Twelve people, including a police officer, were killed on 7 November at a bar in Thousand Oaks, California. When the shooting began at 23:20 local time, at least 200 people were enjoying a country music night at the Borderline Bar and Grill. David Long, an ex-Marine suffering from PTSD, entered the bar and opened fire. He may have also used smoke grenades. People reportedly escaped by using chairs to break windows, while others sheltered inside the toilets. The local sheriff described the scene inside the bar as ‘horrific’ and said there was ‘blood everywhere’. Long ended the bloodbath by turning his gun on himself. His motive for the attack is currently unknown.

Prime minister Narendra Modi says the first successful voyage by India’s home-built nuclear submarine is a ‘warning for the country's enemies’. The INS Arihant recently completed a month-long ‘deterrence patrol’, meaning India now has the capability to fire nuclear weapons from land, air and sea. Mr Modi, a Hindu nationalist, tweeted it was a ‘fitting response to those who indulge in nuclear blackmail’. In a speech televised nationwide, he told the submarine’s crew, ‘Amid an increase in the number of nuclear weapons in our surroundings, a credible nuclear deterrence is extremely important for our country's security’. His words are a thinly-veiled reference to India's neighbours, China to its north and its traditional enemy, Pakistan, to the west. The often volatile relationship with Pakistan has cooled even more noticeably since Mr Modi took office in 2017 and adopted a more assertive strategy towards its arch-rival.

This weekend marks the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day – 11 am on 11th day of the 11th month 1918.

It is also the end of the 100 days of prayer and as we continue to pray for peace, hope and reconciliation in our time, in our place and in our world the Archbishop of Canterbury has offered the six R’s of Reconciliation to inspire our praying. This can be downloaded here.

Let’s pray that there will be an ongoing impact from this season, particularly on the streets of our major cities when drugs and knife-crime are destroying lives. As London has been confronted with the challenge of escalated violence on its streets, the Church has come together from different denominations and across all ages to pray and seek the peace of its city. For four consecutive Sundays, over 1000 people prayed together, walking the streets of Haringey, Croydon, Brixton, Peckham, Lewisham and Hackney for the rise of violence to be abated.

Our heavenly Father, we pray that you would grant us wisdom and insight into how we might bring peace to our cities. May the cry of violence not be heard on our streets and homes. May your peace reign in the hearts of our youth as you stir up a revival. Rev Nims Obunge thepeacealliance.org.uk

As services and acts of remembrance take place in almost every village, town, and city and with poignant displays of poppies in public gathering places, let us pray that as we stop to remember the lives lost in wartime and peacetime across our world. Pray that we, His church, will demonstrate and share the truth of Jesus the Prince of Peace to all those we meet.

As people march, as bells are rung across the UK, as beacons are lit, let us pray for God’s continued mercy and protection on our nation, on those who serve in our armed forces, for those in the police and security forces and for God’s people in every place to offer the love and comfort to all in need. https://armistice100.org.uk/

Jane Holloway, National Prayer Director

So much of our everyday life journey is governed by the decisions we make; what we eat, what we wear, what we say, where we go, the people we speak to, the directions we take, all contribute to our decision making. We can choose to be positive or negative, critical or encouraging, build up or bring down. Our decisions are generally based on our past, what we have been taught, what we have experienced or what we are experiencing at a given moment. Often decisions are made on an individual basis, sometimes collectively, sometimes they are rash, sometimes considered, but all have consequences. As individuals, families, churches, local authorities, governments, and global authorities, decisions are made every day that affect our lives and the lives of everyone on planet earth.

The Christian journey begins with a decision. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, we are convicted of our sin and our need for a Saviour and we decide to follow Jesus and receive the forgiveness and life He gives. From that moment on, a struggle begins between the new nature that Jesus gives us and our desire to do things His way and the old nature that wants to do things my way. That struggle started in Genesis and continues to this day. Throughout history, in the Old Testament and the New Testament, people lived with good consequences from good decisions made and bad consequences from bad decisions made.

In the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, God speaks to a nation and says, “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it and you will find rest for your souls.” Later in the same book, God speaks again and says, “Obey Me and I will be your God and you will be My people. Walk in all the ways I command you that it may go well with you.” In other words, make a good decision.

Today and every day we as individuals, families, churches and indeed our nation stand at crossroads. A point is reached, a decision has to be made. It was the same for the people of Israel in Jeremiah’s day; unfortunately for them, they decided they would not listen to what God was saying but listened to what they wanted to hear from leaders who were deceitful and greedy, who were saying peace, peace when there was no peace.

Today in this hectic, rushing, high speed, sat-nav driven journey of life, God once again is asking for us to stand, pause and consider, look and ask for the ancient paths. Ask where the good way is and walk in it. Walk in the way that brings rest for your souls. So what does that mean for those caught up in today’s frantic pace of life or those caught up in the, ‘don’t know where we are going,’ lifestyle?

Hundreds of years before Jesus, a very wise man wrote, “In the way of righteousness there is life; along with that path there is immortality.” He also wrote, “There is a way that seems right to man but in the end, it leads to death.” 2000 years ago, Jesus taught that there were two paths we could take. In His words, “One was a broad path that led to destruction and the other a path that led to life.”

Today in all of life’s twists and turns, we chose to follow Jesus who said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by Me.” Today, as again we stand at the crossroads, we decide by the grace of God and in the power of the Holy Spirit to walk in the way of faith, the way of holiness, the way of obedience to God’s Word. It may be an ancient way, but we are promised we will travel well and find rest for our souls. We truly will never walk alone. We would love your company on the journey.

Ian Cole