Sacred Activism Today

08/03/2025

Embracing the Sacred Journey Death Offers
Rev. Dr. Cynthia Ramirez Lindenmeyer
Omaha World-Herald, August 3, 2025, pg E-3

I remember early mornings before school when my grandfather would stroll into the front yard, grab his early edition newspaper, then sit down for breakfast as he opened the pages. He ignored the front-page headlines and the sports section, heading straight to the obituaries. I didn’t understand that habit at the time. Now, I find myself doing the same (albeit electronically).

Death is the one certainty in life, and yet we spend much of our time avoiding its reality. During military service, hospital chaplaincy and church ministry, I’ve witnessed a wide range of responses to when a loved one takes their final breath. At the graveside, a butterfly, or dragonfly, or sudden downpour of rain is interpreted as a sign from beyond. Sometimes funerals involve humor and laughter, other times the silence is deafening as no one wants to acknowledge the loss.

Sacred texts in nearly all religious faith highlight the fleeting nature of life, comparing it to a mere breath, noting our body is a temporary vessel for our spirit. What would it mean to live not merely as a soul trapped in a body, but as a body entrusted with carrying our spirit? As the Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin once wrote, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

Would you really want to live forever? The shortness of life offers so many beautiful opportunities to evolve spiritually, and that proverbial life ticking clock creates within us a desire to fulfill an inner purpose instead of sleeping through each day. Death is not the opposite of life, but the doorway into a deeper expression of it. While an obituary cannot capture the fulness of one’s life, any attempt to describe the continuation of the soul after death also falls short. Time is only a veil through which eternity whispers.

The best preparation for death is not fear, but surrender. Let go of what troubles you. Breathe into the mystery. Know that life is good, but so is death. Why stay attached to the negative story of death?

07/13/2025

GOOD TROUBLE Lives On: Twilight March to Mar-a-Lago & Candlelight Vigil for Democracy

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07/13/2025

https://mobilize.us/s/u70wwA

06/08/2025

Omaha World-Herald June 8th 2025
Rev. Dr. Cynthia Ramirez Lindenmeyer

“What Can I Do?” That question often feels swallowed by a world drowning in divisiveness. Can one person can really make a difference? Today, Christians celebrate Pentecost while the Bahá’í community observes Race Unity Day. Both sacred observations remind us that the Divine is present in each of us and that we are one human family. These religious observances are like spiritual lifeguards vigilantly reminding us that all it takes is one person to instigate hope.
Race Unity Day calls us to recognize our interconnectedness and to build a world where no one is marginalized. Pentecost is not just about a historical symbolic event, but about the universal potential within each person to awaken to the realization that the Spirit of God lives within. Metaphysically, Pentecost symbolizes the awakening of higher consciousness where the Spirit moves through ordinary people to be a vessel where love overpowers division.

“What can I do?”

The answer has been revealed for centuries through mystics, teachers, and even people we know. We are surrounded by courageous souls who quietly and selflessly devote their lives to bringing joy, healing, and hope into the world. This is not mere theory, for if you pause to reflect, someone will likely come to mind who has touched your life in a profound way. This week, our community remembers one such person: Yano “Big” Jones. June 10th marks one year since Yano left this Earth, yet his spirit continues to live on.
As a coach and assistant high school principal, Yano possessed that beautiful gift to awaken the potential in others, especially in youth. He built trust among families and communities, crossing boundaries of race and politics. His investment in students and families, my own included, still unfolds every day in all the lives he touched. Some people shift the trajectory of your life just by being who they are, and when I reflect on Yano’s life, I am filled with the same gratitude that the classic film It’s a Wonderful Life invites us to feel: the realization that one life, lived with heart and love, really can make a difference.

What can you do?

You can change your perception to see a world full of loving people. You can choose courage over silence, affirmation over cynicism. The Spirit is still moving. As we remember the fire of Pentecost and the sacred oneness that Race Unity Day proclaims, may we not wait for saints or superheroes to arrive.

Let us become them right here, right now. There are heroes in this world. They exist in the mirror.

https://sacredactivismcommunity.org/what-can-i-do

04/13/2025

Houston We Have A Problem!

FROM THE PULPIT, April 13th, 2025, OOmaha World-Herald
Rev. Dr. CCynthia Ramirez Lindenmeyer Sacred Activism Community

The phrase “Houston, we have a problem” is often used when a serious, unexpected crisis occurs. The words were first uttered 55 years ago today in 1970, when the crew of Apollo 13 discovered an explosion occurred in the service module of their spacecraft when they were 200,000 miles from Earth! They were en route to the Moon on what was, for them, a sacred journey.
As the world watched and engineers at Mission Control worked tirelessly to bring the astronauts safely home, a greater truth emerged: sacred journeys encounter obstacles. The moment captivated humanity because it recognized that each of us has the capacity to rise, respond, and encompass hope when we remember who we really are.

