Gwen Shamblin Lara 17: The Hair Apparant

[formergothardite]

I personally think he only liked Gwen's money. I also think Gwen's ego was way too big for her to hire someone to pretend to be her husband. IMO she convinced herself he worshipped her. 

[Xan]

17 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

I personally think he only liked Gwen's money. I also think Gwen's ego was way too big for her to hire someone to pretend to be her husband. IMO she convinced herself he worshipped her. 

I agree.  His career was going nowhere and he needed money.  I think Gwen wanted arm candy and, perhaps, she was hoping for more activity in the (brain bleach alert!) bedroom than she got from the former husband.  

I think it's possible that both of them -- or at least Joe -- realized that they weren't quite happy with the arrangement.  He wanted lots of expensive toys, equipment, vehicles, and vacations but I suspect he thought he'd also get to share the stage a lot more.  After all, he was Tarzan!  He ended up just being a prop and having to dress exactly like she told him to do.  He even appeared to have to dye his hair.  For her part, I think she thought he'd adore her like her flock pretends to do.  I bet that he was less attentive when the cameras were turned off.

I don't honestly think this was a total business arrangement with Joe pretending to be her husband.

[Alisamer]

17 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

I personally think he only liked Gwen's money. I also think Gwen's ego was way too big for her to hire someone to pretend to be her husband. IMO she convinced herself he worshipped her. 

I agree - I don't think he was literally just a paid actor and the marriage was actually fake, like was said in the video. I don't think he was just playing the role of a pilot, either. I think he was probably an inexperienced pilot who took on more than he could handle, probably to appease and/or impress his rich wife and her minions.

I DO think Joe needed money and saw that Gwen had plenty, and was able to flatter his way in. I think she might have thought it was real, and I think he liked her well enough to put up with her eccentricities for the opportunity to live lavishly and be on stage in front of a cheering crowd, finally being the star he'd always hoped he'd be. He got a mansion to live in, planes to fly, fancy vacations, nice clothes... all he had to really do was flatter her all the time, parrot the cult party line, and not eat much in front of Gwen. Maybe he bought into the cult stuff, maybe he didn't. Maybe he loved her, maybe he didn't. Maybe she loved him, maybe she just wanted a nice-looking hunky sidekick. Who knows?

But I definitely think if Gwen wasn't wealthy Joe Lara wouldn't have looked twice at her, other than to marvel at her hair. I think the money and the adoring crowd she came with was more of a draw than Gwen herself, most likely.

[JermajestyDuggar]

1 hour ago, formergothardite said:

I personally think he only liked Gwen's money. I also think Gwen's ego was way too big for her to hire someone to pretend to be her husband. IMO she convinced herself he worshipped her. 

I think he liked a little bit more than just the money. I think he also likes the power she had over so many people. That had to appeal to him. If he’s married to Gwen, he could probably wield a bit of power himself. Another royalty comparison. If you marry the queen, even if you are just the prince, you still get some power from the marriage. 

[DonutWench]

21 hours ago, MamaJunebug said:

I always presumed Sepulveda Street in So. Calif. was “sep ull VAY duh”

When I heard it’s actual pronunciation (seh PULL veh’ duh) I was so dang glad I’d never had to mention it while visiting out there!  

Me too! I lived here for a year before I realized, so don’t feel too bad. ?

[ElleHouston]

So no one in here call it “cold drink”? I’m reading soda, pop, fizzy drink… everything put a cold drink ? 

[JermajestyDuggar]

1 minute ago, ElleHouston said:

So no one in here call it “cold drink”? I’m reading soda, pop, fizzy drink… everything put a cold drink ? 

A cold drink could describe so many things. Iced tea, lemonade, Gatorade, koolaid, juice, beer, or even ice water. 

Since I say pop, when I say soda, I basically mean club soda or seltzer. 

[freefromthin]

48 minutes ago, ElleHouston said:

So no one in here call it “cold drink”? I’m reading soda, pop, fizzy drink… everything put a cold drink ? 

