anger towards him for some things in my life. So I feel like it's such a gift that you've been given to see the fruit of what you've been praying for for your daddy.

Stephanie Colon:

Yeah.

Denise Jackson:

To just have a conversation like we're having today. I mean so good for us.

Stephanie Colon:

The closure and the joy that I have now. The gift that God gave me, yes, it's something that's invaluable. It's something that's invaluable I mean he gives us blessings every day, but the prayer I had for my dad for years because of his sinful actions against my mom and our family and basically just walking out on all of us and just without a care.

Denise Jackson:

So being abandoned is like one of the worst things that we have to walk through in our life, and that's why we all really need to know that our god never, ever, abandons us, because people will, they will, they will leave, they will give up and um, we don't control that, it's not our choice, right, but it's almost like he does refine you in the fire.

Stephanie Colon:

Yeah, so it's like my dad did that, but god is my father, yeah, you know. So it brought me closer to him and reliant on him that's right and brought me stronger in my prayer life and the prayers I prayed for my dad.

Denise Jackson:

He honored those yes, yes, he fulfilled them. That's awesome and you got to see it. You got to see it in such a special way. I really want to ask you about how you were feeling when you got on the plane to go see your dad and your dad is in prison yes, he is and he was very. He had everything that the world could give you. He had everything that he thought he was going after.

Stephanie Colon:

Yeah, he was well known in Denver. He was. I mean, everyone in Denver knew who he was and he had lots of money and a big house and a family.

Denise Jackson:

So all the stuff, all the things that the devil Satan you know, just dangles in front of us and says, oh God doesn't want you to have that, and that's a lie too. But we choose the way we want to go. A lot of the time and your dad was choosing the way he wanted to go and going after those things, but then that changed and and I lost.

Stephanie Colon:

You know what? The consequence of sin for him was extreme, yes, and it was public and humiliating and destroyed a bunch of families and it came to a violent end and he went to prison for it and you know, it broke our hearts. But God has been healing that and God showed me some amazing things, especially when God worked on me for a while and then told me it's time to go see my father in prison me for a while and then told me it's time to go see my father in prison.

Denise Jackson:

So before that I just want to ask did you feel like his behavior?

Stephanie Colon:

reflected on you at any point. Oh yes, my value. How could he do that to us? And yeah, I didn't feel loved and I couldn't believe. I mean I felt bad for my kids and my mom. I mean it had destroyed everything and I definitely struggled.

Denise Jackson:

Yeah, it's just so hard. It's so hard to go through that rejection. I you know the rejection that they even bring on with their sin, because it feels like, okay, it's reflecting on me, is that who I am? Is that where I? I'm gonna go, you know, and it really shakes you up in and it has in a lot of ways, probably in your life. We won't talk about a lot today, but we're going to talk about this trip because the this was such a neat story that you just told me about god's faithfulness in the situation. So you decide you're going to make that trip.

Stephanie Colon:

You're on a plane.

Stephanie Colon:

By myself, and God gave me two visions One of Jesus literally sitting beside me and moving the curtain and letting me see a glimpse, a glimpse of heaven which, um, everyone describes it as indescribable when it is, but it's this, but this feels muted. Oh, that's super clear and beautiful and vibrant and, like I said, it's just not describable. But he, let me see it for a moment and um, and then later on in that trip, I just heard from him enjoy the view and I was like the one you just gave or something else, but I knew it was separate, it was a promise. It was a promise and he gives us promises, he just continues.

Denise Jackson:

I don't know why we get those special gifts along the way, maybe because our hearts really need to know, sometimes know more and then he just gives us these little gifts.

Stephanie Colon:

Well, it was a validation Because he preempted it on the plane, yes, and then when he gave it to me later, it made me cry because I was like you know you feel so loved.

Denise Jackson:

Yeah, I know, and we need to feel loved All of us out there, like the people who don't yet know him as Jesus, as their Savior and Father, as Abba and the Holy Spirit giving us the power and love and sound mind to live in the world and accomplish what he's called us to do. People don't know about that, and so they're just trying to make it on their own. I learned it just starts me because I couldn't do it. I couldn't do it in my own power. It is never going to be enough, and that's even what your dad found out, you know. He thought he could do it in his own power, sure, and thought he could just continue to do whatever his flesh desired, basically.

