Why I love Northstar Church

I've bee thinking lately what has helped me make it through tough times I have had recently? Who has been therefor me in times of need? Where have I experienced powerful and amazing friendships? I've came to the conclusion that it is Northstar Church. I know most of you have no idea what Northstar is all about so let me fill you in.

Northstar is a place where love flows. "It's a place where all are welcome, nobody's perfect and anything is possible." It is a place where lives are changed. It is a body of believers who have faith in Jesus Christ. It is a place that God is using to serve and love our community. It's a place that God is using to reach the rest of the world with his love.

Northstar is a place that has changed me and shaped me into the person I am today. When I was down and hurting, Northstar was there. When I lost a family member to cancer, Northstar was there. When I had questions about God and my faith, Northstar was there. This place has brought great joy to my life and I value every friend I made through Northstar.

There is an amazing group of people here in Panama City, FL who make up a body of believers called Northstar Church. God is using this church for some truly amazing things and I can not wait to see what the future holds. I am eternally grateful for the love, compassion, friendship and honesty shown to me by the many people who attend Northstar. God is God and God is good and I love Northstar Church.

expression through creativity and "art"

I have been feeling very introspective lately. I have recently gone through some big changes in my life. And these changes have allowed me to really think, ponder, wonder and consider many things about myself. One of those things that I have thought about a lot is the lack of creativity and "art" in my life.
    "Art" as defined by me is something that you use as a tool to express your self. Things such as music, photography, writing, painting...etc.  I enjoy art. I enjoy great music. I enjoy amazing photography. I enjoy writing. I want these things to be more of a part of my life. More of a part of who Tim McBride is. I have always admired the creative arts but now I have begun to embrace its many forms.
   When I start to write it feels good. It feels like it's something I should be doing. Thats why I do it. I encourage you to do something that artfully expresses your self. I will be the first to admit that I am still learning how to do these things. I am teaching my self how to play guitar better. I am reading and learning about photography and constantly learning how to better express my self through the written word. I know that when I do these things it adds depth to who I am and provides a way for me to release my thoughts, passions, ideas and emotions. Thats all I got for now, more to come later.
p.s. credit goes to my friend Sarah Cusick for the amazing floral photography.

"Need Money For Rocket Fuel"

So it has been over a year since I last updated this blog. I last spoke of a Milwaukee, WI band by the name of 'I'm Not A Pilot' and the release of their EP. Well a year later they have released their first full length album "Need Money For Rocket Fuel". It is an amazingly fresh and organic album that truly inspires.
    Charles Nevsimal of Milwaukee's Info Magazine describes I'm Not A Pilot's unique sound better than I ever could..."Their own sound is itself at once both lavish and sparse, infusing an Indie-Pop proclivity perfused with Classical influences."
    I am a lover of great music, especially music of the independent record label variety. I have heard a wide assortment of music over the last several years and nothing sounds quite like 'I'm Not A Pilot'. They have something unique and touching. Their new album is both melodic and thought provoking. Mark Glatzel's lead vocals and song writing skills have grown to new heights. But personally what keeps me coming back and wanting more is the inclusion of professional cellist Peter Thomas of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. He provides the unique sound of INAP. They are unique because they lack the traditional instrument of guitar. Peter Thomas more than fills the void with his professionally classical cello skills. I can't speak enough of how their sound moves the emotions of the listener. It provides an aura of contemplativity that rarely shows itself in today's music. They almost have an emotionally atmospheric sound. I have heard INAP compared to Arcade Fire and Ben Folds. But I would like to add one more band to that mix...Sigur Ros. The Icelandic natives Sigur Ros have mastered the musical art form of 'atmospheric pop'. Whether by choice or not, I'm Not A Pilot has thrust themselves into that genre of thought provoking and heart moving musical art. Give them a listen and see what you have been missing. http://www.imnotapilot.com

I'm Not A Pilot

new music update: wanna hear some great new music? go check out I'm Not A Pilot. u will not be disappointed and if fact i think u will be greatly surprised. i am blown away by their talent and originality!they place themselves in the indie pop/classical description of their sound. to quote a friend they have an 'organic ben folds' sound to their music. INAP is sort of a sufjan stevens/arcade fire/ben folds mix. it's a very original sound and the greatest part is that they are extremely talented. INAP consists of piano, cello, bass and drums. their sound is amazing. what draws me in is the interaction of the cello, piano and lead vocals. it's a very pure sound with authentic song writing. check them out! I'm Not A Pilot

The South and the Bible Belt

The South and the Bible Belt. What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear those words? Probably something that isn't too positive. Well, this video speaks of the idea behind the upcoming book Megabelt which challenges the negative stigma that most people have of the Bible Belt.

