Gwen Shamblin Lara 10: Hanging onto the Wine

[Ozlsn]

11 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

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How to Start Losing Weight Again

October 27, 2019

by Gwen Shamblin Lara

0 Comment

If you are wanting to get back on track, start off by  reviewing the basics of Weigh Down at WeighDown.com and in your materials. But know that you can get started right now. An important part of the process of repentance includes the recognition that our relationship with God is wounded if our hearts are unclean—in other words, if our hearts secretly long for or lust for something else on this Earth—for more, that is, than what the Father has allotted. If we are plotting for, longing for, or wanting something on this earth, then we cannot be plotting for, longing for, or wanting God with all of our hearts. We can have only one master and love of our lives. All other false gods or idols in our lives should pale next to the true, awesome, and coordinated God of the universe. So in other words, the first major step is to recognize that you have been trying to clean up everything else—all in the name of God, of course—and you had no idea that cleaning up your own heart is the major job description God has given you.

The second step is to realize that if even a piece of your heart is not right, it is hurting God’s heart, and it prevents a wholehearted relationship with God. Anytime someone or something besides God has hold of your heart, it is sin. Instead of making a list of specific things, learn that you can feel it in your heart. If you are attached to any person, anything, or any behavior that you cannot seem to stop, that is a heart attachment—a stronghold—and you need to let go and cling to God or just wait on God. Jonah 2:8 states that those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.

The third major step is to turn your mind and heart and soul to God—turn to God any way you know how. You need to direct your sensitivity toward God and away from the stronghold.

We are done with games and back to losing weight. How to do it: Do not want anything, do not plan anything, do not get attached to anyone. Once your life is divested of any meaning you won't mind wasting away for God.

You know in a different place and maybe time Gwen would have fitted in very well as a Jain nun. From Wikipedia about Jain fasting practices:

Spoiler

Jains fast on different occasions throughout the year, particularly during festivals.[66] This practice is called upavasa, tapasya or vrata.[67]According to Singh, this takes on various forms and may be practised based on one's ability.[68] Some examples include Digambara fasting for Dasa-laksana-parvan where a Jain layperson eats only one or two meals per day, drinking only boiled water for ten days, or fasting completely on the first and last day of the festival.[69] With these practices the layperson mimics the practices of a Jain mendicant during the festival.[69] A similar practice is found among Śvētāmbara Jains on eight day paryusana with samvatsari-pratikramana.[70]

The fasting practice is believed to remove karma from one's soul and allow one to gain merit (punya).[66] A "one day" fast in Jain tradition lasts about 36 hours, starting at sunset before the day of the fast and ending 48 minutes after the sunrise the day after.[66]Among laypeople, fasting is more commonly observed by women, where it is believed that this shows her piety, religious purity, gains her and her family prestige, leads to merit earning and helps ensure future well-being for her family. Some religious fasts are observed as a group where Jain women bond socially and support each other.[71] Long fasts are celebrated by friends and families with special ceremonies.[71]

Fortunately she doesn't seem to have gone quite as far as devout Jains... yet.

Spoiler

The Sallekhana (or Santhara) vow is a "religious death" ritual vow observed at the end of life, historically by Jain monks and nuns, but rare in the modern age.[135] In this vow, there is voluntary and gradual reduction of food and liquid intake to end one's life by choice and with dispassion,[136][137] In Jainism this is believed to reduce negative karma that affects a soul's future rebirths.[138]

 

[RFIntrigued]

@RFSurvivor_2 can you weigh in (no pun intended) on the RF homeschooling thing? Is homeschooling a requirement for most RF kids, or is it just a goal? Or do families have the freedom to choose one way or another? We have big debates about this amongst my friend group. 

[mhainlen]

8 hours ago, RFsurvivor said:

There were actually quite a few ironically. 
 

The one I was thinking of was the card game Mao. They basically banned all card games around the same time because of Mao, Nerts, and Egyptian War. Also banned were cup stacking and the cup game. I’m sure I’m missing a few...but that’s all I can think of now. 
 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao_(card_game)

Awwww. We played that at my (non-Remnant) church camp.  I loved it so much!!! “This is the beginning of a game called five-card Mao. The only rule I can tell you is that you cannot say the word Mao until the game is over. Ready? Begin.”