Denise Jackson:

So I just want to say to people who are thinking that that's going to continue forever you're being deceived, you are being lied to. There is Satan, there is demons. They are only trying to. There is Satan, there is demons. They are only trying to destroy you. They're only trying to destroy you. But God came, jesus came, that you might have life, and life abundantly. And in our lives, no matter what we go through, we have that life abundantly, and so I hope you're hearing this today and being encouraged, so tell me more about this.

Stephanie Colon:

So I get off the plane and I, you know it's dark, Everything's been delayed, you know, and by the time I get to the hotel which I had planned worldly ways of comfort, you know, I thought I was going to a really nice hotel with a nice restaurant and maybe a glass of wine or a massage, and that's not what I got.

Denise Jackson:

But it was so much better.

Stephanie Colon:

It was so much better. It really was. I hate to give you a preview, but it was.

Denise Jackson:

It was so much better.

Stephanie Colon:

And what's weird is I looked at the website and everything and I don't know why I didn't notice that, but so I parked it was so dark and finally made it to my lodge and when you get into the lodge it's two stories and you enter on the second story and it was all glass and I could hear worship and women candlelight, um, with their hands in the air, just singing to the lord, and the comfort, uh, I was overwhelmed and, um, I walked down to my room and I shut the door and I could still hear the worship and I just felt so loved and surrounded by him. You know, I got on my knees and worshiped with him and as I looked around the room, there was no TVs and it's a place where Billy Graham had really sewn into and you could call for prayer and go on prayer walks, and I was just blown away that he gave me the ultimate comfort, yeah, his comfort and he knew it he knew it all along my intentions and he was like no, ma'am yes, so you woke up the next morning.

Stephanie Colon:

I did um very early, um right as sun was coming up and as I walked out um. When he said enjoy the, he really meant it.

Denise Jackson:

It was beautiful. We don't have pictures. Maybe I'll add some pictures into this video, but it was amazing.

Stephanie Colon:

Yeah, I've never been to the Garden of the Gods. There's just a few red, incredible huge rock mountains. And he knows my heart Like he custom made that for me, because as soon as you walk out, you see that and the changing of the leaves and the grass that didn't even look real, and the bridges and the castle that I should I mean it was the view was just so you enjoyed the view. You obeyed him oh my goodness I was grateful and it was like I would have just been like this is really beautiful.

Stephanie Colon:

But since he preempted that on the plane, I was like thank you for loving me, like yes, yes, because you care about all the terms?

Stephanie Colon:

yes, he made sure every detail was taken care of so that you would be strengthened for this that day yeah and then I took that long drive about an hour and 45 minutes and worshiped and got to the prison and definitely intimidating yes, definitely intimidating, but he still put a woman there, a woman guard that spoke over me and held my hand and got me through it. And then, seeing my dad, it did start off a little, you know. He walked in and seeing him after two or three years was okay, there he is and he couldn't look at me at first.

Denise Jackson:

And you told me you hugged him and you hugged tight and he just patted you at first. What about at the end? Did you get a hug at the end? I did. Oh, christ God.

Stephanie Colon:

I didn't ask you that before, well you know, because the whole I'd planned on staying an hour but it took the full day. I was approved for the full day and through that God gave me the greatest gifts of my dad actually speaking the word over me.

Denise Jackson:

Because he has. He has found God in prison. It's a horrible place to be, and he told you a lot about that, right, but but your prayers were also. That was the view he wanted you to see too. You know is like here's your dad. I haven't forgotten, right, your prayer, the righteous prayers of the faithful prayers of a righteous woman, avail much, and I think that that's a word for us all is do not cease in praying, do not cease in doing good, because I have a plan. He has a plan and it's in his hands it's not in ours and he will make sure it's completed. And even to those tiny little details that you really needed right now, because you're going through some stuff, you're struggling and just trying to get through that, and your dad being in prison has just been a hard season, right yeah, it has.

Stephanie Colon:

But what was so beautiful in those hours was, you know, people can criticize or think it's just jailhouse faith, but it was real. God showed me all the things that I needed to see the emotion, the weeping, the knowledge, the treating me actually like his daughter, which he hadn't done, and just his love for me, not about his circumstance and um. He is relying fully on christ every day just to make it through.

Denise Jackson:

Um, and we know that now, when he dies, he is not done and he has work to do in that prison too well he does all those things that are gifts.

