Death’s Door to Eternally Empowered with Benny DiChiara #97

Benny DiChiara is a talented singer/songwriter and front man for the Christian rock band Empowered.  But in 2015 his future and his life were in jeopardy after he took an inexplicable hard fall in his home. The accident left him with two fractures of the skull and bleeding on the brain.  After several days in the hospital, he spent a month at home sleeping twenty hours a day.  Toward the end of that time, he heard an audible voice that dramatically changed his life.

Benny made a remarkable recovery.  This experience led to a deep desire to share God’s love and a creative season that led to several number- one songs on the IndieGospel.net charts.  He says that “this journey has taken him from lost to found and from aimless to empowered.”  

Tune into this edition of Finish Strong to meet this remarkable man and hear his amazing comeback story!

Benny's Website
www.rockin4Jesus.com  

Transcript

Dan Wheeler: 0:00

We all love a great comeback story. And I'll tell you we've got one today on finished strong for sure. This guy that you're about to meet is a Christian rock singer who in 2015, suffered a traumatic brain injury that could have gotten does his career and his life. But God showed up and miraculously today he's rockin for the Lord. He's writing songs like never before. You're about to meet him. I'm Dan Wheeler, and I'm on location with Bryan rollin and Terry Steen, guys, we're at the National Religious Broadcasters convention and we've been having a blast.

Terry Steen: 0:34

Oh my he's been so great. And, you know, we haven't been able, as you know, to be all together in the same room like this. So this makes it so much more fun.

Brian Roland: 0:43

And it's so cozy. Yeah.

Terry Steen: 0:47

And I was noticing this is a little scary.

Brian Roland: 0:50

We have a snake pit Raiders of the Lost Ark, right? It's like a Metallica concert.

Dan Wheeler: 0:54

That's why well, this is our new setup. It's a podcast booth in a box that rolls around with us. So we can do podcasts from anywhere. Our guest today is the frontman, the lead singer and the primary songwriter for empowered so let's finish strong. And Benny does share a joins us now welcome Betty.

Benny DiChiara: 1:18

Nice to see you. I like the I like the clapper.

Dan Wheeler: 1:25

Very professional very we've had a great time hanging out with this guy here at National Religious Broadcasters. But hey, your group empowered is on a roll. You guys with three days you had several number one hits on the gospel indie church, right? Yeah, and now your latest project Yawei nisi pick it up. It's had a tremendous impact. Tell us a little bit about the name and the message that this album kidding Hey,

Benny DiChiara: 1:52

thanks for having me. By the way, I'm so look forward for about I don't know a full three days to do it.

Dan Wheeler: 1:59

This is gonna be you're

Brian Roland: 2:01

gonna be my favorite interview.

Benny DiChiara: 2:02

I can tell ever. Look, I'm sweating. I know somebody can pat me down. So pressure, it's a lot of pressure. Hey, Yahweh Niecy into Hebraic is like the Lord is my banner. Right? So for for every project that we do, like our last project was three days. And so basically the title track for that just points people to the resurrection. Right. And so it's very popular with radio, at Easter, Francis. And then so we pray over each of these projects. So for the LORD is my banner for Yahweh MECE. God was speaking to me as I was pressing in about this, and you know, as artists, and we do music, right as as artists. Sometimes a spirit, especially if you're doing Christian music, it says, here's the thing, run with that, right? And so you go, Oh, and then you run with it. And then other times, God says, here's the thing, and this is what I want you to do specifically with it. Right? And that's what happened with this with Yahweh. So, so he's like, the world has bad and evil in it right now. Right? more evil than bad. Let's talk about people in positions of authority in government, school, business, churches, I said churches, just evil. That's all we hear about. Right? And God is saying, there's millions of people on the earth who say they're Christians. So my question is, where are you? And why is your mouth shut? Right? So I'm like, Who and since you know, it says my brain injury. It's dangerous, you know, even Iraq's a cry out, I find myself outside telling telling rocks in my garden, you know, I can't hear you. So it's that kind

Dan Wheeler: 3:41

of thing. So the brain injury still has effects, but we'll get to still has. No,

Benny DiChiara: 3:45

I'm trying to talk to that. So

Terry Steen: 3:49

we can we can all

Unknown: 3:51

relate.

