Current News

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:10–17 Preacher: Russell Smith Date: October 4, 2026 Church: Madeira-Silverwood Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio Does a faithful life mean a successful life? Not by the standards we are sold. Paul, very likely writing his last letter from prison, could still testify that the Lord rescued him from all his persecutions. Adversity is not a sign that we lack faith. Paul's example calls our contemporary ideas of success into question, as does Jesus, who

Scripture: Psalm 33:10-22 Series: Thinking Faithfully About AI Preacher: Russell Smith Date: September 27, 2026 Church: Madeira-Silverwood Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio Theme verses: Psalm 33:10-11, 13-22 Where should we put our hope in the age of AI? AI is powerful, but only as good as the context we give it. That's why companies spend billions harvesting ours. Yet no company is saved by the size of its context. God holds all the context of the cosmos, and because of

What does Romans 5 teach about friction, freedom, and suffering? Russell Smith explores how Christ gives peace, purpose, and hope amid struggle.

Thinking Faithfully About AI: Speed Scripture: Psalm 37:1–11 Series: Thinking Faithfully About AI Preacher: Rev. Russell B. Smith Date: September 13, 2026 Church: Madeira-Silverwood Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio Theme verses: Psalm 37:3–7 How do I slow down in a culture that worships speed? Speed itself isn't the problem. The idolatry of speed is: the relentless pursuit of it at all costs, born of fretting that someone else will get there first. Psalm 37 answers, "Be

Thinking Faithfully about AI: Agency Scripture: Genesis 1:26–28 Series: Thinking Faithfully about AI Preacher: Russell Smith Date: September 6, 2026 Church: Madeira-Silverwood Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio What does the Bible say about how we should use AI? The deepest question isn't "What will AI do?" It's "What will human beings choose to do with AI?" Genesis 1 says every person bears God's image, and with it the power to make meaning and take action. God calls us

Thinking Faithfully About AI: Fear Scripture: Psalm 46 Series: Thinking Faithfully About AI Preacher: Russell Smith Date: August 30, 2026 Church: Madeira-Silverwood Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio Theme verses: Psalm 46:1, 4-5, 7, 10 Will AI save us, or destroy us? Neither. AI will not save us, and AI will not fulfill us. Nor will it ever knock us from God's hands. God brings order out of chaos, and God is able to do this without a battle whose outcome hangs in the bal

Learning to Pray in the School of the Psalms Scripture: Psalm 138:1-8 Series: Learning to Pray in the School of the Psalms Preacher: Russell Smith Date: August 23, 2026 Church: Madeira-Silverwood Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio Theme verses: Psalm 138:1-8 Explore the sermon slide show How Do I Live In Confidence? The Psalms are the hymns of ancient Israel, but they are also its prayers. Jesus had the Psalms on his lips; Paul had the Psalms on his lips; the early church

What Really Lasts? Scripture: Psalm 90:1–17 Series: Learning to Pray in the School of the Psalms Preacher: Russell Smith Date: August 16, 2026 Church: Madeira-Silverwood Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio Theme verses: Psalm 90:1, 12, 14, 17 Explore the sermon slide show What Really Lasts? We are continuing this series, Learning to Pray in the School of the Psalms. From time to time, I like to take a month or so and see how the Psalms teach us about prayer. This week we ar

Learning to Pray in the School of the Psalms Scripture: Psalm 16:1-11 Date: August 9, 2026 Theme verses: Psalm 16:1-2, 5-11 A sermon preached by Russell Smith at Madeira-Silverwood Presbytrerian, Cincinnati, OH Explore the sermon slide show Psalm 16 takes up a question that feels very contemporary: What is enough? We live in a consumeristic society, in a world continually telling us, "You need more. You do not have enough." How much is enough? Psalm 16 helps us answer that qu

