In Part 2 of our Reclamation series, Steve and Colleen Adams explore what it looks like to reclaim the parts of our story that were shaped by failure, shame, and consequences.

In this deeply personal episode, Steve shares the part of his story he rarely tells publicly — the collapse of a successful real estate business in the 1980s, federal fraud charges, and the prison sentence that followed.

For years, the weight of that chapter lingered quietly in the background of his life.

Then, decades later, God prompted him to do something unexpected.

Go back.

Together, Steve and Colleen returned to the federal prison camp where he served his sentence — not as an inmate this time, but as a man who had experienced redemption.

What happened there became a powerful moment of reclamation — a reconciling of past, present, and purpose.

This conversation explores:

How God redeems even the most painful chapters of our story

The difference between shame and redemption

Why consequences can become part of God’s restoration process

How wounds and failures can shape our calling

What it means to reclaim the life God originally intended

Reclamation isn’t about rewriting the past.

It’s about seeing how God was present in it all along.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Personal Background

02:16 The Journey of Reclamation and Writing the Book

04:12 Early Life, Success, and the Fall into Crime

07:21 Facing Charges and the Impact on Life

10:24 The Courtroom and Sentencing Experience

12:33 Returning to Prison and Reconciliation

15:54 Reflections on God's Mercy and Grace

18:39 Visiting Prison and Internal Reconciliation

22:37 The Internal Journey of Reclamation

26:17 Turning Point and Surrender to God

28:21 The Role of God's Word in Healing

29:37 God's Continuous Reclamation in Our Lives

What does it mean to reclaim the parts of yourself that trauma, shame, and pain taught you to hide?

In Part 1 of this two-part conversation on Reclamation, Steve and Colleen explore how Jesus restores what was lost through wounds, false beliefs, and spiritual fragmentation. Colleen shares deeply from her own story of abuse, abandonment, healing, and the reclaiming of the true self through Christ.

This is a conversation about more than pain from the past. It’s about the renewing work of God in the present—and the hope of restoration for the future.

Chapters:

00:00 Trauma, the true self, and the cost to our relationship with God
00:44 Welcome + introducing the Reclamation series (Embracing the Way)
01:59 War, current events, and the unseen reality of spiritual warfare
03:18 Defining reclamation: reclaiming what was lost in God, self, others, purpose
04:29 Reclaiming the Imago Dei + Joel 2:25 (“years the locusts have eaten”)
08:28 “Altar moments” + how healing unfolds over time
10:13 Fragmentation and “orphan parts” (IFS) through a Christ-centered lens
13:02 Colleen’s story: abuse, walls, and rejecting the vulnerable self
18:32 The “bitter root” memory + Jesus brings integration and healing
26:02 Why we don’t ignore the past: healing wounds without living stuck there

Jesus promises a white stone, hidden manna, and a new name known only to the one who receives it.

In this episode, Steve & Colleen Adams explore identity, healing, and what it means to “conquer” when competing voices are loud. Colleen shares her story of hearing God call her “Delightful” through trauma and reintegration; Steve shares how God restored his identity as a Warrior in a season of loss.

A deeply practical invitation to ask God what He calls you—and to live from it.

Chapters

00:00 – Why identity matters in marriage & community synergy

01:10 – Podcast intro + Episode context (Episode 27 throwback)

02:30 – Anchor Scripture: Revelation 2:17 (new name on a white stone)

03:10 – “The one who conquers” = resisting false identities

05:03 – Colleen’s checklist (and why the “new name” mattered)

07:45 – Colleen’s “Delightful” story begins

11:49 – Trauma, the false self, and burying the “little girl”

14:03 – Redeeming “Delightful” + how God uses our wounds in service

15:35 – Steve’s crisis season + Wild at Heart Boot Camp context

17:45 – The moment Steve asked God: “What is my name?”

19:05 – Ephesians 1 & Psalm 139: identity before performance

20:55 – Father wounds, distortion, and why brokenness comes first

22:12 – Dark night of the soul: surrender vs self-reliance

24:20 – Biblical name changes (Abraham, Jacob, Peter, Paul)

26:42 – Peter’s journey: living into a name over time

28:20 – Exposure, blind spots, and sanctification (especially in marriage)

29:29 – Chesterton + Spurgeon: we’ve forgotten who we are

31:30 – Living from your new name: purpose between “now” and eternity

33:30 – Identity creates synergy in marriage & the Body of Christ

34:44 – Performance, people-pleasing, and resisting the world’s box

37:09 – Identity as spiritual warfare + Gladiator illustration

40:05 – Pain can become the doorway to calling

41:35 – Practical invitation: surrender, ask God, silence other voices

43:12 – Blessing & closing