Gwen Shamblin Lara 11: Cloudy with A Chance of the Holy Spirit

[ManyGoats]

In the beginning she seemed to be more balanced. She did talk about the growl but she also said to eat until you were "politely full." She didn't seem to be advocating tiny amounts, just stopping when you were satisfied and full but not stuffed. 

Edited December 28, 2019 by ManyGoats

[NarcissismKills]

1 hour ago, formergothardite said:

While Gwen repeats herself, something @AmazonGrace showed in today's devotionals, she has absolutely not gone back to how her first devotionals are. They have changed significantly, even when her current ones mention her dieting, it isn't like the old ones. 

When we first started discussing her daily devotionals it was easy to go back and read the old ones, I did that and almost every single one I read was some variation of this. This is all she posted about.

and this:

and this:

Some of this stuff was from her FB page which she immediately deleted and from what I can tell she doesn't post stuff like this anymore. Gwen can absolutely contain herself enough to keep from posting her tips for starvation.  Within a matter of a week or so Gwen dropped these non-stop worship The Growl devotionals. She stopped posting her daily devotionals for a bit and then came back minus teachings about how starvation is really God. How she justifies doing this to her minions, who knows? But they seem to mindlessly follow no matter what. They were completely thrown for a loop when they showed up here. 

Even Gwen's WD posts are now super bland and lacking her love of hunger. Absolutely nothing like the old stuff. 

Skimming the old threads my favorite things I had forgotten is how Gwen totally didn't understand the poem The Road Not Taken, to the point where she couldn't even get the name correct, yet claimed it was significant for RF. And that she claimed to have predicted 9/11 and that it wouldn't have happened if she was president. She only made her claim of predicting 9/11 AFTER it all happened, yet anyone who questioned the idea she had predicted it was silenced. 

 

Gwen Shamblin mentions Robert Frost from time to time because her architect told her the plan for her "church" building was based one the one near the poet's gravesite in Vermont. The original is tiny compared to the behemoth in Brentwood, the scale of which has ruined the original concept. See the RF homepage. 

https://www.remnantfellowship.org/Our-Leaders/Gwen-Shamblin

This part I have pulled out so you don't have to look through the whole page. 

"Donating 40 Acres in Brentwood

In 2002, God led Gwen to purchase 40 acres of land in the heart of beautiful Brentwood, Tennessee, and she donated the entire property to Remnant Fellowship Church. For the building of the Church, God directed Gwen to use the beautiful architectural design of the historic Old First Church in Bennington, Vermont, well known as the burial site of Robert Frost who authored the poem “The Road Less Traveled,” an appropriately symbolic poem for The Remnant Fellowship Church."

So, of course, Michael Shamblin was prevailed upon to come up with a whiny scratchy musical number incorporating Frost's poem. 

https://www.allmusic.com/song/two-roads-mt0052047233

The joke on the Remnant Fellowship cult is that Robert Frost did not appear to be a part of any organized religion. 

Here are a couple of short articles on that topic. 

https://ffrf.org/news/day/dayitems/item/14368-robert-frost

https://www.americamagazine.org/issue/listening-god-unusual-places

Also, as several people have already observed, Robert Frost would have liked to have been able to take BOTH paths in the snowy wood. This is the exact opposite of how Gwen's illiterate reading of the poem. 

[thoughtful]

5 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

She's like a child who cuts out words and sentences from articles and glues them on paper in new combinations. 

Gwen's next devotional:

Spoiler

Yes, if you search "ransom note generator," you get one! I love the Internet.

 

[Red Hair, Black Dress]

Speaking of not updating the RF FB page, just checked and the last "You Can Overcome" show I can find is from April 2019.  

I can't imagine they've stopped taping the show, but it's not out there for the public. Maybe a super secret link for members only.

Edited to add -- I really miss seeing the latest insanity on stage.  It was sort of love-hate entertainment.

Edited December 28, 2019 by Red Hair, Black Dress

[AmazonGrace]

Spoiler

You take the Way of Escape, push the food away, and you are immediately back into waiting for the next growl.

