Gwen Shamblin 8: Not Smart Enough to Think

[MamaJunebug]

On 7/22/2019 at 4:42 AM, AmazonGrace said:

God wants you to be super anxious all the time. If you relax and enjoy something Satan is winning. 

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Stay Alert…

July 22, 2019

by Gwen Shamblin Lara

0 Comment

We are warned many times to be alert. I am convinced that every one of us is supposed to have a raised consciousness. That is why our battles will be something different every day at different hours. We are not going to have the same exams. Yet satan is good at making us believe that we are okay and that there are not any battles. Or on the other end of the spectrum, he is described as the accuser of the brethren, and he makes us feel like failures and makes us want to give up. His tactics are to remain in the background and chip away at us on either end and have us lose the battle so subtly that we do not even know that we are in a battle, much less losing them—like a boat slowly drifting out to sea.

So, put on your Battle Armor, the war is raging! It is frightening to note that many people would never have thought that the very time of day they finally let down their guard and relaxed… the very time that they felt like they deserved to reward themselves with food (after all, they had had such a hard day) is the very time that they are to be awake, alert, on call, in the watchtower, looking for the enemy, and on their guard. The time that they have selected as an occasion to celebrate with food because something wonderful has happened, is the very time that they should be pensive and sober and on their guard. The time that they seemed bored with nothing to do and eating crosses their minds as a way to fill the day, is the time that they must be most prepared with a plan of action, active and busy with carrying out God’s will and resisting the desire to do their own will. The time that they finally think everyone has gone to bed and no one is looking is when the room might be full of demons to lie to them and secretly, skillfully tempt them. Yet wake up and see that God has sent a great crowd of Heavenly Beings cheering you on to victory and providing ways of escape. It is an invisible, daunting war that takes more lives than any war ever experienced on Earth.

 

 

Singular!  My still-Lutheran mind was nodding in agreement through the whole first paragraph — call it Saran or just bad energy, we *do* get pulled down by illegitimate doubts and self-hatred. 

But paragraph 2 goes way off the doctrinal line. We don’t look to the promises of strength and salvation thru Jesus - oh, no! - we eat and then we feel guilty so learn not to eat except when you’re actually hungry!

How empty, you should pardon  the expression. No Jesus, no hope in God.  Just, “do better.”

Well, heck, I’ve got basic self-help books for that.  Sure don’t need member$hip in Gwen’s club for that  

 

[throwaway9988]

On 7/21/2019 at 1:18 PM, SuperNova said:

If satan works through religious people, and those controlled by satan are undetectable, how can RF be sure that Gwen is not an agent of satan? 

Gwen has taught the Remnant a bible verse that a bad tree cannot bear good fruit, so you should look at the fruit to see if a church/preacher/etc is holy or is a false prophet. This is why Gwen and the Remnant are so obsessed with appearances, smiling, being cheerful and skinny: because they need to constantly show that they are producing good fruit, to reinforce amongst their members that Gwen’s teachings are good and more true than that of any other church. 

 

When faced with any legitimate criticism, many Remnant members’ go-to response is to plug their ears and repeat something to the extent of “don’t overanalyze things, just look at the fruit.”  What they mean is that any of Gwen’s wrong statements, or the hypocrisy of Gwen or other leaders, or really anything at all(!) can simply be ignored...because despite anything else, what Gwen says must be true as long as her message bears good fruit. 

 

To outsiders this seems ridiculous. Of course Remnant is bearing more bad fruit than good fruit. Look at the broken families, the constant anxiety over appearances and social standing, the arrests, the legal battles. The weight loss is obviously just them starving themselves, the debt reduction is obviously just a result of better social connections and personal responsibility, the answered prayers are actually just people desperately looking for meaning in coincidences and wanting to feel control in a chaotic world. But to the Remnant members, the constant testifying about blessings and good fruit serves to reinforce that what Gwen is teaching must be more true than what their old preachers were teaching.

[SuperNova]

17 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

A caterpillar essentially “dies” in its cocoon so that a butterfly can emerge. 

No Gwen, it doesn't essentially die. It's called metamorphosis. Even when the caterpillar is in a completely liquid state before transformation, it's still alive.

17 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

Every year we watch trees lose their leaves, appearing to die; yet they come back to life bigger and stronger than the year before.

Again, not death. This one is called hibernation.

17 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

Another symbol of life from death around us is the daily example of the long, cold night and the warmth of the morning sun rising again. We have to believe that the sun will rise again.

Here we learn that Gwen has trouble with object permanence. She "has to believe" that the sun will rise again. Spoiler: it will.

