Dropping the Ball
An Apologetic that Proves Itself
A Biblical Defense of the Faith Backed by Observable Reality and Hard Data
1. The Lie-Detector Challenge
Imagine Elon Musk unveils a lie detector that has never once failed.
He offers $1 million to anyone who can beat it.
The test is simple: while holding a 5-inch solid steel ball, you must answer this question:
“Do you believe it will not hit the ground when you drop it?”
If the machine confirms you truly believe it won't hit the ground, you win the million.
Could anyone win? No.
Because every person knows—whether they've seen it or not—that a dropped steel ball always hits the ground. Every time! Without exception! Making it impossible to genuinely believe otherwise, no matter how badly you want the money.
This is what we call “dropping the ball.” The truth doesn't need a debate; reality proves it.
2. God's Word Makes the Same Kind of Claim
From the very start, Deuteronomy 4 records God saying He gave His commands “so that it may go well with you.”
That is a testable claim—a promise with observable outcomes.
To test it, two steps are required:
- Know the Word of God — you can't confirm or refute what you don't know.
- Watch life in light of that Word — observe what happens when people obey or disobey.
The Foundation
God's commands are not arbitrary rules imposed on reality — they describe how reality actually works. To obey them is to align with the way God built the universe. To disobey them is to collide with the way things actually are.
3. What You Consistently See
When you “drop the ball” by comparing life to God's commands:
Always produces life, strength, peace, and joy.
Always produces death, ruin, and shame.
This pattern holds without exception, across individuals, families, nations, and history.
Romans 10 echoes this reality: “Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.”
You will never find anyone ashamed for obeying Christ—shame always traces back to disobedience.
“But I Obeyed and My Life Still Fell Apart!”
Life experience teaches us something important. When people hear that obedience always produces life and disobedience always produces ruin, the first objection is usually personal:
And you know what? You are 100% correct.
But you are correct for a reason that actually proves the principle rather than disproving it.
As the saying goes, “No man is an island to himself.” We live our lives surrounded by others who may or may not — and more often it is may not — live by God's word. In such a case, what they do and believe often impacts, and many times even overrides, our decisions and actions — resulting in a destructive impact on our life and the lives of others.
Here Is the Key
This does not override the principle of “dropping the ball” — it actually proves it.
It proves that to live contrary to the Word of God always leads to harm — either to ourselves or to others.
Someone else's disobedience crashed into your life. Their refusal to follow God's design didn't just hurt them — it hurt you. And that is exactly what the principle predicts. Disobedience always produces destruction. The only question is who pays the price.
“Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”
— Romans 13:10 (NKJV)
“So you shall keep His statutes and His commandments which I am giving you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you.”
— Deuteronomy 4:40 (NKJV)
God gave His Word so that things might go well with us. When anyone departs from it — whether it's you or someone standing next to you — the ball drops. And when the ball drops, someone always gets hurt.
That is not a flaw in the principle. That is the principle.
An Important Distinction
Some will point to Job — the righteous man who suffered terribly — and say, “See? Obedience doesn't always produce good outcomes.” But Job's story is actually one of the strongest proofs of this principle, not a counterexample.
Consider what the Bible tells us about Job:
- 🏆
God Himself bragged about Job to Satan: “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth…” (Job 1:8)
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God ranked Job with Noah and Daniel as one of the three most righteous men who ever lived. (Ezekiel 14:14, 20)
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God restored Job DOUBLE what he lost. (Job 42:10)
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Job's name has been honored across thousands of years — still taught, still read, still referenced today.
Yes, Job suffered. But he was never abandoned, never ashamed, and never unrewarded.
Here Is the Distinction the World Misses
Doing right sometimes brings pain. It sometimes brings sorrow. It sometimes brings persecution.
But it never brings shame.
It never brings guilt.
It never brings regret.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake… Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.”
— Matthew 5:10–12 (NKJV)
“If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.”
— 1 Peter 4:16 (NKJV)
The “ball that always drops” isn't a promise of immediate comfort — it's a promise that God honors obedience without fail.
Sometimes the reward comes in this life. Sometimes it waits for the next.
But like Job — it always comes.
God's Commands Are Descriptions of Reality
These are not arbitrary religious rituals. They produce observable wisdom and human flourishing.
“Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”
Deuteronomy 4:5–6 (NKJV)
God says obedience would cause the nations to recognize Israel's wisdom.
“Speaking the truth in love… grow up in all things into Him.”
