Bill Derrick: Faith, Resilience & God’s Power in Life’s Storms
About this episode
Bill Derrick, businessman and author of Restored by the Storm: Navigating Through Life's Unexpected Challenges, joins Philip Cameron for a candid conversation about surviving the Great Recession, a personal health battle with cancer, and the faith that carried him through both. Bill's construction and land development company was hit at ground zero when the housing market collapsed — land values dropped to 25% of the purchase price, nearly a hundred employees faced layoffs, and bank relationships that once felt like partnerships turned cold overnight. "I went into this storm as a businessman who thought he could control just about everything," Bill admits, "and I found out real quickly that I was in control until I wasn't." The conversation unpacks the five-year grind of navigating debt restructuring, the critical role of seeking experienced mentors, and why guessing is never a strategy in a crisis. Drawing on King David's declaration "You have enlarged me in my distress," Philip and Bill explore how life's storms deepen faith in ways that mountaintop seasons never can — and how cancer, like financial ruin, can ultimately become a source of unexpected blessing. If you're navigating a business crisis, a health storm, or any season of loss, this episode delivers hard-won, practical wisdom. Get Bill's book at www.billderrick.com.
Quotes worth sharing
“I have never seen a storm that hasn't eventually blown itself out. So where you are today is not permanent. What you're going through today is not — you'll smile again. You will laugh again. The sun will shine again. All you've gotta do is to understand that he keeps your soul. He keeps your soul.”
“I was driving in my car and the ministry needed funds for a mission work in Moldova. We're building a building and I'm sitting at this traffic light, just, Lord, please, why are you keeping me begging like this all the time? And I'm getting mad at God because he wasn't giving me the money I needed. And as quick as a flash, he said to me, 'If I gave you everything you needed, you'd never talk to me. You'd be so busy doing the work. And I love your company.'”
“Going through the storms, once you go through it with the right attitude, strong faith in God, work with people, understand that people come into your lives all of a sudden that are helping you — you go through all that and then you can look back and say, you know, this storm wasn't a fun thing, but boy, it ended up being a blessing.”
What's Discussed
In this episode, Bill Derrick shares his journey through the Great Recession and a personal battle with cancer, emphasizing the importance of faith and resilience during life's storms. He reflects on the challenges faced by his construction business as the housing market collapsed, revealing the harsh realities of navigating financial crises and the vital role of seeking mentorship. Bill discusses how these experiences deepened his faith and led to unexpected blessings, illustrating that even in distress, God can enlarge our capacity for growth and understanding. His insights offer practical wisdom for anyone facing similar trials.
- God's Intimacy During Crisis
- Navigating the Great Recession
- The Role of Mentorship
- Lessons from Financial Storms
- Faith and Personal Health Battles
- Finding Blessings in Distress
- Restoration Through Life's Challenges
Connect with Bill Derrick
Episode Transcript
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Intro
Philip:Hey, my friend, welcome to Daily Faith today. My name is Philip Cameron, and I believe the Lord has you watching this program today. I'm astonished at how the Lord brings us people at the right time in our lives. There are no coincidences in God. He knows you. He's redeemed you. He's called you by his name.
Philip:He's invested himself. Try and get this into your head — the God of the universe. I'm fascinated by stars and galaxies and the size of our universe. It's expanding from his creation word.
God's Intimacy During Crisis
Philip:Let there be light. Now the scientists call it the Big Bang theory, but God spoke and everything exploded and the universe is still expanding so quickly that man has no device known. There's no device that we could ever catch up with the universe as it expands.
Philip:There are hundreds of billions of galaxies the same as ours that we are in just now. And how does that God who spoke that — the Bible says he's got to stoop to behold the heavens — and he knows me by my name? I'm written in the palm of his hands. It's mind blowing.
Philip:And if you knew the intimacy that God knows you — he knows how much hair you have on your head, for example. He knows your thoughts before you even think them. The devil doesn't know your thoughts, but the Lord does.
Philip:So if you're going through a crisis, I've got a really great guest. I think he's gonna speak to you directly right now. And I know someone's watching and you are in the biggest storm of your life and you're thinking, we'll never make it through.
Philip:Our family's gonna fail. Our business is gonna fail. My health's gonna — so let me tell you something, calm down. Be at peace, because God's got a word for you. He's gonna speak into your life today. I promise you, you are going to hear something and you're gonna think, oh, I can hold onto that.