The level of stupid hurts. Gwen should stick to talking about the growl and the magnetic pull of her fridge. At least then she only sounds dumb instead of completely moronic.

[AmazonGrace]

7 hours ago, MamaJunebug said:

 

The seed “dies” in that it ceases to be a seed and becomes, instead, the sprout. 

Being able to bring forth new growth and change, to reproduce is pretty much baked into the very definition of life. 

Seeds are living cells, plant embryos, the same as a fertilized human ovum is  a human embryo. Christians can't simultaneously argue that viable plant seeds are dead because they have the potential to grow into a plant and that human zygote cells are sacred living persons because they have The potential to grow into a baby.

It just shows Jesus was no biologist and never played one on TV.

[Hane]

Just thinking here: We all know at least one person who’s naturally thin but can eat like a horse without gaining weight. Would such a person be allowed to continue their own natural eating habits (a Gwod-given exemption for the privileged status of being Thin + Holy), or would they have to make a huge show of potato-chip-licking and Diet Coke drinking?

[NarcissismKills]

Gwen Shamblin Lara, like all pseudo pastors, chooses Bible verses willy-nilly and uses them as suits her whims.  It's always a grave error to read completely out of context any quote of what someone has said. 

The words in John 12:24-26 being a direct quote of Jesus's words, it's doubly important to look at the context.  At the very least, the story starts at John 12:20-23 "And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.  Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified." This part of the story then winds up at John 12:32-33 "'And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all unto me.' This he said, signifying what death he should die."

To summarize, a couple of Greeks had come to meet Jesus while he was at a large gathering.  There were thunderous messages from Heaven at that time. Jesus explained that he knew he would die soon and that by dying he would gather the world's people to him and bring them to everlasting life. 

The leaders and members of the Remnant Fellowship cult are constantly throwing the name of Jesus Christ around in a shockingly cavalier manner and demonstrating on a daily basis how little regard they have for him.  It's the most hypocritical thing that they do. 

BTW:

Because translations are involved when we quote from any version of the Bible in English, it can be useful to look at one of the many online interlinear Greek/English Bibles.  Even someone without any training in Greek can really enjoy using these websites.

[MamaJunebug]

10 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

It just shows Jesus was no biologist and never played one on TV.

He never claimed to be. A poet and handy with the metaphors (and similes), however...!

Edited July 24, 2019 by MamaJunebug

[Alisamer]

10 hours ago, Hane said:

Just thinking here: We all know at least one person who’s naturally thin but can eat like a horse without gaining weight. Would such a person be allowed to continue their own natural eating habits (a Gwod-given exemption for the privileged status of being Thin + Holy), or would they have to make a huge show of potato-chip-licking and Diet Coke drinking?

I wonder this, too. My brother-in-law is thin as a rail, and eats at least every two hours. I've seen him take snacks for a 20-minute drive to go out to dinner. When going on vacation half his suitcase is food. Would he have to pretend to be only taking single bites of things? Is being skinny Godly enough, or is it the starvation that's important?

[AmazonGrace]

1 hour ago, MamaJunebug said:

He never claimed to be. A poet and handy with the metaphors (and similes), however...!

Handy with very very misleading metaphors.

Maybe it was lost in translation but calling seeds dead is plainly false.

Gwen thinks she gets things right:
 

Spoiler

 

Beautiful, Loving Conviction from the Holy Spirit

July 24, 2019

by Gwen Shamblin Lara

0 Comment

The Holy Spirit is a free gift given to those who obey, [Acts 5:32] but it is worth billions—it spares us from many shameful, destructive behaviors. In a word, the convicting feeling of the Holy Spirit has been our only salvation. I crave it and cannot imagine life without it. God’s Spirit gently wakes me up at night and reminds me of my words and actions the day before that could have been improved. Then, through prayer and planning, I go back and get it right the next day. I love the conviction so much—I love convicting sermons or times that make me look inward. If any testing or difficulty comes my way, I rely on God and His Spirit to guide me. This free revelation is the most important element on Earth. Christ said:

“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:25-26

Christ revealed his convicting life and left us with God’s convicting Spirit. It is what has brought so many of us together and changed us and unified us. Everyone at the Remnant Fellowship Church loves this conviction. We long for it each time we meet or fellowship with one another. We love to share our convictions as we continue to search our hearts daily and make changes for the better!

 

 

[MamaJunebug]

To the first-century (CE) mind, the idea of the seed ceasing to be probably made perfect sense. And as the point of the metaphor is to “die to self” and become a new creature in faith, I still don’t think He intended to mislead. Just teach. Gwennie, OTOH ....

