The Thrill of Seeing Ava

I am surprised my blogging account have not been shut down yet due to inactivity. I am grateful for that. I was hoping I would get to put thoughts down but that has not been th case. Not for lack of things to write about but for laziness mosttly. But today I moticed on the Picasaweb pag, right beside the picture of Ava, the Blogger icon. So, I will inconvenience you with my thoughts again.
A busy day yesterday. I was planning on going to Monumento via the LRT to pick up a test equipment. I also wanted to drop by Malate to see Ava and her gradparents. It always thrills me to see them as Ava is always good for something new. I caught her and her lolo as they were about to step out of the door for their morning sun. SHe was still dressed i her jammies and still smelled of fresh from waking up. Just missed my daughter who left minutes before I arrived. Ava's enjoying to make those baby gurgling and cooing sounds already. She points out the household electrical power and distribution to me as I explain to her what each and everyone does. She is into getting her hands held and she uses your hands to pull herself up to a standing position. She still teethers and totters on her feet but she likes taking thos steps. I usually just drop oin for an hour and I leave them to go on with their routines. My balaes are very accommodating with me and they love Ava to death. Alain was still there when I dropped by. So that was also an added bonus. They make me feel welcome so, I feel comfortable dropping in and saying hello.
After the visit, I headed on to the Monumento meet via the Manila LRT system. Very convenient indeed. Executed the meet with Dong for the Bird wattmeter. Cost me 3,500 php which I believe is a very good price for it. Will just try to order the elements for it. The parallel plan was to meet with Bobot, DU1GIZ, so I will be guided with the sale and also to head on to see Joey Magno in Baras after that. But, traffic was heavy and we ended up installing an antenna at the residence of our friend Max, 4F1BYN. We had lunch at the SM City of Masinag. Our day found the antenna getting completely installed and a few beers before we went home.

It Has Been Quite a While

The past months have seen my attention taken by my first hobby, ham radio. The lure of its mystique has caught my attention and I have been immersed in it once again. Goaded on by friends, I was able to get my permits and some equipment so I am back on the air again with my "first love".

I am now known in ham circles by my call sign, DV1VHY. The call sign is broken down into the country designator, the letter D. The license class , which is V, the country region, Manila being 1. The last three letters are an arbitrary assignment chosen by the National Telecommunications Commission.

I communicate with some local hams via a number of ways. Within the metro, the VHF, or very high frequency, mode is used.

But for long haul communications, we use the HF, or high frequency, mode. Equipment consists of the radios themselves and their corresponding antenna.

The enjoyment dervied with this hobby is the ability to communicate long distances with the least amount of power you can have. Operating outsoors is always a challenge and a fun event.

So now, I am building my bridges with the local hams and also those who are members of my former radio club.

An Unforgettable Tale by John MacArthur

An Unforgettable Tale
by John MacArthur

Most people today are somewhat familiar with the parable of the prodigal son, found in Luke 15:11-32. Even those who know next to nothing about the Bible know something about this tale. Its themes and its language are deeply ingrained in our spiritual and literary traditions.

Shakespeare, for instance, borrowed plot points and motifs from the parable of the prodigal son and adapted them in The Merchant of Venice and Henry IV. The Bard also alluded to this parable repeatedly in his other dramas. Arthur Sullivan used the exact words of the biblical text as the basis of an oratorio titled The Prodigal Son, Sergei Prokofiev cast the plot in ballet form, and Benjamin Britten turned the story into an opera. At the opposite end of the musical spectrum, country singer Hank Williams recorded a song called "The Prodigal Son," comparing the prodigal's homecoming to the joys of heaven. The world's great art museums are well stocked with works featuring scenes from the prodigal son’s experience, including famous drawings and paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Dürer, and many others.

Contemporary language is likewise full of words and imagery borrowed from the familiar parable. It is fairly common to hear a wayward child referred to as "a prodigal son" (or daughter). People also sometimes speak of "killing the fatted calf" (a metaphor for extravagant celebration) or "riotous living" (a dissolute or profligate lifestyle). You may have heard or read those allusions without recognizing their source. They are borrowed directly from the King James version of this best known of Jesus' parables.