Philip:And there's never a storm. I come from a wee fishing town up in the northeast corner of Scotland, a wee town called Peterhead, above Aberdeen. Check it out on Google Maps if you want. We are two thirds surrounded by the North Sea storms. You've never seen storms like it in your life. The oil rigs that work in the North Sea are built to withstand waves of 90 feet — 90 feet.
Philip:And I've watched those. I've wept. I've seen fishing boats literally run aground and them having those big helicopters trying to rescue the men off the boat a hundred yards away from where I was standing. And the waves — my goodness. And you know what? I have never seen a storm that hasn't eventually blown itself out.
Philip:So where you are today is not permanent. What you're going through today is not — you'll smile again. You will laugh again. The sun will shine again. All you've gotta do is to understand that he keeps your soul. He keeps your soul.
Philip:You're not holding onto him. You are not like a kid holding on with both hands thinking, oh, I can feel my grip slipping. His grip has got you and you are in the hollow of his hands, and nothing can separate you from the love of God.
Philip:I've got a great guest, Bill Derek. He's been through it. He knows the storm, but he knows that God can take you through the storm. So I'm excited. If you know a friend that's going through a tough time, call him right now. Daily Faith TV — so simple, Daily Faith TV — and just tell him, watch this right now. There's a guy coming on that's gone through a whole lot of trouble in his life and God's delivered him and set him free and taken him through it into a great successful life.
Navigating the Great Recession
Philip:And you could be God's voice in someone else's life today. Maybe your pastor is going through a tough time. If you love your pastor, give him a call. Daily Faith is on YouTube — really simple to get. Again, youtube.com/dailyfaith. We have hundreds of catalog programs there, and pretty much anything that you're going through, we've talked about in the past. And you'll want to check that also.
Philip:And you can go to Daily Faith TV — that's like our base central, Daily Faith TV. There are places there you can buy a whole bunch of t-shirts and mugs and all this stuff that we have that helps us in our mission work.
Philip:And for those that don't know, we've got great stories to tell you. My wife is in Moldova right now with my oldest daughter and they are working 20 hours a day, giving out gifts and clothes and supplies to broken families. I love what I do. I love what I do. I'm delighted to have you with us today. Welcome to Daily Faith.
Philip:Hello, my friends. Welcome to Daily Faith. My name is Philip Cameron and I am so pleased you are with us today. We've got a show that I think is gonna be an answer to some of your prayers. See, God works in ways — I love that song, God works in ways I cannot see. He will make a way for me. When I thought that God wasn't even hearing me, that's when he was working the most. He walks in ways you cannot see. And I believe that he's delivering a word into your heart today by this program.
Philip:If you're going through a storm, if you're going through a struggle and you're thinking, God, how will I make it? I have good news for you. You're gonna make it. And God's gonna make you get through the crisis you're in, into victory. And we are delighted. We've got a great friend with us today, Bill Derek. He's an author, he's a businessman, and he's written this book called Restored. And we'll be talking about it later on in the program.
Philip:And I think you will need to get this book. If you're a business guy or a business gal and you are going through stuff in your business, you need to hear someone else's story. My mom used to say to me when I was growing up, emulate someone that's ahead of you, that's doing better than you, that's wiser than you. And she would say to me, if you shoot for the moon, you'll hit something higher than a haystack. And she's 96 years old back in Scotland right now.
Philip:And she prays for me all day, every day. I talk to her every day for an hour. And the best advice I think I've ever got in my life is from my own mom — that's my own opinion. But we have just a great show today. Stay tuned where you are. Call a friend. If you've got a friend that's going through a storm, you need to call them and say, watch Daily Faith.
Philip:They can go on their computer or their device and just type in Daily Faith TV. We are here live right this minute, and I believe it'll be a blessing. We're also on Tampa — every Thursday evening at 6:30, we are on WCLF in Tampa. Also in FGC, I'm reading these off so I don't make a mistake — in West Palm Beach on Monday nights at seven o'clock. WRXY in Fort Myers, Wednesday at one o'clock in the afternoon, and then at KWHB, Tulsa, Saturday and Sunday at two o'clock in the afternoon.
Philip:If ever you're around that place, please check us out if you would. And also we are on the Integrity Network, the Journey Network, WGWG network and others around the country. So we're just delighted to have you with us.
Philip:We are so pleased that God is blessing our ministry and growing this program. We did this just to start in the COVID. The pastors were calling me as to what was going on, and I kind of made this a central ground for them all. My wife Chrissy and my oldest daughter Melody left three days ago — it seems like three weeks ago — but they're in Moldova.