My family does. At least I used to hear my elders call it that. It was pronounced cole drank. We are a mixed bag. My family goes back at least 200 years or more in TN and I've heard pop (used to get corrected if we used that one), soda, soda-pop, and Coke (all-encompassing).

[zeebaneighba]

20 hours ago, ManyGoats said:

Sometimes the locals will subvert that. I now live in a city in Arizona with a Spanish street name which I know how to pronounce correctly. But the locals mispronounce it and think I'm wrong. 

I live near a town pronounced El do RAY do.  I've stopped cringing when I hear it, but it was a struggle at first.

[MamaJunebug]

1 hour ago, zeebaneighba said:

I live near a town pronounced El do RAY do.  I've stopped cringing when I hear it, but it was a struggle at first.

From Missouri, I offer

New Madrid = “New MAD-rid”

Versailles = “Ver-SALES”

Courtois = “CORD-away”

And just one from Illinois bcz I’ve gotta run

Cairo = “KAY-row”

[rabbitholejulie]

Gwen seemed to adore Joe- very over-the-top adore.  Maybe the video is right, that she wanted more presence on social media, etc.  Joe did seem to be playing a role.  Then the engagement and wedding videos were not received the way Gwen thought they would be...a poor script...

If Elizabeth marries an actor next that will be very telling...

[Tatar-tot]

5 hours ago, DonutWench said:

Me too! I lived here for a year before I realized, so don’t feel too bad. ?

We could not make heads or tails how to pronounce Sepulveda when we moved to LA.  We used to call it Spatula Road! I thing it was the traffic guy that we finally figured out how to pronounce the name. 

[Giraffe]

5 hours ago, ElleHouston said:

So no one in here call it “cold drink”? I’m reading soda, pop, fizzy drink… everything put a cold drink ? 

Not the same as cold drink, but I hear “cold one” used to refer to beer.

[Red Hair, Black Dress]

This is just  ......  I don't know .........creepy AF.  On the Remnant Fellowship Weddings FB page there is a June 22 post celebrating the 19th anniversary of the 1st RF Wedding ever    .........

.............

 

Wait for it ...........

 

 

 

 

Jonathan and Jessica Walters.

[RFsurvivor]

23 hours ago, RFFriend said:

Hi Everyone...

I've been lurking and have a few questions that I thought I would throw out there for the group.

My best friend is in Remnant and when I visit her in TN, I have gone with her to the services.  At one point, she wanted me to move there and join the church, but it was a hard pass for me.  I read parts of Gwen's book in the 90's when it was in all the churches and I just never could get into it.  She's had me listen to Gwen's CD in the car, given me her books and I just never could see what she saw in this lady.  And I don't believe that my spirtual journey hinges upon my weight loss.

When my friend first joined and I went down the rabbit hole to learn about Gwen's church, I really had a lot of fears about losing her to the cult.  But, that hasn't happened.  I have read a lot of things about Remnant and some of them aren't true from my experience.  For example, when the plane went down, there were people on line saying that they never have food at their weddings and all the kids look emaciated.  Definitely not true.

I know there was a lot of things written about Remnant back in the early 2000's when the cult first started about glue sticks and excessive discipline issues, etc.  I had read that people weren't allowed to go to other churches, were told not to read things online, not to keep friends outside of Remnant, etc.  I also live far enough away and maybe I would see more if I lived close.

So, the question is, do you think they toned things down since the beginning when Gwen started getting in a lot of trouble and being investigated about the murder of that young boy?  Is it more subtle now for the members as opposed to "you are too fat for our church, please leave"  My friend lost weight at one point, but she has gained it back and then some as she has had several more children.  She has never told me that they gave her a hard time about it, but maybe they have and she just doesn't share that part.

The only thing that I ever heard her say that was so sad to me was that she feels like she will go to Hell if she doesn't get the weight off.  And her young daughter will often question if I really want that next bite (ha!  yes, I do!)  Her mother will immediately correct her that it is not her job to police adults food intake.  So, I do see the signs of the cult influence on her family.