Benny DiChiara: 3:54

So So So as he's precedent, right? And he's like, there's millions of people who say they're Christians on the earth and like, Why are you silent through all this? So he's like, Yahweh, nisi The Lord is my banner. Think about this guys. In the Middle Ages, I'm a history of history, right? In the Middle Ages, in biblical days, when your army went to battle, what did they follow? The standard bearer with the banner right? Yeah, Banner left, March, left banner, right. March. Right, right. If you're the enemy, what did you see come in the banner, which meant dangerous come in. Okay. All right. Yeah. And so God said, for this thing. There's a few things I'd like you to do. Marching footsteps rowdy as it goes in. It's a battle cry for me for Christians to come together and speak against this anti biblical thing that's going on in the world right now. Look, guys, time is short. God is about to send his son back and he's like, I need it. Are you with me? Are you against me? And he says he needs his people to come together and Oh, it's got some heat. It's got some energy. You call

Brian Roland: 5:04

those salvo war cry for Jesus. Yeah. Is that the reason why? Because of the banners or another reason why?

Dan Wheeler: 5:10

Because

Benny DiChiara: 5:12

we can get into it with the brain injury things, some things that he's done to me through that. But but basically the time for sugarcoating in the time for doing this is I'm speaking for me, not other Christian bands out there. So please, if you're a Christian band out there, and you get offended by this, you know, pray about that. Please don't think about it. But it's I'm not talking about you. But I'm talking about me. The time for feel good. Messages from me are pretty much done. Right? Because we're because we're, if you I tell my kids don't read Revelation anymore. Watch the television, just watch the news. Everywhere. And so and so, you know, much like the prophets in the Bible who went out and they didn't care, they were going to tell you like it when God says, I chose you for this. I want you to do I just I met John Cooper a couple of days ago while we're here, and then I'll be right. love that about this guy. He's doing Monsters of Rock secular stuff overseas. And in the middle of his set, he stopped and going, do you know, Jesus, and what he could do for you? And I'm like, bring that stuff. Yeah. And that's what that's what I'm talking about as Christians. Where's that fire? Yeah, where's that passion? For me? It's a stage instruments, lights, that whole thing. We do a show you can listen to a string or whatever. For a doctor. It could be a hospital, hospital room, surgical suite for a teacher. He's got a classroom. Everybody, God's given a stage right?

Dan Wheeler: 6:44

What are we gonna do? Our stage today is really confined because we're at the NRB we got a lot to cover. All right, a lot of questions for you. Come on. I think we're gonna do a second one. I got another

Brian Roland: 6:53

one here. Jesus can heal the world. Yeah, that you're one of your songs here on this album yet? It's so timely. And you said you're pointing to people, to the only people who can fix it. So right. The only one person I could fix Yeah,

Benny DiChiara: 7:07

yeah. So Mikey Howard's our producer, seventh time down and love Journey music and, and he's produced our last two records. And he's fam I think, where he's part of the band at this point, feels like, and we just have a really great connection. The thing I love most about him is the same thing I love the most about John schlitt. And it's the thing I love the most about Cooper whatever is like, you know, they don't have the Don't you know who I think I am? thing? Right? Yeah, right. It's just this is what God has me to do. Whatever. So actually, so Jesus can heal the world. Mikey actually co wrote that with us and put that together. And is there any other title that you need as to what's going on in the world right now?

Terry Steen: 7:50

Yeah, yeah.

Benny DiChiara: 7:51

You know, I mean, how do you fix teachers? indoctrinating kids. Yeah. Jesus. Yeah.

Terry Steen: 7:57

Didn't he also co write the song like the daddy song where you wrote it after your father passed away? Tell us about that. how that came about and what that song means to you.