[AmazonGrace]

In which we find out Gwen doesn't know what addiction means. (I have lost track, probably we knew that already.)

Spoiler

 

Free to Love God

October 28, 2019

by Gwen Shamblin Lara

0 Comment

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. Exodus 20:2–6

You were born to worship and you do worship. What is on your mind all the time is your idol; it is what you adore. But you need to adore Jesus Christ. So we’ve established that you will give your heart, soul, mind, and strength to something—and that is worship. In fact, you could even call it addiction. But, again, you were born to do this, so, actually, being addicted is normal. And I am not asking you not to be addicted. I am asking you to be addicted to something that can love you back, and there is only One who can do that—our heavenly Father through Jesus Christ, His Son.

We have learned something. Hurting God’s heart and causing Him to be jealous are sin. Now we can look for what the Bible has to say about sin or idolatry, something we had no idea we were committing. The first place to stop is the sixth chapter of Romans. It says, What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! Romans 6:1–2a. The Bible says by no means. They were discussing the very thing we are discussing two thousand years later! The question is still, What does God expect from us? Let’s continue reading:

We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Romans 6:2b–7

So when we come to the Father through Jesus Christ, we die to our old lovers and say yes to our new love, God Almighty. We are free from sin—in other words, free to love God.

 

[CTRLZero]

Does RF have baptism ceremonies?   If so, I'm curious how they are conducted. 

 

[ManyGoats]

2 hours ago, CTRLZero said:

Does RF have baptism ceremonies?   If so, I'm curious how they are conducted.

Yes, they do. Here is a whole batch of videos that show baptisms.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=remnant+fellowship+baptisms&t=chromentp&atb=v122-1&ia=videos&iax=videos

[Blue]

5 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

In which we find out Gwen doesn't know what addiction means. (I have lost track, probably we knew that already.)

  Hide contents

 

Free to Love God

October 28, 2019

by Gwen Shamblin Lara

0 Comment

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. Exodus 20:2–6

You were born to worship and you do worship. What is on your mind all the time is your idol; it is what you adore. But you need to adore Jesus Christ. So we’ve established that you will give your heart, soul, mind, and strength to something—and that is worship. In fact, you could even call it addiction. But, again, you were born to do this, so, actually, being addicted is normal. And I am not asking you not to be addicted. I am asking you to be addicted to something that can love you back, and there is only One who can do that—our heavenly Father through Jesus Christ, His Son.

We have learned something. Hurting God’s heart and causing Him to be jealous are sin. Now we can look for what the Bible has to say about sin or idolatry, something we had no idea we were committing. The first place to stop is the sixth chapter of Romans. It says, What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! Romans 6:1–2a. The Bible says by no means. They were discussing the very thing we are discussing two thousand years later! The question is still, What does God expect from us? Let’s continue reading:

We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Romans 6:2b–7

So when we come to the Father through Jesus Christ, we die to our old lovers and say yes to our new love, God Almighty. We are free from sin—in other words, free to love God.

 

Sometimes I genuinely think that she picks a verse or two and then tries to write something around it. Romans 6:2 isn't talking about being sinless (as she tried to bring it around to in her last paragraph) and it only vaguely has anything to do with idolatry as she tries to make it work in that paragraph. Reading her stuff makes my head hurt... Maybe that's why people don't see her crazy... Because it's so much less painful to just smile and nod 

[Marmion]

3 hours ago, Blue said:

Romans 6:2 isn't talking about being sinless (as she tried to bring it around to in her last paragraph) and it only vaguely has anything to do with idolatry as she tries to make it work in that paragraph

For the sake of those of us who were raised in perfectionist  churches , what exactly is this Bible verse referring to ?  Because , in the Church of the Nazarene  , just like in the Remnant Fellowship , it was cited as a proof text that we are to " die to self " , and be made entirely sanctified unto a sinless state of being .   As to idolatry , it is often used as a loaded term by such destructive cults as Remnant Fellowship to refer to any form of self gratification that one might be passionate about .   

 

[SuperNova]

9 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

You were born to worship and you do worship. What is on your mind all the time is your idol; it is what you adore. But you need to adore Jesus Christ. So we’ve established that you will give your heart, soul, mind, and strength to something—and that is worship. In fact, you could even call it addiction.