Ephesians 4:15 (NKJV)
Truth in love produces maturity and healthy relationships.
“Not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.”
Ephesians 6:6 (NKJV)
Working sincerely “as unto Christ” creates integrity and reliability.
“For whom the Lord loves He chastens… If you are without chastening… then you are illegitimate.”
Hebrews 12:7–8 (NKJV)
Correction and discipline are signs of love and sonship — not hatred.
The Ball Drops in Relationships
Refusing Truth in Love
Ephesians 4:15
A husband avoids hard conversations. A wife suppresses resentment. Friends flatter instead of warning.
Result: Bitterness builds, trust dies, resentment explodes. The relationship collapses because truth was abandoned.
God was right: truth in love preserves relationships.
Gossip Destroying Friendships
Proverbs 16:28
Someone shares private information for entertainment or social leverage.
Result: Trust disappears, friendships fracture, reputations are damaged, paranoia develops.
People eventually regret the betrayal. God's wisdom proved true again.
Adultery Destroying Families
Exodus 20:14
Someone pursues lust while believing they can “manage the consequences.”
Result: Children wounded. Marriage shattered. Years of trust destroyed. Lifelong regret. Financial devastation.
God prohibited adultery because He understands reality better than man does.
Pride Preventing Reconciliation
Proverbs 13:10
People refuse to apologize because they want to “win.”
Result: Decades of division, broken families, lonely old age, unresolved hatred.
Humility could have healed everything.
Parents Refusing Loving Discipline
Hebrews 12:7–8
Parents fear appearing “mean,” so they never correct destructive behavior.
Result: Entitlement, rebellion, lack of self-control, inability to function responsibly, future relational chaos.
God's model of loving correction proves wiser than permissive parenting.
The Ball Drops in Business
Employees Cutting Corners
Ephesians 6:6
Workers do the bare minimum when no one is watching.
Result: Poor craftsmanship, loss of trust, ruined reputation, failed businesses.
Sincere, diligent workers become valuable and respected. God's command produces real-world success.
Dishonest Business Practices
Proverbs 11:1
A company lies about products, manipulates customers, or hides defects.
Result: Lawsuits, public disgrace, customer distrust, collapse of the company.
Short-term deception creates long-term destruction.
Laziness Leading to Poverty
Proverbs 24:30–34
A person continually procrastinates and avoids responsibility.
Result: Missed opportunities, financial instability, dependency, regret.
Discipline produces stability. The principle becomes visible over time.
Leaders Refusing Correction
Proverbs 12:1
A business owner rejects criticism because of ego.
Result: Repeated mistakes, employee frustration, avoidable failure, eventual collapse.
Humility could have saved the organization.
The Ball Drops in Personal Life
Addiction
Proverbs 25:28
Ignoring God's commands regarding sobriety, lust, greed, or self-control leads to slavery.
Result: Broken relationships, mental torment, financial ruin, shame, loss of freedom.
Sin promises freedom but produces bondage.
Unforgiveness
Matthew 6:14–15
Someone nourishes bitterness for years.
Result: Emotional misery, relational isolation, constant anger, inability to heal.
Forgiveness was not weakness — it was the path to freedom.
Materialism
Ecclesiastes 5:10
A person builds life entirely around money, status, and possessions.
Result: Emptiness, shallow relationships, anxiety, lack of meaning.
God warned that riches cannot satisfy the soul.
The Ball Drops Across Societies
Societies Rejecting Truth
Isaiah 5:20
When cultures redefine evil as good and good as evil.
Result: Confusion, corruption, instability, moral chaos, societal decay.
Reality eventually punishes lies.
Sexual Chaos
Ignoring God's design for sexuality produces broken homes, fatherlessness, instability, exploitation, and emotional wounds.
Result: Millions of fatherless children, STI epidemics, shattered families, and generational pain.
The biblical framework protected human flourishing.
Envy & Covetousness
Exodus 20:17
Constant comparison and coveting what others have.
Result: Resentment, greed, theft, depression, inability to enjoy life.
Contentment produces peace.
No Shame in Obedience
People often mock obedience before the consequences arrive. But afterward…
The honest man has peace.
The faithful spouse has stability.
The disciplined worker has trust.
The truthful friend keeps relationships.
The humble person preserves unity.
Meanwhile, those who mocked God's ways often end up drowning in regret.
“Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.”
