Gwen Shamblin Lara 12: Gwen says something I can't understand.

[Marmion]

3 hours ago, NarcissismKills said:

Targeting young people is so wrong. I feel terrible for the young girls trapped in this cult. The WFG sounds similar to a cult. 

https://www.financegeek.org/scams/world-financial-group-scam-wfg/#World_Financial_Group_WFG_Scam

This would be an example of what is known as a commercial cult . { https://freedomofmind.com/multi-level-marketing-groups-defraud-consumers/ , https://freedomofmind.com/multi-level-marketing-and-self-help-cult-groups-learn-the-warning-signs/ } Such an organization is not necessarily religious , in and of itself . However , as you'll find if you type in "multilevel marketing " into the search engine of this website , numerous cults and / or churches are increasingly becoming tied to these operations , as posters here , including myself , have pointed out .   Here are some videos , of various lengths , on the subject , for any whom might be interested .  

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

 

[AmazonGrace]

Of all the devotionals to skip, Gwen skipped the Easter Sunday devotional. The heck? Today we get an -other [sic] one again.

TL;DR: you fall in love with what you focus on, and you should focus on the right thing. Naturally, Gwen focuses on the right thing, so we know that the right thing is to focus on being thin and dressing in tiny clothes.

Also Gwen thinks there are only two senses.

Spoiler

You Fall in Love with What You Focus on

April 13, 2020

by Gwen Lara

Comments are off

There is a truth that is profound that God gave me early in this ministry, over 30 years ago. This one truth can set you free from all vices… You fall in love with what you focus on. Do you hate your evil desires? Then take your eyes off of the food or whatever it is and set your mind on God, His Christ, and His righteous Kingdom, and you will fall out of love with the food and into love with God.

Modern medicine and science as a whole fail to acknowledge an- other aspect of the human being: They are needy and cannot function alone. Man was not made to be an island. We have a real need to be connected to God. But if we plug into the wrong thing, we are filled with death, decay, and despair. We plug into what we focus on with our minds and eyes and ears.

Romans 8 makes this clear:

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. Romans 8:5-8

The answer is going to involve your own personal obligation, using the two senses—the eyes and ears. The eyes and ears are the feeling senses for your mind, which in turn create your desires or what is in your heart. The person who “SETS” their mind on God and what God wants—His Spirit—will do what is right. The person who sets his mind on what he wants will automatically live according to the sinful nature. This is both exciting and scary. We have an incredible obligation to focus on the RIGHT THING and to teach our children to focus on the RIGHT THING. What do you think your children are focused on? What are you teaching them? What lights up their eyes?

Have you already plugged into death, decay and despair today? I hear the second season started with a splash.

 

[NarcissismKills]

3 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

Of all the devotionals to skip, Gwen skipped the Easter Sunday devotional. The heck? Today we get an -other [sic] one again.

TL;DR: you fall in love with what you focus on, and you should focus on the right thing. Naturally, Gwen focuses on the right thing, so we know that the right thing is to focus on being thin and dressing in tiny clothes.

Also Gwen thinks there are only two senses.

  Reveal hidden contents

You Fall in Love with What You Focus on

April 13, 2020

by Gwen Lara

Comments are off

There is a truth that is profound that God gave me early in this ministry, over 30 years ago. This one truth can set you free from all vices… You fall in love with what you focus on. Do you hate your evil desires? Then take your eyes off of the food or whatever it is and set your mind on God, His Christ, and His righteous Kingdom, and you will fall out of love with the food and into love with God.

Modern medicine and science as a whole fail to acknowledge an- other aspect of the human being: They are needy and cannot function alone. Man was not made to be an island. We have a real need to be connected to God. But if we plug into the wrong thing, we are filled with death, decay, and despair. We plug into what we focus on with our minds and eyes and ears.

Romans 8 makes this clear:

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. Romans 8:5-8

The answer is going to involve your own personal obligation, using the two senses—the eyes and ears. The eyes and ears are the feeling senses for your mind, which in turn create your desires or what is in your heart. The person who “SETS” their mind on God and what God wants—His Spirit—will do what is right. The person who sets his mind on what he wants will automatically live according to the sinful nature. This is both exciting and scary. We have an incredible obligation to focus on the RIGHT THING and to teach our children to focus on the RIGHT THING. What do you think your children are focused on? What are you teaching them? What lights up their eyes?

