FFH (Far From Home)
Being Jesus' Hands & Feet
Becoming a vessel for Christ is all it's cracked up to be …

by Michael Herman

Have you ever thought about what Jesus' hands might have looked like? He was a carpenter, so I assume they were a little rough in texture from working with wood and his tools. He probably had his share of splinters, too. Those same hands touched people who had an array of infirmities and burdens. This question about Christ's hands circled my thoughts as I sat down and got to know more about FFH (Far From Home). The whole conversation with Jeromy and Jennifer Deibler, Brian Smith and Michael Boggs kept coming back to the idea of being hands and feet for Christ in all they do, say and sing.

During his time on earth, Jesus didn't stand above the people he ministered to—he was among them. He was practical, not mechanical. Jennifer understands this as the group seeks to be more like Christ. And FFH does so by touching people as Christ would have. Jennifer shared about how one song, which talks about our true home in heaven, has been helping young people who have lost loved ones to cope with death and to understand what God has in store for us when we leave this earth.

"I know recently, with the song, 'One of These Days,' we've met a lot of kids who have lost parents," said Jennifer. "[The kids] have come to us and told us how they've listened to that song over and over and that it really gives them hope to know where their parents are, with Jesus. We've been hearing that a lot lately. I mean, it just seems like, recently in the past month or two, a lot of kids have expressed that to us. So, once again, it gives them hope.

"It's not our work, it's God's. That's one thing I had to learn the hard way. It's not FFH … we're just the hands and the feet. It's God's work, and if he wants to do it, it's gonna happen no matter what anybody says."

Hope is one of the main themes in the band's current album, I Want to Be Like You. Brian told me how this theme is something they want to share with their audience at every performance.

"Obviously, the Great Commission is for everybody," said Brian. "Nobody is exempt. Through our music, our ministry, our records, and our concerts, if there are people who don't know Jesus as their personal Savior, we want to lead them to Christ or at least bring them closer to receiving the eternal gift of salvation through Jesus Christ."

Jeromy also spoke of the importance of our daily lives in Christ, and how the "abundant life" is meant to be just that.

"Along with the 'hope theme,' I want people to understand that it's the enemy that gets us down from day to day, and gets us in the doldrums," added Jeromy. "It's not God's will [for us to be discouraged]. Jesus talked about coming that we might have abundant life. He wasn't talking about finances; he wasn't talking about material stuff. He was talking about us living life to the fullest, to the best of our ability. And when you think about that message, there's a lot of encouragement there and a lot of hope. I just want people to be encouraged through the songs on the record."

FFH sees a strong need for their ministry in today's culture.

"We want to do music and create a concert, a night, that gives people hope. We lose our hope at times, even in the church. We want our music to be hopeful. We want, after two and half-hours, for people to go home and say, 'I'm refreshed, I'm renewed.' We want people to see the hope in Jesus and eternity. The Bible says we're supposed to be in this world, but not of it. I mean, we are far from home, and we have that great hope and eternity with Jesus."

Perhaps you haven't seen FFH in concert yet. The event is more than a list of songs and a few opportunities to stand and clap along with the music. Brian explained to me how important it is for them to talk and meet people as they go about their ministry of music.

"The concerts are really fun, but connecting with people is what keeps us alive. If you spent all day cooped-up in a bus, you'd really get dried out. But I think the connection with people and really seeing the genuineness of folks is what keeps [an artist] alive out there."

When Jeromy talked about the connection with people, the rest of the group verbally agreed that was why they continue to minister and what keeps them going from day to day.

"It's not our work, it's God's. That's one thing I had to learn the hard way. It's not FFH … we're just the hands and the feet. It's God's work, and if he wants to do it, it's gonna happen no matter what anybody says."

THE EVOLUTION OF A MINISTRY

No artist can stay in one spot for an entire career, churning out identical work over and over. All musicians shift and refine their focus over time, and FFH is no exception.

The group started in the summer of 1991. Brian and Michael were 16 and 17 years old when they began performing at a camp in Lancaster, PA. At that time it was 4 guys who sang acapella. Jeromy said they weren't very good, but God had this, FFH, in mind, even at that time.

"To be honest," Jeromy admits, "we really didn't have a ministry desire. We sang Christian music because we grew up singing Christian music. We grew up in the church, our parents sang in the choir, then Brian and I sang in the choir. But it wasn't until three or four years into [having our group] that God really laid on our hearts the desire to reach people for him. Now, the best compliment you can give us it that we're evangelists that sing. But at first, that wasn't our desire. At that time, our focus and desire was to sing for a living … that was about it. But God really worked on us, and he took us to the woodshed a time or two.

"I had a pastor tell me one time, 'If you're planning to go into the ministry, if you think you can do anything else, do it.' But it got to the point where we just couldn't do anything else and still sleep at night. We had to be out there. God gave us a burden for souls. Our purpose was and is to reach as many people for Jesus as we can as quickly as we can. God has told us to win people to him, to lead people in praise and worship … to do everything we can to point people toward the cross and make people look Jesus in the face."

