In Matthew 16:13–19 Jesus affirms a truth at the core of our faith: He is the long-awaited Messiah, the Christ. And this Christ, this Anointed One, is the very Son of God—YHWH, or in the more ancient rendering, IEUE. Many have noted that the ancient pronunciation echoes the rhythm of breath: inhaling Jah or Ie , exhaling Veh  or Ue . The divine Name spoken in the rise and fall of every breath. The breath of life itself. The Creator breathed into the Adam of clay, and he became a living...

The Kingdom is not found in the external—neither “here” nor “there.” It is found within the child of God, within those who believe and trust in the life-giving authority of His Name.

Adopted in His Presence: My First Encounter with Heaven Growing up, we didn’t have picture books of Jesus or heaven. It just wasn’t part of our faith tradition, church, or family life. The closest things were flannel graph lessons or the occasional Sunday school workbook. I usually attended smaller, humbler congregations where Sunday school meant study time for children—not a place filled with illustrated stories or colorful imagery. At eight years old, I had no real picture of heaven in my...