While they waited for God to point them in a direction, they had a second child and Jeremy was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Treatments and 2am feedings took over, but they continued to wait.
In December 2008, the waiting was over. They knew that FFH was still part of God's plan for them ... but just a part, not the sum total of their lives.
'Wide Open Spaces' - Putting Life to Music
The theme of Wide Open Spaces centers around just being Jeremy and Jennifer ... lost, broken and crying out to God with questions that didn't necessarily have answers that they wanted to hear. The storybook lyrics combined with touches of country that blend with their signature sound make this an album that demands to be heard without being rude about it.
"What It Feels Like" is one of the few songs written prior to Africa. Jeremy wrote it to go with a lesson being taught on the wilderness of Exodus. Little did he know that his family would soon be living the song!
"Stop the Bleeding" was written shortly after the Deibler's arrived in Africa. The grass, which had seemed so greener from the other side, was actually a desert. The song is an all-out cry to God to stop the merry-go-round and let them off! "I Don't Care Anymore" is the next step in the journey. Jeremy realized that life back home and the music industry was continuing on without them just fine. The verse from Luke where Jesus says, "Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it," which was taped to the bathroom wall in their small cottage, finally sank in and he realized that he was losing his life to find it. Once he accepted that, he stopped caring so much about what everyone else was doing without him. "The Time of My Life" chronicles that point where they started seeing that there were, in fact, blessings mixed in with the struggles.
The Ups and Downs of Life
At the end of their time in the wilderness, they discovered that they had gained far more than they had lost. While it would be easy to get caught up in feeling sorry for them due to the trials they faced, I prefer to rejoice with them over all of the good that they ended up with and hope that when my own next trek through the desert comes, I face it with the grace and honesty that they did.
'Wide Open Spaces'
- 10 original songs
- Release Date: May 11, 2010 (Independent Release/62 Records)
- Style: Inspirational with touches of pop and country