What a happy joyful life. The second you've stopped eating you're already waiting for the next time that you're allowed to eat. Pretty please God let it be soon. 

[AmazonGrace]

I think the medical note was something new this year? Although I'm not sure it should be credited to Freejinger influence since it's NOT what most of us would hope for I think. 

Otherwise there is nothing new under the sun 

The December 27  2019 wind devotional was word for word the same thing that was posted December 27 2018. 

 

The devotional on December 25 this year is exactly the same as the devotional on December 25 2018 

The relationshipper post on Dec 26 2019 was the same as Dec26 last year. 

https://www.freejinger.org/topic/31806-gwen-shamblin-4-lick-the-fork/?do=findComment&comment=1701852

December 15 2019 and  December 15 2018 are the same 

https://www.freejinger.org/topic/31806-gwen-shamblin-4-lick-the-fork/?do=findComment&comment=1697159

Some other devotionals that were posted in December 2018 have not been seen this December so it doesn't seem to be a complete annual rotation, something gets shifted from year to year. Maybe they've planned several different options for each day of the year? 

Oh and the dejavutional that seemed so familiar today: 

well this was 29th December last year

https://www.freejinger.org/topic/32002-gwen-shamblin-5-she-is-a-shit-writer/?do=findComment&comment=1702705

 

Edited December 28, 2019 by AmazonGrace

[Marmion]

15 hours ago, RFIntrigued said:

Her background is church of Christ which is not the same as international churches of Christ. I’m not sure about her theology. 

She actually does have influential experience from the International Churches of Christ , as pointed out here .  

 

17 hours ago, throwaway9988 said:

Has Gwen ever stated which sect of the church of christ was so formative to her?

Quote

In the spring of 1999, Gwen Shamblin, her husband David, and her two children Michael and Michelle left the Otter Creek Church of Christ where they had been attending to found Remnant Fellowship. Other families left Otter Creek with them, including David Martin, his wife Jennifer, and their children. They began worshipping in the shipping warehouse of the WD headquarters. The group remained small for a while. WD employees were encouraged to check out Remnant Fellowship

 http://spiritwatch.org/remnantwatch.htm   

Quote

Craig Branch, director of Apologetics Resource Center in Birmingham, Alabama, believes the weekly messages that Shamblin has written on the Weigh Down Web site reflect her Church of Christ background, which he says historically has had an ambiguous view of the Trinity. Branch says the writings reflect an extreme view of lordship, a mixing of works and grace, and a "restoration of New Testament Christianity" movement that relegates other beliefs as apostate.

"My background is Church of Christ and that's where all this came from," Shamblin says, noting that hymnals, for instance, change the words of "Holy, Holy, Holy" from "God in three persons, blessed Trinity" to "God over all and blessed eternally."

Shamblin no longer is in a Church of Christ congregation, however. She says her husband, David, who started a new church in the Nashville area last year with another couple, is now her pastor. She says he is the "leading shepherd" of Remnant Fellowship, which has about 80 members, many of them Weigh Down employees.

http://www.bpnews.net/6481/thomas-nelson-pulls-plug-on-gwen-shamblins-book 

[ManyGoats]

35 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

Oh and the dejavutional that seemed so familiar today: 

well this was 29th December last year

https://www.freejinger.org/topic/32002-gwen-shamblin-5-she-is-a-shit-writer/?do=findComment&comment=1702705

 

I guess she has to recycle. The actual content of "this message" is pretty limited.

[AmazonGrace]

14 minutes ago, Marmion said:

Shamblin no longer is in a Church of Christ congregation, however. She says her husband, David, who started a new church in the Nashville area last year with another couple, is now her pastor. She says he is the "leading shepherd" of Remnant Fellowship, which has about 80 members, many of them Weigh Down employees.

 

When did David stop being Gwen's or RF's pastor? Is there somebody who goes by that title now? Is Joe just a hanger-on or did he inherit pastorship? 

[RFIntrigued]

51 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

When did David stop being Gwen's or RF's pastor? Is there somebody who goes by that title now? Is Joe just a hanger-on or did he inherit pastorship? 

