Introducing “Holy Ghost Downloads”!

I am SUPER, SUPER excited to share with all of you my new blog, entitled “Holy Ghost Downloads”! But before I start I want to give an ENORMOUS SHOUT OUT to Cindy Knoke! Please take a moment to take a look at all of the AMAZING photography on her blog. I believe that Cindy has been on WordPress as long as I have and she has always been one of my biggest encourager. She has consistently “LIKED” all of my posts, which many times kept me motivated to continue blogging.

Cindy, Thank You!

As I eluded to earlier, I’ve been on WordPress almost 10 years. I started my blog, Finding Order in Chaos when I started my business, Order Your Steps LLC. If you have followed me any length of time, you know that Order Your Steps has been much more of a ministry to me than a business. Therefore, I’ve given you not only organizing tips, but there have been numerous spiritually inspired messages, which I believe have been sent directly from the Holy Spirit, that I have been compelled to share, thus the birth of “Holy Ghost Downloads”.

In the midst of this pandemic, my mantra has been “Moving Forward by Faith”, we can’t look back, we must look ahead. We have endured so much for the past two years. Many of us are hurting, heavy-hearted and feeling a tad hopeless, however, I truly believe that the Holy Spirit is speaking to us in so many ways in the midst of our most difficult times. Therefore, rather you’re here at Finding Order in Chaos with tips to help you to bring Order to your space -or- over at Holy Ghost Downloads where I hope that you will take a moment or two to listen to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to bring Order to our minds and hearts…

It’s a New Day, Every Day!
My prayer is that you will find inspiration, encourgagement and hope!

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 14:26 KJV

“Light will Always find Its Way into Darkness”

My eyes are very sensitive to light especially when I’m trying to sleep, so a few months ago I bought some blackout curtains. They are absolutely wonderful! However, I realized that when the sun came up, the Light always found its Way into the darkness. My bedroom was no longer pitch dark … into the smallest crevices, the light had come through. For some of us, our lives seem to be in total darkness right now and for others, we encounter those moments of darkness when our situation seems hopeless. But always remember…

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

2 Corinthians 4:6-9 KJV

We are in a season of grief and loss, like we’ve never seen before… “God, it’s so overwhelming! Sometimes I feel that I just can’t catch my breath. We need to see Your Light. It feels so dark right now. But as I lay in my bed in the early morning, I see Your light piercing through what was once a room that was pitch dark. Help us to see Your Light, the Light of Your Glory. You are the only one that can strengthen us, that can hold us up, even in the darkest places. ”

We must let His Word Order Our Steps…

27 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalms 27:1

105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Psalms 119:105

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Psalms 23:4

5 […] weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Psalms 30:5b

Loss is hard and Grieving is a process…

“His Light will Always find it Way into Darkness!”

Be Encouraged…

There are times when people choose to walk out of our lives. Unfortunately, they may also walk away from God. Our prayer is that they come back to God and God will let us know whether they will come back to us. Sometimes, He removes people to make our life better, because they are in the way of what God wants to do in us and through us.  There are other times that they are removed so that we don’t interfere with what God is trying to do in their lives.      

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28 KJV

Restoration

Since yesterday, the eyes of my understanding has been enlightened, so I decided to share … My thoughts about my son had become so very heavy on me for the past several months. I’d prayed, but I just couldn’t shake the spirit of heaviness. It’s been almost two years, since I’d seen him. This wasn’t the first time that he had left for years at a time. But this time, I’d decided that obviously God had His reasons for us to be apart and I just needed to be “ok” with that…. what I hadn’t realized was that I’d also decided that if/when he came back, there would be more drama and he would just leave again. I was tired of being brokenhearted.

God’s revelation for me started about a week ago, when I hear a church elder say that we are not experiencing God’s Fullness of Joy, because we are afraid to love deeply. We have become so guarded with our hearts and we just don’t want to be hurt again. However, we must understand that God is standing by ready to heal our broken heart, if we’d let him. He wants to restore many of our closest relationships, but He’s waiting on us.

With the help of the Holy Spirit, my son’s picture as a child showed me how vulnerable he used to me and he needed a mom. Although my son is grown, I’m still his mom and for me to be “ok”, I’d hardened my heart and given up on any hope of reconciliation and God’s Total Restoration. Today, God said to me, and possibly, to some of you too! …

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

Ezekiel 36:26 KJV

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.

Ezekiel 36:26 NLT

I don’t know what God has in store for me, but I do know that He can do the impossible, if only I believe, do my part and keep “Moving Forward by Faith”!