Romans 10:11 (NKJV)
The Ball Drops Everywhere
God's Word covers every area of life, and the pattern holds in all of them. These are just a few of the thousands of examples where doing the Word of God leads to life and blessings, while rejecting it leads to destruction.
Lying & The Power of the Tongue
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”Proverbs 18:21 (NKJV)
A single lie can destroy a marriage. Gossip can shatter a lifelong friendship in an afternoon. A parent's cruel words can crush a child's self-worth for decades.
Think about how much of our economy exists because people lie: contracts, lawyers, courts, fraud departments, identity theft protection, compliance officers—all built to manage the consequences of dishonesty. In a world where everyone told the truth, most of this infrastructure would be completely unnecessary.
The flip side: A truthful person is trusted. Their marriages are stronger. Their friendships last. Their children grow up feeling safe. Their word is their bond. God's command to speak truth doesn't restrict you—it protects everything you love.
Work Ethic — No “Eye Service”
“Not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men.”Ephesians 6:6–7 (NKJV)
God commands workers to give their best effort even when the boss isn't watching. What employer on earth wouldn't want every employee to work this way? God's Word produces the most dependable, honest, hardworking people in any organization.
The flip side: Laziness, cutting corners, and stealing time from an employer produce poverty, unemployment, and economic decline. Proverbs is blunt: “A little sleep, a little slumber… and poverty will come on you like a prowler” (Proverbs 6:10–11). The ball drops every time.
Stealing & Coveting
“You shall not steal. You shall not covet.”Exodus 20:15, 17 (NKJV)
Coveting is the root. Stealing is the fruit. And the cost touches everyone.
U.S. retailers lose over $100 billion annually to theft—and that cost doesn't vanish. It gets passed to every honest customer through higher prices. Every lock on every door, every security camera, every fraud department, every cybersecurity company exists because people steal. The infrastructure of distrust is staggeringly expensive.
The flip side: Imagine a world where nobody stole. No locks needed. No security guards. No identity theft. No fraud departments. Billions upon billions redirected to productive, life-giving use. That is the world God's commands build.
Forgiveness vs. Bitterness
“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”Ephesians 4:31–32 (NKJV)
Unforgiveness is one of the most physically destructive forms of disobedience. Medical research links chronic bitterness and resentment to elevated blood pressure, weakened immune systems, increased risk of heart disease, depression, and anxiety. God commands forgiveness not to let the offender off the hook—but because bitterness destroys the person holding it.
How many families are torn apart for decades over grudges? How many siblings never speak again? How many marriages die a slow death because neither party will forgive?
The flip side: Forgiveness sets you free. It restores relationships. It heals families. It breaks cycles of resentment that poison generation after generation. God didn't command it to punish you—He commanded it to save you.
Love Your Neighbor as Yourself
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”Matthew 22:39 (NKJV)
This is the umbrella command. If every person on earth genuinely treated others the way they want to be treated, most of the problems on this page would cease to exist. No theft. No murder. No fraud. No gossip. No abuse. No exploitation.
Every person instinctively knows this is right—even atheists agree with the Golden Rule. They just can't explain why it works. God can. He designed human beings to flourish in love, and His Word is the instruction manual.
The pattern is always the same: Obedience to God's Word produces life, blessing, and flourishing in every domain—relationships, work, finances, health, families, and nations. Disobedience produces the opposite. The ball drops every single time.
“Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.”Romans 10:11 (NKJV)
Shame attaches only to disobedience—never to a life lived God's way. These are just a handful of examples. God's Word speaks to thousands of situations—and the pattern never changes. Obedience leads to life. Disobedience leads to death. Drop the ball. Watch what happens.
“But I Know Christians Who Lie, Gossip, and Party…”
If you're reading this and thinking, “Well, I know plenty of people who call themselves Christians—and they lie, gossip, are lazy at work, think they're better than everyone else, and party just like anybody else,” you are absolutely right.
That is a very common occurrence. But instead of refuting this argument, it proves it.
Think about it: those people are living outside God's Word—lying when He commands truth, gossiping when He commands love, being lazy when He commands diligence, acting proud when He commands humility. And what is the fruit of their lives? Broken trust. Damaged relationships. Shallow faith. Exactly the kind of ruin this page documents.
The label “Christian” on the outside doesn't change the law of God on the inside. A person who calls themselves a pilot but refuses to follow the flight manual will still crash the plane. The ball doesn't care what you call yourself. It hits the ground every single time.
