Details ...
Wedding Day!
Sunday, October 24th, 2021
Wedding colors:
Taupe, cream, with accents of gold
Their Story...
John Eldeen:
I can't even begin to express in words the amount of gratitude I have for Remnant Fellowship Church and specifically for Gwen Lara and her ability to read directly from the Bible, sharing with anyone willing to listen about how to put into practice what was said and lived out over 2000 years ago. May the impact this teaching has had on my life, my family, and the lives of so many others never be forgotten! Gwen had the choice to keep this teaching to herself, but she instead stood up and stepped out in order to share with others the truth about God's Word and what He asks of us here on this Earth.
I grew up going to Church off and on throughout my childhood. I wasn't really seeking—nor did I understand—what it meant to have a relationship with God. I was what you would consider a "good kid," never really getting into much trouble. I knew what I wanted out of life and what I needed to do to get there. I had everything planned out: my career, where I wanted to live, and who I wanted to be. I wasn't interested in anything different than that, especially anything that might jeopardize that plan. We visited, off and on, many different churches and Sunday school classes where I'd hang out with kids my age. In each one of those situations, I was always disappointed and honestly disgusted at the amount of sin and rebellion there was in the other kids...so much so that I would avoid making friends and would usually just sit through the adult services beside my parents, bored to tears.
In the early 2000s, my mom was introduced to the Weigh Down Workshop and eventually to Remnant Fellowship Church. Little did I know at the time that God had a very different plan for my life than what I had planned out! In late 2002, my mom took my siblings and me to our first Church service at Remnant Fellowship. I went along for the ride, assuming it would be just another of many...but we met a group of people there who were different. I noticed that everyone, from the youngest child up through the oldest adult, was listening to what was being shared by Gwen and others directly from the Bible, and then they were putting those words and teachings into practice. Every member was making an effort to wake up each day and put God first, striving towards walking in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Changing the heart from selfish motives and worldly desires over to a desire to look for the Spirit of God in everything and putting the needs of others above the sinful, selfish desires. I had never seen that before and I honestly don't think I really believed what I was seeing!
Ginny is the wife of noble character who is written about in Proverbs 31. She is worth far more than rubies, and I look forward to all the days to come with her by my side—bringing good and not harm, clothed with strength and dignity, speaking with wisdom and faithful instruction on her tongue. Able to laugh at the days to come, raising our incredible children together to love God first and love others as ourselves! May our household forever serve the Lord! - John
I joined Remnant that year with my family. I was still a teenager, and I am sad to say that even though I joined, I was yet holding on to a lot of selfishness in my heart. I was greedy, lazy, angry, sad, lonely, lustful, having my own ideas and expectations, feeling sorry for myself, along with many more strongholds. I had the information, the resources, and the knowledge to lay down all of those strongholds, but I didn't put it into practice FULLY! As the years passed, I would "try" to do the right things to obey the Bible...at least, when it was beneficial to me. I was not completely willing to let go of that last 10% of selfishness, and I thought I had better ideas than God. This attitude and my choices led me through many years of turmoil and self-induced testing from God! He was continually trying to show me how blessed life can be when you put Him above EVERYTHING else! Through all of that, God was always very clear to show me that He was in control, never giving me more than I could handle. He put me in situations only He could design and made it so that I had to depend on Him to move mountains—He was so faithful to continually guide me to build my faith throughout the years. Finally, I hit a low point. I no longer had what I thought I couldn't live without, and I had to decide where to turn. I had to decide if I was really willing to finally put God first!
I did make that choice to fully put GOD FIRST, and it literally catapulted my life into a new stratosphere of peace, joy, and love that I sadly had suppressed for years, not even realizing what I was doing. I finally appreciated the opportunity to wake up each morning and pray for God to lead me through my day and to do whatever it is that I can do to love and help others. Giving over control to God in order to trust in Him to take care of me—that’s what I had been missing. It is incredible that when you put your faith and trust in Him and put others above yourself, God always comes back in and takes care of every need ten times more than you can imagine!
Ginny Moore is exactly that. She is ten times more than anything I could ever imagine! She is an incredible blessing in my life that I feel like I do not and will not ever deserve. A blessing that I will not ever take for granted. God allowed us to meet for the first time during an uncommon Nashville snowstorm, at a Valentine's Day party with a few friends. One of the first things that I noticed about her, besides her physical beauty, was her heart devoted to God and to meeting the needs of others. She is near impossible to out-serve, always looking around for the needs of others and willing to help anyone in any way. Her heart is overflowing with love for God first, in the example of Jesus Christ, and the needs of God’s Church and His Kingdom are her top priority! As our first conversations led to our first date, I knew there was something special about Ginny, and I had to learn more. Each interaction we had, I learned more about how strong, courageous, faithful, and resolved she is. I admire everything about her and cannot believe that I get the honor to call her my fiancé, soon my wife!
