To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all of our lives—the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections—that requires hard spiritual work. Still, we are only truly grateful people when we can say "thank you" to all that has brought us to the present moment. As long as we keep dividing our lives between events and people we would like to remember and those we would rather forget, we cannot claim the fullness of our beings as a gift of God to be grateful for. Let's not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see in it the guiding hand of a loving God.

—Henri J. M. Nouwen, Catholic priest, mystic, and writer (1932-1996)

Many of you know about the tragedy that struck Christian recording artist Steve Curtis Chapman's family a little over a year and a half ago. Chapman has just released his first album since he lost his daughter (entitled Beauty Will Rise), and Christianity Today's Mark Moring has just posted a moving interview with Chapman about the journey he and his family have been on.

In an op-ed piece for The New York Times, Tom Long reflects on the "wild blossoming of unconventional mortuary merchandise." (Like the article? You should check out Long's book on preaching funerals, Accompany Them with Singing: The Christian Funeral.)

"Love" in a time of cell phones.

CNN.com asks, "Social Networks and Kids: How Young Is Too Young?"

CNN.com also asks, "Is Monogamy Realistic?"

A look at why sport turns us into irrational fanatics.

Speaking of studies and kids, researchers say "nearly half of all U.S. children will be on food stamps at some point during childhood—and fallout from the current recession could push those numbers even higher.

A grief-stricken writer interacts with Dinesh D'Souza's new book on the afterlife.

Mary Strey recently called 911 to report a drunk driver. When the dispatcher asked if Strey was behind "them"—the suspected vehicle—Strey replied, "I am them." That's right—she was the drunk driver.