A Story to Remember
The parable of the prodigal son is one of several memorable parables recorded only in Luke's Gospel. It stands out as the choicest of these parables for many reasons.

Of all Jesus' parables, this one is the most richly detailed, powerfully dramatic, and intensely personal. It's full of emotion-ranging from sadness, to triumph, to a sense of shock, and finally to an unsettling wish for more closure. The characters are familiar, so it's easy for people to identify with the prodigal, to feel the father's grief, and yet still (in some degree) sympathize with the elder brother-all at the same time.

The story is memorable on many levels, not the least of which is the gritty imagery Jesus invokes. The description of the prodigal as so desperately hungry he was willing to eat husks scavenged from swine food, for instance, graphically depicts his youthful dissolution in a way that was unspeakably revolting to His Jewish audience.

Another thing that makes this tale unforgettable is the poignancy demonstrated in the father's response when his lost son returns. The father's rejoicing was rich with tender compassion. The younger son, who had left heedless and insolent, shattering his father's hopes for him, came back an utterly broken man. Heartbroken and no doubt deeply wounded by his younger son's foolish rebellion, the father nevertheless expressed pure joy, unmingled with any hint of bitterness, when his wayward son came dragging home. Who would not be moved by that kind of love?

Yet the elder son in the parable was not the least bit moved by his father's love. His steely-hearted resentment over the father's mercy to his brother contrasts starkly with the dominant theme of Luke 15, which is the great joy in heaven over the return of the lost. The central message of the parable, then, is an urgent and sobering entreaty to hard-hearted listeners whose attitudes exactly mirrored the elder brother's. The parable of the prodigal son is not a warm and fuzzy feel-good message, but it is a powerful wake-up call with a very earnest warning.

That point must not be lost in our understanding and appreciation of this beloved parable. Unfortunately, the lesson of the elder brother is often overlooked in many of the popular retellings. And yet it is, after all, the main reason Jesus told the parable.

The Central Lesson of the Prodigal Son
The picturesque descriptions in the parable are not provided to add multiple layers of meaning; they are cultural details that help us understand the story in the context of first-century agrarian village life. By understanding the context, the main point of the story comes to light.

This parable spreads itself across twenty-two verses in this pivotal chapter in Luke's Gospel. With so much lavish coloring, dramatic pathos, and fine detail carefully woven into this word picture, it seems clear that the vividness of the parable is deliberately designed to highlight the parable's central meaning. We're expected to notice and make good sense of the personalities and plot turns in this amazing story.

Indeed, the context of Luke 15, with its theme of heavenly joy over earthly repentance, makes perfect sense of all the major features of the parable. The prodigal represents a typical sinner who comes to repentance. The father's patience, love, generosity, and delight over the son's return are clear and perfect emblems of divine grace. The prodigal's heart change is a picture of what true repentance should look like. And the elder brother's cold indifference-the real focal point of the story, as it turns out-is a vivid representation of the same evil hypocrisy Jesus was confronting in the hearts of the hostile scribes and Pharisees to whom He told the parable in the first place (Luke 15:2). They bitterly resented the sinners and tax collectors who drew near to Jesus (v. 1), and they tried to paper over their fleshly indignation with religious pretense. But their attitudes betrayed their unbelief and self-centeredness. Jesus' parable ripped the mask off their hypocrisy.

This, then, is the central and culminating lesson of the parable: Jesus is pointing out the stark contrast between God's own delight in the redemption of sinners and the Pharisees' inflexible hostility toward those same sinners. Keeping that lesson fixed firmly in view, we can legitimately draw from the larger story (as Jesus unfolds it) several profound lessons about grace, forgiveness, repentance, and the heart of God toward sinners. Those elements are all so conspicuous in the parable that almost everyone should be able to recognize them.

Seeing Ourselves in the Parable
There's a good reason this short story pulls at the heartstrings of so many hearers. We recognize ourselves in it. The parable reminds us of the most painful aspects of the human condition, and those who take an honest look will recognize themselves.

For believers, the Prodigal Son is a humbling reminder of who we are and how much we owe to divine grace.

For those who are conscious of their own guilt but are still unrepentant, the Prodigal's life is a searing reminder of the wages of sin, the duty of the sinner to repent, and the goodness of God that accompanies authentic repentance.

