{"id":31,"date":"2015-04-03T01:34:01","date_gmt":"2015-04-03T01:34:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/normamegraphsen.wordpress.com\/?p=31"},"modified":"2026-01-02T14:18:56","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T21:18:56","slug":"city-on-a-hill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/normasueoneil.com\/?p=31","title":{"rendered":"City on a Hill"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Acropolis,<\/a>
Acropolis, Athens<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0April 3, 2015<\/em>
\u201cA city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel.\u201d
\u2014Matthew 5:14\u201316<\/p>\n

Christ concludes this passage with an invitation rather than a command: \u201cLet your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

I have often thought it would be easier to be a candle under a bushel.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t consider myself shy, but I am reserved, and quietly contemplative. I do not seek attention for its own sake\u2014especially the kind of attention that can accompany openly expressing Christian convictions in a public space. Visibility carries risk, and standing for belief can invite misunderstanding or criticism. Still, I would rather answer to God for honest obedience than remain silent out of fear of human judgment.<\/p>\n

Although this blog centers on my creative work\u2014art, writing, and mythology\u2014there will be moments when my faith is visible here as well. That is not because I intend to preach, persuade, or position myself as an authority, but because faith is inseparable from who I am. To omit it entirely would be to present a fragmented version of myself, and ultimately an untruthful one.<\/p>\n

You are free to engage with or disregard those aspects as you choose. I simply cannot, in good conscience, pretend they are not present.<\/p>\n

My belief in God informs how I understand creativity itself. Scripture frequently refers to God as the Creator, and I believe that artistic creation\u2014when approached with humility and reverence\u2014is one way of reflecting that divine attribute. To make something meaningful where nothing existed before is, in its own small way, an act of worship and gratitude.<\/p>\n

This belief also shapes how I engage with mythology<\/a>. I do not see ancient stories as standing in opposition to Christian truth, but as evidence of humanity\u2019s shared impulse to seek meaning, order, and the divine. Across cultures and civilizations, recurring narratives\u2014creation, fall, sacrifice, redemption\u2014appear again and again, told in different languages and symbols. These stories do not threaten my faith; they deepen my appreciation for it.<\/p>\n

In sharing both my creative work and the values that inform it, I do not claim perfection. I am like anyone else\u2014learning, failing, repenting, growing. The purpose of letting one\u2019s light shine is not self-exaltation, but orientation: pointing toward something higher than oneself.<\/p>\n

If my work reflects beauty, meaning, or truth, then the credit belongs ultimately to the Source of those gifts.<\/p>\n

You can read more about how I understand art as a form of creation here<\/a>, or view my artist statement here.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Acropolis,<\/a>
Acropolis, Athens: A big thanks to my very dear friend at havenshirejournal.blogspot.com for the photos of the Acropolis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A reflection on faith, creativity, and visibility\u2014why artistic expression, mythology, and Christian belief are not opposed, but deeply connected.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-muse-ings","without-featured-image"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6v7yg-v","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1522,"url":"https:\/\/normasueoneil.com\/?p=1522","url_meta":{"origin":31,"position":0},"title":"Meet Palaimon","author":"normasue","date":"February 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A Centaur\u2019s Perspective in Sons of Apollo Character spotlight, mythic inspiration, and an alternate view of Book I. Palaimon is the Alpha\u2014the highest-ranking leader\u2014of the first centaur herd readers encounter in the Sons of Apollo series. His name is drawn from Greek mythology, where Palaimon is the deified son of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Characters"","block_context":{"text":"Characters","link":"https:\/\/normasueoneil.com\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/normasueoneil.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/PNGimage8.png?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/normasueoneil.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/PNGimage8.png?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/normasueoneil.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/PNGimage8.png?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/normasueoneil.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/PNGimage8.png?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":738,"url":"https:\/\/normasueoneil.com\/?p=738","url_meta":{"origin":31,"position":1},"title":"Inspiration Behind Sons of Apollo: Reimagining Centaurs in Greek Mythology","author":"normasue","date":"February 6, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Discover the inspiration behind Sons of Apollo\u2014a myth-inspired fantasy series that reimagines Greek centaurs, the Centauromachy, and the stories left untold.","rel":"","context":"In "Current Projects"","block_context":{"text":"Current Projects","link":"https:\/\/normasueoneil.com\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/normasueoneil.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/20180109_145932-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C575&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/normasueoneil.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/20180109_145932-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C575&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/normasueoneil.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/20180109_145932-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C575&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/normasueoneil.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/20180109_145932-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C575&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/normasueoneil.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/20180109_145932-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C575&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":808,"url":"https:\/\/normasueoneil.com\/?p=808","url_meta":{"origin":31,"position":2},"title":"Virtue and Manliness: The Story of Atalanta and the Centaurs.","author":"normasue","date":"April 9, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The myth of Atalanta and the centaurs explained\u2014exploring virtue, gender, and why this rare story defies traditional Greek hero narratives.","rel":"","context":"In "Mythology"","block_context":{"text":"Mythology","link":"https:\/\/normasueoneil.com\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/normasueoneil.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Atalanta-extra-white-space-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C999&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/normasueoneil.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Atalanta-extra-white-space-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C999&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/normasueoneil.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Atalanta-extra-white-space-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C999&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/normasueoneil.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Atalanta-extra-white-space-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C999&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/normasueoneil.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Atalanta-extra-white-space-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C999&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":758,"url":"https:\/\/normasueoneil.com\/?p=758","url_meta":{"origin":31,"position":3},"title":"Battling the Centaurs: Myth, Inspiration, and the Story Behind Sons of Apollo","author":"normasue","date":"February 13, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Explore the Centauromachy myth and how it inspired Sons of Apollo, a clean, adult mythic fantasy retelling Greek mythology from the centaurs\u2019 perspective.","rel":"","context":"In "Sons of Apollo Series"","block_context":{"text":"Sons of Apollo Series","link":"https:\/\/normasueoneil.com\/?cat=121"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/normasueoneil.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/423-21.jpg?fit=1200%2C330&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/normasueoneil.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/423-21.jpg?fit=1200%2C330&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/normasueoneil.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/423-21.jpg?fit=1200%2C330&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/normasueoneil.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/423-21.jpg?fit=1200%2C330&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/normasueoneil.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/423-21.jpg?fit=1200%2C330&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":577,"url":"https:\/\/normasueoneil.com\/?p=577","url_meta":{"origin":31,"position":4},"title":"Luxury Is a Condition, Not a Cost","author":"normasue","date":"October 27, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Luxury isn\u2019t only about money\u2014it\u2019s about intention. 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