The Creature Of Habit

A story for creatures of habit big and small who might be surprised by the joy of trying something new. On the island of Habit, there lives a very big creature with big teeth, big eyes, and very big feet. Every day the creature does the exact same things in the exact same order. He gets up in the morning, eats three pineapples and two bananas, collects shells, says hello to the fish, rocks, trees, and crabs of the island before he eats three more pineapples and two bananas, and finally goes to bed. It is exactly the way the big creature likes it. That is, until a small boat carrying a very small creature with small teeth, small eyes, and very, very small feet arrives on the island. At first the big creature is excited to show the little creature around and explain how things are done on the island, but the small creature has his own ideas. He does not like pineapples or bananas, but he does like coconuts. Instead of saying hello to the fish, he swims with them. And instead of collecting shells, he collects...well, everything else. Also, the little creature does something different every day--it's madness, thinks the big creature. Can these two creatures learn to appreciate each other? Is the island big enough for both of them? Told with heart and humor, this is a story about being open to new ways of doing things.

Beloved pastor Steve Poe helps Christians identify and break free from the destructive patterns that are keeping them from the joy-filled, flourishing life Jesus promised. We all have both good and bad habits in our life. Creatures of Habit reveals how to remove bad habits and replace them with godly ones. But it's not a matter of working hard, of "pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps." That approach simply doesn't work. True transformation is God's work--our job is to listen, obey, and put into practice what he's already directing us to do. Steve Poe has pastored large, growing churches for more than thirty-four years, and during that time he has counseled hundreds of people. He's seen that poor choices often become bad habits that in turn cause people a lot of problems. Hundreds of things can become a bad habit in our lives, but Poe focuses on the most common, among them: anger, lust, worry, cynicism, pride, self-centeredness, and greed. Each chapter provides insights, biblical examples, and tangible tools that will help you break the bad habits that can become spiritual strongholds in your life.

Control breeds fear. Fear forces submission. Submission becomes Habit. Bound by fear and oppression of "would-be protectors," the Creature of Habit is restricted to a life of sameness and isolation...until his spark of curiosity can be suppressed no longer. Desperate to find answers beyond the Compound walls where he lives, Creature disobeys his protector and embarks on a quest to find "unfettered thought and freedom." Along the way, he grapples with deep-seeded feelings of worthlessness and insignificance, as well as habitually self-destructive behaviors. Forced to look at the painful realities in his life, Creature discovers that the freedom he seeks is not at the end of a physical journey, but at the end of a spiritual one-his own. Guided by the wisdom of those who have gone before, the Creature of Habit must summon great inner strength to face his fears and throw off the lies of his past. Only then can he embrace genuine hope and find true unfettered thought and emotional freedom.

A story for creatures of habit big and small who might be surprised by the joy of trying something new. On the island of Habit, there lives a very big creature with big teeth, big eyes, and very big feet. Every day the creature does the exact same things in the exact same order. He gets up in the morning, eats three pineapples and two bananas, collects shells, says hello to the fish, rocks, trees, and crabs of the island before he eats three more pineapples and two bananas, and finally goes to bed. It is exactly the way the big creature likes it. That is, until a small boat carrying a very small creature with small teeth, small eyes, and very, very small feet arrives on the island. At first the big creature is excited to show the little creature around and explain how things are done on the island, but the small creature has his own ideas. He does not like pineapples or bananas, but he does like coconuts. Instead of saying hello to the fish, he swims with them. And instead of collecting shells, he collects...well, everything else. Also, the little creature does something different every day--it's madness, thinks the big creature. Can these two creatures learn to appreciate each other? Is the island big enough for both of them? Told with heart and humor, this is a story about being open to new ways of doing things.

Detailed summary and analysis of The Power of Habit.

Asher and Briar are attracted even though the odds are against them.

"Utterly romantic." --Jenny Han, NYT bestselling author of To All the Boys I've Loved Before The bestselling author of Windfall and The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight returns with a meet-cute romance about Hugo and Mae, two teens who are thrown together on a cross-country train trip that will teach them about love, each other, and the futures they can build for themselves. It's the perfect idea for a romantic week together: traveling across America by train. But then Hugo's girlfriend dumps him. Her parting gift: the tickets for their long-planned last-hurrah-before-uni trip. Only, it's been booked under her name. Nontransferable, no exceptions. Mae is still reeling from being rejected from USC's film school. When she stumbles across Hugo's ad for a replacement Margaret Campbell (her full name!), she's certain it's exactly the adventure she needs to shake off her disappointment and jump-start her next film. A cross-country train trip with a complete stranger might not seem like the best idea. But to Mae and Hugo, both eager to escape their regular lives, it makes perfect sense. What starts as a convenient arrangement soon turns into something more. But when life outside the train catches up to them, can they find a way to keep their feelings for each other from getting derailed? "One of the loveliest, most touching romances of 2019 thus far that gets at the nature of something deeply buried in all of our hearts." --Entertainment Weekly "This warm, romantic, never overly sentimental story is told with humor and heart....A deeply satisfying read about a life-changing journey full of poignant moments." --Kirkus, starred review

Enter the world of The Storm Makers, where there's magic behind every forecast. What starts as an ordinary summer turns exciting and perilous for twins Ruby and Simon when strange occurrences begin happening on their farm -- sudden gusts of wind, rainstorms, and even tornado warnings -- that seem eerily timed to Simon's emotions. Then a stranger arrives and tells the twins that Simon is a Storm Maker -- part of a clandestine group of people entrusted with controlling and taming the weather -- and that he is in great danger. Soon Simon and Ruby must race against the clock as they try to master Simon's powers in time to stop a rogue Storm Maker's treacherous -- and potentially deadly -- plans. In this thrilling new adventure, loyalties can shift as quickly as the wind . . . and the ordinary can turn extraordinary in the blink of an eye.