For sinners coming to repentance, the father's eager welcome and costly generosity are reminders that God's grace and goodness are inexhaustible.

For heedless unbelievers (especially those like the scribes and Pharisees, who use external righteousness as a mask for unrighteous hearts), the elder brother is a reminder that neither a show of religion nor the pretense of respectability is a valid substitute for redemption.

For all of us, the elder brother's attitude is a powerful warning, showing how easily and how subtly unbelief can masquerade as faithfulness.

Regardless of which of those categories you fall into, my prayer for you as you listen to the series or read the book is that the Lord will use it to minister grace to your heart. If you are a believer, may you bask in the Father's joy over the salvation of the lost. May you gain a new appreciation for the beauty and the glory of God's plan of redemption. And may you also be encouraged and better equipped to participate in the work of spreading the gospel.

May listeners and readers who, like the Prodigal, have come to the end of themselves be motivated to abandon the husks of this world. And above all, may this message sound a reveille in the hearts of any who need to be awakened to the awful reality of their own sin and the glorious promise of redemption in Christ.

Adapted from A Tale of Two Sons, © 2008 by John MacArthur.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

I Found Everything When I Found Christ! by Anthony Pezzotta

I Found Everything When I Found Christ!
By Anthony Pezzotta
November 10, 1999

Born in northern Italy, Anthony Pezzotta's ambition was of becoming a missionary priest. He entered a Roman Catholic seminary at the age of eleven to fulfill that goal.

After eleven years of study he was awarded a B.A. degree in Greek and Philosophy. Studies for a Master's degree in Theology took him to England, Germany, Spain and finally back to Italy, where he was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood.

He was immediately commissioned as a missionary to the Philippines where he labored for thirteen years. He was soon appointed director for Catholic schools and later of seminaries. At the time of his personal encounter with Christ, he was teaching Philosophy and Theology in a major seminary, of which he was the administrator.

Tony (as he likes to be called) is now an evangelical missionary and Theology Professor at the Asian Theological Seminary and in two Bible Colleges.

____________________________

WHILE STUDYING THEOLOGY in England I began to have serious doubts concerning several doctrines of my Church which I found difficult to reconcile with Scripture. These doubts continued to trouble me even after my ordination, while serving as missionary to the Philippines, but I endeavored to smother them by plunging into my duties and teaching assignments. My schedule was so heavy that I had little time for research or prayer.

After ten years of such hard work I had to return to Italy for a year of rest and recuperation. Without the pressure of heavy work my doubts about the Church doctrines revived and increased, as did my determination to find satisfactory solutions. I read incessantly and pondered the writings of our great theologians as well as the teachings of the Popes, but all my doubts persisted. I discovered the incompatibility of such traditional Church doctrines as sacramentalism, special priesthood of a selected caste, mediation of Mary and the saints, use of statues and images, papal infallibity, immaculate conception and assumption of Mary, baptismal regeneration of infants, the sacrificial nature of the Mass, compulsory celibacy of bishops and priests, saving faith merely as intellectual assent rather than trust in the person of Christ, etc. When compared with the clear teaching of Scripture, I still doubted whether the church and the Pope after all might really have authority over the Word of God.

Upon returning to the Philippines in 1972 I remembered laying aside all my books of theology, determined to focus my attention on a single Book, the Word of God, particularly the New Testament. The Bible became the source of my reading, meditation, teaching and preaching. in a-relatively short time the Bible answered all my questions and solved all my doubts, including the big doubt on the teaching authority of the Church and the so-called apostolic tradition. 'Even if we,' writes Paul, 'or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than the one you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!' (Gal. 1:8-9, NIV).

At the end of January, 1974, I was in Santa Cruz, south of Manila, where an attractive Conservative Baptist Church had just been built. I had never entered a Protestant church, so I walked quietly into the sanctuary just to look around. Almost immediately I was greeted by a friendly Christian believer. He insisted upon introducing me to the pastor, Ernesto Montealegre, a wonderful man of God.

We talked together for a couple of hours, I doing all I could to make him a Catholic, and he quietly answering all my questions and objections from the Bible, which, as a Catholic priest, I accepted to be God's Word. I did not succeed in converting him to Catholicism, but neither did he convert me to Protestantism. Nevertheless, most of his answers from Scripture, coupled with his sincere love struck me with great force.