Benny DiChiara: 8:09

So So Daddy song I'll meet you there is the last track on this record. It actually came out as a single so we did. I went to I went to Mikey studio because we did a we did a version for Christmas of We Three Kings over which came out to it's just it sounds like it sounds like empowered ran into Tso. And we did. It's been. There's a YouTube, it's big, right? And so I'm like, it's got its Yeah, I'm like, if you want to know what is power and majesty feels like you should hear that from stages. Incredible. So I went to do the vocals, because his last thing so went up and saw him and did the vocals. And as we're finishing that he says, Hey, talk to me about the song that you had on your heart for me. So my dad had quintuple bypass aortic bypass, stents, every I mean, all of his plumbing got reworked, right. So I'm the oldest of six. So it's always been a party at the house. And so I'm prepping my siblings, and I'm like, listen, one day, we're gonna get a call that bad. Yeah. And it's done. So I'm trying to prepare him for that. Right. So he says, he said he had a pain in his hip, went to the doctor, after all of the things they did, they did some PET scans everything and the doctor says, Hey, man, you have cancer. So me and my daddy were close. If you're Italian, you call your dad daddy, because it's the deal. Right? And I was very close to my daddy and I was a I was a Navy corpsman like a medic, and in my early life, and so I read his PET scans. And I was like, You know what came to my mind. I was like, my poor dad. He does not have a shot on this side. Yeah, but he's about to be miraculously healed. Yeah. And I had to resolve myself to that. And as believers you go, really because God can do everything. anything and I'm like, surely he can Yeah. But in this case, the ultimate he is the ultimate healer. And so, so So three, so nine days diagnosed nine days later. Wow. And so within the last two or three days I was talking to him and I don't know if your your your viewers or listeners are gonna relate to this, but Boldness is sometimes a good thing. And I was like So dad. Not only do you have place at the buffet table, you have a nametag set. You know, I'm saying, so I need you to tell me, you know where you're going? Yes, Pastor, boy, I know where I'm going. That was his nickname for me, because I'm worried. I'm like, Dad, not today. Great joke. This is not for you for me. I need you to tell me he's like, Jesus died. He rose again. I believe that. I'm going to heaven, right? I'm like, well, except for the right thing. Yes, you are, in fact, right. And guess what you're about to be immaculately healed, then it's going to suck for us. It's going to be great for you. Great for you. And then we had the big thing. And then, you know, I took care of him when he was in the bed after he passed just because I've done it for people in military I do for my dad. And that was good closure for me. And we got all it done. So I hitched, you know, God put it on my heart. He says there's so many people who have lost somebody. Yeah. Right. And this is what I want you to put, although loss is a dramatic and sometimes traumatic thing. For believers. There's joy in it. Because if we know their address, absolute we never going to see him again. Right. And so that's the whole thing. I'll meet you there. And so every time we played a song live, just people just so

Terry Steen: 11:47

you think that's why I went to number one, and then went that emotion to it. That

Benny DiChiara: 11:55

let me say this sort of as an artist, I'm going to use yours. I'm gonna use your desk. Okay, so this guy here, Shane. That'd be this one. Yeah, lead guitar player. Right. crazy talented. Sounds like Brian Johnson. Just Joe just bid. Yeah. Went through some stuff with his wife, ex wife. Now that kind of thing. You know, life stuff. Right? Justin, all kinds of other guitar player. extraordinarily talented, too. We need to start talking. Let's drop it down to seventh. I might go on a corner. So anyway, yeah, lots of stuff going on in me, you know, bad divorce many years ago. Traumatic Brain Injury eight years ago this October and I talked about my wife breast cancer surgery four years ago. She's completely healed. I you know, you go through? Yeah, my baby in a band. He's like 29 Jeff. Jeff says bass player. His mom isn't? Yeah, he's old enough. We were leaving and we're teaching him up. But his mom at 16 when he was 16, she overdose. lost his mother. Mick, my drummer. The day we did the three days video, he went home the next day his son started feeling bad goes to the doctor. They put him on a helicopter to St. Jude's because he's he's got cancer. And so so guess what we're doing in August, ringing the bell and this boy is on fire and he's going to school and Melton is he's Melton kids phases are boring. But what Jesus did we let him hear daddy song when it came out? Yeah, I just if you don't think as a parent, you have your words matter to your kids, what you're teaching what you're sowing into. We let him hear that song. This is at seven years old guys. And song finishes play and we're in the house and he says, cruise man, what do you think of that? Crew says this song is going to touch people's lives. And I'm sitting there. I'm like, There's adults that don't that don't have that kind of. Yeah. Right. And he gets it. And I told I told I told Mike I said, Well done dad, you know, because that's where he gets that from. And so it's just, I think, so our name is empowered. It should be band of misfit boys. And this is, and this is why I say because of all that stuff. Right? So when you take all of our combined histories of life junk stuff, right? And we tell the stories that God's given us through the music, which point which point people to his story. History. Right? Right. It's nothing that we do, but because we're being obedient, it resonates with who's hearing it and I think to your point, that's why these rankings and all that I mean, all that that's fleeting, right? You know, it really is and if you get hung up on it, and it's easy to but you can't get sucked into the vortex.

