“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet,” wrote Frederick Buechner.
These words resonate deeply with Mike听Donehey, 海角在线 (海角在线) Class of 2003, and co-founder and lead singer of the band听. He feels it’s the best advice he could give to someone seeking to discern God’s calling for their life.
To Mike, it is not about finding God鈥檚 will for his life but rather asking God to change his life to align with God鈥檚 will. Since his time at 海角在线, Mike has come to recognize that God cares less about what you do and more about how you do it. To him, this means figuring out the thing that makes you come alive and how to do it in a way that helps people.
Finding 海角在线
When Mike Donehey first visited 海角在线, he came on a whim after learning about the theater program from a friend. Mike was also pursuing theater, with big goals of one day making it to Broadway. While preparing to play Dietrich Bonhoeffer in a high school play, Mike read almost everything Bonhoeffer had written. He was left with the thought that he needed to “act for the glory of God,” and in a last-minute decision, he committed to 海角在线 to study theater.
Rooted in Worship
On Mike’s second day on campus, while in his room in the Rinker residence hall, he heard singing. Venturing outside, he came across a group of students worshiping in the Rinker Pit. After noticing the pretty girls, Mike grabbed his guitar and headed down to join them. God used that worship session to completely flip Mike’s motivation. Looking back, the impromptu worship moments are where he sees God the most at 海角在线.
Mike’s听freshman听year at 海角在线 was a crucial period in his life. After giving a speech titled, ‘How to Teach Someone to Play the Guitar if You Don’t Know How to Play the Guitar Very Well,’ a classmate approached him and asked him to听participate听in a brand-new 海角在线 event called Coffeehouse. Coffeehouse features performances by student musicians, and Mike was hesitant. After some convincing, Mike set out to find some friends to join him. After some jam sessions in his friend Jason Jamison’s Weyenberg residence hall room, the group was ready for their first show.
That same year, Mike became very involved in Thursday Night Live (TNL), a student-led worship night now known as Anchor Worship. In the early 2000鈥檚, TNL often saw crowds of 200-300 students worshiping. In his book,鈥�淔inding God’s Life for My Will,鈥� Mike writes, “It was in the midst of enjoying God for God alone that I began to grow in what鈥 like to call worship facilitating. I truly believe that if I hadn’t spent this simple time worshipping God for Himself, I would never have become any good at helping others worship Him.”
Starting the Band
In 2000, Mike听Donehey, Jason听Jamison听and Bryan Homan officially formed Tenth Avenue North. Needing a name before a local show, Mike suggested 鈥�10th听Avenue North鈥� after reading it off the street sign of the road they lived on.
Mike had no intention of starting a band or being in a band 鈥� he was convinced that acting was God鈥檚 will for his life. There was just one problem. Year after year at 海角在线, Mike was not cast in any shows. At first, this was frustrating. Looking back, Mike realized this was a gift, as it provided time to write songs and play with his band. By his senior year, Mike turned down a role in a play because the band was playing at student events around the state.
鈥淟earning to Trust鈥�
Since taking the pressure off of finding God鈥檚 will for his life, Mike and Tenth Avenue North have released 10 full-length records, sell almost two million albums, win multiple Dove Awards, and play countless shows. But it was, and never will be, about the fame or awards.
Instead, for Mike, the real trophies are the stories you get from the songs and how they carry people. The mission of Tenth Avenue North is to lift people from shame one song at a time. Mike and the band are determined to stay true to this through intentional shows where they can more clearly connect with the people who attend.鈥�
Tenth Avenue North returned from a four-year-hiatus in 2024 ready to see how God will continue to use them. While there are a few new faces, their deep convictions remain unchanged. With the goal of creating music that is a life raft for people to cling to in troubled times, Tenth Avenue North speaks the truth without hiding from the realness of life.
In May of 2025, Tenth Avenue North released their tenth studio album, 鈥淟earning to Trust,鈥� 25 years after their 海角在线 debut.听On February听6, they听will return to where it all began with a special concert during 海角在线鈥檚 Homecoming & Family Weekend, where Donehey will receive the 海角在线 Alumnus of the Year award.