Stephanie Colon:

And actually god changed my heart um the morning walking into the prison because of all the things my dad had done. He gave me the thing I've been praying please let me forgive. Him changed my heart and he did, yeah. So there were so many gifts that day and it's even spoken. So leaving my dad that day, he couldn't even like let me go. The love, the forgiveness, everything was redeemed. I feel like it was one of the greatest gifts he's given me which reflects on the rest of my life. The other, if he's so present in that huge, huge trial, yes, and showed me so much, I have to know that he's redeemed the other trials in my life.

Denise Jackson:

So I love the word redeemed and I found so many scriptures lately about the pit that we are in a pit of nothingness without him. But he pulls us and I can just physically see him pulling because, with me at least, I was such a mess you know, I had my own mind this is a really gloried and being strong and doing my own thing and doing it better than my parents and doing you know all of that so he really had to drag me out of that cruddy pit and set me down covered in tar, and then he just cleans me off and puts all of that behind me. Yes, and behind him. Sorry, not me him.

Denise Jackson:

He puts all my sins behind him and to me, like it doesn't matter how we live. Our lives are to be light in dark places. How much darker can it be? So, really, because of your prayers for your father, he was redeemed. He was pulled out of a pit of darkness and put in a place where he could be a bright light and hopefully to people that go back into the world that have an impact too. And he will probably not know until it gets to heaven, but he will see that.

Stephanie Colon:

But who else could redeem a relationship after all that?

Denise Jackson:

and redeem the, the relationship between you two, yes, and I pray for your mom because I know that that's something she can't trust in that because she's lived through a lot of hardness right right and so that hardens us, it puts fractures in our heart, it it puts stones in our heart.

Denise Jackson:

So I just pray for her that, father, you would take every stone stony place in her heart and replace it with flesh and put those stones behind her in an altar so she can remember who did that glorious thing for her, and I pray that her later days would be greater than her former days. Um, you've redeemed her too from that pit, and thank you for doing that, father, in jesus name amen yeah, yeah.

Stephanie Colon:

So it's, yeah. I just love you know, and it's funny because not every day going forward is going to be amazing, but he gives us those times that now I can reflect back on that. It's just like you have to take that power that he gave you, that gift. You know all those blessings and remember them.

Denise Jackson:

Yeah, he says his name is present, that we know his name is present when we see his wondrous gifts. I just love that. That was my verse this morning when I was writing and I was like, really, lord, that is awesome and that's why we share our stories, that's why you're here today and I'm here today. When we share our stories of what God has done, his name is present. So for all of you, his name is a very present, present help in time of need. Whatever you're going through. If you already love the Lord but you're shaken right now, he is your strong foundation. If you're weak, he is your strength. If you're sick, he is your health and he will deliver you out of every adversity. I know that without a shadow of a doubt. I have seen his presence over and over and over and his name is with us. His name is Jesus. Jesus is present. He is present with us today. So one more thing, stephanie is there anything else that you just want to add that you want these girls to know when they're going through struggles?

Stephanie Colon:

Yeah, I mean I'll say this God has gifted us all with the community and girlfriends and people in our lives that can speak the word over us, and just the value in stepping up for your friends and it doesn't always mean for me. I have some friends that I get down kind of often when I'm going through trials and they speak the truth, um, and it's not always. It's like get up, daughter, he's given you gifts and you don't have to sit there and revel in the pain like you have. You have a choice and I love those friends that speak those, yes, those harder truths. Yes, the hard truths, yeah, but we're all together as women and I love how we love each other but I also want to leave with.

Denise Jackson:

The story of your dad was a story of standing in faith for a long time, not standing in that place where he was not having to live with the results of his sin in your life. You moved away from that, but you continue to stand on his word.

Denise Jackson:

Regardless of what he did, I pray regardless and you prayed, and prayer moves mountains, and we know that, and now you have the evidence of that too. So, even as you're going through things now in your life, you can rely on that never stop praying for those that god's put in your life, never, never stop praying. You certainly need to remove yourself sometimes, but he is the truth. He's the truth and he's the light, and that hope will never fail and I trust in that.

Stephanie Colon:

You do too, me too.

Denise Jackson:

Okay, girls, we love you. I'm Denise Jackson, Stephanie Coleman. We're so happy you joined us today. Have a great day. Okay, that was it. That was it.

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