Philip:And every year we send over five, six containers with clothes and supplies and all necessary things that they can't get there. And our Christmas container just arrived later this year than normal. And my wife Chrissy and my daughter Melody are there right now. And they are working — they've been there for three days, I believe this is the third day — and they have been working around the clock giving out.
Philip:Our kids are going out and having Christmas parties, a bit delayed, but they're going to the most unbelievable places — orphanages and broken places. And they're taking and giving out hundreds and hundreds of those boxes. That's my daughter Melody carrying the boxes. And I just got that yesterday afternoon and I said, boys, we've gotta show that on the program to let these folks see my wife and my daughter doing the kingdom's business.
The Role of Mentorship
Philip:Get involved with something, man. I believe that the more you involve yourself in other people's lives and needs and cares, God will pour it back into yours. We started this ministry — for those that don't know — we started this ministry 35 years ago. I adopted a wee boy in an orphanage, and God used that boy to tie me down to a cause.
Philip:The last 25 years we've been working, helping kids escape from trafficking in the orphanage system in poverty-ridden villages. These girls are offered bogus jobs by traffickers — animals that offer them a job in Germany or Italy or whatever, babysitting. And they get in a car and they're never seen again.
Philip:They're used 30 to 50 times a day until they kill them. And the Lord challenged us as a family. And we now have a village of homes called Vatra Village — the most incredible place. This place was built for rich people to have a home beside the lake. And they poisoned that lake with chlorine because there was algae in it. And those houses right there, they were being built at the time and they never finished them. And we bought them and finished them.
Philip:And every girl you're looking at right now — if a trafficker can get a hold of her, she's worth $300,000 a year to the trafficker. And we take them into Vatra Village, we put them back in school, we tell them if you're born, God has a plan. And the most unbelievable thing is happening — orphans are becoming sons and daughters.
Philip:The kids that no one wants, told every day by the staff in the orphanage, you're nothing, you're garbage, you're trash, your mother didn't want you, that's why you're here. And we tell them, if you're born, God has a plan. And we are watching these kids transformed from orphans to sons and daughters.
Philip:And the crazy thing is that they're now missionaries and they go out all over the country. And they just sent me a video the other day of a synopsis of what they've done this last year. They adopt a village — each of our homes adopts a village. They get to know every widow, every broken family. If there's a church there, they support the church. And any kids that get saved or any converts they have, they bring them to the church. So they're building the Church of God up as well.
Philip:So it's amazing what they're doing. And they sent me this video — it's only a couple minutes long, but I think you'll get what I'm trying to explain to you. Watch this.
Philip:Oh, I love being part of the kingdom of God. You can help us. You can be a part of changing lives. We also have a home in Ukraine — eight years ago, long before the war broke out and Ukraine became a known name of a country in America.
Philip:And my wife and I were coming back from Moldova and the immigration officer in Atlanta, before he stamped my passport, he asked me where I'd been. I said, Moldova. And he stopped. He said, where? I said, Moldova. He said, that's crazy. He said, I've just transferred up from the Caribbean and we intercepted a container — those 40-foot containers that we ship over there — and there were 38 Moldovan girls in the container sent from Odessa in Ukraine.
Lessons from Financial Storms
Philip:And we went out and I was waiting for my bags to come and I was quiet — and I'm not quiet often. And Chrissy came up and she said, what's wrong? I said, we're gonna go to Ukraine. And we have a home there right now. We bought a house in Ukraine long before it became popular or known. We were there caring and loving and ministering to kids.
Philip:We need you to help us. We've got several things that we do all through the wintertime. You saw in that video — we can buy these great big industrial bags of wood and we can give this to a family or a widow that doesn't have to chop the wood. It's already chopped. And this will keep her alive for a whole month.
Philip:And they're costing the ministry — now we're not asking for a gift of $65 — they're costing us $65 for one bag of wood, which will keep a family from freezing to death for a month. And we're looking forward to you sponsoring one of those bags.
Philip:And also the whole thing that we do in Moldova has been created by people giving $1 a day. A dollar a day won't change your life, but I'll promise you, for every girl and boy you saw in that video, a dollar a day has transformed their life forever.
Philip:You can get in contact with us. Our address is real simple. It's PO Box 25, Orphans Hands, or Daily Faith — either one's fine. PO Box 25, Clinton, Tennessee 37716. And if you can write to us there, or you can go online to Daily Faith TV — that's the quickest way. There's a giving page. And you can also go to orphanshands.org and there's a ton of videos.
Philip:Let me say this — all those videos you're watching, we don't have a production team. Those videos are made by kids that were orphans that we took into our place and we gave them a camera and they've learned to do the video. And we get that video as you see it — with the music, with the text, everything. We didn't do that. We received that from our kids in Moldova.