Megabelt by Nick May Available November 1, 2009 from Energion Publications

http://megabelt.info/?p=22

Auto-Tune the News #6

Once I saw this video I could not resist posting it here. It is absolutely hilarious. Its called "Auto-Tune the News #6." The video is done by The Gregory Brothers. They take politicians' and media figures' comments and statements and put them to music in the form of auto-tune and the resulting songs are amazingly funny. And I have to say that this video/song is the one and only acceptable use of auto-tune! (Sorry Jamie Foxx and every other Top 40 wanna-be musicians who uses auto-tune)

Cap and Trade = Energy Tax

So the other day I called my congressman. Can't say I ever have done that before. But you know what? We live in a time where if you don't agree with something, you have the ability to take take action. Its one thing to talk about issues on a blog but to act upon those issues is another step. So I decided to call Congressman Allen Boyd, of the 2nd Congressional District of Florida, to politely inform him that I and many other constituents in northwest Florida would like him to vote NO on the Cap and Trade Bill. The response I got from his aid answering the phone?.. "I'll pass it along to the Congressman." I guess the aid forgot to tell Congressman Boyd that I called because Boyd voted in favor of the bill, which ended up passing narrowly. Boyd is a Democrat, albeit a moderate "Blue Dog Democrat", but still a Democrat and thats why he voted for the Cap and Trade Bill.
If you don't know what the Cap and Trade Bill is all about here is the short version as per my understanding, in which I'll be the first to admit is lacking. (Correct me if I am wrong) but, by definition Cap and Trade is basically government regulation of carbon emissions and pollution. Government sets a limit of how much a manufacturer (or anybody for that matter) can pollute. If a manufacturing facility end up under their allowed pollution limit they can sell their allowances to another manufacturer. If a facility goes over their allowed pollution limit, fines are imposed by government regulators or they can buy pollution allowances from other manufacturers.
In reality Cap and Trade ends up being one gigantic energy tax on the average American. In fact the working class will probably be the most affected by the Cap and Trade. When manufacturers are fined for polluting to much or have to buy more allowance for their pollution, who is going to pay for that fine? Not the manufacturer. It is us the average American who will pay for it with higher utility bills, higher food prices and higher gas prices.
The Democrats have tried to disguise Cap and Trade as an environmental bill but that's just not the case. Yes, it may help lower carbon emissions in some parts of the country but other regions of the country are only going to get worse as a result of the Cap and Trade regulations. I heard a report today that the EPA says Cap and Trade regulations will lower the earth's average temp less than half a degree over the next one hundred years. Thats hardly worth the trouble if you ask me. Cap and Trade is a way for the Obama administration to create and tap into a new commodity in which they will have the ability to heavily regulate and tax with out having to actually call it a tax.
There is so much more to this issue that I cannot get into here. If you are liberal in your political leanings I am sure your take on Cap and Trade is vastly different. But love it or hate it thats my take.

Japandroids - "Post-Nothing"

I found a new band the other day on eMusic and they blew me away. They are the Japandroids and their album is Post-Nothing and they are utterly amazing. They hail from Vancouver Cananda and are garage rock in sound. They are indie, low-fi, edgy and full of distortion. It is a sound that I have been missing lately and longing to hear. It's just straight up rock that only sounds good when you crank them up loud. In fact, playing loud is the one thing that these two dudes do well. They are a 2 piece that sounds like a 5 piece. So go ahead and check them out, crank the volume up and smile cause that feeling you get in the pit of your gut when listening to the Japandroids, is authentic rock 'n' roll with no frills. Love it and enjoy it cause I sure do!

Center to Right

I have been silent for far to long in the realm of politics. But President Obama has inspired me to speak up in the political blogosphere. But not in support of him as you may think. For I am diametrically opposed to President Obama and his policies for so many reasons that I can not list them all here. He has inspired me to speak up on the behalf of the Conservative.

I used to call my self a moderate or truthfully, a right leaning moderate. But I now proudly call my self a Conservative. Yes I am a believer in Christ and try to live by Christ's teachings. But that is not the sole reason I call my self a Conservative. I am a Conservative because of my views on the many issues such as taxation, health care, entitlements, immigration, the environment, foreign policy, judicial activisim, liberty and individual freedoms. These are all major issues that are worthy of their own posts and I will address them in the future. For now I will leave you with a quote from the late President Reagan. "Freedom is never more that one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."

Long time, no blog

Hi. My name is Tim. I write on this blog. Long time since my last post. Did you miss me? I missed you. I missed putting my thoughts down on this page. I enjoy blogging. I need to blog more. I will blog more. I will write longer sentences. I just like short ones today. Stay tuned. Check back often. Peace.