From that day a period of restless anxiety started: sleepless nights, agonizing indecision, and a frightening lack of courage to profess the truth of Scripture. During one of those nights, while reading the letter of Paul to Titus, my attention was caught by verse 5 in the third chapter: 'He saved us not because of righteous things we have done but because of His mercy.' (NIV)

I realized that while I had belief in Christ, all my trust for a possible (I wasn't sure) eternal life was in myself, in my attainments, in my works. In fact this was my attitude: After all, I thought, I am faithful to my vows, to the laws of the church and of my order - because of all this, I hope God will give me eternal life in heaven. Realizing that for all my life I had trusted in myself rather than in Christ, I began to fear that perhaps I was not a Christian. What was I to do? If I started living and preaching according to God's Word, soon my bishop and religious superior would order me either to stop or leave. If I took the initiative to leave the priesthood and the church, what would my mother and my relatives say? Their greatest joy and pride was to have a missionary priest in their family. What would my bishop, colleagues and students say? They loved and admired me. 'What would people say? This was my concem.

On the night of February 20, 1974, while I was alone in my room reading the Gospel of John, the Lord answered: 'Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue, for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.' (John 12:42-43, NIV).

Those last words penetrated my heart like a sharp sword, but they also filled me with strength and courage. I realized I had been putting men's approval ahead of God's truth. I repented and felt free! That night I slept without the pain and agonizing indecision of those terrible weeks. The following morning as I awoke, the picture of that kindly Baptist pastor came to my mind. I dressed hastily and drove to his church where we talked for some time. He gave me some pamphlets which I gladly accepted. Then as we were parting I unexpectedly asked him: 'In case I leave my church can I come to stay with you? Would you accept me?' He smiled, saying: 'We have a room here, and the believers will take care of you!'

It took me five long days of prayer before making a decision. I wrongly thought that now all depended on me. But when I thought I had decided, I felt I completely lacked the courage of carrying out my decision!

On Tuesday, February 26, as I awoke and prayed, I realized that the main issue was not leaving the church, but really accepting Christ Jesus alone as my Saviour and Lord of my life. So I did, by God's grace, surrendering to Him all that I had and was. I told Him to take over the direction of my life. And He did. He gave me the strength now that I belonged to Him. I left everything behind: car, books, career .... I wrote a letter of resignation to my bishop and went to live with my new-found spiritual family in Santa Cruz.

What a change! I felt free at last: free from sin, because Jesus had paid for it: free from the slavery of the opinion of others, for at last I could live and preach according to God's Word. How true Christ's words became true for me - If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.' (John 8:31-32).

On March 3rd at 12:00 noon I publicly confessed my evangelical faith and was baptized in the Santa Cruz River which flows behind the church. I was filled with joy, and knew freedom from doubt beyond all description. I remember one priest who visited me a few days later asking: 'Tony, how did you dare make such a decision? You have left the CATHOLIC church: twenty centuries of culture, popes, saints, the Priesthood, all that you have learned and loved so sincerely for so long!' And I remember giving him the answer which came from my heart: 'I don't think I really left anything: rather, I FOUND EVERYTHING WHEN I FOUND CHRIST!'

Anthony Pezzotta, or Fr. Pezzotta when I knew him then, was my rector at the Don Bosco Academy in Pampanga.

Why is Grace so Hard to Embrace? - Be Broken Ministries

Why Is Grace So Hard to Embrace?

July 28th, 2008 9:25 am

grace, n.

The freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.

There is no other doctrine, I believe, that is simultaneously the most difficult to understand and yet the easiest to receive than that of grace. Denominations are split over it, pastors argue about it, cultures ignore it, and only a few ever embrace it. Why is this one little word, this small, yet overwhelmingly powerful concept, so difficult to embrace?

I meet people every day who are weighed down by the burdens of life. Many of them have suffered abuse and terrible trauma in their histories. They were beaten, molested, used by others for sexual gratification and other unspeakable acts. They have scars and pain that runs deep. Most have since learned to use their bodies in some addictive manner to seek relief from this pain, only to realize that their addictions simply lead to more pain (for themselves as well as their friends and family). Their lives are then held up by many in the religious world as examples of decadent, self-indulgent living that Scripture clearly denounces. They are ridiculed, rejected, and run over by the very people entrusted to share the beautiful news of grace with them. Many of them already know God, but run to the dark corners of life in a useless attempt to hide from their shame.

