Daryl Boyer…..introduce
yourself! How was The Cleansing conceived, and how did it become a reality?
I
am a Worship Director, Youth Pastor, husband, and father to three beautiful
daughters. I am originally from Michigan
but now reside with my family in South Jersey.
I
began a journey in June of 2014 that would change not only my life, but really
my entire way of thinking about the Lord, reaching out to the people around me,
and the content of the songs that I would write and share with others in the months
ahead. While I was on vacation in June of 2014, The Lord began to show me that
he wanted His church to get a greater understanding of what it means to be made
new, to really truly be cleansed and refined in Him. Now at the time I had very
little understanding myself what that actually looked like in its fullness. Yes,
I had already had a relationship with the Lord, but did I really truly
understand what that meant know the fullness of God’s cleansing process over my
own life?
Over the next few months God began
to take me to scriptures in my time with Him that started to unwrap His heart
for me in new ways. I began to now see all the things Christ wanted me to
become through all He did on the cross in a way I had not seen or considered
before. I began to now see that I had been made a new creation that was given
an authority to walk out the things God declared I could be. I began to see
that becoming a new creation and becoming all that God had for me was about
yielding and receiving., not about a 12 step striving process. I finally began
to understand that as I yield and fully surrender, it was giving God the
permission to reveal His heart to me. In this season God began to clean away
years of wrong thinking that focused on what I did wrong instead of who He said
he had made me to be. He showed me to
focus forward and leave the past behind in the refining fire.
In
March of 2015 after attending a “Power and Love” conference with Todd White and
Robby Dawkins, I had been given the full and life changing perspective on
exactly what the Lord desired for my life.
I would charge forward in making an album The Cleansing, that would talk about the heart of God toward us and His refining process, a process
that is fully life changing for all when we yield completely to His refining
hand and stop striving to clean ourselves up.
Have you always considered yourself a musician? How has God
used music to mold your life into His image?
I
was always a very musical child growing up, I started singing at a very young
age and playing guitar when I was about 10 years old. As I got older and was
playing in various bands I began to see the value in using my talent and gifts
for worship and for honoring God. I believe fully that because of my
willingness to submit to the Lord in the use of my talents, He is able to shape
and mold my music into exactly what His heart desires. I am certain that in
that submission, and in that process, my life is equally transformed more into His image along the
journey.
This project seems to be filled with a heart cry for
believers to be fully submitted to God’s presence and direction in their
life. The title song of the album – The Cleansing – prayerfully asks; “Lay
me down on the altar of your refining fire, to be the one you’ve called me to
be.” What is the story behind this song?
The song The Cleansing is really
about understanding exactly who Christ has called us to be as a new creation in
Him. The real life and heart change for all of us comes when we drop the idea
from our system that says we can somehow clean ourselves up by our daily
actions in order to be worthy representatives of Christ in the eyes of the
world and of the Father. It is true that we should desire to walk in a way
worthy of Christ’s pleasure for us, but we must first be fully dead to
ourselves and our ways of doing things in order for that to manifest a change
of fruit. The fruits of what we can
offer the world will become what God puts on our branches, as we let Him trim
away the dead and useless branches in our lives and place them on the fire. We
need Christ to burn away the things of the old man so that the new man is all
that is allowed to remain.
Romans 6: 5-6
(mirror translation) says it like this: “(5.)We were like seeds planted
together in the same soil, to be co-quickened to life. If we were included in
his death we are equally included in his resurrection. (6.) We perceive that
our old lifestyle was co-crucified together with him”; this concludes that the
vehicle that accommodated sin in us, was scrapped and rendered entirely
useless. Our slavery to sin has come to an end.
Amen for that! We
have indeed been given the invitation to receive this as truth. We just have to willingly make the choice to
surrender ourselves up to the process of allowing God to truly replace the old
man with the new man. It is about an entire lifestyle change that is born as a
result of our full submission to the refining and re-birthing process. The Cleansing is indeed about walking out each day knowing
that we live a new life in Christ Jesus
, one that is complete with a whole new identity in Him.
Do you lead worship in your church?
I am the Worship Director and enjoy leading worship for my home church
on the weeks that I am not ministering on the road. Christ Fellowship Church in
Seaville, NJ is currently my home church and foundation where I try to invest
all that I can when I am not traveling. I believe it is important that everyone
establishes roots and serves in a church somewhere. I enjoy serving at Christ Fellowship under the leadership of
Lead Pastor Andrew Surace.
Has music opened up doors to minister in unique ways? In what ways?