Their disobedience doesn't disprove God's Word—it demonstrates it. The very wreckage in their lives is the evidence. Drop the ball. Watch what happens. It never fails.
Powerful Visual Evidence
The Cost of Dropping the Ball: Disobedience vs. Obedience to God's Design
| Category | Living Outside God's Word | Living Inside God's Word | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lying | Destroyed marriages, broken trust, shattered friendships, gossip, children’s self-worth crushed by words | Trusted relationships, strong marriages, children who feel safe, your word is your bond | “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” — Proverbs 18:21 |
| Adultery | Children wounded, marriage shattered, years of trust destroyed, lifelong regret, financial devastation | Faithfulness preserves families, builds generational trust and stability | God prohibited adultery because He understands reality better than man does. |
| Gossip | Trust disappears, friendships fracture, reputations damaged, paranoia develops | Guarded speech builds peace, loyalty, and lasting friendships | “A perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer separates the best of friends.” — Prov 16:28 |
| Pride | Decades of division, broken families, lonely old age, unresolved hatred | Humility restores relationships, preserves unity, heals families | “By pride comes nothing but strife.” — Proverbs 13:10 |
| Laziness | Missed opportunities, financial instability, dependency, regret | Diligent workers build thriving careers, strong economies, and excellence | “A little sleep, a little slumber… and poverty will come on you like a prowler.” — Prov 6:10–11 |
| Dishonesty in Business | Lawsuits, public disgrace, customer distrust, collapse of the company | Honest businesses earn lasting trust and loyalty | “Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord.” — Proverbs 11:1 |
| Stealing & Coveting | $100B+ annual U.S. retail theft; every lock, camera, and fraud dept exists because people steal | No locks needed, no fraud, billions redirected to productive use | The infrastructure of distrust is staggeringly expensive. |
| Refusing Correction | Repeated mistakes, employee frustration, avoidable failure, eventual collapse | Humility saves organizations, families, and careers | “Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.” — Prov 12:1 |
| Addiction / No Self-Control | Broken relationships, mental torment, financial ruin, shame, loss of freedom | Self-control produces stability, clarity, and genuine freedom | Sin promises freedom but produces bondage. |
| Unforgiveness | Higher blood pressure, weakened immunity, heart disease, destroyed families, generational grudges | Freedom, healed relationships, restored families, broken cycles of resentment | Bitterness destroys the person holding it. Forgiveness sets you free. |
| Materialism | Emptiness, shallow relationships, anxiety, lack of meaning | Contentment produces peace, deep relationships, and lasting joy | “He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver.” — Ecclesiastes 5:10 |
| Societies Rejecting Truth | Confusion, corruption, instability, moral chaos, societal decay | Truth-based societies produce justice, order, and human flourishing | “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil.” — Isaiah 5:20 |
| Envy & Covetousness | Resentment, greed, theft, depression, inability to enjoy life | Contentment, gratitude, generosity, and peace | Comparison steals joy. Gratitude restores it. |
| Refusing Loving Discipline | Entitlement, rebellion, lack of self-control, relational chaos | God’s model of loving correction produces maturity, strength, and character | “For whom the Lord loves He chastens.” — Hebrews 12:6 |
| Love Your Neighbor | Exploitation, abuse, fraud, gossip, violence—most of the problems on this page | If everyone obeyed this one command, most suffering would cease to exist | The umbrella command. Even atheists agree with the Golden Rule—they just can’t explain why it works. |
The Evidence Is on Her Arm
Victoria's tattoo — a hand releasing the ball
This is my oldest daughter Victoria's tattoo — a hand releasing a ball, already falling. She had this permanently marked on her arm because “Dropping the Ball” isn't just an apologetic to her.
It's her testimony.
In her words…
We are a “mini army for the Lord” — all 24 of us. My dad and mom, all six of us kids, our spouses (3 married so far), and all the grandchildren (12 so far). Every single one of us is a Christian today.
And every single one of us agrees it's because of this principle — the principle God gave through Moses, and the exact same principle Jesus taught with the parable of the two houses.
— Victoria, Eric's firstborn
“Keep His decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you…”
— Deuteronomy 4:40 (NKJV)
“Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock… the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall.
But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand… the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
— Matthew 7:24–27 (NKJV)
These words — watched and tested in the lives of every single person in our family across a lifetime — make it impossible to not believe that His Word is life.