What kind of response do you think I get from these individuals when I tell them that God loves them? Since many of these folks have grown up in religious circles, their response is often one of scoffing or disbelief. They snort, turning their head aside with a mocking grin stretching across their face, as if to say, “Yeah, I’m sure God loves a guy who cheats on his wife and regularly thinks of killing himself.” It is as this point that I bring up the topic of grace.

“Yes, God does love that guy. And you know why?” I ask.

“Probably because He has to. He’s God, after all.”

“No, He loves that guy because He chooses to. He loves that guy because of grace.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you couldn’t earn it, so you can’t lose it. It’s a love that is constant, pure, perfect, and eternal. And it matters not a wit what behaviors you commit as to whether or not it is given or present. Grace is a one way street of favor and love based solely on the prerogative of the one giving it. The only thing you can do with grace is reject it. And even then, it doesn’t change.”

About half the time, people want to hear more. Some, however, have been so hardened by the difficulties of life they choose to remain locked in their shame, unwilling to even entertain the notion that there is Someone who is constantly and perfectly in love with them - every minute of every day, regardless of how imperfect and broken their lives have become.

Why is it so hard to embrace grace?

I believe you don’t have to go any further than the definition of grace to understand why it is so difficult to fully embrace. Grace is defined as the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God. Let’s break down this definition to see why grace gives us such trouble in our daily, broken lives.

First, grace is freely given. No obligation, no payment for it, no way the person receiving it could demand it. It is freely given, not in a begrudging, obligatory manner like we see so often when human beings give gifts. We are prone to attach strings to our gifts, fully expecting a return on our “investment.” Not so with grace. It is freely given, no strings attached. It is a gift that demands no response and expects no return.

Next, grace is unmerited favor. Unmerited simply means we don’t deserve it and we can’t earn it. Merit has to do with my abilities or giftedness. But grace never takes those qualities into account. They don’t matter in the economy of grace. Whether the most talented or the wealthiest or the smartest or the strongest, grace never sees those characteristics. Neither does grace evaluate the most broken or most wicked or most abused as disqualifiers for receiving favor. It is unmerited. Grace is not given based on the “qualifications” of the one receiving it, otherwise it stops being grace and it becomes merely a wage, something earned or forsaken based on the merit of the individual.

Finally, grace epitomizes the love of God. The Bible tells us that God is love. Love is an essential attribute of God, it is part of what defines and separates God as God. Perfect love, not defiled by sin or brokenness. His love does not waver or wane. And grace is the vehicle God uses to remind us of His perfect love, this one way street of undying, permanent affection the Creator has for His beloved creation, mankind. The Bible reminds us that God does not deal with us as our sins deserve, and that we can find salvation and eternal life through simple, childlike faith in the finished work of His Son, Jesus. And this salvation comes through grace, the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.

Unfortunately, this truth of grace is hard for many to embrace. It requires a humility that is unnatural. It means we must look in the mirror and say, “There is absolutely nothing I can do to earn favor with God. It is completely His work of loving me, redeeming me, and changing me because of His good pleasure, not mine. Grace is not about me, it is simply given to me.” This is hard to say. We want to think we can bring something to the table when it comes to grace. We may believe we are saved by grace, but then falsely assume we must then work to “keep” God’s favor afterward. But grace is grace. God doesn’t change.

Another reason it is so hard to embrace grace is because we think it is limited. We believe we might be able to actually reach a point at which we have sinned so much or so grossly that God will eventually throw up His hands in exasperation and declare He is done extending grace to us. But if we believe this to be true, we have changed the definition of grace. Because, remember, grace has nothing to do with the merit or worthiness of the one receiving it. Grace is NOT about the recipient, it is about the Giver.

