Gwen Shamblin: Skinny for Jesus

[SilverBeach]

https://www.reddit.com/r/nashville/comments/819qom/has_anyone_had_encountersexperiences_with_remnant/?sort=new

 

[SJWaterford]

37 minutes ago, RFSurvivor_2 said:

That in itself is a big issue and is currently / actively in the crosshairs of Joe and Gwen. Right now they are trying to gain full custody of Joe’s daughter so they can fully integrate into the cult. Joe’s ex-girlfriend, the child’s mother, is fighting tooth and nail to keep her child from those lunatics. Unfortunately because of the legal power Gwen has and the connections she has maintained till this day, it’s looking like white the uphill battle.

I am extemely concerned for that poor child.

Well she needs an army of angels like y'all right now. I think you probably know how to go about  contacting her if you want to. 

[luv2laugh]

1 hour ago, RFSurvivor_2 said:

That in itself is a big issue and is currently / actively in the crosshairs of Joe and Gwen. Right now they are trying to gain full custody of Joe’s daughter so they can fully integrate into the cult. Joe’s ex-girlfriend, the child’s mother, is fighting tooth and nail to keep her child from those lunatics. Unfortunately because of the legal power Gwen has and the connections she has maintained till this day, it’s looking like white the uphill battle.

I am extemely concerned for that poor child.

That’s horrible! Can Gwen actually have power to influence custody??? How?

[sajetime]

1 hour ago, RFSurvivor_2 said:

They were brothers to me, @sajetime. To say that you don't blame Remnant is spoken out of ignorance and not understanding the intricate details, and the overall picture as to what led them to where they are now. Remnant Fellowship has a huge part to play in this.

Absolutely I am ignorant of the situation; I was never a church member. As I’ve said, I took classes and visited once, but I claim no personal knowledge of such things.

What I do have is experience with addiction. We ultimately are responsible for our own actions. When I said I don’t blame Remnant, I’m saying no one can fully be held liable of the actions of another. 

I’m not excusing Remnant’s role. 

I’m sorry for your loss.

I didnt mean to touch a nerve or open a wound.

And I’m on your side.

 

[SJWaterford]

29 minutes ago, luv2laugh said:

That’s horrible! Can Gwen actually have power to influence custody??? How?

What Gwen has is money and resources that the rest of us probably don't have. She has this following of people who worship her and will do just about anything for her. ANYTHING FOR HER! Joe has zero money so she' paying for everything. He was a handyman as of late(registered online). Now he drives her nice cars, has a new lawyer, his momma has a new house, ect. 

[RFSurvivor_2]

47 minutes ago, sajetime said:

Absolutely I am ignorant of the situation; I was never a church member. As I’ve said, I took classes and visited once, but I claim no personal knowledge of such things.

What I do have is experience with addiction. We ultimately are responsible for our own actions. When I said I don’t blame Remnant, I’m saying no one can fully be held liable of the actions of another. 

I’m not excusing Remnant’s role. 

I’m sorry for your loss.

I didnt mean to touch a nerve or open a wound.

And I’m on your side.

 

Understood. Thank you very much for clarifying and I sincerely apologize if I was abrasive. It’s indeed a touchy subject, and I am still dealing with a few issues in regards to that situation. Overall, I do appreciate your insight, what you have shared and what you will continue to share about this subject matter, the church and your overall experience.

You, myself and many others in this forum have taken in Gwen / RF’s taint. The fact that we are here today talking about it and sharing our experiences is such a testament to how far we have come and how we gotten to the mental, emotional and physical place where we can share said experiences.

Keep fighting and contributing @sajetime, @RFsurvivor And I appreciate you!

[luv2laugh]

21 minutes ago, SJWaterford said:

What Gwen has is money and resources that the rest of us probably don't have. She has this following of people who worship her and will do just about anything for her. ANYTHING FOR HER! Joe has zero money so she' paying for everything. He was a handyman as of late(registered online). Now he drives her nice cars, has a new lawyer, his momma has a new house, ect. 

