Living a Life Outside of Self is the Most Joyful Place on Earth!
Rebecca Gunger grew up in one of the most beautiful places in the country – just north of Destin, Florida. How fitting that this young woman from Niceville is not only full of light and sunshine, but one of the nicest people you will ever meet. Growing up with two younger sisters Sarah and Rosie, Rebecca’s childhood wasn’t always the joyful life it is today. It used to be filled with greed for food, worry, self-focus and even panic attacks.
Little did Rebecca know that her entire family’s lives would change when her mother, Pam, signed up for a Weigh Down class in 1995 and went on to lose 30 pounds herself. In 2004-2005, Pam decided to take another Weigh Down class. This time, Rebecca was around 12-13 years old. She says, “I didn’t realize how badly I needed it, too. I was starting to become an emotional eater and gaining weight steadily. I was also starting to really struggle with anxiety, control, getting the approval of my peers, and extreme self-absorption. My relationships began to deteriorate, especially with my parents and sisters, and my world-view continued to increasingly revolve around myself alone.”
“I was known for being friendly and nice, but I struggled and fretted all the while, knowing I couldn’t keep up the façade much longer. I was really starting to crack and began to experience panic attacks. I hit rock bottom, and knew it was time to humble myself and finally try what had helped my mom all those years ago. As I watched Weigh Down’s The Last Exodus series for youth, I saw Gwen’s kids and their friends talk about God and each other with so much love, joy and peace, and they didn’t appear to be magnetized to food or anxious about anything. Most of all, their lives seemed to have so much purpose and fulfillment.”
Finding the Genuine Article
Rebecca knew she didn’t have the same love, peace and joy and wanted it more than anything. She so desired to be around people who not only WANTED to do the right thing, but knew HOW to do the right thing. Her mother was invited to attend a Remnant Fellowship Church service. As a mother, Pam wanted to see if the Youth there were genuine and really living like they did in all the Weigh Down videos. Rebecca confesses, “After nearly a year and a half of skeptical observation, I saw for myself that the youth group at Remnant Fellowship WAS the genuine article. I knew I wanted to be a part of that, and haven’t looked back since! It 
truly is the BEST kind of peer pressure, because being around these Youth makes me want to love God and others more and more.”
Rebecca, also known as “Becca” by her closest friends, attended Remnant Fellowship Summer Day Camp for the first time in 2007. She says, “It was more fun than I thought possible – bringing me closer to God and others in ways beyond my wildest dreams. It helped me make the decision to run after this relationship with God myself. It was no longer something my mom was doing and bringing to me, but something I WANTED to do!
“As I remember back to that time of my life when I was just starting my first Weigh Down class, I am beyond amazed and grateful to God for letting me hear and see and run after such a beautiful purpose. I lost 15 lbs. in that first class, but most of all, gained a permanent lifestyle change! When I started college and noticed I was had started to gain some weight back, I immediately got back in a class, went all in, and lost 20 lbs. I have no fear for the future, because these resources are TIMELESS!”
Panic Attacks and Anxiety Gone While Blessings Abound!
In 2008, the Gunger family moved to Brentwood, TN, to be near the Remnant Fellowship Church. Rebecca stays surrounded by Truth and continues to change for the better every year. She no longer experiences panic attacks or anxiety. When she feels worry creep in, she knows exactly how to run to God with it. She loves hearing, “It’s not about you, it’s all about God,” over and over in the classes. This is truly the Good News! It continues to help her stay focused on God and others, instead of herself all the time.
She says, “In the most ironic and remarkable of ways, this truly is the best life! I am happier every year, more grateful, more in love with God and others. Instead of being obsessed with getting everyone’s approval and feeling empty and lost because of that, I now focus first and foremost on getting God’s approval, and then He gives back favor in astounding ways. I understand and LOVE the Bible now, whereas before, it never made sense to me.
“My relationships with my parents and sisters are healed. My sisters and I are best friends, and we are only getting closer and closer as we continue to learn more and more every week from services at Remnant Fellowship Church. God has totally taken care of my studies and career”. Rebecca now works for the Executive branch of the State of Tennessee! She says, “I have a full-time job I NEVER even thought possible for me and have ZERO student debt. This is all from putting the principles we hear every week into practice.”
Weigh Down Works in Any Decade
“I am forever grateful to have been a child of a 90’s Weigh Down participant and that Weigh Down Ministries, under the generous direction of Gwen Shamblin, has continued to be there for all Weigh Downer’s past and present. I feel like I was at a crossroads and about to head down a very dark and empty path, when God mercifully guided me to a new, lesser-traveled but so much more purposeful, happier, and peaceful road. I pray to stay on it for the rest of my life!”
Rebecca stays plugged into Truth through all the resources from Weigh Down and Remnant Fellowship Church. She says, “There is so much beautiful fruit from utilizing these resources! I use many of them daily and even hourly. My favorite audios are The Power to Overcome series (which helped me in college really go ALL the way and lose the last 10 lbs), the Characteristics of Christ series, and the new Revolution Class audios. I also love The Tablet and The History of the Love of God, both written by Gwen Shamblin. These two books have profoundly shaped the way I look at relationships with my family, bosses, coworkers, friends and everyone I come into contact with but most importantly, my relationship with God.”
Life-Changing Weigh Down Tours
Anytime a Weigh Down tour is announced, Rebecca is there! “I’ve gotten to go on the last two tours, and both profoundly impacted me. The truth shared on the 2016 Summer tour was life-changing and helped me so much with my relationships by giving practical points on how to love more. Not only that, but the day I got back from the tours, I was offered a job promotion with a raise that I hadn’t even heard about let alone put my name in for! The 2017 Winter tour to Little Rock & Dallas was equally amazing. The fellowship and truth shared was priceless! I cannot wait to attend the Weigh Down tour in Louisville this July!!”
If you would like to experience these same changes in your life and learn about this connection with God, please join us on the Weigh Down Tour in Louisville, KY on July 22-23! This powerful event will be filled with instruction, success stories, and fellowship. Get more info here.
Watch Rebecca on the You Can Overcome Show on “Finding Success During College and Post-Graduation” with Tedd Anger, Conner Henry and Jonathan Walters!