Is Gwen capable of understanding that not everyone functions this way? There are people out there that don't worship a damn thing. It is entirely possible to have interests and enjoyments without worshipping, idolizing, or adoring them. It's called self moderation and it's entirely possible to moderate without a god, or in the case, Gwod.

When you put these devotionals together with Gwen's lifestyle it becomes painfully obvious that Gwen is the addictive personality and she projects that garbage all over everyone else.

[Blue]

6 hours ago, Marmion said:

For the sake of those of us who were raised in perfectionist  churches , what exactly is this Bible verse referring to ?  

I am not a theologian, nor have I gone to seminary, but this is a verse that I've done fairly extensive research on, but as luck would have it, I don't have my notes or study books with me.

By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? (Romans 6:2)

My understanding is that there's a difference between sinning because we're human and incapable of living perfect lives, and consciously choosing to LIVE in sin.  I believe that when we've accepted Christ, we will feel the Holy Spirit convicting us when we're sinning, or heading down a path toward sin. When we LIVE in sin we deliberately (and repeatedly) ignore the Holy Spirit and continue to choose sin over following God, and make no effort to repent or change our behavior. Even as humans we are going to sin... but we have died to allowing our human desires control and direct our lives and choices... we've died to sinning without care because we CHOOSE to lay down those human desires and replace them with God's desires.

Now, Gwen uses this verse to say that we can attain sinlessness... and when confronted about allllllll the verses that say we CAN'T be sinless... she says that you'll only have "stumbling sins." Our family and friends have defined those as "accidents" or "mistakes" (whatever... sin is sin is sin). The thing is... I don't buy it. I'm going to be angry and even though I know I shouldn't, I'm going to speak in anger... and that's a CHOICE. I'm not proud of it, but in that moment I CHOSE to sin. I didn't just "stumble..." I made a choice to do something I know God has told me not to do. Does that mean I don't have Christ?

I don't think so. I think it means that I will struggle with selfishness and sin my whole life. I think it means that there are times that my human nature gets the best of me, and so I ask for forgiveness from God (and from whoever I just went off on) and genuinely try to stop speaking in anger. 

[AmazonGrace]

Today we learn that God gave you teeth but doesn't want you to chew. 

If you get your nutrition from chocolate milk shakes, problem solved. 

Spoiler

 

Diets and Control

October 29, 2019

by Gwen Shamblin Lara

0 Comment

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I want to change the word “self-control” to “God-control.” Dieting and saying “yes” to dieting is wrong because it is person control vs. God control. The reason is because what you are REALLY saying is, “I am not going to let go of the food, and I am not committed  to God ruling. I am going to maneuver around idolatry and stay with the food and the chewing and the amount of chewing. I am going to do it with lower calories so that I can still lose weight.”

Let me describe the exact nature of dieting. Dieting allows you to chew and to stay near food. It is a secret relationship with candy hidden in your pocket. Each dieter has their favorite diet foods that they have got in small units with known calories. You are using low-calorie foods so that you can eat more volume. You count calories so that you can control your intake. If you have had your quota, you try to stop. That is a diet.

Dieting allows you to have larger volume so that you can be around the food longer or allows you to swallow more, and that is wrong. If you are cutting back calories so you can eat more volume, then you more than likely are not a routine person but a “dieter.” Continue reading tomorrow for more on control and diets.

 

 

[RFSurvivor_2]

13 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

Dieting and saying “yes” to dieting is wrong because it is person control

1. You literally are the founder of the “Weigdown DIET”. 
 

2. One of the core elements you “preach” in your called “diet” IS portion control, which effectively is a form of self control. You/an individual makes the decision to NOT overeat, not some “magical” outside force.

 

13 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

Dieting allows you to have larger volume so that you can be around the food longer or allows you to swallow more, and that is wrong

3. This is complete and utter bullshit. Do your research Gwen. You need need to re-educate yourself. Oh and while you’re at it, re-certify your ancient/outdated dietician certification (not that it really matters to be honest, you’re still a fraud).

Edited October 29, 2019 by RFSurvivor_2
It’s too early in the morning for this shit

[ManyGoats]

2 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

 

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The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I want to change the word “self-control” to “God-control.”