Philip:It's amazing — orphan kids that no one wanted. Oh my goodness gracious me. And you can also dial 833-Daily-Faith. And by doing so, you can be in contact with someone — a real life person. Pick up the phone, help us change someone's life today. As you do for others, God will give it back in your life — pressed down, shaken together and running over.
Philip:I am delighted to have a new friend — but I believe an ongoing friend — because he has gone through storms. And if you wanna have a friend, have a friend that's gone through storms. I've got an old friend in Scotland, his name's Willie. He's an old soldier. And every time I see him, I say, Willie, if ever I'm in a battle, I want you standing beside me. And those that have gone through the school of hard knocks and have been tested by the fire are the ones that are the most valuable in your life.
Philip:And Bill Derek is a businessman and he's written a book and it is called Restored by the Storm. And we're gonna be showing you how to get this book afterwards. And you need to get this because I think it's gonna help you through your storm. Bill, thank you so much for taking the time. I know you're a busy man. Thank you for taking the time out of your life to come and sit with me for a few minutes. Tell us how you wrote this book. You've gotta tell us a story.
Bill Derek:Through a couple of storms. And the first one was back in the Great Recession with my business. We have a construction business — does residential, commercial, and we do land development. And of course to do land development, you need capital resources, which means you're borrowing money from banks to do that. Well, when the Great Recession came, unfortunately everything just sank. I mean, we were ground zero. Our industry, our business, of course.
Bill Derek:And it just — the houses weren't being built, lots weren't being sold. Our land was probably worth 25% of what we paid for it. And I mean, it was pretty gloomy, Philip. We'd never experienced anything like that. And at first it was like, well, maybe it won't be so bad and maybe it won't last so long.
Philip:You always underestimate the storm, don't you? You're always hoping — you say, well, we'll just keep on going, we'll keep investing, we'll keep on hoping. And what you're really doing is you're slipping down that slope all the time.
Bill Derek:That's right. And part of that is when you've got — we had over, you know, we almost had a hundred employees at the time, and now you're talking about the lives of others. And you delay the inevitable as long as you can, which means you have those painful discussions where you go into somebody's office and say, hey, I'm sorry, but we have to let you go. And it just — those were heart-wrenching times.
Faith and Personal Health Battles
Bill Derek:We had to deal with banks who, when we signed the loans, were our partners. They were anxious to do business with us because we were a very successful business. And when the hard times came, they really didn't act like partners anymore. Unfortunately, you know, they've got a business too.
Philip:And that's in a business situation. I've learned in storms, people are just as bad as banks — when everything's sailing and it's plain sailing and you've got money and you're perceived as being successful, they don't know the sleepless nights and all the stuff you've gotta do behind the scenes to keep going. But everything's fine, you know, hunky-dory, until the storm comes. And then you start finding out who the true friends of your life really are.
Bill Derek:That's right, Philip. And I also found out a valuable lesson with this storm — that I'm not in control as much as I thought I was. I went into this storm as a businessman who thought he could control just about everything. I was immune to these storms. We had a good business and there was no way anything could go wrong.
Philip:Well, I found out real quickly that I was in control until I wasn't. And many times the storms of your life — not just in your situation with this business — I mean, you had no control over the government policies, you had no control over all these things. And a lot of times the storm you're in has got nothing to do with you. You are just drowning because someone else has missed the mark and done something wrong. And that's part of life, isn't it?
Bill Derek:Yes, it is. And sometimes it's very real where you'll just say, why am I going through this? What did I do to deserve this? And things like that.
Philip:Well, I think life sometimes doesn't go the way you want it to. And I began to realize that that was part of what life was — not knowing what was around the next corner. So from the time you understand that this thing is coming off the rails, you're literally thinking, oh my goodness gracious me. And then you have a hundred employees and all the ramifications — the ripple effect goes across the pond. When did you, what did you start doing and how did you start gathering your thoughts to fight this thing? You either run or you fight — those are the only options you have in life.
Bill Derek:I don't know exactly how long, but I know that the storm lasted, as far as I'm concerned, five years. I mean, it was a long time. It was bad. I would say a year and a half in, we realized that we needed to do something and we hired an attorney to help us put some proposals together for the banks. And we had to work with them, work it out with them. And part of it was we'd never gone through anything like this before, so we didn't know.
