The late ‘90s was a very good time for Christian music, thanks to a slew of new artists like FFH (Far From Home) who emerged from the independent music scene and made a significant impact once their songs were spotlighted on the national stage.
With heavenly-minded songs packed with catchy harmonies like “One of These Days” and “Big Fish,” FFH, comprised of Jeromy Deibler (piano, guitar, vocals), his wife Jennifer Deibler (vocals), Brian Smith (bass, vocals) and Michael Boggs (guitar, vocals) were instant radio favorites and toured together consistently for more than a decade.
But in 2006, more than a decade of touring non-stop began to take its toll on the group, specifically the Deiblers who felt burned out by all the travel and believed their marriage, not to mention their kids’ well-being was suffering from such a busy schedule. So after much prayer, counsel and conversation with the rest of the band, a unanimous decision was made to take an indefinite break.
In September 2006, FFH played its last show as a foursome, and the Deiblers eventually relocated to Cape Town, South Africa where they ministered in a small church. Without the normal comforts of American life (i.e. cell phones, television, high-speed Internet, air conditioning), it was a much-needed diversion from their lives in FFH.
The Deiblers’ time in South Africa also brought some good and bad news that would inevitably shape the duo’s future songs. The good news was that Jennifer was expecting a little girl; the bad news was that Jeromy was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
After receiving chemotherapy and eventually moving back to the States, Jeromy and Jennifer knew their days of ministering through music weren’t quite over yet. In fact, there was a new story of God’s goodness to tell. After leading worship at a small congregation in Georgia, Jeromy and Jennifer simply looked at each other and knew a new season of ministry was ahead.
Now functioning as a duo, FFH was reborn with Jeromy and Jennifer recording and sharing their reflections of God’s faithfulness with the masses on their first single in three years, "Undone."
“FFH is a part of our lives again, but it is just a part,” Jeromy shares. “We are determined to live the kingdom lifestyle of putting our relationships first. Selling albums doesn’t fulfill you. It doesn’t comfort you when you are lying in bed at night after being diagnosed with MS, while your wife is seven months pregnant. The fact that you’ve sold a million albums means nothing.”
FFH is gearing up to release their next album in October of 2012 titled The Way We Worship- a blend of modern worship songs and popular hymns. “As we were planning our next release, it occurred to us that much of what we are doing in this season is leading worship. The longer we considered it, the more sense it made to put those songs on an album," Jeromy said. "When we discussed the idea with our friends at Provident Label Group they immediately responded with a unanimous yes. That and a few other conversations confirmed that this is the time to make the worship album we’ve always wanted to make”