Have you already plugged into death, decay and despair today? I hear the second season started with a splash.

 

Easter? These morons don't have a clue as to the meaning of Easter and celebrate Passover instead. Their regard for Jesus is nonexistent. 

[NarcissismKills]

13 hours ago, NarcissismKills said:

For entertainment while sitting at home, here's an extremely thorough description of a Remnant Fellowship wedding. The bride's family, the Martins, don't seem to have paid a dime. 

https://www.fabulousfrocksbridal.com/behind-the-veil-ashtons-nashville-wedding/

[Red Hair, Black Dress]

I have always wondered about all the wedding  voluntolds "volunteers" who produce these enormous extravagant OTT weddings.  Who pays for the food, flowers, decor, bride's dress, bridesmaids' dresses, music, groom/groomsmen/fathers tux, mother of the bride/groom dresses etc, etc,?

Do the volunteers have to pay for what they are volunteering? Do the bride's parents reimburse the volunteers?  Do they contribute anything at all? 

Ashton Martin had 1000 guests and 17(!!) attendants (count the girls in the photo). David Martin doesn't seem like he could afford a wedding like that -- or even agree to pay for it if he could (he strikes me as somewhat of a grifter).

Seriously  -- where does the money come from?  Gwod sure isn't paying the bills. 

Edited to add:  is Fabulous Frocks in Nashville an RF -related business?

 

Edited April 13, 2020 by Red Hair, Black Dress

[Victorianroses]

I too, would love to see this ridiculous cult go under.  Back in the day, when I followed her 'no diet-diet', there were many things I found odd about her and this group from the start.

Still, as Gwod knows, most people want to be thin.  I'm pretty sure it's why she's constantly making not eating the focus of everyone of her Gwen and Joe videos, and her insipid 'devotionals" that I get daily. ( It helps to break up the monotony of  being confined and I get my laugh in for the day)

I remember when she went on record about the Trinity.  She said, and I quote, "People don't care about the Trinity.  They care about being thin!"

For me?  I got SO sick and tired of going around hungry all the time.  And then, eating such small portions! 

I called my 'counselor' at Weigh down once, and she actually suggested, to find 'doll sized' dishes!!!  can you imagine?

Or how about Gwod's stupid suggestion of eating only 3-4 M&M's at a time?  Why bother?  I mean, I can see cutting back and  eating healthily, to include treats now and again, but her suggestions are ridiculous.

If anyone really wants to read a good book on this topic,  maybe I suggest  the "Seven Effective habits of Thin People"?

it's much more realistic, and if  you do over eat, they suggest just forgiving yourself and moving on.  NO condemnation, self hatred, ect.  I consider myself a Christian, and there's just something SO very wrong about throwing God/Jesus into the mix, and saying you will go to Hell if you overeat.

[RFsurvivor]

1 minute ago, Red Hair, Black Dress said:

I have always wondered about all the wedding  voluntolds "volunteers" who produce these enormous extravagant OTT weddings.  Who pays for the food, flowers, decor, bride's dress, bridesmaids' dresses, music, groom/groomsmen/fathers tux, mother of the bride/groom dresses etc, etc,?

Do the volunteers have to pay for what they are volunteering? Do the bride's parents reimburse the volunteers?  Do they contribute anything at all? 

Ashton Martin had 1000 guests and 17(!!) attendants (count the girls in the photo). David Martin doesn't seem like he could afford a wedding like that -- or even agree to pay for it if he could (he strikes me as somewhat of a grifter).

Seriously  -- where does the money come from?  Gwod sure isn't paying the bills. 

So this is something Remnant claims to be soooo different from the "World"...take this with a grain of salt because it may have changed since I got married there.

What happens is there are a set number of options of types of wedding, normally based on number of guests (small, medium and large). Small and medium are invite only weddings. There is a set number of guests for each type and a few options for locations. Small ones tended to be a someone's house and was around 20 or less people. Medium was generally held in the back hall of the church or at something is similar. Large means the whole church is invited and it is held in the main sanctuary.

