In this powerful interview, we sit down with Pierre Schoeman, professional rugby player for Scotland, and his wife Charissa, a Christian businesswoman with a deep story of courage, faith, and resilience. Their journey from South Africa to Scotland is full of unexpected turns, faith, and bold trust in Jesus.

From childhood friends at age eight, to long-distance love through handwritten poems, to the hard seasons of rugby, criticism, immigration, and stepping out with only two suitcases, Pierre and Charissa share the real story behind their lives — the highs, the lows, the miracles, and the faith that sustains them

Pastor Paul teaches on the Great Exchange — Jesus taking our sin and giving us His righteousness. From that foundation, we learn how to live out daily micro exchanges: small, intentional swaps in our thoughts and behaviours that help us experience the life Jesus intends for us.

This message is both theological and deeply practical, helping us understand how God forms us, how new pathways are created, and how we move from old patterns into a renewed mind and transformed life.

This week at Take Hold, Pastor Paul continued our Be Loved series by unpacking the earliest Christian creed from 1 Corinthians 15 — the four simple, world-shifting truths the early church built their entire faith on:

• Christ died for our sins.

• He was buried.

• He was raised on the third day.

• He appeared to His followers — hundreds of eyewitnesses.

This message walks through the story of the cross, the evidence of the resurrection, and the truth that because Jesus lives, we have eternal life — and life that is truly life today.

Your identity isn’t based on performance, shame, or your past. In Christ, your name is Beloved.

In part 2 of the Be Loved series, Pastor Paul unpacks the second truth:

We were born on the wrong side of an impossible gap — but the cross of Jesus bridges it.

Sin created the distance, love closed it. Eternal life isn’t just what happens after death; it begins the moment you believe.

In this first message of the Be Loved series, we’re reminded of a truth that changes everything — you’ve never been unloved.

Before you took your first breath, before you believed, before you ever got it right or wrong — God loved you completely.

This is where the story begins.

Scripture: 1 John 4:8–10 | Romans 5:8 | John 3:16

Series: Be Loved

When Jesus died, the veil was torn — not just in the temple, but in the space between heaven and earth.

You were never meant to live with limited access to God.

You were created for unlimited access — to know Him personally, to represent Him powerfully, and to bring His presence wherever you go.

This message explores how the resurrection made every believer a priest, ambassador, and representative of Christ.

📖 Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:20 | 1 Peter 2:9 | Hebrews 4:14–16 | Galatians 2:20 | Mark 15:37–38

Weekly messages from Take Hold Church, Edinburgh.

Naomi and Ruth’s story shows us what redemption looks like in real life — not the absence of pain, but its transformation.

When everything fell apart, God was still working behind the scenes.

From famine to harvest, from death to life, from isolation to family — Ruth’s story reminds us: God doesn’t leave His people without a Redeemer.

📖 Scripture: Ruth 1–4 | Galatians 6:9 | 1 Thessalonians 5:24

Weekly messages from Take Hold Church, Edinburgh.

This week at Take Hold, we continued our series “Every Story Matters: Becoming Who You Were Meant to Be.”

We looked at the life of Caleb, a man who chose faith when everyone else chose fear. At 40 years old, he stood on the edge of God’s promise and said, “We can do this.” Forty-five years later, at 85, he was still saying the same thing—still strong, still faithful, still believing that God keeps His promises.

Caleb’s story reminds us that faith isn’t a moment—it’s a lifelong decision.

The foundations you build today will shape the future you. What you avoid now might be the very thing God wants to use to define your story.

Even when timelines stretch and promises take decades, God never fails. His promises outlast our impatience, and His faithfulness outlives our fear.

📖 Scripture: Numbers 13–14 | Joshua 14 | Genesis 13

✨ Series: Every Story Matters – Becoming Who You Were Meant to Be

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This week we continued our series “Every Story Matters: Becoming Who You Were Meant to Be,” looking at the story of Samson—a man who was set apart, chosen, and gifted by God, yet deeply flawed.

Even in Samson’s downfall, God’s purpose was not defeated. His strength returned, his faith was renewed, and his story ended not in shame, but in grace.

This message is a reminder that no matter how far we fall, God’s not done with us yet.

The same power that restored Samson can restore us too—because grace gets the final word.

📖 Scripture: Judges 13–16 | Romans 8:28 | Hebrews 11:32–35

Weekly messages from Take Hold Church in Edinburgh, Scotland.

In this week’s message, we begin a new series: Every Story Matters. Through the book of Esther, we’re reminded that no life is insignificant and no detail is wasted in God’s hands. From Esther’s courage “for such a time as this” to the truth that God can redeem even our darkest days, this teaching challenges us to see our own stories through the lens of God’s purpose and faithfulness. Whether you feel overlooked, broken, or uncertain, be encouraged—your story matters deeply to God.