I believe music has opened up many
opportunities for me to minister in unique ways. Truth is, there are always
curious people in every concert and in every service that are looking for a
real experience with the Lord. Sometimes we can spot these people in the room,
or we may even already know them. Either way, we do not always have the right
words to say, or the ability to help people receive those words. I have found
that time and time again in the midst of my lack for spoken words of comfort,
Christ always steps in the midst of the music. It seems that music can always
do what normal words from our lofty thinking never can in general conversation.
Music often picks up where our human thinking leaves off or looses
effectiveness.
I think that people are moved
because the music and worship to the Lord is a direct line to our spirit. When
our spirit is being moved and positioned toward the Lord, God is always able to
move in unique and unexpected ways. The precious and unique move of God often
comes on the wave of great worship.
What is one of the most memorable experiences you’ve had
with a listener since you’ve released this project?
I think that one of the most
memorable experiences for me has been that of a women I had not previously
known who was battling cancer. Shortly after her hearing the album I was
informed of the impact it had had on her.
It was truly humbling and powerful to hear how God had used my song
“Just In Time” (track 10 on the album) to bring about a new level of hope to
her in a time she was really needing to experience all of Gods hope, mercy,
provision, and love. She was able to draw from the music of the CD to further find
faith for her healing from the Lord. It blows my mind, how amazing the Lord is!
Where do you find inspiration to write your music?
I usually find my music
inspiration through the things that I am dealing with in my own life, or in the
midst of something God is showing me. Sometimes I write a song based on a
scripture or prayer revelation the Lord is showing me in a certain subject or situation.
Ultimately, the truth is that outside of the Holy Spirit's direction the songs
are just another run of the mill song. The real inspiration and power for the
song comes from the Lord. I know for me the biggest part is getting alone with
my guitar or on the piano, hitting record, and then just taking my time as I
listen to the Lord playing what flows from my spirit. This is probably the
method I used to write half of the album “The Cleansing.” I feel that the Holy
Spirit moving in us writes the best songs, and then we get to sing them to
express God's heart if we are willing. What an honor it is!
What is the most personally meaningful song on this
project? Why?
The most meaningful song on this
album for me is the Title track “The Cleansing.” From day one of having the
album theme and concept picked before the songs were even written, I just knew
in this song the Lord was going to deliver something powerful in its
completion. The title track was actually
one of the last songs that I completed in the demo process, before taking the
full game plan to Nashville for it's completion. I love the way that the song
really walks through such a gentle invitation to come draw close to Christ' love and grace. I also
love the way that the song points out God's perfect love as being the core fuel
in the refining process over our lives.
It is so important that all God's children understand His desire is to
manifest His unconditional love over our lives, in the process of being refined
in Him.
What do you hope listeners find in the message of this
album? What do you hope they take away from this album?
My biggest prayer for listeners is
that they find new freedom, understanding, and truth in Christ. I want God’s
children to see that they have an irreplaceable value in Him because they are
His. Their value is not established by what they may or may not get perfectly
right each day. Christ knew full well who he died for when he went to the
cross, and He saw us all as worth the price.
God has declared us all to be identified in Him as a new creation,
filled with His goodness and love, and overflowing with His presence. I want
for people to get a revelation of who Christ says they are in Him, and He sees
them.
My desire is to see God's children
free from the mindset that says they are just a hopeless sinner. Satan wants us fixated on starting our day
thinking we are just a sinner. God wants us to start our day remembering that
He made us a son and delivered us from sin’s grasp and bondage. Christ died for us to become sons in His
kingdom. We are here and breathing to
represent Christ well, by making the focus be about Him in us, and not about us
and our flesh. I want people to understand Christ has made all things new in
the hearts of His children, it's about stepping into that understanding, and
walking in that truth. Christ in us is the Hope of His perfect Glory!
What would you say to encourage others who feel like God
has called them to be worshippers through their music?
I would say to go all in with an
unquenchable passion, really seek the Lord in everything you step out in along
the way. Leading worship and sharing worship that is designed to move hearts
before the father, comes from a life that is submitted fully before the
Lord. It requires a daily place of
continued submission. He will bless your offering of submission and take your
musical gift and bring forth more then you ever could in your own strength. I
would also say that it is important to understand the honor that comes to a Worship
Leader in being entrusted with taking God's children into His presence during
worship as well as in everyday life. Chase the Lord with all your heart, use
all your gifts unselfishly, and really enjoy His presence. The more you
continue to make it about the Lord, the more the Lord will bless your worship.
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