Gary Lamb is a church planter in Canton, GA. His church Ridgestone Church is meeting in the same movie theater that we planted the Bridge Church a few years back. Gary wrote an excellent post here. He said he is committed to being who God made him. He is right! I know what that is like to have people try to make you into something you are not. When we moved to Cherokee County, GA, (Canton) I miss-read the community. I thought we could reach the unchurched just like Northpoint in Alpharetta, GA was doing. They were only 30 min. away so I assumed the people were similar. I was wrong. Canton was not like Alpharetta at all! One thing I have learned in my life is I have to be who I am. It will not always please everyone else, but I believe it pleases God. Why? Because He created me to be who I am. There were some in Canton who tried to mold me into what they wanted. That was the undoing of our church. I had a group of 6-7 men who called me out at 9:30 PM to come to the Bridgemill Playground to talk about their concerns. They wanted us to stop being so edgy with our videos and play the music they liked. Our leadership prayed about it, but decided that was not what God had called The Bridge to do. These were the same men who talked me out of taking a job @ Sequoia HS as a teacher/coach just two months earlier. After this meeting they left the church and we had almost no income because half of our church members were college students. If I had to do it over, I would have taken the coaching gig. I don't look back regretfully. I thank God for that experience. I am who I am because of it! God has placed us in a great church that loves Him and is working to reach NW Charlotte for Christ. What I have learned is to meet people where they are and accept them for how God made them. I also know how God has wired me. For that I am grateful. I am exicted to see what God is doing through Gary and Ridgestone Church. We need more Gary Lamb's in the world who will not compromise who they are and especially who God made them!