Each of these categories had a price and a breakdown of what it covered. You paid directly to the church and they reimbursed the material expenses for certain aspects. I don't really know for sure which ones, but I think mostly the food committee had a church credit card or whoever footed the bill would get paid back. 

There is a VERY reliance on people donating certain items such as bottles of wine and soda. Every event I feel like we were asked to donate a bottle of wine and a 2-liter. These were just stored at the church and used for church events. 

I can not say for certain, but I do not think anyone who provided services or skilled labor was paid. I believe it was volunteer based. 

The best part was in the wedding packet I got from the wedding planning committee, they listed the price for all the main things with a price for a "Our Price" and then right next to it an estimate of what a "Worldly" Wedding would cost...

[NarcissismKills]

33 minutes ago, Red Hair, Black Dress said:

I have always wondered about all the wedding  voluntolds "volunteers" who produce these enormous extravagant OTT weddings.  Who pays for the food, flowers, decor, bride's dress, bridesmaids' dresses, music, groom/groomsmen/fathers tux, mother of the bride/groom dresses etc, etc,?

Do the volunteers have to pay for what they are volunteering? Do the bride's parents reimburse the volunteers?  Do they contribute anything at all? 

Ashton Martin had 1000 guests and 17(!!) attendants (count the girls in the photo). David Martin doesn't seem like he could afford a wedding like that -- or even agree to pay for it if he could (he strikes me as somewhat of a grifter).

Seriously  -- where does the money come from?  Gwod sure isn't paying the bills. 

Edited to add:  is Fabulous Frocks in Nashville an RF -related business?

 

It doesn't appear that David Martin has any job outside of the Remnant Fellowship cult. I wonder if the members have any idea that they are paying for his lifestyle (and his really awful wardrobe). 

Edited April 13, 2020 by NarcissismKills
Typo

[AmazonGrace]

18 minutes ago, Victorianroses said:

I remember when she went on record about the Trinity.  She said, and I quote, "People don't care about the Trinity.  They care about being thin!"

Gwen worships the Thinity.

[Red Hair, Black Dress]

How does a bride get lucky enough to be married at Gwen's plantation palace?  Those wedding's seem large and OTT  I've also noticed that Rob and Tiffani Day's' huge house is a wedding site -- Hannah Collins was married there.

Wedding dresses/bridesmaid dresses are stored in the big closet at the church and just are just passed from wedding to wedding?  Although it seems that Princess of RF Royalty Ashton Martin was allowed to buy/ received free her own never-worn-before dress 

Edited April 13, 2020 by Red Hair, Black Dress

[RFsurvivor]

6 minutes ago, Red Hair, Black Dress said:

How does a bride get lucky enough to be married at Gwen's plantation palace?  Those wedding's seem large and OTT  I've also noticed that Rob and Tiffani Day's' huge house is a wedding site -- Hannah Collins was married there.

Wedding dresses/bridesmaid dresses are stored in the big closet at the church and just are just passed from wedding to wedding?  Although it seems that Princess of RF Royalty Ashton Martin was allowed to buy/ received free her own never-worn-before dress 

So not sure about getting married at Ashlawn...that was not option when I got married.

This may have changed since I left but, I do know that some brides donated their dresses for brides who can't afford a dress. Sometimes a dress is offered directly to a bride from a previous bride. Reuse of bridesmaid dresses is common but as far as I know that is not managed by the church, but the bride can reach out to bridemaids and see who still has their dresses and figure out if there are enough. This is also dependent on what wedding colors are approved by Gwen and the wedding planning committee...

 A dress was offered to me, but I declined and went and bought my own wedding dress.

Edited April 13, 2020 by RFsurvivor
spelling is hard

[AmazonGrace]

Cheap travel offers: want to go to Egypt? 

