This is one dramatic difference between the spiritual friendships of Christian community and the friendships of the American Honky-Tonk Bar Association: friends at the AHBA might accept us "just as we are," but they’ll pretty much leave us that way. They feel no responsibility to encourage, challenge and, sometimes, rebuke us. On the other hand, while spiritual friends in Christian community will also accept us as just we are, they are proactively committed to our transformation. They will give us not only grace, but also hard truth when we need it – and you and I do need it sometimes.