My mother wrote this about my Grandad Dillon. I can personally say this is exactly what I have seen in his life. He stands today as a testament to the fact that his motto will serve anyone well.
My dad’s Motto: Start small, work hard, get good, don’t quit!
Many years ago, he started small. My dad surrendered his life to the Lord, and he began by being a faithful worker in his church.
Over the next several years, my dad worked hard. He surrendered to preach and decided to go Tennessee Temple Bible College. While he was relocating to Tennessee and getting funds together for school, he started small again – his first church in an old store building. He worked hard with his wife alongside. He spent many Saturdays out visiting all day even after working all week at a full time job. It was hard; he had many struggles but he continued forward by the grace of God. Today, Echoes of Mercy is still meeting in Cleveland, TN. My dad also held meetings in nursing homes, low income projects, and had a “bus” (it was actually a van) ministry. He got good and did not quit!
Finally, my dad was able to go to school to study to become an even better preacher. Having never completed high school, he started small, it was hard, but with God’s grace, he went forward. He became “gooder” and “gooder” at English and Speech; He didn’t quit!
Once he graduated, he immediately started small again; he started a church in his hometown of Smyrna, TN in the house where he lived. He, with mother alongside, worked hard and went out visiting people every Saturday, sometimes all day long. Eventually, he built (most of it with his own hands) a church – Bible Baptist – on Seminary Road. He got good and had many revival meetings and wonderful services. Today, there is still a thriving church on Seminary Road.
Start small, work hard,
get good, don’t quit!
-Bill Dillon
Getting on in years, and facing many difficulties, my dad continued to start small, work hard, and get good. And he certainly did not quit. He began another church on Rocky Fork Road, and today there is a Spanish Pastor who has an outreach to Spanish people that was made possible partly due to the hard work of Bill and Debbie Dillon and their generosity in transfer of the property to the Spanish people.
Alzheimer’s had hit the home of Bill and Debbie Dillon so preaching was not his role; now he was caretaker! But, he didn’t quit. He continued to work hard and get good at doing everything his wife had once done. He cleaned the house, washed the clothes, and even cooked them a few meals. He took care of his wife in a wonderful way until the day she passed to glory! He worked hard, he got good at it and he didn’t quit.
Now he deals with Parkinson’s, dementia, and poor eye sight. But what does he do…………he continues to walk when it is difficult, he continues to dream about starting another ministry. He still passes out tracts and tries to tell others about the Lord.
It is only by God’s grace that any of this happened; God allowed Bill Dillon to live out a motto that he never even used or thought of until he was old. He started small, he worked hard, he got good and he did not quit his entire life!