My guess is that he never was, but she prefaced it this way to avoid scrutiny when she initially started the Church. 

[Marmion]

48 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

When did David stop being Gwen's or RF's pastor? Is there somebody who goes by that title now? Is Joe just a hanger-on or did he inherit pastorship? 

That's a very good question . Apparently according to this , there are multiple leaders of Remnant Fellowship , of which Gwen and her current husband are simple one of many leading couples . https://www.remnantfellowship.org/Our-Leaders  But , as I do not have an insider perspective , a better person to ask would be someone such as @RFsurvivor  .  Another question I have  had , and expressed before , is what will happen to Remnant Fellowship after Gwen Shamblin Lara passes away ?  Does she have any heir apparent to take over the reins ?  

[NarcissismKills]

27 minutes ago, RFIntrigued said:

My guess is that he never was, but she prefaced it this way to avoid scrutiny when she initially started the Church. 

Gwen Shamblin was just fibbing about that. Fudging things is a habit of hers. Another fib of hers concerns her medical "background" and how she would go hon rounds with her surgeon father. Ridiculous. I wonder where her three siblings are and if they as mentally unstable as she is. 

[AmazonGrace]

More recycling:

The Thanksgiving devotionals this year appear to have been very similar to the Thanksgiving ones last year. Only snippets were posted in 2018 but both years she claimed that hostesses will be happy if you refuse to eat the food they prepared but offer to take a doggy bag home for later. 

The batshit "why isn't god  mentioned in the weather report devotional" that inspired this thread title was posted in 2018 and 2019, and I found it quoted on an old blog from several years ago saying it's an excerpt from an older book of hers. So I suppose no one has told her in all these years that it's batshit. 

The  same devotional with the same missing word (was posted in November 2018 and December 2019

The post where she told you to observe a thin eater and claimed that children aren't interested in eating was also a repeat post between those two months. 

 

This was also posted  twice. 

https://www.gwenshamblinlara.com/loving-gods-beautiful-authority/

Her latest books came out in 2018 and 2017.  Since many of the devotionals point to older books I would bet some if not most of them may have done the rounds for years before this. 

I wonder when she last wrote some new material for the devotionals. Possibly never?   She never references any current news events that might inspire other devotional writers, just the same old same old.

And all this is a longwinded way to say that these recyclings , sometimes on the exact same date as last year, make me assume that whenever it feels like Gwen's devotionals are a reaction to something that was said here just now it is probably  just  a coincidence and a function of Gwen's predictability. If we discuss something she has said, it is likely that within a few days she will post something related just by chance since the devotionals  have a very limited  spectrum of topics and will bring the same ones up over and over again. 

I suppose someone might choose to post or not to post a certain devotional in response to some current criticism. But none of them were written in response to anything here, they're mostly old hat. 

[RFsurvivor]

2 hours ago, Marmion said:

That's a very good question . Apparently according to this , there are multiple leaders of Remnant Fellowship , of which Gwen and her current husband are simple one of many leading couples . https://www.remnantfellowship.org/Our-Leaders  But , as I do not have an insider perspective , a better person to ask would be someone such as @RFsurvivor  .  Another question I have  had , and expressed before , is what will happen to Remnant Fellowship after Gwen Shamblin Lara passes away ?  Does she have any heir apparent to take over the reins ?  

When I became a member, it was already well established that David Shamblin was not a member and definitely not a leader. Within the leadership structure, there are tiers. Every leader defers to Gwen. Then there are the rest of the people who are listed as leaders. Under that there are deacons. 
 

As for who takes over when she passes...I believe her goal was for it to be Michael and/or Elizabeth but there are plenty of issues with that plan considering Elizabeth looks like a Skelton and Michael is inconsistent and his weight fluctuates. 
 

Past those two, potentially Tedd Anger or David Martin. They are both long time members and at least David was an original member (can’t remember about Tedd). I am hopeful we never have to figure out who because it falls apart before then...

Anything else, @RFSurvivor_2?

[ManyGoats]

I've been going down a different rabbit hole this evening. This was a long time ago but is still chilling.