[Marmion]

3 hours ago, Victorianroses said:

If anyone really wants to read a good book on this topic,  maybe I suggest  the "Seven Effective habits of Thin People"?

it's much more realistic, and if  you do over eat, they suggest just forgiving yourself and moving on.  NO condemnation, self hatred, ect.  I consider myself a Christian, and there's just something SO very wrong about throwing God/Jesus into the mix, and saying you will go to Hell if you overeat

I think that this should be true of any area of life .  If you make a mistake in how you live your life , then just repent of it , and move on .  It's like the words of this song , by Bob Carlisle .  

Spoiler

 

What Remnant Fellowship , and Christian perfectionists  , do however is make people feel insecure in their relationship with the Lord , by teaching a doctrine that the security of the believer's salvation is conditional upon attaining , and maintaining entire sanctification , as a second work of grace .  So those in this mode of thinking will feel that they must fearfully watch their step , at all times , as one misstep would render their state of grace forfeit .  So from a young age , before we had even reached the age of accountability necessary to have a saving knowledge of Jesus as personal Lord , and Savior , we in such denominations as the Church of the Nazarene were indoctrinated by such songs as this below to be ever careful , not only as to what we do and say , but even what we think , lest we be met with divine disapproval .  

Spoiler

 

All this falls under emotional control , as I have come to learn .  http://old.freedomofmind.com/Info/BITE/bitemodel.php#emotional 

[throwaway9988]

6 hours ago, Victorianroses said:

...I consider myself a Christian, and there's just something SO very wrong about throwing God/Jesus into the mix, and saying you will go to Hell if you overeat.

That’s what Weigh Down boils down to: greed for food is a sin, and if you continue to sin you will go to Hell. Gwen even admitted it one time on national TV, I forget exactly which clip this is from since it was in the late 90s/early 00s, but she said (paraphrased)  “People won’t lose weight for themselves/their health/their spouses, but I noticed people will lose weight for God.”  Translation: Scaring people by threatening them with Hell helps them to stick with starving themselves, who woulda thunk it? ?

[SpecialAgentCookieCrisp]

The Llc that Rob Day has listed as part owner on a plane is no more. Is Gwen in a habit of dumping friends, neighbors, congregants when she's sucked their brains and wallets dry? I wonder if the Day mansion will go up for sale soon? ☠

[WorseThan1Thinks]

2 hours ago, NarcissismKills said:

Noticed on LinkedIn that Tedd also publicly referred to November 2019 as the end date of his position with "Rare Wines Specialists" which he and Rob Day may have been operating primarily for Gwen's wine drinking pleasure.  Not sure if it could have ever been a viable business. Think it was a way to rationalize trips to Northern Italy back before the virus. The Day's restaurant, City Cafe, changed to curbside only on March 18th and then abruptly closed indefinitely on March 19th. Guess no one there really felt like serving the public.  Doesn't seem like Tedd's got anything cooking now except his wife's employment selling houses and a peer-to-peer boat rental business, Aquaos. Why mention these observations?  I see a glimmer of hope that the Remnant Fellowship, a dangerous cult may have run out of money to spend on anyone other than Gwen Shamblin Lara and her most immediate relatives. 

Yes, first it was very interesting (around March of 2019) that Candace Anger went and had to get a job outside of Remnant/Weigh Down.  I figured it was another casualty of Gwen's purse strings being tightened after Gwen divorced her 1st husband.  It made total sense if Candace had to go somewhere outside the halls of Remnant/Weigh Down, that she got a job at Brandon Hannah's (Gwen's son-in-law) real estate company.

But then, it was even more interesting when Candace Anger left as an agent there after only less than 6 months and went with a more nationally known real estate franchise Keller Williams.  I cannot emphasize enough how the social ties within Remnant are so incredible strong.  For Candace to leave Gwen's son-in-law's company to go work for someone else's had to be HUGE.  They were practically family.  And Remnant ties have often trumped even blood ties.  

