Women’s Ministry – Novation Church

“But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength…” Isaiah 40:31

We all need “new strength” from time to time. Are you looking for friendship, encouragement, accountability, or just some girl time to recharge? Get connected with other women at Novation Church through fellowship, bible studies, and other events.

For more information contact us: women@novationchurch.org

UPCOMING EVENTS
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Notes

If you would like to continue exploring the themes we talk about at our gatherings, here are three invitations for the month ahead. If you choose to participate in one or more of these, we would love to hear your thoughts and experiences at our next gathering.

November 5, 2026

Desire & Contentment

Scripture: Philippians 4:11–13, Psalm 37:4, Psalm 16

1. Contentment and Desire: Contentment and desire are not in opposition to each other. They are two sides of the same coin.

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

2. Psalm 16

• Clarity & Idols (vv. 1–4): Chasing modern idols (success, image, control, approval) leads to multiplied sorrow. True goodness begins when we let God define what is good.

• Contentment in Boundary Lines (vv. 5–8): God doesn’t just provide gifts; He is our portion. Contentment isn’t ignoring hard realities—it’s recognizing that God is actively working within our current season and limitations.

• Confidence & Hope (vv. 9–11): Anchoring our hope in God’s character brings security and contentment, opening the path to full joy in His presence.

2. Overcoming the Three Obstacles to Contentment

• Control: Grasping for the steering wheel when we feel unsafe instead of surrendering to God.

• Disappointment: The gap between expectations and reality that, left unprocessed, erodes trust in God’s goodness.

• Perspective: Fixating on what is missing rather than recognizing the richness of what God has already provided.

Four Practices for the Season Ahead

1. Tell God the Truth: Bring your raw, un-sanitized longings and frustrations directly to Him in prayer.

2. Stay Near Him in the Wrestle: Process disappointment with God rather than walking away.

3. Release the Outcome: Open your hands to His timing. “God has yet to bless anyone except where they actually are.” (Dallas Willard)

4. Welcome His Presence: Draw near to Him until the joy and rest of Psalm 16:11 become your daily reality.

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Individual Reflection Questions

1. Assessing Your Season: On a scale of 1–10, how would you rate your current experience of contentment? What factors (circumstances, boundaries, or unmet expectations) are influencing that number?

2. Naming Honest Desires: What longings or desires are brewing in your heart for the year ahead?

3. Unpacking Fear & Control: What are you afraid might happen if you bring your full desires to God? Where do you notice a temptation to grab the steering wheel and force an outcome in your own strength?

4. Identifying Modern Idols: David notes in Psalm 16:4 that running after other gods multiplies sorrow. Is there an “idol”(success, approval, comfort, a specific relationship outcome) that you’ve been looking to for ultimate security or soul-satisfaction?

5. Evaluating Perspective: Dallas Willard writes, “God has yet to bless anyone except where they actually are.” What is one “boundary line” in your current season that feels restrictive, and how might God be inviting you to see His presence in that exact space today?

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Group Discussion Questions

1. The Tension: How do you personally experience the tension between desire and contentment? Have you ever felt like you had to choose between being content or having longings?

2. Two Sides of the Same Coin: What shifts for you when you hear that desire and contentment aren’t enemies? How does seeing desire as a God-given design change how you view your own longings?

3.The Discipline of Contentment: Paul describes contentment in Philippians 4 as something he learned rather than an automatic feeling. What practical discipline or habit has helped you anchor in Christ when external circumstances are unstable?

4. Releasing the Outcome: Which of the four practices (telling God the exact truth, staying near in the wrestle, releasing the outcome, welcoming His presence) feels most challenging for you right now, and why?

Psalm 16

“Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”

I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”

Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.

I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips.

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;

you make my lot secure.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

surely, I have a delightful inheritance.

I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.

I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,

nor will you let your faithful one see decay.

You make known to me the path of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Notes

September 3, 2026

Holding Nothing Back

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KEY POINTS AND SCRIPTURES

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

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Discussion Questions

Where are you currently feeling a bit dry, weary, anxious, discouraged or afraid? Name that specific area before God.

When things feel messy or out of whack, what is your default reaction?

What makes it challenging to be completely honest with God about our how we are actually doing?

Imagine God gently asking you right now, “Where are you in this?”How would you answer Him if you held nothing back and dropped all performance?

How does knowing you already have Christ’s righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21) change the way you bring your daily frustrations or helplessness to the throne of grace?

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Next Steps

1. Experience:

2. Engage:

3. Explore:

Notes

If you would like to continue exploring the themes we talked about at our gatherings, here are three invitations for the month ahead. If you choose to participate in one or more of these, we would love to hear your thoughts and experiences at our next gathering.

August 6, 2026

Uncovering Our Relational Blind Spots

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KEY POINTS AND SCRIPTURES

Last month, we explored how God uniquely equips each of us with gifts to partner in His redemptive work. This month, we look at the other side of that coin: relational blind spots.

Our natural wiring, strengths, and self-protective habits can create unintentional “planks”—patterns of thought, defense mechanisms, or unspoken expectations that lead to relational tension, hurt, and misunderstanding. Loving community requires us to cultivate Christlike self-awareness so we can grow in holiness and care for one another well.

The Vision: Life Together in Community Scripture sets a high standard for how believers care for, protect, and build up one another.

· 1 Peter 4:8 — Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

· Philippians 2:3–4 — Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

· Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

· Romans 12:16, 18 — Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited… If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

· Colossians 3:12–13 —Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

· Romans 14:13 —Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.

Core Passage: Matthew 7:3–5 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Jesus warns against focusing on the minor flaws (specks) in others while remaining blind to our own significant hindrances (planks). Self-awareness isn’t about self-condemnation; it is the vital first step toward clear vision, humility, and authentic reconciliation.

Three Key Takeaways

1. Self-Awareness is a Spiritual Discipline: We cannot yield to the Holy Spirit what we refuse to examine. Inviting God to search our hearts is an act of trust, grounded in His grace rather than shame.

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23–24 2.

2. Bring Your Planks to Jesus for Transformation: Our defense mechanisms—whether rooted in control, perfectionism, pleasing, anxiety, or avoidance—reveal places where we need Christ’s healing. Naming our specific blind spots allows us to lay them at the foot of the cross.

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 3.

3. Intentionally Practice New Habits: Transformation requires replacing automatic self-protective reactions with intentional, Spirit-led virtues like gentleness, patience, and open communication. James 1:23-25

Next Steps

1. Experience · Invite God into Your “Plank”: Spend 15 minutes in quiet solitude with Psalm 139:23–24. Journal about your primary default reaction when stress or tension hits (e.g., fixing, pleasing, withdrawing, controlling). Gently ask the Holy Spirit: “What fear or core need am I trying to protect in my own strength, and how can I surrender it to You?” · Now do a word study on the phrase “one another” in the New Testament. Write out some of the “one another’s” in your journal.

2. Engage · Practice “Pause & Replace” in Conversation: Choose one relationship this month (with a spouse, child, coworker, or close friend) where you tend to get easily defensive or critical. The next time friction arises, practice pausing before responding. Replace your automatic “plank” behavior with one of the “One Another” postures—such as listening with humility (Philippians 2:3) or choosing gentle patience (Ephesians 4:2).

3. Explore · Listen to Your Enneagram Coach, The Podcast: Tune into Episodes 25 & 26 (“Enneagram Superpowers and Blind Spots”) hosted by Beth & Jeff McCord. This two-part series looks at personality through a Gospel-centered lens, helping you identify the specific blind spots of your type so you can bring them to Jesus for transformation and heal your relationships.