Rarely has a band burst onto the Christian music scene with the spiritual impact of Tenth Avenue North, with their 2008 breakthrough CD, Over and Underneath. Rarer still: A follow-up effort that’s even more authentic, heartfelt and confessional.

But that’s just what Mike Donehey (acoustic guitar), Jason Jamison (drums) and Jeff Owen (electric guitar) delivered in May when they released The Light Meets the Dark.

Mike, the singer and principal songwriter, describes the songs on The Light Meets the Dark as the “collision between our hearts and God’s truth. His grace collides with the dark inside of us.”

“I know that’s the scariest thought, but it’s where freedom and healing start to take place. It’s where it all starts to happen,” he says.

Fast rise to the top

Tenth Avenue North quickly established itself as one of Christian music’s most talented bands. It was the GMA Dove Award New Artist of the Year in 2009, and this year, the single “By Your Side” was the Dove Award Song of the Year.

Still, even as their fame grows, the band remains tightly focused on God’s purpose for their ministry and outreach—to impact lives.

Making a difference, in big ways and small

After going on stage with Casting Crowns earlier this year, the bands drove around the town doing intentional acts of kindness for strangers such as paying for the meals of people in line behind them at drive-thrus.

The performance that night was simply an extension of that one-to-one outreach of Christian love in action.

“When we get up on a stage, more people are there to see us play and more people are familiar with the songs, but the objective really hasn’t changed. The objective is for people to encounter truth and be changed,” Mike says.