Dan Wheeler: 14:43

Yeah. Speaking of fleeting I know, we have limited time here but I want to get into your brain injury August of 2015. Give us a snapshot of what happened.

Benny DiChiara: 14:53

Yeah, so I'm gonna political on my family. So there was a big election in 16 coming up and it was all Crazy running. And so I went to see who was least crazy. And I fell asleep on a sofa. My wife was in the bedroom 630 In the morning, my phone goes off, it's screaming, and I'm in the living room. So I'm like, oh, so she came out of the room had the phone extended. I remember standing up from the sofa, and I've got a 20 minute hole of nothing, like nothing. So she tells the neurologist, I don't know. When I got to the hardwood section of my floor, I was horizontal. No slip, no trip, no socks, no water, I didn't catch myself when I hit. It was like a gunshot. So I had a double fracture. In the back of my skull, I had a frontal lobe crush, I had a brain internal brain bleed, and I bled out across the front of my face. And so she's like, we need to go lay down. And as a Navy medic, you know, lay people down, if they get it right, you'll sleep them into a coma, but I was not aware. And so I'll get in the bed. So after about 10 minutes in the bed, I start seeing signs that I recall in my Navy training as a medic. It's amazing. Hey, for your listeners, don't put past what God's doing in your past that he's going to use in your present time. Right? And so and so I looked at her I'm like, we gotta go. So three days in the hospital, ICU, MRIs, whatever, they couldn't figure anything out. They said your brain has to heal on its own. So I went home and slept 20 hours a day for a month or a month

Dan Wheeler: 16:28

for a month. Some point. You heard the Lord's voice and audibly tell us what

Benny DiChiara: 16:34

Yeah, so so so here's the thing. I'm on the ceiling all the time. You know, and I can't imagine that y'all are I'm just saying for me. So my wife loves when I'm sleeping. She gets she gets a

John Matarazzo: 16:46

break. Ya know?

Terry Steen: 16:47

She had no problem with 20 hours. Oh, no, she

Benny DiChiara: 16:50

was vacation extended.

Dan Wheeler: 16:53

So you were on your back for almost a month. Yes. At some point. You said you heard the Lord's voice audibly. Yeah. What did he say?

Benny DiChiara: 17:01

Yeah. See? So as writers, artists, the Holy Spirit will come on you and say, here's something run with that. And we do that, right. This was a first for me, and I'm sitting in a room and I audibly male voice. I was I was scared to death. But I was excited at the same time, because I knew who it was. I mean, it was only one person, entity. This could be right. And he says, Benny, I have huge and great plans for you coming out of this thing. So I did what anybody would do right is not cried like a two year old till I fell asleep. Right. And this happened a couple of several days in a row right on this last day. It's like Benjamin, I'm telling you that I have huge in great plans for you coming out of this thing. And I'm sitting there on my nobody, right? And I'm like, oh, Lord, I know what you're doing. My favorite verse. Jeremiah 2911, we're number restaurant, best promise in the Bible. I said, You're affirming me. Do my favorite verse. He says, Yeah, but listen, the next song you write for me? Jeremiah 2911, subtitle. I don't want to hear the verse in your lyrics. But what I do want is when people listen to this song, how I stepped into your life and saved it. I can do the same thing for them. If they just press into me and I'm like, sitting in a cried like a baby again until I fell asleep. But then I'm going to my office and I'm in he's he audibly gave me the lyrics for that song. And I'm in Yeah, and I'm in my office, and it looks like a third grader writing right? big ol circles on my bladder pad. My wife is like, what are you doing? I'm like, God told me. In every time we do that, well, I had a young lady after a show come up and, and she, she says, gonna have hugs. And I was sure and we're doing this and she says, Can I tell you something to Jeremiah song? I'm like, I'm wrecked. And I'm like, Are you? And she says, yeah, what is that? That's it. That's the Holy Spirit. what God's done in your life. Go tell other people. That's what the song is about. That's my favorite parts of it. Yeah. You know,