And it's not like there wasn't enough business for Candace at Brandon Hannah Properties.  One thing these various threads have left out is just how many Remnant members move to Brentwood once they get sucked into Gwen Shamblin's (Gwen Shamblin-Lara's, Gwen Lara's) cult.  (Her name evolves as she tries to manage her past).  Countless 100s of families have left their lives from from around the country and moved to Brentwood to be closer to Gwen and Remnant.  (Cult red flag #673)  And guess who was the main person who got to sell these incoming families houses and profit from the steady stream of buyers?  That money went directly to Gwen's own daughter Elizabeth Hannah and son-in-law Brandon Hannah.  What a gig.  Free steady stream of house buying customers guaranteed to come to you since Brandon's real estate company was the default 'go to'.  It is part of the whole 'Remnant economy' ecosystem.  (Or maybe Brandon and Elizabeth wanted all that basically free money himself and didn't want to share??)

Candace was one of Gwen's closest woman allies.  While Jennifer Martin acts as Gwen's personal assistant, Candace's role with Gwen and within Remnant was immense.

Then Tedd leaves Gwen's payroll soon followed by he and his wife stepping down from the (at-the-end) volunteer position of leader. 

Despite Candace's huge presence, Tedd had even more of an instrumental role in Remnant.  Since the very early days (around 2002'ish), Tedd was the #1 leader under Gwen (at least before Gwen married Tarzan).  He had Gwen's back from day 1.  He did countless behind the scenes logistics (even officiated some weddings) and, most destructively, was the main 'fixer' with his terrible counseling.  ("If you would just be more submissive to your husband, maybe his drinking problem would go away." <--- So many examples of this type of thing!!).  There were so many people and families issues that were sent his way.  (Which is ironic considering how Gwen touts how holy the 'Remnant nation' is.)  

At the risk of sounding redundant, Tedd and Candace leaving Gwen's side as an employees and now leaving as leaders is, without a doubt, huge.  Tedd and Candace knew so much.    

The future will be interesting.  Tedd's new company Aquaos seems to be having a hard time getting off the ground.  The website simply directs you to the Apple and Google Play stores.  While his app has been there since last November, Goggle touts "5+ downloads".  That means less than 10.

In my mind, Tedd is guilty of so many bad things that have gone on within Remnant with either Gwen's command, Gwen's nod or simply by the way Gwen's cult works.  But I'll give him credit for one thing.  He played a vital role in Remnant's "success" and it will be interesting to see how Remnant and Gwen do without two very major players that were always right by her side.  

[Ozlsn]

11 hours ago, RFsurvivor said:

This is also dependent on what wedding colors are approved by Gwen and the wedding planning committee...

This is still one of the things I find weirdest, not choosing the colours and having a wedding planning committee.

[Ozlsn]

2 hours ago, WorseThan1Thinks said:

The future will be interesting

Is it wrong that I'm kind of hoping they do a Mike Rinder/Marty Rathburn/Marc and Claire Headley exit and exposé?

Edited April 14, 2020 by Ozlsn

[AmazonGrace]

If you have problems, you eat. If you eat, you have problems. Food is bad. Everything sucks because you eat food.

Spoiler

 

Food is Not Your Friend

April 14, 2020

by Gwen Shamblin Lara

Comments are off

Food is not a good source of entertainment or a good escape from your problems or a good thing to fill up time—it is not a good thing to use to escape the fear of being bored, nor a good friend to take the place of relationships. How do you know? You have backaches, joint pains, and a closet full of clothes that are too small. It is the cause of your poor oxygen intake and sleeping complications, snoring, etc. That is why you have headaches, stomachaches, and generally feel exhausted all the time. Overeating puts a tremendous strain on any relationship—especially your spouse—and you cannot play with your children. The feeling of hopelessness… “What is the use” keeps crossing your mind. Overweight is perhaps the number one cause of depression. WeighDown has thousands of testimonies where people walk free from depression each day. Watch and record your emotions this week in your journal. Notice how you will have more energy and more joy and more exhilaration this week than you have had in years if you continue with the transfer of this relationship from bowing down to the pan of brownies over to bowing down to the most loving Heavenly Father and His precious Son, Jesus Christ.

 

The last sentence is 54 words.

[CTRLZero]

Quote

Overeating puts a tremendous strain on any relationship—especially your spouse—and you cannot play with your children.

I don't know when Gwod first penned this, but since her first (non-covenant) husband and her son looked overweight at some point, I wonder if she is addressing them?  It's not a given that being overweight leads to not being able to play with your children.  She seems bitter in a less than divine way. 