Anyhoo, mileages vary. I’m out on this one, but it’s been fun!

[AmazonGrace]

Oh I'm positive that Jesus didn't intend to mislead, it's just sad that the Bible is sometimes assumed inerrant and used as proof of things that the writers had no clue about.

As to dying to self, it doesn't really make much sense to me as a concept because IMO none of us can cease to be who we are. We can try to behave differently and to act less selfish but we are still us.

[Giraffe]

Regarding those who are naturally thin, I imagine they would still have the potential to develop eating related anxieties & disordered eating simply by being active in that group. 

[SuperNova]

2 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

The Holy Spirit is a free gift given to those who obey, [Acts 5:32] but it is worth billions

Doesn't this sound like a "valuable free gift with purchase!" offer? Gwen is so money driven that everything sounds transactional. 

2 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

God’s Spirit gently wakes me up at night and reminds me of my words and actions the day before that could have been improved. Then, through prayer and planning, I go back and get it right the next day.

That's not god, it's her conscience. Adults don't really get do overs. You can try harder or apologize or whatever. What you generally can't do is go back and "get it right the next day". I'm curious to know what scenario this fits.

2 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

Everyone at the Remnant Fellowship Church loves this conviction. We long for it each time we meet or fellowship with one another. We love to share our convictions as we continue to search our hearts daily and make changes for the better!

This screams cult. The collective "we" is freakish. It was how they spoke when they came here to argue before being kicked out for not obeying the one person per account rule.

[RFsurvivor]

3 hours ago, Giraffe said:

Regarding those who are naturally thin, I imagine they would still have the potential to develop eating related anxieties & disordered eating simply by being active in that group. 

I had no eating or food related issues before joining this cult and was a thin person beforehand. I developed issues while a member. 

[Fashion Forward]

9 hours ago, Giraffe said:

Regarding those who are naturally thin, I imagine they would still have the potential to develop eating related anxieties & disordered eating simply by being active in that group. 

I know a few Remnant Fellowship members who are naturally thin and eat twice the amount of food an average person eats in a day. No other member has batted an eyelash or said anything to them about their food consumption because they continue to remain very thin. The naturally thin members, however, constantly battle with food "ideals" themselves and would sometimes eat less than they should because their third bowl of cereal would go against Gwen's teachings of eating a quarter of a sandwich and two M&Ms. It was really sad to watch...

[AmazonGrace]

Today we learn that pride makes you unemployed and Gwen proves her point by  quoting a Bible passage that has nothing to do with what she's talking about. (The hard lesson Jesus is talking about is how people should eat his flesh and drink his blood)

Spoiler

 

Being Able to Say, “I’m Sorry”

July 25, 2019

by Gwen Shamblin Lara

0 Comment

Looking inward and changing is a hard teaching. The nearer that Jesus got to the cross, the fewer the people who followed Him. His disciples said:

“This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? …The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” John 6:60b-61,63

In other words, follow God’s Spirit and do not follow your fleshly desires—they are no help to your life. What is so hard about being wrong? Nothing. It is a lie that people think you are intelligent if you win the argument. The truly honored wise can sincerely say, “You are right and I am wrong.” The brilliant wise can freely say, “I am sorry, forgive me.” A rush of love comes between two people during these times of humility. You may keep your pride, but know this… you cannot have a relationship nor a friendship with your pride. Pride and loneliness go hand in hand. Pride and joblessness go hand in hand.

It is hard to swallow at first that you have sinned, and even harder still to believe that all this time the resulting self-pity and self-focus were a result of not repenting. But try this, and you will see that happiness and good relationships are in your hands, inside your choice and control. When you see the joy and hope that you receive from changing yourself instead of projecting, you will want to swallow this truth and make this change.

 

 

[CTRLZero]

2 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

follow God’s Spirit and do not follow your fleshly desires

As usual, I wish Gwen would clarify this sort of teaching, particularly as it pertains to her and the RF leadership owning tons of real estate (did they ever buy those Italian homes?), large bank accounts, fine clothing and cars, new/improved husband, etc.  The prosperity gospel is strong with this one. 

And Gwen is again taking the verses out of context, that chapter is an interesting read, but I can see why the congregation and disciples started to have second thoughts.   Eat my flesh, drink my blood, are hard concepts to, er, swallow, especially if you, like the congregants, are possibly hearing it for the first time.  

 

[MamaJunebug]

1 hour ago, CTRLZero said:

new/improved husband, 

By happenstance, I found David Shamblin’s  FB page. He isn’t fat, has his teeth, evidently a healthy amount of money, and seemed at ease with his young grandchildren. 