 

Sure, Gwen, correct the Bible. Who in the world was this Paul guy who audaciously wrote that misinformed letter to the Galatians? And, boy, it's a good thing she didn't read the rest of that letter! She would have been horrified at all that talk about faith versus the works of the law. 

<lots of sarcasm>

[CTRLZero]

Quote

If you are cutting back calories so you can eat more volume, then you more than likely are not a routine person but a “dieter.”

From earlier delusionals devotionals, I recall the term "Thin Eater," and now we have "routine person" and "dieter."  Thin Eaters are to be emulated, dieters are to be scorned, but what the heck does "routine person" actually mean?  I'm going to need a glossary to grasp all these WeighDown DIET concepts. 

Ha ha!  I just double-checked the meaning of emulate and here is the example given:  "hers is not a hairstyle I wish to emulate."  ?

[Blue]

4 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

Today we learn that God gave you teeth but doesn't want you to chew. 

If you get your nutrition from chocolate milk shakes, problem solved. 

  Hide contents

 

Diets and Control

October 29, 2019

by Gwen Shamblin Lara

0 Comment

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I want to change the word “self-control” to “God-control.” Dieting and saying “yes” to dieting is wrong because it is person control vs. God control. The reason is because what you are REALLY saying is, “I am not going to let go of the food, and I am not committed  to God ruling. I am going to maneuver around idolatry and stay with the food and the chewing and the amount of chewing. I am going to do it with lower calories so that I can still lose weight.”

Let me describe the exact nature of dieting. Dieting allows you to chew and to stay near food. It is a secret relationship with candy hidden in your pocket. Each dieter has their favorite diet foods that they have got in small units with known calories. You are using low-calorie foods so that you can eat more volume. You count calories so that you can control your intake. If you have had your quota, you try to stop. That is a diet.

Dieting allows you to have larger volume so that you can be around the food longer or allows you to swallow more, and that is wrong. If you are cutting back calories so you can eat more volume, then you more than likely are not a routine person but a “dieter.” Continue reading tomorrow for more on control and diets.

 

 

She's nuts.

When I "diet," I'm actually taking better care of my body. I'm not starving myself or denying myself the fuel that I need to function... I'm saying "My body definitely needs broccoli more than it needs tacos, so I'm going to eat tacos in moderation, and up my veggie intake so my body gets the nutrients it needs to be my best." 

[AmazonGrace]

Routine person sounds more benign, just some folks that have habits.  Thin Eaters sound like Death Eaters.

 

[Marmion]

13 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

Today we learn that God gave you teeth but doesn't want you to chew. 

If you get your nutrition from chocolate milk shakes, problem solved.

Aha , you just stumbled upon the secret of fasting , within the context of Holiness / Pentecostal / perfectionist movements .  By food what is meant is solid food . So you may drink as much as you want of any substance .  This is how a person , such as myself , when I had anorexia mirabilis  , can claim to not have eaten in months .  We would subsist largely on drinks , and soups , when undergoing periods of prolonged fasting .  

 

21 hours ago, Blue said:

Now, Gwen uses this verse to say that we can attain sinlessness... and when confronted about allllllll the verses that say we CAN'T be sinless... she says that you'll only have "stumbling sins." Our family and friends have defined those as "accidents" or "mistakes" (whatever... sin is sin is sin). The thing is... I don't buy it. I'm going to be angry and even though I know I shouldn't, I'm going to speak in anger... and that's a CHOICE. I'm not proud of it, but in that moment I CHOSE to sin. I didn't just "stumble..." I made a choice to do something I know God has told me not to do. Does that mean I don't have Christ

Coincidentally , Gwen's definitive standard for what constitutes sin seemingly matches exactly with that of the Church of the Nazarene .   

Quote

We believe that actual or personal sin is a voluntary violation of a known law of God by a morally responsible person. It is therefore not to be confused with involuntary and inescapable shortcomings, infirmities, faults, mistakes, failures, or other deviations from a standard of perfect conduct that are the residual effects of the Fall. However, such innocent effects do not include attitudes or responses contrary to the spirit of Christ, which may properly be called sins of the spirit. We believe that personal sin is primarily and essentially a violation of the law of love; and that in relation to Christ sin may be defined as unbelief . 

http://2017.manual.nazarene.org/paragraph/p5/s3/  

[RFIntrigued]

Gwen grew up Church of Christ and I think they have similar theology to Nazarenes. 