No Matter what … I’m Still his Mom

Yesterday after my organizing appt., I had a “sort & purge” adventure of my own. My journey started in the crawl space under the steps and of course, one thing led to another. I went from the basement to my closet and ended up in the junk drawer of my night stand, where I found this pic and a flood of emotions followed. The Holy Spirit has a very interesting way of getting your attention, so I decided to share by doing a blog post.

My Own Personal Moving Forward by Faith Moment

If you followed me in the early days, you know that my son and I have always had an “interesting” relationship, but I won’t bore you with the details. In 2018, I wrote a book and originally, there was supposed to be a chapter about my son in this book. But while writing about what he’s done, what he hadn’t done, what’s he should have done and what he shouldn’t have done, the Lord revealed to me that I was still holding my son hostage to his past and it was time for me to release him to walk in his present and to move into his future. It was no longer about who was to blame, but about us continuing to grow in His Grace.  I knew that God had already written the next chapter in our lives and one day it would be revealed. I truly believed that my son and I were well on our way to reconciliation, but I never imagined that he would just walk out of my life, yet again!

My son will be 43 on July 11th and it will be two years since we’ve spoken. The Holy Spirit continues to assure me that God has him. Although I know, in my heart of hearts that God’s in control, I still struggle to understand. Yes, I’ve even asked God if I had to be my son’s mom (an oxymoron), but, of course, God said that that was not my decision. The pic just reminded me that No Matter What, I am Still his Mom! There are just certain things that God does or allows, that we will never understand. We will just have to…

Keep Moving Forward by Faith!

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Jeremiah 29:11 KJV

Life at Home during a Pandemic

There are times that it feels like some people have forgotten that we are STILL in a Worldwide Pandemic. For some folks, like me, we are reminded EVERY day. I live in the house with three (3) adults; my husband and my two grown daughters. My husband has not missed a day of work since the pandemic began and I’m sure that he needs a break from time to time from us ladies, hormones and all. For us ladies, we are homebodies by nature and for the most part introverts, so we haven’t gone totally stir-crazy being in the house. Believe this or not, we not only love each other, but we really like each other, so it has been a rather peaceful existence. Now there are those moments, when we may step on a nerve or two, but we try to resolve all issues quickly and not let them fester. This means that it’s imperative that we have our own spaces. Please don’t misunderstand, we spend most of our day in our own spaces, but we still visit each other periodically, especially when we need a break from our computers or Zoom or it’s time to eat.

For my oldest daughter, the graphic designer and entrepreneur, she spends most of the day between her office and her bedroom. For my youngest daughter, who has her Masters Degree in Library Sciences and Information Management, her bedroom also serves as her office and she spends a lot of time on Zoom.

As for me, my bedroom has always been my place of Peace and Serenity. It is so critical, especially now, that we all have a place for some “me” time. We want to make sure that there’s NO clutter in our area of Rest. Yes, I always have my professional organizer hat on. Many of my clients have removed their TV from the bedroom, so that they can read instead and I strongly suggest that we not work in bed. You can see that I have a small area in the corner of my bedroom, which serves as my office.

I may have shared with you, once or twice, that I truly prefer organizing over cleaning, so although I’ve had a lot more spare time, I really haven’t wanted to do either. .. but, no I don’t have a dirty, unorganized house, I’ve just be a little slothful at times. :-/ Recently, I had my 2nd COVID vaccine and was down for the count the following day…. but the next morning, I had to work on my OWN pantry and lazy susan!!

As I’ve already mentioned, I live with three adults and stuff may not go back “exactly” where they came from, but hopefully, the items will be put in the same general area. Since we will be continuing to grocery shop on-line, at least we can kinda see everything and won’t purchase duplicate items. Note: If you purge and organize any area, I can ALMOST guarantee that you’ll have more space!!

Well, you have now seen a glimace of the day in the life of a professional organizer on hiatus due to COVID, but let’s not forget my relaxation / “me” time, which is spent reading bible plans, doing jigsaw puzzles and Words with Friends.

So by now, you may be wondering why am I telling you all this… Although this last year has been one that we have NEVER EVER seen before and it’s not over, we’ve made adjustments, some were major. There’s a Lot that we truly don’t understand, but in spite of what we see and feel, God has continued to bless us beyond measure. Since I started my mission, Order Your Steps LLC, almost 10 years ago, along with this blog, my messages has been, and will always be, to encourage you to not only Survive, but to Thrive, no matter your situation or circumstance.

