Creation Health Nature Trail

On May 15th, I had the pleasure of attending the ribbon cutting ceremony for the brand new Creation Health Nature Trail!

It was a wonderful time of celebration as Takoma Regional Hospital, the Town of Greeneville and Greeneville Parks and Rec came together to provide a beautiful hiking trail for the community!

The trail is a little over a mile long and is made up of 8 stops along the way, each one representing the 8 principle areas that affect our overall health and well-being, and make up the acronym CREATION...choice, rest, environment, activity, trust, interpersonal relationships, outlook and nutrition.

The trail starts near the pavilion at Forest Park and it is my understanding that when it is completely finished (over the next few years), it will be a little over 4 miles long, connecting Hardin Park with downtown Greeneville.

My little family and I had a picnic at Forest Park this summer, followed by a hike of the trail ourselves, allowing us to check "picnic" and "hike" off of our summer bucket list. We had so much fun and plan to do it again soon!

I hope you and your loved ones get to enjoy this beautiful little outdoor sanctuary soon! Be sure to notice the pretty little birdhouses (built by the local boys scouts) along the way! :)

About the Author: Erin Franklin is the Creation Health Coordinator for Greene County, the Head Volleyball Coach at Greeneville High School and the Founder/Director at Worthy of the Prize Sports Ministries. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization, and her ebook find joy in the journey: how 12 women could face tomorrow just because He lives for inspiring stories of women who found overwhelming joy despite their circumstances. Erin is the wife of Aaron, the Minister of Music & Senior Adults at FBC Greeneville, and the momma of 2 sons, Anderson and EJ. Click here for full bio.

Summer Bucket List

Yesterday, my family and I went hiking at Horse Creek, to check the final item off of our summer bucket list! While we were at it, we also had a picnic and went on a bike ride!

What is a summer bucket list, you ask?

Basically, a list of activities that we wanted to accomplish together before the summer ended. We sat down at the end of the school year and made our list together, then we hung it on the wall in our kitchen and checked off items as we completed them.

It is a great way to spend time together building relationships, while staying active! Did you know that the presence of loving relationships in your life can make the difference between sickness and health? Read more here.

Go here for 5 Fun Ways to Stay Active as a Family and stay tuned for some fabulous ideas for a Fall Bucket List!

About the Author: Erin Franklin is the Creation Health Coordinator for Greene County and the Founder/Director at Worthy of the Prize Sports Ministries. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization, and her ebook find joy in the journey: how 12 women could face tomorrow just because He lives for inspiring stories of women who found overwhelming joy despite their circumstances. Erin is the wife of Aaron, the Worship Pastor at FBC Greeneville, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, Anderson and EJ. Click here for full bio.

Family Fun Day: 5 Fun Ways to Stay Active as a Family!

My family and I had a blast at Family Fun Day this past Saturday at the Reformation Lutheran Church!

I set-up a table, where I handed out "5 Fun Ways to Stay Active as a Family" flyers and other Creation Health materials, while my boys ran around playing games and eating all kinds of treats! It was a great turnout for this 1st annual event!

For those who were unable to attend, here are 5 fun/active ways to spend time together with your family...

1. Play a game of Backyard Football 
-or another game (tag, Frisbee, baseball, etc)---the possibilities are endless, but the point is to get outside and have fun together as a family!

2. Go on a bike ride! 
-or take a nature hike---anything that allows you to enjoy God's creation!

3. Participate in a local 5K for Charity! 
-or any community race (walk, run, bike ride, etc) that gives you the opportunity to give back while you get fit!

4. Clean the house! 
-or yard, garage, etc---turn the music on and burn some calories while you work!

5. Take a camping trip!
-or a trip to the lake---simply get away from the chaos of life for a day or two, enjoying each other's company in a new setting!

What about you? Do you have any ideas of ways that families can stay active together? Feel free to leave a comment!

And if you have an upcoming event, let us know how we can be apart of it!

About the Author: Erin Franklin is the Creation Health Coordinator for Greene County and the Founder/Director at Worthy of the Prize Sports Ministries. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization, and her ebook find joy in the journey: how 12 women could face tomorrow just because He lives for inspiring stories of women who found overwhelming joy despite their circumstances. Erin is the wife of Aaron, the Worship Pastor at FBC Greeneville, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, Anderson and EJ. Click here for full bio.