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Welcome to the Forest Parish

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​A Place of Hearth, Home, and Holy Ground ​ Dear friends in Christ, ​Welcome to this clearing in the woods. Just as the forest offers shelter to all and the hearth provides warmth to the weary, I hope this space serves as a sanctuary for your spirit. ​There are many voices in the world, but here is the rhythm of my own heart and ministry—a way of life rooted in the ancient soil of the Gospel and the quiet light of the home fire. ​The Three Great Trees: A Foundation of Faith ​In my journey, three truths stand like ancient oaks, providing shelter and strength: ​ The Living Word: Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh. Apart from Him, the true God cannot be fully known. In Jesus, we see the face of a God who is Love, and whose Gospel is the path of Peace. ​ The Gift of Grace: Salvation is found by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for the glory of God alone. Like the rain that falls on the forest floor, grace is a gift—unearned, refreshing, and life-giving. ​ T...
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What the Church Always Knew: Two Thousand Years of Christian Voices Against War

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My nine-year-old son Ezra was talking today about the Greek gods — Zeus, Ares, Loki and the rest — and how they were famous for killing people, even each other. Gods of power. Gods of war. Gods who took what they wanted and destroyed what stood in their way. Then he stopped and said something that I haven't been able to shake: Jesus was different. He chose to die for love instead of kill for it. Nine years old. Isaiah wrote that "a little child shall lead them," and I think he was onto something. Because in one quiet observation, Ezra put his finger on what makes Christ unlike every other figure in the history of religion. The gods of every empire have always looked like the empires that worshipped them — powerful, armed, triumphant in battle. Jesus looked like a man on a cross, forgiving the people who put him there. That difference is not incidental. It is the whole point. And it turns out that an enormous number of Christians — across two thousand years, from the earli...
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Bible Verses for Lent

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Used with kind permission from Included by Grace
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Mencap Gateway — Weekly Update: Week 6

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🚶 1. Volunteering — Walk for Autism This week's volunteering evidence centres on the Walk for Autism project. Preparations are taking shape and I'm looking forward to getting out there during the actual walk week.  🌿 2. Fitness — Nature Walk Fitness this week came in the form of a nature walks. Getting outside into natural surroundings — whether spotting birds, photographing trees, or simply walking the path — is a meaningful and grounding way to stay active.  🙏 3. Hobby — The Digital Parish & Simply Fellowship: This has been the biggest and most exciting area of growth this week. What began as a personal spiritual practice has evolved into something genuinely significant. Daily Office & Blog: Daily prayer continues using the Northumbria Community Office, with other faith based reflections documented here on the blog. This consistent practice forms the spiritual foundation of everything else in this section. Simply Fellowship — A New Visio...
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Please sponsor me!

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Please sponsor me! As you know autism is a cause very close to my heart so I am taking on the walking challenge WALK FOR AUTISM to raise funds for Autism Initiatives Group.  The challenge week for my 8 days of walking 10,000 steps a day is from 26th March to 2nd April.  I have already started adding to my pre the official week step count.  Please support me and go to my fundraising page https://www.walkforautism.co.uk/fundraisers/DavidHoldsworth and donate as much as you can  .   Thank you so much! 
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Thank You!

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If you already sponsored me: Thank you so much for taking the time to sponsor me!  This will definitely cheer me on as I take on my personal walking challenge ... 10,000 steps a day every day for 8 days is not going to be easy. Although I have made a start on steps outside this time.  Your donation means a lot and will really help the charity Autism Initiatives Group which is working so hard to improve the lives of autistic children and adults and also support their families and carers. This has been a very hard year and every donation really helps  Autism is a cause very close to my heart and your donation is so appreciated and will make a real positive difference.    Thank you! Donate here if not done already. Thanks. 
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Anchor in the Storm

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"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." — John 14:27 (NIV) Life rarely promises calm waters. Storms arrive uninvited — in the form of loss, uncertainty, illness, or fear — and we are often left wondering why God doesn't simply still them. But Jesus never promised a storm-free life; He promised something far more enduring: His presence within it. Just as an anchor doesn't stop the waves but holds the ship steady against them, Christ becomes our steadfast anchor in the midst of life's most turbulent seasons. His peace is not the absence of trouble — it is the quiet assurance that we will not be swept away, because the One who commands the winds and the waves also holds us firmly in His hand.
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The Morning Star: How One Man Brought the Gospel Out of the Dark Part 2 of 2

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Summary:  In 1384 Wycliffe published a tract called The Seven Deadly Sins. Among the sins John Wycliffe examines envy, anger, and sloth as they corrupt the three parts of the Church — priests, noblemen, and common laborers. He argues that envy destroys love and unity within the Church, that sinful anger (rooted in pride) leads men to war and violence in direct contradiction to Christ's law of patience and peace, and that sloth in God's service opens the door to every other vice. Notably, Wycliffe takes a bold pacifist stand, contending that warfare under the New Covenant is unlawful unless directly commanded by God, and that Christ's kingdom advances not through the sword but through love, suffering, and the faithful preaching of the Gospel. Devotion:   Wycliffe wrote these words more than six centuries ago, yet they cut with startling freshness against our own age. He saw clearly what we so easily forget — that envy blinds us, anger enslaves us, and idleness em...
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