Whether you are Revamping your Closet, Reevaluating your Career or Reigniting your Business…

We must keep “Moving Forward by Faith”! We running toward the Goal!

We are Not looking back because it will only SLOW us down!!

Stay Tuned for more of my story, interviews with others and a lot of info sharing, which will hope will we want to inspire, encourage and motivate you!

I Know What I Saw

January has been a very interesting month for me. In the spirit of being transparent, much of my time has been spent with jigsaw puzzles and Words with Friends, with a virtual organizing session every now and again. Then I made the ultimate mistake of looking at social media to see what every one else was doing (and I knew better!) and I found myself questioning my vision, what did I see?

Although 2020 was a extremely challenging year, it was also a year of many blessings. We lived by God’s Words in Psalm 91 (paraphased), No evil will befall us, No plague will come neigh that dwelling, for God has given his Angels charge over us to keep us in all your ways. The Lord had allowed my family and I to be in a position to encourage others, so I really didn’t understand what changed in 2021. The Holy Spirit never stops talking and I thought that I was still listening, but I was feeling really lost. I wasn’t sure if I was still heading on the path that God had set for me.

God will always give you an answer if you ask Him…I was strolling through my YouTube and came across a 2020 New Year’s Eve message by Dr. Dharius Daniels, Pastor of Change Church, entitled “I Still See It”! It was AMAZING! The key thing that he said to me was “Reimagine what you saw”.

I KNOW WHAT I SAW!

How about you?

To Be Continued…

Reflections and Revelations

We must continue to plan and God will direct our steps (Proverbs 16:9) So, as we prepare for what 2021 may hold for us, let’s begin by…

• Identify three (3) goals that you can realistically accomplish over the first few months of the year, i.e. write your vision, make it plain and be specific, and or simply read a great book that will inspire you.

Thoughts and Reflections of 2020

2020 was a year like we’ve never seen before. It was year of major challenges for most, yet for some, great successes. It took me a moment or two to decide what to say as we enter 2021, this New Year. So, I’ve chosen to share some of my thoughts and reflections of the first few months of 2020. In January, we welcomed the first year of a New Decade! A year of self-empowerment. A year for us to have the confidence, in who will are and what we are capable of, and to take at least one step closer to our goal, dream and purpose.

In February, we were stepping outside our comfort; realizing that Nothing is Impossible, if we believe in ourselves.  We discovered that “It’s always the right time for us to seize the opportunity to learn, grow, and be empowered to make our dreams a reality!” Then by March, we found ourselves in the midst of a worldwide pandemic and our lives would never be the same. From a very practical perspective, we needed to make major adjustments to having everyone in the house all the time. We had to focus on managing our households in our “new normal” by being innovative, creative and with careful planning. We needed to create living spaces that made us feel at ease, yet productive. This meant that we may have had to create new habits, which included a different daily routine and a more flexible schedule.

Here we are ten (10) months later and each day is a new adventure… Recently, I heard a preacher say, “Now don’t leave 2020 empty handed!” He was referring to a story in the Bible, when the children of Israel left Egypt after 400 years of bondage, with all the riches of that country. We can’t afford to go through all that we went through in 2020 and come into 2021 with nothing. We may not have monetary riches, but we definitely have a wealth of knowledge of the strength and resilence that we may not have known that we had… Now that we’ve taken just a few moments to look back, let’s begin to look forward into what the future holds for all of us.

We Welcome the 2nd Year of a New Decade!
What is the one word you would use to describe 2021?

I pray that you enjoyed this time of thoughts and reflections of 2020. I am going to begin a new series, comprised of excerpts from my 2020 Order Your Steps newsletter. So Stay Tuned for…

My Thoughts, Reflections and Revelations of 2020″

Order Your Steps is Open

Order Your Steps continues to move forward in business and in ministry. I’ve continued to allow the Lord to take the lead, so I’m not moving too fast, taking it one step at a time. I’m waiting patiently for God to open doors and close others. For me, waiting does not mean standing still. I continue to prepare for the future by promoting my business thru social media and our monthly newsletter. I post alot more consistently and I’ve updated our website with some new pics and changed some old ones. Check out my Photo Gallery!

I’ve streamlined my work process to include a virtual assessment and on-line virtual organizing sessions, which is going extremely well. My on-site sessions are more structured and I have specific COVID guidelines for the health and safety of my clients and myself. All in all, my opportunities to minister continues to grow, one on one and even in small virtual groups. God’s plan for me has not changed…

Remember, we still have a purpose to fulfill, but we may just have to do things a little differently. Let’s continue to prepare for the changes ahead!