I have just been trying to figure this group out for the longest time.  Have they eased up a bit over the years or does everyone just smile and not share the way that leadership talks to them?  My friend definitely isn't in any leadership position and so maybe she just doesn't see what all really goes on?  Or is she really good at hiding the condemnation that she feels?

Anyway, I hope that there are at least some positive changes now that Gwen is gone.  I am wondering how Elizabeth is going to hold up given that she is now a single mom, without her mother, without her husband, taking on her husband's business, her mom's pastorship (if I can call it that) all the while dealing with grief.  My friend says she is excited about the future of Remnant, but I would love for her to leave that place.

For context, I was a member for about a decade and left about 6 years ago so while I can’t speak to more current ideology I can speak from my experience. 
 

Just because your friend doesn’t talk about what leaders or members say doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. I did not tell people the terrible things I was told or instructed until I had been out for  a few years. You are taught that they are your authority and you are to obey. 
 

I was explicitly taught to “not mix the message” by going to other churches or get spiritual guidance from anywhere other than Remnant. I was also explicitly taught to not research Remnant online because the Satan has influenced the world and there are lies about Remnant online. All you have to do is see the fruit and you can tell remnant is the truth!

 

I always felt like I was not good enough. My relationship with God wasn’t strong enough. I wasn’t skinny enough. I wasn’t studying scripture enough. I was humble enough. I never have expressed that to anyone outside of Remnant and really only to a few people in Remnant.

just a few thoughts from a former remnant member. 

[ManyGoats]

5 hours ago, rabbitholejulie said:

If Elizabeth marries an actor next that will be very telling...

It will be! I also think it will be interesting to see how she develops as the head honcho. Her voice sounds very much like Gwen's and she's even starting to sound like her in that she often struggles for what to say. Big emphasis on how 'fun' volunteering for the various ministries will be. Though she's not harping on not eating so far.

She's differentiating in her appearance, though. Her hair is flat and her clothes are pretty conservative compared to Gwen's. I wouldn't say Gwen dressed in a sexy manner exactly, but she often showed a lot of skin. Above the knee dresses, strapless gowns, etc. We haven't seen Elizabeth's arms, legs, or neck in a long time.

One more thing: What's with calling her mom 'Gwen' all the time? Everyone knows her mom is Gwen. I find that odd.

[AmazonGrace]

Not sure Gwen's ego could have handled it if her daughter's glam glitter outshone her.

But I think Elizabeth is so thin she's probably legitimately cold a lot of  the time.
 

Pro Ana from beyond the grave: It is so fun to be hungry! But once you're hungry you might still not be hungry enough! You need to wait until you're a lot more hungry so you can be sure! The hungrier you are at the end of the day the better off you will be!

The first paragraph was an instagram post in April, and it still doesn't make sense why you'd need to use scales to fine tune your eating if you rely on God sending you hunger pangs. .

Spoiler

The Scales are Just a Tool

June 25, 2021

by Gwen Shamblin Lara

0 Comment

Many of you have struggled with the scales—with a fear of weigh­ing, a fear of the “number” and a panic to get a certain size or weight. You can now let go of that forever! The scales are just a tool; they are not your judge and not to be your god. Getting in tune to hunger and full­ness and a reliance on God is what you are looking for! The scales will just help you see if you are off track and help you fine tune your eating.

Tuning into the growl is everything. It is a Connection to God and His lead. A “growl” is the physical feeling of hunger. It can be acid on your stomach, but the more you are actually able to hear it, especially at the end of the day, the better off you are going to be. Try to really get to where you are not guessing it is hunger, you KNOW you are really hungry. There is going to be noth­ing like it, followed by getting up the next day and weighing less than you did the day before. It is so fun!

Being dead and decomposing is a lot like that. You weigh less than you did the day before, only you don't have to get up.