One of the greatest deceptions that has entered the church is that a person could lose their salvation based on their behavior (i.e. if you sin enough, you will lose your salvation…or you probably weren’t saved to begin with). Heresy, I say! This is just another way of bringing works (something I could do, or not do) into the equation that has nothing to do with grace. And it cheapens the magnificence of God’s beautiful grace. It elevates man to a position of judge, determining another’s salvation based on how well they are performing. This is understandable, as the doctrine of grace is scary for a preacher to preach accurately. After all, it might mean there will be some carnal believers in his flock, thus displaying to the rest of the congregation that he has lost control of his church and they may choose to worship elsewhere. But God says that He will not lose a single one of His children, even the carnal son or daughter who continues to choose their will over His. Grace is freely given and never revoked.

Is this a hard truth? Yes. Is it an essential truth? Absolutely! God’s grace has the power to change our lives into something beautiful, something of value in this life and the life to come. But we must always remember that it is HIS grace, beginning and ending as His gift, His favor, and His love. We are simply the wretched, undeserving sinner who happens to have the unspeakable joy of receiving such an unmerited gift.

“Amazing grace how sweet the sound…”

Embracing grace,

jonathan

9 Funerals for 9 Warriors

9 Funerals for 9 Warriors

I'm sure you heard about 9 soldiers being killed in Afghanistan a couple of weeks ago. As AP reported it, it was a "setback", the "newly established base" there was 'abandoned' by the Americans. That, of course, was the extent of their coverage.

Steve Mraz of Stars and Stripes and Jeff Emanuel tell the rest of the story. Emanuel, who went out and dug into the story sets the enemy force at 500 while AP sets it at 200. Frankly I'm much more inclined to believe Emanuel than AP.

July 13, 2008 was the date, and Jeff Emanuel, an independent combat reporter sets the scene:

Three days before the attack, 45 U.S. paratroopers from the 173d Airborne [Brigade Combat Team], accompanied by 25 Afghan soldiers, made their way to Kunar province, a remote area in the northeastern Afghanistan-Pakistan border area, and established the beginnings of a small Combat Outpost (COP). Their movement into the area was noticed, and their tiny numbers and incomplete fortifications were quickly taken advantage of.

A combined force of up to 500 Taliban and al Qaeda fighters quickly moved into the nearby village of Wanat and prepared for their assault by evicting unallied residents and according to an anonymous senior Afghan defense ministry official, "us[ing] their houses to attack us."

Tribesmen in the town stayed behind "and helped the insurgents during the fight," the provincial police chief, told The Associated Press. Dug-in mortar firing positions were created, and with that indirect fire, as well as heavy machine gun and RPG fire from fixed positions, Taliban and al Qaeda fighters rushed the COP from three sides.

As Emanuel notes, the odds were set. 500 vs. 70. Even so, Emanuel entitled his article, "An Alamo With a Different Ending." The
500 terrorists apparently didn't realize they were attacking US Army paratroopers.

The unit in question was 2nd Platoon, Company C, 2nd Battalion,
503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, led by 1LT Jonathan Brostrom.

The first RPG and machine gun fire came at dawn, strategically striking the forward operating base's mortar pit. The insurgents next sighted their RPGs on the tow truck inside the combat outpost, taking it out. That was around 4:30 a.m.

This was not a haphazard attack. The reportedly 500 insurgents fought from several positions. They aimed to overrun the new base. The U.S. soldiers knew it and fought like hell. They knew their lives were on the line.

The next target was the FOB's observation post, where nine soldiers were positioned on a tiny hill about 50 to 75 meters from the base. Of those nine, five died, and at least three others -- Spc. Tyler Stafford among them -- were wounded.

When the attack began, Stafford grabbed his M-240 machine gun off a north-facing sandbag wall and moved it to an east-facing sandbag wall. Moments later, RPGs struck the north-facing wall, knocking Stafford out of the fighting position and wounding another soldier.

Stafford thought he was on fire so he rolled around, regaining his senses. Nearby, Cpl. Gunnar Zwilling, who later died in the fight, had a stunned look on his face.

Immediately, a grenade exploded by Stafford , blowing him down to a lower terrace at the observation post and knocking his helmet off. Stafford put his helmet back on and noticed how badly he was bleeding.

Cpl. Matthew Phillips was close by, so Stafford called to him for help. Phillips was preparing to throw a grenade and shot a look at Stafford that said, "Give me a second. I gotta go kill these guys first."