[Victorianroses]

https://www.gwenshamblinlara.com/food-is-not-your-friend/#.XpXT1BToHZQ

So  in today's exciting  message, we have Gwod declaring  that "Food is not your Friend"

Here again, she's just all over the place.  No, I suppose food is NOT your friend if you have abused it, as with any thing such as alcohol, drugs, money, ect.

Yet, in her books, she talks about how God created all foods for our enjoyment, and how cheated and  offended God would be, if were were to eat nothing but salads and cottage cheese, hmmmm

Ok, the part in her Weigh down Diet book, where she refers to God as a Master Chef, who made lasagna and brownies for our enjoyment really made me giggle.  I picture God wearing a huge chef's hat, and busily creating layers of lasagna, according to Gwen's take.   

When I first tried WD back in the day, I thought she was a rather ditzy, but well intentioned Christian woman, who was truly concerned about the epidemic obesity in our country.

nowadays, yeah, she's ditzy for sure, but dangerous.  I hope any Christian person considering her group will prayerfully consider the things she espouses on a daily basis.

Edited April 14, 2020 by Victorianroses

[AmazonGrace]

Most bakery products are a sin. Because yeast. (That picture is not of twilight.) 

Today's Delusional is super long but the only thing you need to know about it is that Gwen thinks you can detect cigarette smell and pictures of food with your ears. 

Spoiler

 

Two Senses that Affect Weight Loss

April 15, 2020

by Gwen Lara

Comments are off

Imagine being free of worrying about lusts, wealth, pride, praise of man—free of tobacco, alcohol, food, man-made food rules, and their impossible procedures. You are free to be devoted to Him, while enjoying His wonderful foods when your body is hungry – to eat like you did when you were a child—eating only when you were hungry, eating regular foods, and not thinking about food unless you were hungry. Remember back to the time when you would rather play than eat!

There are two senses used for either weight loss or weight gain. The senses are so influential to your life that they could either take you down the right path or the wrong path. If you go down the right path, you will be like a child again—focused on God and dependent on Him—free from your own devices.

Sense 1: The Physical EYES or Mental “FOCUS.”

What is meant by “eyes” or “focus” is what you see physically or mentally. What your eyes focus on fills your mind and your heart and eventually your life. We pass our idols, or what we adore, down to our children. You could have simply focused on what your parents focused on. You are not born this way. It grows over the years until a person becomes focused primarily on food when they enter a room, a house, their workplace, or even their car—they have their own secret food stashes. Overeaters hide the food in secret places—the bedroom, the closet, and their purse. People who are food focused eventually dream about it at night. I have known of sleepwalkers who wake up and have chicken bones on their chest.

Sense 2: The Physical EARS or Spiritual Voices.

Think about your senses… do you find yourself being in tune to the popcorn popping or the bacon sizzling? The ears of the idolater are tuned to its idol—if cigarettes, then the smell and sound of the package of tobacco, the TV commercials that advertise electronic cigarettes, the cigarette machines, etc. If it is food, they are tuned into pictures of food, magazines with new diets, restaurants, and food shows. Their ears perk up to conversations on food and dieting.

 

[ChickenettiLuvr]

I'm not sure which planet Gwod lives on, but here on Earth, I haven't seen a cigarette machine since ... 1988.

 

[SuperNova]

9 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

...they have their own secret food stashes. Overeaters hide the food in secret places—the bedroom, the closet, and their purse. People who are food focused eventually dream about it at night. I have known of sleepwalkers who wake up and have chicken bones on their chest.

We say this all. the. time but it bears repeating. Gwen is not talking about typical behavior. This is deeply disordered behavior and needs counseling.

9 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

...do you find yourself being in tune to the popcorn popping or the bacon sizzling?

Gwen picks two very distinct foods to make her point, virtually anyone can recall the sounds and smells related to bacon and popcorn. Some poor person looking for help will read this and feel like Gwen understands them.

[AmazonGrace]

Gwen thinks a pandemic is a precious time, and this tells you all you need to know about Gwen.