Terry Steen: 19:05

speaking of your wife, I cannot imagine what she was going through that time. Yeah. How did that impact her? Her prayer life her obvious. Wanting to salvage her husband? Yeah. Even though she was new. She was gonna have to have you awake more than four hours in a day? Yeah,

Benny DiChiara: 19:24

she was she was okay. She She was pressed in man. Like seriously President she became a full time Rn. So every three hours, it was an insurer because I wasn't eating a Powerade and meds every day. I was 198 when I got hurt a month later, I was 160s something. Okay, and there's there's better ways to lose weight. Yeah. It's easier ways in but she that became her life. Right? And so my my band guys and my family and my kids and they're like an Amana seelen all the time. Yeah. didn't talk. And when I was the first month, I knew nothing. So I didn't start talking until like, month two. Yeah. And when I did, it would be like, So, guys. Like, I've known, John,

Dan Wheeler: 20:14

for ever. That's our producer.

Benny DiChiara: 20:17

Yeah. And when we talk, besides shaking his head, right, and so when how the words came into here I go, Oh, those go together. And that's how it was coming out. And I'm the lead singer for my band. So the band's like, was up with this. And so in my family is like, Is this a new dad? Is this my new husband and all that, but prayers cover much? And I had I had some prayer warriors over me, man, and God obviously had a purpose,

Terry Steen: 20:52

and will speak to our listeners about someone who's gone through a serious situation like that. Yeah. What can you say to them after you've been through it to try to encourage them or speak to them?

Benny DiChiara: 21:05

If you've been through? I mean, first thing I would say is, if you have any type of doubt about miracles in the world, you're listening or seeing one talk to you right now. There's no other there's no other explanation. My neurosurgeon when he released me four months later says, You're my miracle, dude, because no one should be doing what you're doing right now. Yeah. Been through what you did. And I said, Okay, Doc, but I have a bigger doctor to you. And he laughed, and he says, That's right. I didn't do anything. I said, I got your bill, you think you did a lot. But then I got in the truck. And guess what, I drove home? Yeah, four months later. And so what I would say to people is if you've been through anything in your life, there is nothing that God can't step in and take care of because he has a specific design purpose for everybody. I don't care what your stage is, what stage of life you're in, what illness you've been through anything, press in follow Jesus. And listen, oh, that's a hard word.

Brian Roland: 22:10

Do you find you have any lingering effects from your brain injury?

Benny DiChiara: 22:13

I do. So October will be eight years. I have zero smell. I have zero taste through it, which is horrible. And every now and then I'll get a little memory snippet. Just have a it takes me a bit to come back to opinion. But other than that, I mean, we have two records out since then, and how does that happen? But God, you know, I just

Dan Wheeler: 22:34

got a time cue from our producer. I want to ask you, what's next for Benny to share and empowered? And how can people learn more about you and your music? Yeah,

Benny DiChiara: 22:43

man. So what's next? We're actually we're actually trying to tour the new record between now and the end of the year. And so our website is rockin no G Roc k i n the number for Jesus rockin for jesus.com We thought it was short it made sense it was kind of cute. We're on like over 40 streaming platforms that you can go to plus we're on all the social media stuff under empowered official as well as like YouTube for the official videos

Dan Wheeler: 23:10

yeah, well here's another example guys of finishing strong in your 50s your rod done yeah, Lord nine David after the traumatic brain. Sure. Yeah. Manager you are not done God. And he's not done with you. And we so appreciate Benny to share us stopping by and guys another great addition to finish strong.

Terry Steen: 23:29

Thanks, man. Appreciate you joining. Thanks for having me. Yeah.

Dan Wheeler: 23:33

Yeah, so pick up Yahweh Niecy and his other albums God bless See you soon.

John Matarazzo: 23:40

Thank you for listening to finish strong. For more information about finish strong and fearless faith. Check out their website eth faith.org. Make sure that you rate and review this podcast to help more people accomplish their God given purpose so that together we can finish strong