St. Jude Country Music Marathon, Half Marathon & 5K in Music City:

Here are some quotations from signs spotted along the way in past Country Music Marathons that give us powerful life lessons:

“Keep Going. Keep Going” (Never give up on your dream.  Click here to read about a Nashville dream fulfilled after 121 years!)

“You’re NOT almost there” — At about mile 2.  (Life is a long haul. No matter where you are along the way, keep looking forward and keep dreaming!)

“Worst Parade, Ever” (Running a race is not organized and tidy like a parade. The race of life often looks like a mess full of frustration, pain, and disappointment.  But don’t quit. Life is a marathon, not a victory parade.)

“Insert Inspirational Quote Here”  (Although people may cheer for you and encourage you along the way, ultimately you are responsible for your own motivation, persistence, and endurance.)

“The miles make a runner, the attitude makes a person, both make a champion.” (It’s not enough to just keep going through life; we also need to keep hoping and believing.)

The 2015 St. Jude Country Music Marathon starts at the honky tonks in downtown Nashville on Broadway. It finishes at LP Field. Everybody who makes it to the finish gets to run onto LP Field. The big letters on LP Field remind me of the words “Let’s Pray.” Nashville has a great history of prayer — from the passionate prayers of its suffering slaves to the prayers during the destruction of the Civil War; from the Union Gospel Tabernacle (built as a revival center but later to become the Ryman Auditorium–the “Mother Church of Country Music”) to The Call Nashville when 70,000 people gathered on LP Field for 12 hours to pray and fast for revival and spiritual awakening on 07/07/07.

Because Nashville is Music City there will be 50 bands along the course at 28 entertainment stages. (Nashville is becoming known as Worship City.)

Last year’s marathon drew an estimated 36,000 runners to downtown Nashville. More than half the runners are visiting from out of state.  65 percent of this year’s runners will be women. There will probably be more than 100,000 spectators cheering runners on.

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” –Paul of Tarsus

While you are in Nashville, come be inspired at Music City’s most unique church where instead of a 1-man sermon, ordinary people show and tell what God has done. Check out The Salvation Army Berry Street Worship Center on Sunday at 10:45 am. — 225 Berry St., Nashville 37207.