Interesting... do you know why articles say they lived in a 5,000 sq ft sprawling mansion in expensive Brentwood TN? Maybe Natasha bought it?

[Mrsquigs]

Thank you so much for all those answering questions.

I have a random question... does Gwen do her own hair, make up, dressing or does she have a “glam squad”? I cannot imagine how long it would take to do that hairdo.

Does anyone know if she has assistants?housekeepers?

It seems every area of her existence is indulgence.... except food.

I know it was touched on earlier, but do any of the former members have children that attended any church type activities? I have listened to several YOU CAN OVERCOME episodes and it seems like the kids are excelling in life, like graduating early with 52 college credits, being impeccably groomed, making the wisest decisions, constantly seeking parents guidance, etc. what is it like to raise teens in such an environment.

[artdecades]

16 hours ago, luv2laugh said:

Does Gwen plan on announcing her engagement? Will she hold a huge bash like she does for all members? 

Also curious. I looked him up and yes, he was previously married and articles mentioned children.

The new marriage doesn’t look good for her brand which touts young, lavish, and everlasting marriages.

Since when does that matter to fundie cult leaders? See also: Bill Gothard

[RFSurvivor_2]

3 hours ago, luv2laugh said:

Interesting... do you know why articles say they lived in a 5,000 sq ft sprawling mansion in expensive Brentwood TN? Maybe Natasha bought it?

The mansion is called Ashlawn. This mansion has been used a LOT for WD and RF events for decades now. She gets to keep the mansion after the divorce.

Fun Fact: She renovated a massive portion house a decade or so. She shadily used free child labor and “volentrers” from RF. She also used (abused) funds and resources from Weighdown as well as Exodus Industries (her contracting company).

[nastyhobbitses]

This diet plan just sounds like that bit in The Devil Wears Prada where Emily Blunt says "well, I don't eat, and then when I feel like I'm about to faint, I eat a cube of cheese!...I'm just one stomach flu away from my goal weight"

Also, as much as I make fun of Gwen for looking like a Dolly Parton impersonator had a threesome with a Troll Doll and a Bratz Doll and being an insane narcissist who wishes she was royalty, I could easily see myself falling into this diet. I intentionally drank untreated water when I lived in China so I'd get diarrhea and lose more weight. I eat healthy and my meal plan is varied, balanced, and delicious, but I feel guilty about even having one cheat day a week. I could totally see myself doing this diet because right now I'm between a 0 and a 2 in US sizing (depends on the designer) and I want to be a zero in everything. 

[Ozlsn]

18 hours ago, WorseThan1Thinks said:

They have been streaming their services for years and years for members who don't live near Brentwood (or those who aren't losing enough weight and asked to watch from home). 

I am curious - do they have many 'away' members? How about non-American members? This cult feels very American to me, but of course that may not be a barrier.

[Truth sets you free]

4 hours ago, Ozlsn said:

I am curious - do they have many 'away' members? How about non-American members? This cult feels very American to me, but of course that may not be a barrier.

I think they do - they have some international members from South Africa, UK, Canada, etc...they stay connected through the webcast and their multi social media apps.

[RFSurvivor_2]

4 hours ago, Ozlsn said:

I am curious - do they have many 'away' members? How about non-American members? This cult feels very American to me, but of course that may not be a barrier.

They have hundreds all across the world. They have at least one member in over 30 states in the U.S, and a lot of international members as well. The overall population of the church has to be in the high 3000’s if not, it may have already breached 4000.

[SJWaterford]

14 minutes ago, RFSurvivor_2 said:

They have hundreds all across the world. They have at least one member in over 30 states in the U.S, and a lot of international members as well. The overall population of the church has to be in the high 3000’s if not, it may have already breached 4000.

When you drive by the church, I sometimes wonder it they are violating the fire code because there are so many cars there and the building doesn't really look that big. 