 

[throwaway9988]

Thanks for the Church of Christ info, everyone. I wish my family had known about their teachings prior to discovering Gwen. We had no experience with protestantism at all, much less evangelicals, and had never heard of the church of christ. We thought what she was teaching was so unique and amazing and that Gwen deserved the credit for “this message.” We had no idea that she basically just took the Biblical originalism of the church of christ and mixed it with weight loss and an assortment of ideas and phrases that turn out to be common in various prostestant churches throughout the bible belt ?

Edited December 29, 2019 by throwaway9988

[RFSurvivor_2]

12 hours ago, RFsurvivor said:

When I became a member, it was already well established that David Shamblin was not a member and definitely not a leader. Within the leadership structure, there are tiers. Every leader defers to Gwen. Then there are the rest of the people who are listed as leaders. Under that there are deacons. 
 

As for who takes over when she passes...I believe her goal was for it to be Michael and/or Elizabeth but there are plenty of issues with that plan considering Elizabeth looks like a Skelton and Michael is inconsistent and his weight fluctuates. 
 

Past those two, potentially Tedd Anger or David Martin. They are both long time members and at least David was an original member (can’t remember about Tedd). I am hopeful we never have to figure out who because it falls apart before then...

Anything else, @RFSurvivor_2?

This is spot on.

I was a member from 2005/2006 to 2016. In all of those years of being a member, I only saw David Shamblin in 2 Remnant related events, both of which were hosted at his home. I personally never found it odd seeing as I (through my little and 2nd eldest brother, both still extremely active in RF), during my time in RF and living in Brentwood Tennessee, spend a fair amount of time with him outside church functions.

I quickly learned over a short period of time that time that he and Gwen took different paths in life despite being together for so long. I had a feeling there was a bit of a “wedge” or awkwardness between them (more than likely caused by Gwen) and there had been for some time, however I didn’t question it. In fact as I recall, I really didn’t care about it at that time. I was cool with him and he was cool with me and my brothers. I/we liked him and had / have a personal respect for him. That was pretty much it and all I personally needed to understand.

At this point (in light of what has transpired over the past two years), I highly doubt Elizabeth and/or Michael will take the reigns if Gwen passes, steps down (Hahahahhaha) or retires. I strongly believe that Tedd and David are the only “viable candidates” that can take up the mantle of leader(s) when Gwen passes.

Edited December 29, 2019 by RFSurvivor_2

[Tatar-tot]

11 minutes ago, RFSurvivor_2 said:

This is spot on.

I was a member from 2005/2006 to 2016. In all of those years of being a member, I only saw David Shamblin in 2 Remnant related events, both of which were hosted at his home. I personally never found it odd seeing as I (through my little and 2nd eldest brother, both still extremely active in RF), during my time in RF, living in Brentwood Tennessee, spend a fair amount of time with him outside church functions.

I quickly learned over a short period of time that time that he and Gwen took different paths in life despite being together for so long. I had a feeling there was a bit of a “wedge” or awkwardness between them (more than likely caused by Gwen) and there had been for some time, however I didn’t question it. In fact as I recall, I really didn’t care about it at that time. I was cool with him and he was cool with me and my brothers. I/we liked him and had / have a personal respect for him. That was pretty much it and all I personally needed to understand.

At this point (in light of what has transpired the past two years), I highly doubt Elizabeth and/or Michael will take the reigns if Gwen passes, steps down or retires. I strongly believe that Tedd and David are the only “viable candidates” that can take up the mantle of leader(s) when Gwen passes.

No - Joe Lara is the heir apparent.  How did y’all miss that one?  Silly FJers!  ?

[RFSurvivor_2]

15 minutes ago, Tatar-tot said:

No - Joe Lara is the heir apparent.  How did y’all miss that one?  Silly FJers!  ?

Joe who? ? ??

 

[formergothardite]

14 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

I suppose someone might choose to post or not to post a certain devotional in response to some current criticism. But none of them were written in response to anything here, they're mostly old hat. 

That might be why she will go a couple day without a devotional. Gwen seems to be really unoriginal and I guess if their are problematic devotionals she would rather skip than have to create something new. Has she recycled the ones about spending all day worshiping The Growl? Those should have come around this fall and I don't remember her using them. 

