Bel Air Church

Feedback is a terrifying thing. We are so vulnerable when someone gives us feedback. Maybe they're even critical of us. Terrifying. It's terrifying because historically, none of us have been very good at it. We use the opportunity to hurt each other. Rev. Keenan Barber shows us that becoming better and better is a process worked out in trusted relationships. And those relationships come...

Friendship turns into kinship when adversity is shared. In companionship, God takes simple life events and magnifies them into the foundation for relationship. Considering this through the lens of Christ's sacrifice, we discover that Christ is the ultimate friend. Our own friendships are reflections of that perfection. Resources for a life of following Jesus, every day, everywhere, with every...

Friendship turns into kinship when adversity is shared. In companionship, God takes simple life events and magnifies them into the foundation for relationship. Considering this through the lens of Christ's sacrifice, we discover that Christ is the ultimate friend. Our own friendships are reflections of that perfection. Resources for a life of following Jesus, every day, everywhere, with every...

Personally, this sermon arrived in my life with a divine timing. It is a potent, cutting, relevant truth to us. Dr. Sams shows us how we are all fools, highlighting three varieties. The world gets the best of us consistently. It makes fools of us, and our pursuit of wisdom sometimes seems fruitless. But as we draw near to God, we learn to become wise in an eternal sense - which seems foolish in th...

Success. Suffering. Achievement. Adversity. Wisdom. Folly. Invariably, these are not things that spring up from nothing. They are cultivated by how we live our lives. Dr. Sams explores wisdom today, and shows us how the character inside us is built by what we worship. We worship Jesus, we get Jesus. We worship TV, we get TV. The automatic things are just there. If we cultivate Jesus, we have peace...

Success. Suffering. Achievement. Adversity. Wisdom. Folly. Invariably, these are not things that spring up from nothing. They are cultivated by how we live our lives. Dr. Sams explores wisdom today, and shows us how the character inside us is built by what we worship. We worship Jesus, we get Jesus. We worship TV, we get TV. The automatic things are just there. If we cultivate Jesus, we have peace...

Success. Suffering. Achievement. Adversity. Wisdom. Folly. Invariably, these are not things that spring up from nothing. They are cultivated by how we live our lives. Dr. Sams explores wisdom today, and shows us how the character inside us is built by what we worship. We worship Jesus, we get Jesus. We worship TV, we get TV. The automatic things are just there. If we cultivate Jesus, we have peace...

In the 3rd installment of our Summer Cinema series, Rev. Mike Morgan help us to understand the role of confession and fellowship in embodying mercy to one another. Sin loves darkness. When it is exposed to light, healing begins. This is another telling of the goodness of the gospel. We are not slaves to sin. We are forgiven, and there is no need to fear confession. Resources for a life of followin...

In the 3rd installment of our Summer Cinema series, Rev. Mike Morgan help us to understand the role of confession and fellowship in embodying mercy to one another. Sin loves darkness. When it is exposed to light, healing begins. This is another telling of the goodness of the gospel. We are not slaves to sin. We are forgiven, and there is no need to fear confession. Resources for a life of followin...

In our day and age, western culture has outsourced many parenting responsibilities. We expose our youth to many sources of wisdom, instead of imparting God's wisdom to them. Scripture shows us that love & relationship lay the groundwork for imparting wisdom. When the world rocks our kids, the way they will cope depends on the wisdom imparted to them. If the right sources of wisdom are in...

In our day and age, western culture has outsourced many parenting responsibilities. We expose our youth to many sources of wisdom, instead of imparting God's wisdom to them. Scripture shows us that love & relationship lay the groundwork for imparting wisdom. When the world rocks our kids, the way they will cope depends on the wisdom imparted to them. If the right sources of wisdom are in...

In our day and age, western culture has outsourced many parenting responsibilities. We expose our youth to many sources of wisdom, instead of imparting God's wisdom to them. Scripture shows us that love & relationship lay the groundwork for imparting wisdom. When the world rocks our kids, the way they will cope depends on the wisdom imparted to them. If the right sources of wisdom are in...