[RFSurvivor_2]

4 minutes ago, SJWaterford said:

When you drive by the church, I sometimes wonder it they are violating the fire code because there are so many cars there and the building doesn't really look that big. 

They most certainly violate codes during festival times. The church isn’t usually at max capacity during regular church days, however they cut it close.

[Truth sets you free]

2 minutes ago, SJWaterford said:

When you drive by the church, I sometimes wonder it they are violating the fire code because there are so many cars there and the building doesn't really look that big. 

Me too!  on the webcast, the room looks packed and there is standing only at the back.  Plus another room for viewing that is full.  Plus a weird platform thing on the side for the kids to sit on.  I think they may be close to breaking fire code...

[sajetime]

16 hours ago, RFSurvivor_2 said:

That in itself is a big issue and is currently / actively in the crosshairs of Joe and Gwen. Right now they are trying to gain full custody of Joe’s daughter so they can fully integrate into the cult. Joe’s ex-girlfriend, the child’s mother, is fighting tooth and nail to keep her child from those lunatics. Unfortunately because of the legal power Gwen has and the connections she has maintained till this day, it’s looking like white the uphill battle.

I am extemely concerned for that poor child.

So am I getting this right: Gwen, who has always spoken out the importance of the family as a sub-unit of God's Kingdom...  is now divorced ... and marrying a man who had a child out of wedlock ... and who never bothered to marry his longtime baby mama?

[WorseThan1Thinks]

48 minutes ago, sajetime said:

So am I getting this right: Gwen, who has always spoken out the importance of the family as a sub-unit of God's Kingdom...  is now divorced ... and marrying a man who had a child out of wedlock ... and who never bothered to marry his longtime baby mama?

Yes, that's correct.  Don't forget about her 'courting' Joe before her divorce was even finalized on June 21, 2018.

And that's just scratching the surface.  This thread is great, but is just scratching the surface of how this cult operates, how many lives have been horribly affected and how many families have been torn apart.

It's worse than one thinks.

[FeministShrew]

Someone should edit Joe Lara's Wikipedia page to reflect his engagement to the Cryptkeeper. It's scrubbed pretty clean right now.

[RFSurvivor_2]

1 hour ago, sajetime said:

So am I getting this right: Gwen, who has always spoken out the importance of the family as a sub-unit of God's Kingdom...  is now divorced ... and marrying a man who had a child out of wedlock ... and who never bothered to marry his longtime baby mama?

This is 100% correct.

The kicker? Baby mama is 100x more attractive (physically) than Gwen. I know that physical beauty isn’t the primary factor here, however it definitely raises more questions.@RFsurvivor and I are baffled, simply baffled.

I strongly believe Joe has alternative motives for marrying Gwen.

[luv2laugh]

No, it's actually true that Joe Lara and his ex lived in a 5,000 sq foot mansion in Brentwood, TN. It was discussed in a public article and its information is public online. I am assuming it is his ex that owned and bought it since people are saying Joe didn't have money?

[Florita]

Joe's ex, actress Natasha Pavlovich, has been fighting for custody since 2016 and is trying to get the judge in the case removed: http://www.judgesharonguffee.com/natasha.html

Is Sharon Guffee part of RF? Or Joe's lawyer Dana McLendon?

Found this from Feb. 2012, but I can't find the article:

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

[luv2laugh]

I can't believe that she was evicted from house.

[Florita]

1 hour ago, RFSurvivor_2 said:

I strongly believe Joe has alternative motives for marrying Gwen.

Let's see:

He's an actor and she stages elaborate productions of weddings and other events. As well as producing a copious amount of videos.

He's a wannabe singer/songwriter and she owns recording facilities and forces people to listen to what she produces.

He wants fame and she has a captive audience.

In return she gets to appear younger and more attractive (therefore more relevant) with him hanging on her arm and she can exploit his talents to promote herself.

It's a sick win-win.