Palm Sunday, marking the beginning of Holy Week, reminds us of this same truth through a metaphysical lens. Christianity often highlights the historical moment when Jesus enters Jerusalem to adoring crowds waving palms. Yet spiritually, the event symbolizes a profound sacred journey we all experience.
Jerusalem, which means city of peace, represents the center of spiritual consciousness within us. The Christ is the Divine Presence living in each of us: the higher Self, the Truth of our being. As Christ entered Jerusalem, we too are invited to allow the Christ Consciousness to enter our awareness and guide our steps.

Just as the crowds laid down palms in surrender and celebration, we are called to lay down the "palms" of fear and doubt. In doing so, we create space for the Divine Presence within us to surface in love and peace. Surrender is not giving up but allowing the greater intelligence that dwells within to engineer, navigate and guide us.

Like the Apollo 13 astronauts, we may feel far from the safety of the known, adrift in the vast unknown of our own lives. But the moment we turn inward and listen to the Christ within, our inner mission control system, we begin to realize that the sacred journey is not about avoiding problems, but awakening through them.

Holy Week takes us through a pattern we all experience: the Last Supper (intimacy and communion), the Crucifixion (loss and letting go), and Easter (renewal and resurrection). These are not just events in a story, they are movements of the soul. We are each invited to release what no longer serves us (old beliefs, pain, limitations) and resurrect into greater freedom and light.
Every time we meet fear with faith, replace despair with hope, or choose love over ego, we are participating in an innermost Easter. We are proving that the Christ within is greater than any outer crisis.

So the next time life announces, “Houston, we have a problem,” remember the solution isn’t just in fixing the problem on the outside, but in surrendering to the inner guide. The Christ Consciousness within you already knows how to navigate the way.

02/16/2025

Based on a True Story: How Perception Shapes Our Reality

"Inspired by true events" translates that a story, movie, or TV show is based on “real” history—yet the details may not be entirely accurate. The same can be said about the narratives we hold about life. Our experiences shape our perspective, but is that assessment based on spiritual truth, or an illusion?
As we honor the birthdays of Lincoln and Washington and the impact all Presidents have had on our nation’s history, we are reminded that change is the only constant in life. Nothing is ever truly still—everything is energy, always moving, always evolving. Yet, many of us cling to the known, fearing the unknown, even though our greatest growth and deepest peace lie beyond what is familiar.
From a spiritual point of view, growth (the emergence of greater love, creativity, resilience, and wisdom) is Heaven. When we resist change, holding onto outdated beliefs, fear, and stagnation, we create our own Hell. The key to inner peace is not in avoiding change but in consciously participating in it. When we shape our vision with divine wisdom, articulating what kind of life we want to experience, what qualities we want to embody, and how we wish to serve, we step into alignment with our evolving purpose.
Hell is not a place but a state of mind shaped by the ego’s attachment to fear and control. The New Testament offers a profound teaching: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” calling for a shift in awareness from an ego-driven perspective to one rooted in sacred insight. To have the mind of Christ is to see beyond material limitations and into the eternal nature of the soul. It is to cultivate an inner stillness where faith overrides fear so a higher spiritual knowledge becomes our anchor, leading to a peace that "surpasses all understanding" (Philippians 4:7).
But such peace cannot be found while we remain entangled in the illusions of the world. The world is not based on a true story; it is a projection of human perception, often shaped by fear, division, and limitation. True power lies in where we place our attention. You cannot always control who is in the White House, but you can always choose who rules in your house—your mind, your heart, and your spirit.
Choose a perspective that aligns with divine truth, and peace will follow.

Blog: Based on a True Story: How Perception Shapes Our Reality
https://sacredactivismcommunity.org/based-on-a-true-story

12/29/2024

“I’m going to play here one day! What dreams will you energize in 2025?"

by Rev (Dr.) Cynthia Ramirez Lindenmeyer
From the Pulpit, Omaha World-Herald, Dec 29, 2024

What changes in our lives would we see in 2025 if we lived as if thoughts are energy?

I believe thoughts have the power to shape one’s reality. This concept is echoed in many spiritual teachings, exemplified by the Buddhist teaching of samma sankappa (right thought or intention), Jesus’ words in Matthew 9:29 (According to your faith let it be done to you), and Taoist teachings that emphasize aligning oneself with the Tao (the natural way of the universe). This past week, I thought about these ideologies while in New York City for the Pin Stripe Bowl.

