PINE NUTS – The Hydrologic Cycle and the Presence of God
May 16, 2025 | McAvoy Lane
I should begin this examination by testifying that I believe Mother Nature and God are different words for the same thing. That being said, I would like to examine the hydrologic cycle as it might relate to a presence of God, and invite you to accompany me in this exploration…
Invisible as it might be to the naked eye, let us take a look at the miracle of the hydrologic cycle as a continuous circulation of water from ground to atmosphere and back to ground. Here are a few of the basic machinations as we know them…
Water from our oceans, lakes and rivers evaporates as vapor into the atmosphere. Atmospheric vapor then cools and condenses into water droplets or ice crystals, creating clouds. Water droplets in the clouds then become heavy and fall back to Earth as rain, snow, sleet, or hail. Water is then stored in various reservoirs, including oceans, lakes, rivers, glaciers and groundwater. And voila! We have our wet and wild water world…
Thanks to science, I learned all this as a freshman in college. I also noticed a handwritten note at the bottom of my report card: “Mr. Layne, perhaps you should consider changing your major to something more like, Auctioneering.”
But getting back to the subject at hand, how does a hydrologic cycle relate to a presence of God? Well, we cannot see the evaporation of water, but we can see the results, just as we can’t see God, but can stand in awe and wonder while observing the results.
So I’m starting to wonder if the presence of God is within reach of our intuitions and emotional suspicions, and yet still a leetle beyond the reach of our intellect.
My certainty in the hydrologic cycle playing a crucial role in the health of Earth’s climate and ecosystems causes me to suspect that there is an additional force, a force of God if you will,
that plays a crucial role in the health and wellbeing of our daily lives. Heck, it was a blizzard that kept me cabin bound long enough to read a book by Mark Twain that gave me a rewarding 36-year career of portraying Mark Twain in classrooms and one man shows around the globe. Some have called this delightful sojourn, “A God-Wink.”
Science and Mother Nature will eventually lead us to the discovery and explanation of a higher power, but until that happens, I shall content myself in knowing there is much more going on around us than we can see, and yet we can appreciate whatever we imagine it to be, including loving our mother, Mother Nature.
Well, I thank you for accompanying me on this scientific expedition, and I would now humbly ask you to pass me a lime for my Guinness…
Audio: https://open.spotify.com/show/7Fhv4PrH1UuwlhbnTT23zO
An Evening with Mark Twain : https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/138314
Email: McAvoyLayne@gmail.com
“Always do right, this will gratify some
and astonish the rest.” -Mark Twain