[formergothardite]

23 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

Each dieter has their favorite diet foods that they have got in small units with known calories.

So diet coke for Gwen! Remember that even when she fasts she won't give up her diet drinks! 

20 hours ago, CTRLZero said:

I recall the term "Thin Eater," and now we have "routine person"

Anyone know if this is a term she used in the past or is it a new one she invented for us? Like how she dropped The Growl when we started discussing her and now uses other terms. 

What does a routine person mean anyway? It makes no sense in this context. 

[AmazonGrace]

Forget routine person, people-controller is the new black. 

In which we learn that everyone is a binge eater. (Wait, I thought some people are thin eaters. Guess not.)

Spoiler

 

Let Go of Control

October 30, 2019

by Gwen Shamblin Lara

0 Comment

If you struggle with weight loss, it could be a sign that you need to let go of control with your eating, because you will become “out-of-control!” We all need to look inward  to find out what the body is calling for, because in the end, eating the same thing over and over with large volumes of low-calorie foods will extradite a binge. You are asking for your life to be defined by nighttime binge eating or binge eating every two or three days that you cannot control or stop. You will find yourself at one weight, and then in a year or two find yourself heavier, and in another year or two heavier, and then in five years, ten years, heavier.

You will lose control, because a “controller” will gain weight. Why? Dieting has no value in restraining your sensual indulgence. People are greedy, and greed grows. The only people who are not greedy are those controlled by God. People-controllers are not controlled by God’s Spirit, which is the only Spirit that has control of greed. The only thing that can save mankind is God’s Spirit. Man’s spirit is greedy by nature. Each year, you will have more and more greed for self. That means that you will want more and more food. That is automatic.

Change this control, and you will automatically become less greedy, and that will automatically result in weight loss. Yeah! We will talk more tomorrow about how to let go of control.

 

 

[quiversR4hunting]

1 minute ago, AmazonGrace said:

From Gwen's post: "People-controllers are not controlled by God’s Spirit, which is the only Spirit that has control of greed."

Did she read this line? Gwen Shamblin Lara is a people-controller. She just said people controllers are NOT controlled by God's Spirit. So that means that Gwen is not controlled by God. Cognitive dissonance is strong with this one. 

[ManyGoats]

1 hour ago, AmazonGrace said:

 

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........eating the same thing over and over with large volumes of low-calorie foods will extradite a binge.

 

I would LOVE to "extradite" an eating binge. 

extradite: to give up (an alleged fugitive or criminal) to another state or nation at its request.

[ManyGoats]

5 hours ago, formergothardite said:

What does a routine person mean anyway? It makes no sense in this context. 

I'm wondering if it just means someone who likes routine.

In a previous post AmazonGrace said something similar: Routine person sounds more benign, just some folks that have habits. 

[Fashion Forward]

On 10/20/2019 at 8:36 PM, RFIntrigued said:

Secondly, does anyone have any idea how many members are part of RF? At least at the Brentwood campus? 

I haven't seen an answer to your second question in this thread so I apologize if this was already shared. There are about 1300 members (babies to seniors) in the Brentwood/Nashville area and the last time they talked about the number of members around the world when I was still around, it was something like 5,000 members although I'm sure that number has fluctuated over the years. They enjoy talking about their Weigh Down Facebook group statistics, because the number of members in that group has grown to over 10,000.

[SuperNova]

On 10/29/2019 at 3:47 AM, AmazonGrace said:

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control...I am going to maneuver around idolatry and stay with the food and the chewing and the amount of chewing. I am going to do it with lower calories so that I can still lose weight.”

Gwen, it's called fruit of the spirit, not diet coke of the spirit. The only way to swallow god's word is to chew it. 

On 10/29/2019 at 3:47 AM, AmazonGrace said:

Dieting allows you to chew and to stay near food. It is a secret relationship with candy hidden in your pocket. Each dieter has their favorite diet foods that they have got in small units with known calories. 

What about keeping a secret stash of biblical Fritos? Does that count?