 

[apple1]

16 hours ago, ElleHouston said:

So no one in here call it “cold drink”? I’m reading soda, pop, fizzy drink… everything put a cold drink ? 

It's pop. ☺️

(Southwest Ohioan)

[smittykins]

13 hours ago, MamaJunebug said:

From Missouri, I offer

New Madrid = “New MAD-rid”

Versailles = “Ver-SALES”

Courtois = “CORD-away”

And just one from Illinois bcz I’ve gotta run

Cairo = “KAY-row”

New York has a village called Chili(Rochester suburb)which is pronounced with two long-I’s, instead of like the meat-and-beans dish.

[quiversR4hunting]

Michigan has awesome variations to pronounce city names. Charlotte, MI is not pronounced like Charlotte, NC.  Lots of French and Native American words. 

If anyone visits Michigan, this is a great article on the common mistakes so you don't point yourself out as a tourist. https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/06/27/how-pronounce-michigan-words/737438002/ 

The article even tells you how to pronounce soda. ?

 

[CTRLZero]

One of my favorite streets in Nashville is Demonbreun Street.  It took me awhile to consistently pronounce it correctly- duh MUHN bree uhn.  Gwen and entourage once posted photos from a restaurant at the corner of Demonbreun and Eighth.  IIRC, their wine glasses were filled, but no food was on their plates.  Maybe they were waiting on the growl… 

[FrumperedCat]

9 hours ago, ManyGoats said:

One more thing: What's with calling her mom 'Gwen' all the time? Everyone knows her mom is Gwen. I find that odd.

It probably is partially a professional thing and partially to make it clear who she's talking about, for those who don't know the church so much. I work with my mother and even amongst close colleagues I refer to her by her given name. Heck, even when I message her on our work messaging app. Then outside of work I call her Mum.

[ManyGoats]

On 6/24/2021 at 1:17 PM, ElleHouston said:

So no one in here call it “cold drink”? I’m reading soda, pop, fizzy drink… everything put a cold drink ? 

Well, my brother and I used to jokingly say, "Let's go get a cold drank." I don't know where we heard the expression. Clearly it was from someone with a (southern?) twang, pronouncing 'drink' as 'drank.'

[RFFriend]

Wow!  This is going to get interesting.  Joe flunked out of his flying course and then found someone to give him the credentials that he needed.  According to Dan, that person, a designated pilot examiner, has now lost his credentials for passing Joe.  Also, Dan is saying that people are writing to him telling him about custody battles.  I know that the church really advises people to set up will, custody arrangments etc and that the couples had done so.  But, family outside of Remnant will probably want a say what happens to their grandkids, nieces, nephews, etc.

[RFFriend]

19 hours ago, RFsurvivor said:

For context, I was a member for about a decade and left about 6 years ago so while I can’t speak to more current ideology I can speak from my experience. 
 

Just because your friend doesn’t talk about what leaders or members say doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. I did not tell people the terrible things I was told or instructed until I had been out for  a few years. You are taught that they are your authority and you are to obey. 
 

I was explicitly taught to “not mix the message” by going to other churches or get spiritual guidance from anywhere other than Remnant. I was also explicitly taught to not research Remnant online because the Satan has influenced the world and there are lies about Remnant online. All you have to do is see the fruit and you can tell remnant is the truth!

 

I always felt like I was not good enough. My relationship with God wasn’t strong enough. I wasn’t skinny enough. I wasn’t studying scripture enough. I was humble enough. I never have expressed that to anyone outside of Remnant and really only to a few people in Remnant.

just a few thoughts from a former remnant member. 

Thanks for sharing.  I'm sorry that you had this experience.  What was the wake up moment for you?  Was it gradual or did something happen to expose what was really happening to you?

I would be interested in knowing what types of negative things does leadership tell people?  

Through them, I have met some really wonderful people there.  It's one thing to read about these cults, but a totally different experience when you know people caught up in them.

Edited June 25, 2021 by RFFriend