~ Bill Erickson
A home.php will always be used for the blog, so if you have the blog on the homepage it is used there, or blog on separate page it is used there.
A front-page.php file is always used on the front page (whether or not it is a blog).
My guess is the homepage you want is using a home.php file. Renaming it to front-page.php will let you use it on a static front page.