What I’m saying is, I’d take him over Tarzan Joe any day of the week. In a heartbeat. A New York minute. Quicker’n scat. #GwenIsDumb

@AmazonGrace and other RF’ers / ex-RF’ers, did David ever have a profile at all, around the cult? 

[AmazonGrace]

2 minutes ago, MamaJunebug said:

@AmazonGrace and other RF’ers / ex-RF’ers, did David ever have a profile at all, around the cult? 

Oh I've never had anything to do with RF personally, I'm just one of those people who stop and stare at trainwrecks.

I'm a lapsed Lutheran.

[MamaJunebug]

4 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

Oh I've never had anything to do with RF personally, I'm just one of those people who stop and stare at trainwrecks.

I'm a lapsed Lutheran.

Well, how about that! I’m in the process of lapsing, myself. 

I’ve casually read up on this particular mishigas and found only vague references to David’s Involvement. Curiosity is getting the better of me. I hope the rescue ferrets are at the ready. 

[NarcissismKills]

Guess whose birthday it was last Saturday... Joseph Smith's. During the 20th anniversary assembly for the Remnant Fellowship cult, David Martin announced this fact on stage while displaying a photo of him on the huge screen. David praised God for Saints like Joseph and lauded the man for starting Remnant Fellowship's first prison ministry. Standing ovation here followed by lengthy prison-themed song in his honor sung by entire standing audience. At the end of the song, only Gwen Shamblin Lara's skeletal arm was raised which I thought was odd. You all DO remember that Joseph and Sonya Smith are the members of this cult who murdered their little boy and are both serving life-plus-30-year prison sentences.

Edited July 25, 2019 by NarcissismKills
Added "cult"

[SuperNova]

7 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

In other words, follow God’s Spirit and do not follow your fleshly desires—they are no help to your life. What is so hard about being wrong? Nothing. It is a lie that people think you are intelligent if you win the argument.

This quote isn't terrible if you don't know the context. What makes it terrible is that Gwen is applying this to food. Food is a basic human necessity, not a fleshly desire. Not everyone can run on diet coke and pure evil like Gwen. Once again she shows us that she sees the unwashed masses as nothing more than a bunch of sad fatties who are feeding their earthly bodies and starving their immortal souls. 

"It is hard to swallow at first" 

"...you will want to swallow this truth"

What is her odd obession with swallowing about? It's a word that comes up frequently. In other posts she has used "swallow" interchangeably with "eat". She's talked about people not really being hungry but wanting to swallow something. Maybe that's her personal disorder and that's why she's constantly swallowing diet coke?

ETA: @CTRLZero I see we're on the same page! I didn't look any comments after reading the devotional. Good to know that I'm not the only one weirded out by the swallowing thing.

Edited July 25, 2019 by SuperNova

[Insightful]

1 hour ago, SuperNova said:

"It is hard to swallow at first" 

"...you will want to swallow this truth"

What is her odd obession with swallowing about?

I think she's hoping in her own sick way that if they "swallow" all of her verbal nonsense, there won't be any room in their stomachs for food!  Utterly ridiculous.

 

9 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

The truly honored wise can sincerely say, “You are right and I am wrong.”

Really?!?  So if Gwen Shamblin Lara is found to be wrong by a RF member, she'll suck it up and say, "You are right and I am wrong"?????  Right......

[thoughtful]

On 7/24/2019 at 3:05 PM, SuperNova said:

On 7/24/2019 at 12:05 PM, AmazonGrace said:

The Holy Spirit is a free gift given to those who obey, [Acts 5:32] but it is worth billions

Doesn't this sound like a "valuable free gift with purchase!" offer? Gwen is so money driven that everything sounds transactional. 

Spoiler

 

[WeirdHarold]

6 hours ago, NarcissismKills said:

Guess whose birthday it was last Saturday... Joseph Smith's. During the 20th anniversary assembly for the Remnant Fellowship cult, David Martin announced this fact on stage while displaying a photo of him on the huge screen. David praised God for Saints like Joseph and lauded the man for starting Remnant Fellowship's first prison ministry. Standing ovation here followed by lengthy prison-themed song in his honor sung by entire standing audience. At the end of the song, only Gwen Shamblin Lara's skeletal arm was raised which I thought was odd. You all DO remember that Joseph and Sonya Smith are the members of this cult who murdered their little boy and are both serving life-plus-30-year prison sentences.

Makes me wonder if the prison ministry started before or after their prison sentence.