You don't have to try to believe once you make it a practice to “drop the ball.” It will become impossible to NOT believe.
So where do you start?
Use “THE FIGHT” to quickly learn and access the Scripture passages that allow you to “drop the ball.”
Watch every life — your own, family, friends, co-workers, TV personalities, celebrities, strangers — and “drop the ball” as often as you can. Every life becomes a living laboratory. You will find the pattern holds without exception:
Do it — your house stands.
Don't do it — your house collapses.
Over time, this simple practice builds your faith into a fortress of unshakable strength — tested and confirmed countless times as you watch the pattern hold true in your own life and in the lives of everyone around you.
It becomes impossible not to believe.
— Eric Lounsbery
The Verdict: This Is the Ultimate Apologetic
No other worldview offers this kind of endlessly repeatable, real-world test.
Drop the steel ball → it hits the ground.
Live God's way → life, strength, peace, joy, strong families, safe cities, thriving economies.
Ignore it → ruin, shame, death, disease, broken families, and trillions in costs.
The evidence spans every domain: lying destroys marriages and trust. Adultery shatters families. Laziness leads to poverty. Pride prevents reconciliation. Gossip fractures friendships. Dishonesty collapses businesses. Bitterness destroys health. Addiction steals freedom. Over $100 billion in annual theft. And the intangible costs—destroyed trust, bitter families, crushed children, wasted lives—that no dollar figure can capture.
Imagine the alternative: a world where people told the truth, worked with integrity, forgave freely, loved their neighbors, and obeyed God's Word. The prisons, fraud departments, and broken homes would give way to strong families, thriving businesses, safe cities, and flourishing nations.
You can watch this pattern unfold in your own home, your neighborhood, your city, and your nation. That is why God gave the commands “so that it may go well with you.”
This is not theory. This is observable, repeatable reality. God's Word is a blessing to every person, family, city, and country where it is lived out—and destruction follows wherever it is not.
The ball has been dropped. The evidence is overwhelming. The verdict is clear.
The Power of Dropping the Ball — and Its Limit
Here is what makes this approach so powerful: instead of trying to convince your children, your friends, or anyone else that the Bible is the Word of God, this method makes it impossible for them not to believe it.
Once someone begins “dropping the ball”—watching real life play out against God's commands—they will see the same result every single time. Obedience produces life. Disobedience produces ruin. The pattern never fails. And just like the steel ball that always hits the ground, the truth becomes undeniable.
But here is the honest, sobering reality: believing is not the same as following.
“Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”John 12:42–43 (NKJV)
Many of the Pharisees believed in Christ—but they would not confess Him. They feared the cost. They loved approval more than truth.
Likewise, dropping the ball makes it impossible for someone to not believe. The evidence is simply too overwhelming. But that does not mean they will confess and follow Christ. That step—the step from belief to surrender—remains a choice only they can make.
God's Commands Are Descriptions of Reality
Human beings repeatedly “drop the ball” by rejecting God's wisdom — and the result is broken families, ruined lives, destroyed trust, addiction, regret, and societal decay.
But wherever God's Word is obeyed, life flourishes.
Truth builds trust.
Faithfulness preserves relationships.
Humility restores peace.
Discipline produces maturity.
Honesty creates stability.
This is why Scripture repeatedly describes God's words as “life.” They align humanity with reality as designed by the Creator Himself.
“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul… making wise the simple.”
Psalm 19:7 (NKJV)
“My son, give attention to my words… for they are life to those who find them.”
Proverbs 4:20–22 (NKJV)
“Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble.”
Psalm 119:165 (NKJV)
Want the Full Data? Deep-Dive Studies Coming Soon
This page is an overview—a summary of the pattern. For those who want to dig deeper into the evidence, we are preparing detailed, downloadable studies on specific topics, including:
- •God's Sexual Design — The full CDC, WHO, and medical data on STIs, HIV/AIDS, congenital syphilis, domestic violence, substance abuse, and mental health outcomes
- •Honesty vs. Lying — The economic, relational, and societal cost of dishonesty
- •Work Ethic vs. Laziness — Biblical work principles and their measurable impact on prosperity
- •Stealing, Coveting & Forgiveness — The trillion-dollar cost of theft and the medical science behind bitterness
These deep-dive resources will be available for free download in the Evidence Library. In the meantime, if there is a specific topic you'd like us to research, you can request evidence here.
Explore more evidence and resources — everything is free.