Autumn is traditionally a time of new beginnings in the academic world. For some of you, this may have meant moving away from home, leaving friends and family and starting medical school. For others it may have been starting house jobs whilst, for many, the start of the new term sees us moving on to the next stage of our studies and making decisions about how we can best serve God in the coming year.

These times of change give us opportunity to re-evaluate our lives and get back on track if we have been drifting spiritually. I was recently struck by the book of Malachi, where God called the Israelites to account. They had been offering blemished sacrifices, denying the covenant by intermarrying whilst even the priests had turned their backs on him. God went so far as to describe their divided loyalties as robbing him (3:8,9). However, in a demonstration of outrageous grace, this accusation came with a promise: '"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse…Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven".'

I wonder how many of us are robbing God? How often do we refuse to hand over every area of our lives, believing that there are aspects which are better off under our control, yet denying ourselves 'so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it' (3:10)? Perhaps at the start of a new academic year we should seize this grace and commit together to allowing God into our whole lives.

In his article on godliness, Greg Strain provides some practical advice on how we might do this, as well as all the evidence, should we need it, about why choosing to pursue a God-pleasing life is the best way forward. Mark Pickering and Peter Saunders also call us to examine the faith we hold on to as they ask whether Christianity is merely psychological, in the latest part of the Deadly Questions series.

In June and July over 250 Christian medical and dental students came together at the ICMDA World Congress in Taiwan. Amongst them were six students from Britain. On pp34,35 Neil Fisher reports on what was a truly memorable occasion.

Finally, this edition of Nucleus sees a different kind of new beginning for me as I take over the editorial reins from Neil, who is entering his final year. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank him for all the work he's put into Nucleus, especially over the past twelve months when as editor he led the overhaul of the journal's layout. As ever we'd love to hear your comments on our new format or any aspect of Nucleus that's caught your eye. Drop us an email at nucleus@cmf.org.uk or send a letter to the CMF office.