This was only about 30 to 60 seconds into the attack.

Kneeling behind a sandbag wall, Phillips pulled the grenade pin, but just after he threw it an RPG exploded at his position. The tail of the RPG smacked Stafford 's helmet. The dust cleared. Phillips was slumped over, his chest on his knees and his hands by his side. Stafford called out to his buddy three or four times, but Phillips never answered or moved.

"When I saw Phillips die, I looked down and was bleeding pretty good, that's probably the most scared I was at any point, " Stafford said. "Then I kinda had to calm myself down and be like, 'All right, I gotta go try to do my job.'"

The soldier from Parker, Colo. , loaded his 9 mm handgun, crawled up to their fighting position, stuck the pistol over the sandbags and fired.

Stafford saw Zwilling's M-4 rifle nearby so he loaded it, put it on top of the sandbag and fired. Another couple RPGs struck the sandbag wall Stafford used as cover. Shrapnel pierced his hands.

Stafford low-crawled to another fighting position where Cpl. Jason Bogar, Sgt. Matthew Gobble and Sgt. Ryan Pitts were located. Stafford told Pitts that the insurgents were within grenade-tossing range. That got Pitts' attention.

With blood running down his face, Pitts threw a grenade and then crawled to the position from where Stafford had just come. Pitts started chucking more grenades.

The firefight intensified. Bullets cut down tree limbs that fell on the soldiers. RPGs constantly exploded.

Back at Stafford 's position, so many bullets were coming in that the soldiers could not poke their heads over their sandbag wall. Bogar stuck an M-249 machine gun above the wall and squeezed off rounds to keep fire on the insurgents. In about five minutes, Bogar fired about
600 rounds, causing the M-249 to seize up from heat.

At another spot on the observation post, Cpl. Jonathan Ayers laid down continuous fire from an M-240 machine gun, despite drawing small-arms and RPG fire from the enemy. Ayers kept firing until he was shot and killed. Cpl. Pruitt Rainey radioed the FOB with a casualty report, calling for help. Of the nine soldiers at the observation post, Ayers and Phillips were dead, Zwilling was unaccounted for, and three were wounded. Additionally, several of the soldiers' machine guns couldn't fire because of damage. And they needed more ammo.

Rainey, Bogar and another soldier jumped out of their fighting position with the third soldier of the group launching a shoulder-fired missile.

All this happened within the first 20 minutes of the fight.

Platoon leader 1st Lt. Jonathan Brostrom and Cpl. Jason Hovater arrived at the observation post to reinforce the soldiers. By that time, the insurgents had breached the perimeter of the observation post. Gunfire rang out, and Rainey shouted, "He's right behind the sandbag." Brostrom could be heard shouting about the insurgent as well.

More gunfire and grenade explosions ensued. Back in the fighting position, Gobble fired a few quick rounds. Gobble then looked to where the soldiers were fighting and told Stafford the soldiers were dead. Of the nine soldiers who died in the battle, at least seven fell in fighting at the observation post.

The insurgents then started chucking rocks at Gobble and Stafford 's fighting position, hoping that the soldiers might think the rocks were grenades, causing them to jump from the safety of their fighting hole. One rock hit a tree behind Stafford and landed directly between his legs. He braced himself for an explosion. He then realized it was a rock. Stafford didn't have a weapon, and Gobble was low on ammo.

Gobble told Stafford they had to get back to the FOB. They didn't realize that Pitts was still alive in another fighting position at the observation post. Gobble and Stafford crawled out of their fighting hole. Gobble looked again to where the soldiers had been fighting and reconfirmed to Stafford that Brostrom, Rainey, Bogar and others were dead.

Gobble and Stafford low-crawled and ran back to the FOB. Coming into the FOB, Stafford was asked by a sergeant what was going on at the observation post. Stafford told him all the soldiers there were dead. Stafford lay against a wall, and his fellow soldiers put a tourniquet on him.

From the OP, Pitts got on the radio and told his comrades he was alone. Volunteers were asked for to go to the OP.

SSG Jesse Queck sums up the reaction to the call: "When you ask for volunteers to run across an open field to a reinforced OP that almost everybody is injured at, and everybody volunteers, it feels good. There were a lot of guys that made me proud, putting themselves and their lives on the line so their buddies could have a chance."