[Marmion]

16 hours ago, ManyGoats said:

I've been going down a different rabbit hole this evening. This was a long time ago but is still chilling.

 

As I have referenced here before , in regards to the underlying Church of Christ origins of Remnant Fellowship .  Holly Dunn , was the daughter of a Church of Christ preacher .  And whether or not she was being literal , when she described his hands as being " hard as steel " , in her song , " Daddy's Hands" , it still illustrates that those of their background do encourage harsh corporal punishment , in dealing with what they deem to be misbehavior .  And also as her song indicates , it's considered by them to be a display of love to inflict such pain upon a child .   

So once again , even in this matter , Gwen Shamblin is not original , but rather has been borrowing from the most extreme elements possibly to be found within a number of the Churches of Christ .  

[AmazonGrace]

7 hours ago, formergothardite said:

That might be why she will go a couple day without a devotional. Gwen seems to be really unoriginal and I guess if their are problematic devotionals she would rather skip than have to create something new. Has she recycled the ones about spending all day worshiping The Growl? Those should have come around this fall and I don't remember her using them. 

This was November 13th

Spoiler

You were so excited wait­ing on that growl. You were so focused on finding the growl and finding the full, that suddenly you looked up and you had lost weight, and it was the most exciting thing you had ever done in your life

.....

All I want you to focus on is the growl. The growl is God speaking to you. You can literally find God Almighty with a growl, and that is why you will want to wait. You want that Connection more than anything you have ever wanted.

https://www.gwenshamblinlara.com/going-back-to-the-growl/

On Facebook April 2019: 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

November 22th:

Spoiler

 Waiting on God’s signals for hunger and fullness is like finding God, meeting up with God every day, several times a day. It keeps you so focused on His will.

...

You wait for the growl…all day long you are focused on finding God’s boundaries.

.....You take the Way of Escape, push the food away, and you are immediately back into waiting for the next growl. 

https://www.gwenshamblinlara.com/finding-fullness-and-a-connection-with-god/

November 23th:

 

Spoiler

Look what happens to the person who is doing it right. They are concentrating on God thru following His lead all day and finding true hunger. They are concentrating on God once they start eating to find the full. They are concentrating back on waiting on the growl in the evening…they are crying out to God. Do not just reach out to others—you need to get down and pray, because the whole point of this is your relationship and Connection with God.

https://www.gwenshamblinlara.com/waiting-on-gods-plan-and-his-menu/

Today's devotional doesn't mention the growl but still the main point is that if you like eating God doesn't like you.

Spoiler

God provides us with many pleasures, but they have boundaries. Going beyond those boundaries reflects lust and greed, grabbing for more than our share. It also reflects an attitude that you think God won’t provide enough for you Himself – an attitude He simply will not tolerate.

God is not looking for perfection with every bite, but He IS looking for a heart not filled with lust for food.

https://www.gwenshamblinlara.com/a-matter-of-decision/

It looks to me like the Growl is still a favorite pet.

Edited December 29, 2019 by AmazonGrace

[thoughtful]

15 hours ago, RFSurvivor_2 said:

I highly doubt Elizabeth and/or Michael will take the reigns if Gwen passes, steps down (Hahahahhaha) or retires.

Why do you laugh? She steps down about 9-10 inches every night, getting out of those shoes!

[ManyGoats]

Former RF members, I'd love to hear your thoughts on who you think would succeed Gwen. David Martin or Tedd Anger? Or someone else?

Actually, I'd love to hear what anyone thinks so if you choose to speculate, please indicate if you were ever a member.

[AmazonGrace]

Today's devotional is from a 2002 book. Well done Gwen, you get a lot of wear out of them! 

She says the Egypt story is a symbol of getting salvation from alcohol, money, eating, and the highlight is this little nugget:

Quote

What is on your mind and what you find yourself worrying about is your god.

https://www.gwenshamblinlara.com/god-can-deliver-you/

Anything you think about, whatever it is, becomes your god, your idol. This is why thinking is a sin in this cult.