Far From Home

Type: Pop

Albums: I Want to Be Like You (1997), Found A Place (2000), Have I Ever Told You (Released Aug.25, 2001)

Brian Smith, Jeromy Deibler, Michael Boggs, Jennifer Deibler

                                                         --Jeromy Deibler, FFH

Here is a little bit on what their traveling together is like:

         To describe FFH's traveling entourage as a family wouldn't be a metaphor. Jennifer Deibler, the only female vocalist/guitarist in the group, is married to co-founder and principal songwriter Jeromy Deibler. Jennifer's mom is the merchandising supervisor, and her father serves as the group's road pastor. Brian Smith, bass player and childhood friend of Jeromy's, hired the sound technician, who also happens to be his wife Allyson. The only unmarried member of the group, guitarist Michael Boggs, has been thoroughly embraced as one of the gang. With over 200 concerts a year, it's a good thing this family enjoys each other's company. Jennifer admits that living with so many people on a bus "…gets a little tight, but it is so amazing how God has worked in our lives and brought us all together. You learn how to live with each other in those tight quarters with a lot of give and take. It is also nice to have our families with us so we're not always rushing to get home—home is with you." Jeromy echoes Jennifer's sentiments, adding, "We all share a common purpose, though our responsibilities are different. Everyone's role is important. When I jump on the bus and say, 'Hey, our song made it to No. 1!' everyone on the bus feels like their song made it to No. 1, not just the four of us who sang it. And when Jennifer's dad finishes his counseling ministry after a show and tells us, 'We won 50 people to the Lord tonight,' all 10 of us share in the joy of that together."

     Although working well together is a blessing, the FFH family is more than a Partridge Family stereotype. Within the last two years, the acoustic pop-oriented vocal band has garnered enough accolades to fill up an entire page. The group’s achieved two chart-topping songs ("I Want to Be Like You" and "One of These Days"), recorded a Coca-Cola commercial and performed a private concert for the Joe Gibbs Racing Team staff, home to the highly successful NASCAR teams of Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart. Not too shabby. But not an overnight success either—in fact, FFH has been performing together for almost nine years. The group began in 1991 when Jeromy and Brian started a singing group called Four for Harmony during their senior year in high school. Ironically, they later shortened the name to FFH, only to expand again to the name Far From Home. But it was discovered another group had the same name. "They had the name before we did, " Jeromy says, "And they had a lawyer, so we're just FFH." Prior to signing with Essential Records in 1998, FFH had built a substantial following as an independent artist. The band’s two independent CDs, One of These Days and Called a Christian, included the singles "Take Me As I Am" and "Big Fish." Both songs hit the Top 10 on Christian radio, making FFH one of the highest charting independent acts in the history of Christian radio. The band’s first, full-length major label release, I Want to Be Like You, scored two No. 1 songs and helped FFH land a Dove Award nomination for New Artist of the Year. "The early success of the first record really took us by surprise, " Jeromy admits. "I don't think you ever expect to have so much attention all at once. FFH spent six and a half years playing to small audiences of 50, or 30, or 100. All of a sudden, lots of people are coming to our concerts already having bought our record and knowing our music." Despite the new-found acclaim, the members of FFH remain focused. Ask any one of them why they do what they do, and the answer is immediate: "Our mission is to reach as many people for Jesus as quick as we can." In fact, back when FFH was just four guys singing a cappella, the members began to pray for God to give them a burden for people who didn’t believe in Christ. "God answered our prayers, and now we aren't just singers—we're singing evangelists!" Jeromy declares.

     One wonders how such a mission can be fulfilled when most of FFH's venues are primarily churches. Jeromy concedes that, yes, they are "salting the salt," but adds that FFH believes part of its calling is to edify, educate and support the church in a season where much of the industry is focusing outside those walls. Brian explains, "One of my prayers whenever we go into a church is that we can ignite them. We want to encourage them and stir up the fire of God inside them so that they can go into their community and stand up for what they believe and be salt and light." Jeromy is also quick to point out that there are a lot of church members who need to hear the message FFH offers. Recent concert statistics prove his contention. "On the average, about 10 percent of our audiences make decisions for Jesus Christ," Jeromy remarks. In an effort to keep newly committed Christians deepening their faith, FFH has developed an audio devotional, Found a Place—The Devotional, to accompany its newest CD, Found a Place. Additionally, FFH members will give away copies of the devotional CD at their concerts. The inspiration behind this unique disc came from the autograph table. "When people come to the autograph table after a concert, we're not signing Jesus' name—we're signing ours," Jeromy states. He explains that the devotional CD is a way for FFH members to share what God has done in their lives, to take the spotlight off them and put it back on God. "It's not just our bio, it's our testimony about how Christ has impacted our lives." Along with encouraging new Christians to immediately plug into the local church community, FFH feels that Found a Place—The Devotional will provide a long-term ministry tool that can impact audiences long after concerts end. It is clear that even amidst the whirlwind of new activity since their recent breakthrough, these former indies know their place and their purpose as musicians. "We know that we are so blessed to get to do what we do," Jennifer says. "We know that God could have picked four other people to do this, but He picked us—and that blows our minds!"