10 Questions with ... Mike Donehey

1. Please tell us how 2020 changed your relationships?

Who didn't have a dramatic shift in their relationships last year? I mean, on one hand I made more phone calls. So in some ways, I kept in better touch with my friends and family, because we were talking every night, Zoom calling, because there's nothing else to do. I just missed feeling a part of my community. I missed feeling a part of talking to strangers and seeing people in the eye. It feels really good to finally see people's faces after a year.

2. Share the most challenging part of the past year.

I'm highly relational. So as I said in the first question, not seeing my friends and not being together, not playing basketball on Sunday nights. Just the weekly ins and outs that you have come part of your routine, just having to wildly shift everything. That was challenging for all of us. So my personal life was shifting. My business life as my band broke up and that was a huge shift. I think learning how to be a homeschool dad and a full-time dad every minute of every day, that was a huge learning curve. So every part of my life was the most challenging I guess you could say.

3. Some really great advice you received recently was…

Two things. My buddy is an addictions counselor and he says, remember, it's really easy to judge people's actions. It's really difficult to judge their motives. And just remember before you judge someone that you probably don't know what's actually going on as to why they made that choice. The other piece of advice is to embrace your current circumstance as if you had chosen it. You can't be at peace if you're fighting against your current circumstance. You have to embrace your current circumstance. You have to choose where you are to actively engage where you are.

4. How do you continue to deepen your relationship with Jesus?

I’ve been really fascinated with this phrase in Colossians that shows up. It shows up all over the gospels, but particularly in Colossians you see these words, “so let your roots go down into Christ. Let the peace of God rule in your heart.” In John 14, Jesus says, “let not your hearts be troubled.” So one of the ways I'm continuing to deepen my relationship with Jesus is to let him deepen it. I think the only thing that keeps me from deepening, my relationship is me- is me actively refusing to let God do what he wants to do. Learning to keep saying yes to God is how I'm continuing to deepen my relationship with him.

5. Share about that new song of yours.

All Together is my radio single and it was a song that started when I said to my buddy, "Hey Micah, how come at church we have past struggle testimony time but not current struggle testimony time?” I mean, why is it that if we have a past struggle, you can get up and give your testimony. But if you have a current struggle, you need to save that for a group? Because it's my belief that sometimes God redeems us from our struggles and sometimes God redeems us through our struggles.

6. Tell us about someone who you really respect and why?

Great question. I think my best friend, Johnny Rios, he's the addictions counselor I mentioned. And he just lives with intense intentionality in everything he does. And if he's got a fast, he'll fast for a week. If he's going to run, he's going to run a marathon. If he's going to ... whatever he's going to do, he's 100% in and there, and I'm still learning from him.

7. What would surprise people most about you?

I could probably just tell you all my deepest, darkest secrets and hidden sins and motivations, and that would probably surprise you. Greatly. How about that I love to golf. I don't get to do it very much. I have four kids, so I don't often have the time. I bet most people wouldn't think that I'm a golfer. I can also do a backflip wakeboarding. At least last time I went wakeboarding, I could do it.

8. What’s on your nightstand?

A journal. And a book by DA Carson called Love of God. And it's a daily commentary on some daily scripture readings. Also reading a book called Wings of Fire. I'm reading this dragon kids book series because my 11 year old is super into it. And some of the best advice I ever was given was be interested in what your kids are interested in. So I'm reading through the Wings of Fire.

9. What are you most excited about this year?

I'm just so excited to finally release new music as Mike Donehey. I’ve never released music on my own. I always had four other people in my band who had strong opinions, and they were often great opinions. But now I'm just excited to start a new chapter and see how it lands.

10. What do you do for fun?

What don't I do for fun? You name it, I'll do it. One thing I really want to do before I die is have a weeklong spear fishing trip with some of my best friends in the Bahamas. I just want a snorkel and spear fish. I don't do that currently for fun, but I would like to do that for fun.