I am in awe of all of the answered prayers we have had throughout our relationship. Time after time, God made it clear that we are a match only He could have arranged and allowed! Ginny is the wife of noble character who is written about in Proverbs 31. She is worth far more than rubies, and I look forward to all the days to come with her by my side—bringing good and not harm, clothed with strength and dignity, speaking with wisdom and faithful instruction on her tongue. Able to laugh at the days to come, raising our incredible children together to love God first and love others as ourselves!
God has allowed so many experiences, both good and challenging, so that our hearts could be changed and refined. I am thankful for every test, and I know that God will continually refine our hearts. I know that together, Ginny and I will be resolved and determined to love and serve God and His Kingdom above ourselves for the rest of our lives! May our household forever serve the Lord!
Ginny Moore:
My name is Ginny Moore, and I live in Louisville, KY. I have been a part of Remnant Fellowship Church for over five years, but I had been searching for a fully alive and passionate relationship with God for several years prior. When I was in college, I read the Weigh Down Diet Book during one summer break, and my heart was completely transformed from the words by Gwen Shamblin Lara. By learning how to lay down sin and live an obedient life for God (a concept I had never been taught nor even heard before, even though I had been raised in church), I began to open the door to true, inexpressible JOY and a relationship with God that I had always craved. However, once that summer was over and I returned to college, I unfortunately picked up my old lifestyle and returned to my old sin patterns. Thankfully though, the seeds of that full-obedience life were deeply planted, although they would remain dormant for many years.
Several years down the road, my life was empty, and I was searching for answers. Although I was attending a local church and active in ministries, I was still angry, hurting, bitter, controlling, prideful, depressed, and haunted by crippling fear. I was trying to lose some baby weight after having my three children when, out of the blue, I remembered Weigh Down! I quickly jumped back in, took some classes, lost my weight, and re-discovered that personal relationship with God through Christ! And that inexpressible JOY quickly returned and went even deeper than it had in college because I now had discovered a beautiful community of believers spurring me on. There was no turning back this time, and I quickly joined Remnant Fellowship Church.
I joyfully laid down every vice God was revealing in my heart—all my greed, anger, control, and irrational fears. I began to dig into the Bible and truly trust in God for EVERYTHING as I heard Gwen Lara constantly encouraging us to do and as I saw lived out in the families and leadership at the Church. I was finally truly ready to live a life full of love for God and obedience to His Word, just as Christ lived out.
God is the Genius Matchmaker and Giver of amazingly good gifts!!! Knowing John has given me insight into God’s loving, gentle, beautiful personality, and it helps me know and love God on an even more personal basis than ever before, drawing me closer to Him every day just by seeing John’s Godly character. - Ginny
About a month before I personally met John Eldeen, I took notice of his character one Wednesday night when he gave a testimony at Church. God put it on my heart to notice him, and I started praying for John’s heart, as he was also a single parent like myself, and I knew we probably faced many of the same tests from day to day. I very privately also prayed that God might allow me a chance to meet John, if it were His will.
Later, I discovered that many of our mutual friends were thinking that John and I might be a good match for one another! One of our friends invited both of us to a St. Valentine’s Day gathering at their home, and I was able to personally meet John and spend time talking with him. I knew I could never deserve someone as upright and humble and kind as John Eldeen; however, after spending time together at that gathering, to my absolute amazement, John began texting me! I began to discover so much more about his character. He was so gentle, humble, sweet, and he was seeking God with every decision for himself and his children. Decisions were never based on selfishness, but only based on seeking the direction God wanted. He was literally the perfect answer to the prayers I didn’t know how to put into words!
After John took me on our first date a couple of weeks later, I found myself falling in love with him very quickly. John is completely, without a doubt, the absolute love of my life. I don’t begin to deserve such a blessing. He pursues God, pursues me, and is also leading our soon-to-be-family—which includes five precious children—with so much gentleness and faith in God. He is dedicated to having our children spend time at Church and around the Godly families and friends here, so they can ultimately build their own personal relationships with God in the same way.
I feel like John and I are a great balance for each other. God knew we would be the perfect complement to one another and for the children we bring together into this family, for God is the Genius Matchmaker and Giver of amazingly good gifts!!! Knowing John gives me insight into God’s loving, gentle, beautiful personality, and it helps me know and love God on an even more personal basis than ever before, drawing me closer to Him every day just by seeing John’s Godly character. I feel I am the most blessed woman on the planet, and God is the most generous God imaginable. He truly gives back so much more than we give Him.