I am one of those parents who chronicled my two children between 2007 and 2010 on Facebook. This time frame coincided with the advent of the iPhone (which allowed me to avoid carrying a bulky digital camera) and my husband on back-to-back deployments to the Middle East. So, I enthusiastically shared my children’s sporting events, school activities, and gatherings for him and with friends. Fifteen years later, the random memories that pop up remind me of the frenzy of my life at the time. Today, my life is less eventful, and I’ve let go of the habit of documenting every moment. Yet, revisiting those memories sparked a profound realization.

A photo from the summer of 2008 brought these teachings to life. The picture showed me with my children at Yankee Stadium. My four-year-old son, munching on cotton candy, declared, “I’m going to play here one day!” Later that evening at Rockefeller Center, my eight-year-old daughter recognized the giant statue of Prometheus and shouted loud enough for many to hear, “This is where Kevin meets his mom!” (referencing Home Alone 2). She then expressed her dream of meeting me at the big Christmas tree someday, just like the mom in the movie.

At the time, a hot day in July, my primary focus as a frantic mom was keeping my kids safe in the chaos of a big city. The deeper meaning of their declarations was far from my mind. Fast forward to this past week. My son, now a Husker, played football (not baseball) in Yankee Stadium, and on Christmas Day, my daughter and I stood together posing for a picture at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. The moments felt surreal, a vivid reminder of the spiritual understanding that the universe does respond to the energy of thoughts said with intention and belief. Even those spoken in the innocence of childhood.

What dreams will you energize in 2025?

Blog: https://sacredactivismcommunity.org/im-going-to-play-here-one-day-what-dreams-will-you-energize-in-2025

11/10/2024

Beyond the Illusions: Finding Purpose in a Post-Election World.
From the Pulpit, Omaha World-Herald, 10 NOV 24

"Politics may call to the outward self, but spirituality calls us inward to know our life purpose. Internal spiritual exploration, immune to the herd mentality that deceitfully pretends to offer comfort, comes from reminding oneself of purpose. Knowing your life purpose, that which guides you each day, will sustain you through times of instability. Each person’s calling, the mission placed uniquely within them, is discovered not through the drama of division, but through silent, intentional communion with God or the Divine within."
--Rev (Dr.) Cynthia Ramirez Lindenmeyer

Blog:
https://sacredactivismcommunity.org/beyond-the-illusions-finding-purpose-in-a-post-election-world

09/10/2024

Rev (Dr.) Cynthia Ramirez Lindenmeyer published September 8th, 2024 in the Omaha World-Herald

As a passionate Husker fan, I’ve experienced firsthand how I tend to attach my emotions to external outcomes. When a team loses, negativity and blame often surface. But victory leads to praise, accolades and joy. These emotional swings reveal how much we as humans react to external successes or failures. However, the real challenge lies within us. Our mind is our kingdom—what kind of ruler are you?
During political seasons, we cast votes for leaders, hoping they will govern wisely. But the real work happens internally. We must govern our own thoughts, emotions, and reactions. Left unchecked, our thoughts can wander aimlessly, leading us into a deep rabbit hole that detracts from attaining peace of mind. But when we remember that we have the power to govern our inner world, we become the rulers of our own minds and take responsibility for our mental being. Embracing a loving and peaceful state of mind, regardless of the outcome of a score or the election of a desired candidate, requires both practice and mental discipline.
Each morning, I wake up knowing the day will be filled with challenges and distractions, and I aim to perceive daily events as opportunities that help me grow spiritually. Hardships resulting from relationships teach me the powerful act of forgiveness. Vocational struggles help refine what my life passion is. And reactions to sport outcomes serve as a mirror that reflects the state of my inner sacred kingdom. To me, spirituality is an awareness of a reality deeper than dropping off the kids at school, running errands, or deleting endless robotexts; spirituality is where the mind, consciousness, and subconscious align with a creative and loving force that is tough to really define.
The law of cause and effect teaches us that our thoughts shape our reality. What we focus on becomes the path for our life journey. This is why mental discipline is crucial—it’s the foundation of spirituality. By deliberately focusing our thoughts and actions with intention, we can experience a life rooted in peace, undisturbed by external events.
So, what kind of ruler are you over your mind? Do you guide your thoughts with wisdom and purpose, or do you allow them to drift into confusion? How much do you let external events influence your internal peace? This is the spiritual challenge we face daily: to rule our minds with grace, discipline, and the understanding that another reality exists if we choose to change our perspective. By ruling our minds with intention and grace, we align with the deeper reality of love and creativity.

Blog Link:
https://sacredactivismcommunity.org/what-kind-of-ruler-are-you

08/01/2024

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07/19/2024

Join us!
Eight Thursdays, Aug 8-Sept 26, 2024.

More information here:https://sacredactivismcommunity.org/sacred-activism-discussion-group

07/19/2024