Metadata
Gary Sheng & Arielle Noel Pastoral Conversation - June 27, 2025
Summary
Deep pastoral conversation between Gary Sheng and Arielle Noel covering Gary's workplace struggles at Alpha, spiritual guidance on handling difficult situations, theological discussions, and personal growth challenges. Arielle provided mature spiritual counseling drawing parallels between marriage commitment and workplace perseverance while addressing Gary's concerns about integrity, parental expectations, and career decisions.
Key Discussion Topics
Alpha School Workplace Challenges
Gary shared significant frustrations with Alpha, particularly around:
Middle Management Conflict:
- Gary described a 48-year-old middle manager who told him: "everything that Gary wants to do, I'm now in charge of it, and I'm going to cancel his event"
- Gary's assessment: "my impression is that he got threatened by me and didn't want any sort of competition, like any sort of muddying of a lane that he wanted to lock in"
- This created feelings of being blocked from meaningful contribution
Surveillance Requirements:
- Gary revealed: "I've basically rejected their requirement to surveil my computer"
- Expressed moral conflict: "I find it very painful to collect a paycheck when I don't feel like I'm adding value to a group and they don't, and they don't want me to add value"
Integrity Concerns: Gary articulated his core dilemma: "I think God's testing me of whether I believe in respecting energy transfer, you know, and like, and also whether I worship money or not, right? Like, I think I would probably spend more time doing BS meetings and stuff for Alpha if I just wanted to, like, scam them of a paycheck. But it's just not feeling good."
Arielle's Spiritual Guidance
On Perseverance Through Trials: Arielle provided profound counsel on suffering: "This suffering that you're feeling, yo, it's intentional. Like God is allowing it because he wants you to produce patience, long suffering. You know how many people don't have your mind? How many, like I tell Marxists all the time, people just don't, they're not going to understand, but you still have to have enough, like, like it's a fruit of long-suffering for others."
On Marriage-Like Commitment: Drawing parallels between marriage and work commitment: "And it's a promise you made with God to stick it out. And although marriage is not the same as alpha, but it's almost like what life is teaching me as an adult is that like, this is why adults in your tribe, when you talk to them to like stick through things"
On Timing and Divine Strategy: Arielle counseled patience with a prophetic perspective: "Let them make a move on that. But don't be so quick to, like, rush into, like, sleeping on someone's couch because you never know how that will be a blessing to the others around you. And you've been able to bless a lot of people around you, Gary."
Theological Discussions
Victory's Church and Jewish Identity: Gary shared theological wrestling after visiting Victory's Church:
- "there's a freaking menorah statue. Then I started to dive in... they believe that, you know, the nation state of Israel and basically the Azkenazis and our The Chosen People"
- Gary's uncertainty: "I don't want to say I know what the truth is, but it's like God's put this in front of my face"
The Remnant Identity: Significant discussion about spiritual calling and the remnant:
- Gary: "when people that get it, get things, and it's not a lot, right? There's only 144,000, right? But when you bump into, or, and maybe they're not even like initiated yet. Maybe there's a few thousand right now."
- Discussion about discernment: "How are we... How can we do better? I think what I'm learning, maybe for the first time, is slowing down in discernment."
Personal Growth and Relationships
Parental Pressure: Gary expressed concern about family dynamics: "I want to keep the distance because I don't want them to micromanage my life because what they would do if they could do it, if they were leaning into their fear, or my mom in particular, she would just like force me to be in a shitty job for the rest of my life."
Arielle's Counsel on Parents: "Remember, your parents are this. But remember, your parents... Gary, you don't have to do anything. You don't have to think about that yet. Because right now, you're still associated with Alpha and they're giving you a check."
Prayer Guidance: Arielle offered specific prayer direction: "The prayer is so simple for you. It's like, Father God, the pressures of my parents, I give that to you. I surrender it at your throne. For your yoke is easy and my burden is light."
On Celibacy and Relationships: Gary admitted: "my hobby was lust, okay? I didn't play pickleball a single time in Austin... my hobby was talking to chicks, and I don't... I don't know, like, it's probably good to not have that as a hobby anymore."
Arielle provided perspective: "you can't really make that your hobby, right? That's just you meeting people that God puts in front of you. So define it something else."
Character Discernment
On False Spiritual Leaders: Gary shared experiences with deceptive people: "I've met multiple people that I've worked with that claim to be of the spirit that are just not. Just like a hunger for money, a desperation for money and not treating me as a friend, but a source of money."
Arielle's Response: "And all praises to the father that these situations are happening so that you're learning to serve men. Because there is going to be a lot of cap, bro. People are a cap... you just take the lesson, eat it, and keep it pushing."
Spiritual Maturity Insights
On Recognition of Blessing: Arielle emphasized gratitude perspective: "Gary, you're so blessed, bro. You're so blessed in so many ways. It's amazing. It's just hard to think about how blessed we are when we're by ourselves, because we're in ourselves."
On Leadership Calling: "we're not normal people. We're not regular degular people called by God. So we need to remember that. We're not experiencing regular degular things that people experience. Like, we're being called to really be leaders"
On Future Influence: Arielle prophetically encouraged: "What's coming is influence, bro. Like influence, like we, like us. Yo, like influence, not for bad, but for good... You even being associated with Alpha, it's all part of an upward trajectory of who we've helped, who we've been around. The list is getting long. The resume looks good, bro."
Orlando Trip Planning
- Discussion of upcoming conference attendance
- Plans to visit Disney and Orlando Studios
- Arielle offered to create presentation decks: "I want to put together, whatever comes to you, I can help create... If you want me to make one for you on Christocracy, just put it in a voice note and I can take it from there"
Key Spiritual Themes
- Suffering as Divine Preparation: Understanding current trials as preparation for greater calling
- Discernment in Relationships: Learning to identify authentic vs. false spiritual leaders
- Parental Pressure vs. Divine Calling: Balancing family expectations with spiritual purpose
- Workplace Integrity: Navigating ethical dilemmas in professional settings
- Sexual Purity: Addressing lust and developing healthy relationship approaches
- Prophetic Timing: Understanding seasons of preparation vs. action
- Remnant Identity: Recognizing calling as part of spiritual leadership group
Notable Quotes
Arielle on Suffering: "Everything else will hurt anyways. Like, that's just what it is. Everything will just hurt in a different way... The only path is forward and obey."
On Spiritual Warfare: "we all have to tap into what he's whispering to us. Make you tired. Like, bro, he will make you tired. Everything is in order. He'll make you tired. So you're just like, dude, like, what do I do with God?"
On Leadership: "There's not enough good leaders. There's not enough good leaders. And this is where we get tried. We're going to get tried by so many people, bro."
Gary on Spiritual Growth: "I don't have no desire to turn back the clocks. Like, I'm glad I experienced what I experienced... when you bump into, or, and maybe they're not even like initiated yet. Maybe there's a few thousand right now. I don't know. We don't even know."
Action Items Discussed
- Gary to practice surrendering parental pressures through prayer during Shabbat
- Orlando conference preparation and presentation creation
- Continued discernment regarding Alpha position
- Development of new healthy hobbies beyond previous patterns
- Potential collaboration on Christocracy presentation
Spiritual Insights
This conversation demonstrates Arielle's role as a mature spiritual counselor providing biblical wisdom for contemporary challenges. Her guidance emphasizes patience, surrender, and viewing current trials as divine preparation for greater influence and leadership responsibility. The conversation reveals both participants' deep commitment to authentic spiritual growth over comfortable compromises.