At least three soldiers went to the OP to rescue Pitts, but they suffered wounds after encountering RPG and small-arms fire, but Pitts survived the battle.

At that time, air support arrived in the form of Apache helicopters, A-10s and F-16s, performing bombing and strafing runs.

The whole FOB was covered in dust and smoke, looking like something out of an old Western movie.

"I've never seen the enemy do anything like that," said Sgt. Jacob Walker, who was medically evacuated off the FOB in one of the first helicopters to arrive. "It's usually three RPGs, some sporadic fire and then they're gone .... I don't where they got all those RPGs. That was crazy."

Two hours after the first shots were fired, Stafford made his way -- with help -- to the medevac helicopter that arrived.

"It was some of the bravest stuff I've ever seen in my life, and I will never see it again because those guys," Stafford said, then paused. "Normal humans wouldn't do that. You're not supposed to do that -- getting up and firing back when everything around you is popping and whizzing and trees, branches coming down and sandbags exploding and RPGs coming in over your head ... It was a fistfight then, and those guys held ' em off."

Stafford offered a guess as to why his fellow soldiers fought so hard.

"Just hardcoreness I guess," he said. "Just guys kicking ass, basically. Just making sure that we look scary enough that you don't want to come in and try to get us."

Jeff Emanuel summed the fight up very well:

"Perhaps the most important takeaway from that encounter, though, is the one that the mainstream media couldn't be bothered to pay attention long enough to learn: that, not for the first time, a contingent of American soldiers that was outnumbered by up to a twenty-to-one ratio soundly and completely repulsed a complex, pre-planned assault by those dedicated enough to their cause to kill themselves in its pursuit.

That kind of heroism and against-all-odds success is and has been a hallmark of America's fighting men and women, and it is one that is worthy of all attention we can possibly give it."

Of the original 45 paratroopers, 15 were wounded and The Sky Soldiers lost 9 killed in action in the attack. They were:

1LT Jonathan Brostrom of Aiea, Hawaii SGT Israel Garcia of Long Beach, California SPC Matthew Phillips of Jasper, Georgia SPC Pruitt Rainey of Haw River, North Carolina SPC Jonathan Ayers of Snellville, Georgia SPC Jason Bogar of Seattle, Washington SPC Sergio Abad of Morganfield, Kentucky SPC Jason Hovater of Clinton, Tennessee SPC Gunnar Zwilling of Florissant, Missouri

Of the 9 that were lost, Sgt Walker says:

"I just hope these guys' wives and their children understand how courageous their husbands and dads were. They fought like warriors."

They fought like warriors.

Last week, there were 9 funerals in the United States . 9 warriors were laid to rest. 9 warriors who had given their all for their country. All proud members of a brotherhood that will carry on in their name. They fought and died in what most would consider impossible circumstances, and yet they succeeded. A nameless fight in a distant war which, until you understand the facts, could be spun as a defeat. It wasn't. And it is because of the pride, courage and fighting spirit of this small unit that it was, in fact, a victory against overwhelming odds. And there's little dou bt , given that pride and given that fighting spirit, that they'll be back to reestablish the base, this time with quite a few more soldiers just like the ones who "kicked ass" the last time there.

To " A Keeper"

In fishing terms, a keeper is a fish that falls within the legal limits, ergo, can be kept.

To A Keeper

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, work shirt and a hat; and Mom in a house dress, lawnmower in one hand, and dish towel in the other. It was the time for fixing things: a curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, and the hem in a dress. Things we keep.

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that re-fixing, re-heating leftovers, renewing; I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.

But when my mother died, and I was standing in that clear morning light in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more.

Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return. So... While we have it, it's best we love it... And care for it... And fix it when it's broken... And heal it when it's sick. This is true: For marriage... And old cars... And children with bad report cards... Dogs and cats with bad hips... And aging parents... And grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we keep, like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with.

There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special... And so, we keep them close!

I received this from someone who thinks I am a 'keeper,' so I've sent it to the people I think of in the same way... Now it's your turn to send this to those people that are 'keepers' in your life. Good friends are like stars... You don't always see them, but you know they are always there!!!