God chose to use a couple of guys whose desire was to sing and perform, and he lined up their hearts with that desire. This has grown the scope and the purpose of FFH to the place they are today. Their focus currently goes above and beyond singing for the sake of singing, and this has turned their concerts into times of worship to the Lord they serve and desire to be more like.

"I think one thing we've been learning over the past year is our love for praise and worship," said Brian. "In concerts, we feel like we need to lead God's people in praise and worship, and our album is a reflection of that. Most of the songs on the album are straight up praise and worship tunes. Take away the music, and the lyrics speak of that."

GOD'S CALLING

The evolution and growth of FFH has taken them to the audience they feel has been chosen for them. Their hearts are burdened for the church and for families.

"The album itself is geared to where mom and dad and the kids can all listen to it together and all have a good time doing it," Michael explained. "That's a ministry in itself, to bring the family together again. I think the family has become separated as the years have passed, and even in the church we try to separate the youth from the adults. I don't necessarily think that's a great idea, even though it's needed at times. But I think the family is important in 1999, and in the church. It needs to become stronger. I hope people will receive that from the record."

Families can be drawn together by many events. When children are still young, a board game or simply eating a meal can bring the family together, but as the years pass by, less and less seems to commonly interest every member of a family. But the right kind of music can do that.

"Music crosses every barrier," explained Jeromy. "Whether it's the age or generation barrier, it crosses language barriers … music is like the universal language. And I feel like its God's music. I was just reading through the Psalms this week where it says, 'play skillfully on your instruments and make music to the Lord.' I believe the enemy wants [to have control over music], just like he wants everything else God started, but it's God's. He wants us to use it to minister to families, and to bring people together."

GET A TASTE OF FFH

'We're a vocal band," Jeromy said. "When it comes to the studio stuff, we let the professionals do it. So, heavy vocals, we love vocals, and we started out a capella. When we run into instrumental conflicts, we just put the instruments down and do it a capella."

Jeromy also added his description of FFH's flavor that sums up the feeling of their music when he told me, "We like the raw, acoustic, like-you're-sitting-in-our-living-room sound."

Honestly, I felt like the five of us were sitting in someone's living room during the interview. We were actually inside one of Essential Records' tour buses, but the conversation created a relaxed mood.

All of the members of FFH expressed to me, in their own words, how God has been working in each of their lives. The growth they have been experiencing individually has added to the overall development of the group as a whole.

"I think what the Lord is really teaching is to rest in him," Jennifer shared. "A lot of times I get worried about little things. Like when we're on the road so much, I get worried about getting home, getting things done … little things, like laundry. I get stressed out about those things, and God tells me to rest in him and to be patient, because what we're doing on the road is more important than the little things in life."

Brian has been learning that building a relationship with Christ takes consistent time with him.

"For me, over the past couple of months, I've been learning that I need to spend time alone with God whether it would be prayer or just staying in the Word," Brian said. "I'm the kind of guy who has trouble reading; I'm not a big reader, so for me, getting in the Word is tough. But I've found when I get up in the morning and stop to spend even five minutes in the Word, it makes my day so much better. I've also been realizing over the past month or two the power of prayer."

Michael has learned about God's plans and timing, and how they're both far better plans than his own.

"I've learned to not limit God," Michael explained. "While I was growing up, I thought I was going to do something athletic, maybe be a part of FCA [Fellowship of Christian Athletes]. I was going to college to play football, then I felt God telling me to go to Bible school, perhaps to be a youth pastor. I was trying to figure out how to use athletics and youth ministry together. The whole ministry aspect was there, but I picked and limited God on what I thought that ministry could be. God has been telling me to let him take control, take my hands off things, and just let him do it for awhile."

Jeromy told me about his personal tendencies and imperfections, and how God has been faithful to work in those areas of his life to strengthen him to do God's work to a greater degree.

"I'm one of those typical control-freak personalities, a stress case," Jeromy admitted. "During the last year and a half while FFH has taken the leap into the national spotlight, it's been very clear that God has been teaching me to be still and know that he is God. I've been wanting to control things. I tend to make my work become god, and to take it out of God's hands at times and try to do it on my own. Things just fall apart around me when I do that. My personal ministry, the ministry of the group, and all parts of my life are now stronger than they were when I was trying to run things. God just tells me to be still, to be still and know who really is God. [It's like God is saying] 'Let me take care of it, rest in me, I love you' … and I'm being taught how my time alone with him, and being still, is very important."

I've talked about Jesus' hands, and FFH clearly desires to be exactly that to the people they meet each day. As for Christ's feet, Jeromy, Jennifer, Brian and Michael currently feel called to travel and minister to the hurting people of Christ's church. They want to offer a hope that is far above any other hope available today, a true hope, and one that makes us all want to be more like Jesus.

Lyric Sample:

From their song, "Fall To You"

Trying to find a peace in all the wrong places / Wanting to find release from the empty spaces / So I packed my bags and I set out / Following traces of a better day / So I walk a thousand miles in the wrong direction / Building callous on my feet and a fine collection / Of wasted days and foolish ways / And baggage that I picked up along the way / Then I hear a familiar voice calling me home / It's love's voice so I make the choice to turn and follow …

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