In the introduction to the series, Summer Cinema: God's Wisdom Through Solomon, Dr. Sams reminds us that God's wisdom is eternal, and therefore shows up not only in the times when Proverbs was written, but also in our modern-day stories. There is no culture where God's wisdom doesn't apply. And so, in the next few weeks, our pastors will take us through that journey, and show u...

In the introduction to the series, Summer Cinema: God's Wisdom Through Solomon, Dr. Sams reminds us that God's wisdom is eternal, and therefore shows up not only in the times when Proverbs was written, but also in our modern-day stories. There is no culture where God's wisdom doesn't apply. And so, in the next few weeks, our pastors will take us through that journey, and show u...

Knowing God is different from knowing about God. At some point in any relationship with God, a Christian eventually has a transition from head-knowledge about God to heart-knowledge of God - a full integration of God into your life. Why is that important? When you begin to know God... really know God, you begin to feel the power of His love, His grace, His mercy, His healing, and most importantly,...

Knowing God is different from knowing about God. At some point in any relationship with God, a Christian eventually has a transition from head-knowledge about God to heart-knowledge of God - a full integration of God into your life. Why is that important? When you begin to know God... really know God, you begin to feel the power of His love, His grace, His mercy, His healing, and most importantly,...

The gate-keeping attribute of God is holiness. All the other attributes rely on it. Without holiness, none of them are meaningful. Once you experience God's holiness, God's love, mercy, justice, grace, glory, etc. all become more than meaningful. They become inspiring. Dr. Sams challenges us today with this truth: we are nothing without God, and with God, we have all we need. Resources f...

The gate-keeping attribute of God is holiness. All the other attributes rely on it. Without holiness, none of them are meaningful. Once you experience God's holiness, God's love, mercy, justice, grace, glory, etc. all become more than meaningful. They become inspiring. Dr. Sams challenges us today with this truth: we are nothing without God, and with God, we have all we need. Resources f...

Our western culture tells us we are powerful. It leads us to believe we can have what we want, so long as we're willing to give what's needed to get it. However, this is exactly the opposite of how God wants us to live. In fact, it is so contrary, you can call this desire to control our lives "original sin". Dr. Sams brings us to this cultural crossroads. How are we to live? Li...

Our western culture tells us we are powerful. It leads us to believe we can have what we want, so long as we're willing to give what's needed to get it. However, this is exactly the opposite of how God wants us to live. In fact, it is so contrary, you can call this desire to control our lives "original sin". Dr. Sams brings us to this cultural crossroads. How are we to live? Li...

Our western culture tells us we are powerful. It leads us to believe we can have what we want, so long as we're willing to give what's needed to get it. However, this is exactly the opposite of how God wants us to live. In fact, it is so contrary, you can call this desire to control our lives "original sin". Dr. Sams brings us to this cultural crossroads. How are we to live? Li...

Dr. Sams uses Psalm 139 to illustrate the human experience of realizing that God is everywhere, and that no one can go anywhere where God is absent. Before you take comfort in His presence everywhere, you must first accept His presence everywhere. Picture someone who knows everything about you and has ultimate power. It is overwhelming and threatening. But when you push further into relationship w...

Dr. Sams uses Psalm 139 to illustrate the human experience of realizing that God is everywhere, and that no one can go anywhere where God is absent. Before you take comfort in His presence everywhere, you must first accept His presence everywhere. Picture someone who knows everything about you and has ultimate power. It is overwhelming and threatening. But when you push further into relationship w...

Dr. Sams uses Psalm 139 to illustrate the human experience of realizing that God is everywhere, and that no one can go anywhere where God is absent. Before you take comfort in His presence everywhere, you must first accept His presence everywhere. Picture someone who knows everything about you and has ultimate power. It is overwhelming and threatening. But when you push further into relationship w...

God is a god that loves all of creation. He is also a god with special love for those who worship Him. Both of these loves are necessary, and perfect. Dr. Sams unpacks this idea for us, kicking off a new sermon series, "Long Exposure". When you look at the whole of God through a "long exposure" filter of love, you begin to understand everything about who God is, why God is the...