And so it begins...

         MY ENTIRE LIFE I've had a bit of a ravenous craving to discover how the power of music works.  One day, after a particularly successful day practicing piano while pursuing my music degree, I lay in bed unable to sleep as I felt so energized from the music I'd been practicing.  I'm a sucker for deep thought, and I found myself thinking on how it came to be that I felt so energized.  Words began to form in my mind, and I felt particularly prompted to get up and write the words down.  I eventually managed to make myself crawl out of bed to put them on paper, (this was probably well after midnight).  The next day I did my best to discern what it was I had written in the dark, and continued to edit the words until I came up with this poem...  

PURE MUSIC
​It fills the air
It fills the soul

And awakens it
 
It energizes an element so small
No human eye or ear can conceive it.
 
For music
Pure music

Is something that is felt
The ear is only a passageway.
© 2015 Mark Richins Music

THE WORDS continue to inspire me.  As I was reading scriptures today I just so happened to arrive at my favorite chapter, Moroni 7.  To give a brief summary, the beginning of this chapter is Mormon teaching how to discern good things from bad things.  Verse 12 is a frequently cited scripture that says bad things "inviteth and enticeth to sin."

That which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good."
​                              Moroni 7:12.

This is extremely applicable to music, and I won't bother with the over taught sermon.  The same scripture  continued to give an insight that floored me.  "that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good."  

NOW WHEN I  think of the word "entice" I tend to give it a negative connotation.  The devil entices.  I personally don't want to be anywhere near like him.  But yet it says in this scripture that good things entice us too.  This is partly what inspired me to start this whole venture in Mark Richins Music.  There is so much music out there enticing us for bad, but yet music has such a huge power to entice us to do good. 

Mark Richins Music seeks to spread the use of Pure Music.  Pure music in that it brings us closer to Christ."

THERE ARE many artists that do this from more popular music styles like Alex Boye  to more serious venues like The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and everyone between.  My hope for this website is to do the same.  The concept of music that entices us to do good gives me a whole new perspective of the term "Pure Music."

THIS BLOG and everything else on this website seeks to spread the use of Pure music.  Pure music in that it brings us closer to Christ, but pure music in that it it masters the elements of musical artistry so much that it energizes and motivates us to do good as well.   I encourage everyone to continue reading the other posts that will be included in this blog to make music a part of your daily discipleship, and therefore that much closer to Christ.  I guarantee that it will.  

P.S.  Feel free to comment and vent on the need for #PureMusic.  I'd love to hear from you!