Praying in the School of the Psalms What Do You Seek? Psalm 27:1-14 August 2, 2026 Theme verses: Psalm 27:4, 8, 13-14 A sermon preached by Russell Smith at Madeira Silverwood Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio. Explore the sermon slides We have finished Sabbath month, and now we are moving into a new series for August: learning to pray in the school of the Psalms. The Psalms are the ancient hymnbook of Israel, but they are also its ancient prayer book. They were frequently

Scripture: Proverbs 27:5–17 Series: Proverbs Advance Preacher: Russell Smith Date: July 26, 2026 Church: Madeira-Silverwood Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio Theme verse: Proverbs 27:17 What does “iron sharpens iron” mean? “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” We are made for relationship, because the triune God is relational at the heart of his character. We sharpen one another when we open ourselves to honest feedback from friends we trust, bear one a

Scripture: Proverbs 15:1–8 Series: Proverbs Advance Preacher: Russell Smith Date: July 19, 2026 Church: Madeira-Silverwood Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, OhioT heme verses: Proverbs 15:1, 4 Are words really that powerful? Yes. We think words are cheap, but they may be some of the most powerful tools in our kit. Words have power to heal and to destroy, to build up and to tear down. The way we talk shapes the way we think, the way we act, and ultimately reality itself. And Je

Scripture: Proverbs 9:1–18 Series: Proverbs Advance Preacher: Russell Smith Date: July 12, 2026 Church: Madeira-Silverwood Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio Theme verses: Proverbs 9:5–6, 10 Is mockery harmless? No. Mockery feels smart. It is a self-protective way of saying, “I won’t be taken in. I know better.” But mockery is not a neutral stance. To adopt the posture of a mocker is to accept Folly’s invitation. The prophets could wield mockery like a surgeon’s scalpel, b

Scripture: Proverbs 3:1–12 Series: Proverbs Advance Preacher: Russell Smith Date: July 5, 2026 Church: Madeira-Silverwood Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio Theme verses: Proverbs 3:5–6, 11–12 Are the promises in Proverbs guarantees? No. Proverbs is not a contract, and God is not a genie in a bottle. The promises describe the kind of life that ordinarily flourishes under God’s good design. They are fruits that grow out of relationship with the living God. Hardship doesn’t

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 Series: Hearing From God Preacher: Russell Smith Date: June 28, 2026 Church: Madeira-Silverwood Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio Theme verses: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; 2:16 Explore the sermon slide show Christ Is God’s Living Wisdom We bring this Hearing from God series to a close as we prepare for July’s Sabbath month. We began in 1 Corinthians 2 with the promise that, by the grace of Christ, we have the mind of Christ. In a world full of

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:1-17 Series: Hearing From God Preacher: Russell Smith Date: June 21, 2026 Church: Madeira-Silverwood Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio Theme verses: 1 Corinthians 4:3-5, 6-7, 14-17 Explore the sermon slideshow Who Has Helped You Hear the Voice of God? This sermon continues our Hearing from God series as we prepare for July’s Sabbath month, a retreat in place centered on seeking God’s wisdom. Each of us carries a problem, question, crossroads, or

What Kind of Fruitfulness Are You Seeing Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:1-15 Series: Hearing from God Preacher: Russell Smith Date: June 14, 2026 Church: Madeira-Silverwood Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio Explore the sermon slide show Social Media Shareables Fruit of Our Lives Reveals The Voice that (In)Forms We are continuing our Hearing from God series as preparation for Sabbath month in July. In July we will take a retreat in place together, meet in one service, share Co

Hearing from God: What Voice (In)Forms You? Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 Series: Hearing from God Preacher: Russell Smith Date: June 7, 2026 Church: Madeira-Silverwood Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio Explore the sermon slide show Social Media Shareables The Voices That Seek Our Attention We are beginning a month-long series on hearing from God because we live in a noisy, cacophonous world: a world full of voices competing for our attention. In July we will take a Sab

We create resources to help people take their next step of faith with Jesus.