Bill Derek:Part of what you just said is I started seeking out other people who were knowledgeable in this — and people like bankers who we weren't involved with, with some of our debt. They were tremendous. They helped me out. One of the bankers was a client of ours. We had built a new bank for them. And they were in trouble — in fact, unfortunately they were one of the banks that ended up not surviving. And he was helpful to me. He was a lawyer and he gave me some advice.
Philip:So in the biggest storm, find people with experience.
Bill Derek:Absolutely. Find someone that you can go and say, hey, I need some help here. I need you to look at this thing.
Philip:I've learned — when my dad passed away 25 years ago, he'd come to America and visit with me. And he'd sit in my office and I'd be busy all day taking phone calls and running the ministry and stuff. And at the end of the day, he would say to me, you know, Philip, I've been sitting here listening to you. And if you did that instead of this, you would save yourself a lot of work and a lot of grief. And I would sit and I would say, dad, why didn't I see that?
Finding Blessings in Distress
Philip:And what I would say to him is — I would say, look, championship rounds in those days were rounds 10 through 15 in boxing matches that were the championships. I said, dad, I can fight the first 10 rounds by myself, but I need a mentor. I need someone with wisdom that can come in at the championship rounds and say, you need to do this and you need to check this out. And so that's one of the keys of going through a storm — finding someone that has experience in storms.
Bill Derek:Yes. Leaders have to learn that they don't have all the answers. And you need to seek out answers in other places than just your own knowledge.
Philip:What a word. Guessing is not a good thing. You don't wanna be guessing. You want to take educated approaches to these things — any of these storms like this. So you've written this book entitled Restored by the Storm: Navigating Through Life's Unexpected Challenges. And if you are watching just now, listen to me — I've just explained and we've talked about finding a mentor, finding someone that's been there, gone through that. And what this is — this is a home visit.
Philip:If you can get this book, what this is is a home visit by Bill, coming to your house and saying, listen, calm down. There are steps. This is what I did. And you need to get this book. Tell us what inspired you to write this book, because I think it's an important book for folk to get.
Bill Derek:I think originally, Philip, my inspiration was — when we were being successful before the Great Recession — I wanted to write a book to tell businessmen that you can be successful even if you don't do business by the book. I mean, we didn't do everything by the book. The experts tell you, you gotta do this, you gotta do that, and all that. And I always felt like, okay, fine, we do some of it, but a lot of it was just grit on our part.
Bill Derek:And that's kind of what started it. But when the storm happened and that continued into a personal health storm after that — and they're often connected — I wanted to, knowing that I'm not the only one that's gone through storms, tell other people what I had learned so that I could inspire and help others that are going through storms. And that was my motivation — to turn this and not make it about me.
Bill Derek:And I fully realized I wasn't a gold medal winner. I wasn't a professional athlete. I wasn't a famous celebrity or anything like that. I'm just a common guy out there just like everybody else. But I wanted to help them however I could. And I thought writing this book would be to a lot of people's benefit.
Philip:Fabulous. Well, I think of our new incoming president — when the New York market collapsed completely and he was billions of dollars out — what happened was, because he didn't panic, he didn't hit the panic button or the eject button, he went back to the banks and he got them to carry him. And what was the storm initially became the blessing later. And if you don't panic and if you can hold your steel and thank God — you are in this thing with me — God can turn a mistake into a miracle. He can turn a disappointment into an opportunity.
Philip:And that's what's happened in your life.
Bill Derek:Oh, exactly. I mean, I tell people that going through the storms, once you go through it with the right attitude, strong faith in God, work with people, understand that people come into your lives all of a sudden that are helping you — you go through all that and then you can look back and say, you know, this storm wasn't a fun thing, but boy, it ended up being a blessing.
Bill Derek:Isn't that crazy? And it's just like with things like cancer — people just struggle with cancer and all that. I mean, I know I've been there. But I realized, oh yeah, I'm not glad I got cancer. However, I am very thankful for the blessings that I have received because of it.
Restoration Through Life's Challenges
Philip:That's amazing. And you know, it's just like David in the Bible — that's life, it's in the Bible. King David said, you've enlarged me in my distress. And sometimes what you don't get on the mountaintop when the sun's shining bright and the birds are singing and money's there and stuff — you shallow your life because you have everything. And when the storm comes, that's when you think, oh, I need you, Lord Jesus. I need your help.
Philip:And I was telling a nephew of mine yesterday — one day I was driving in my car and the ministry needed funds for a mission work in Moldova. We're building a building and I'm sitting at this traffic light, just, Lord, please, why are you keeping me begging like this all the time? And I'm getting mad at God because he wasn't giving me the money I needed. And as quick as a flash, he said to me, if I gave you everything you needed, you'd never talk to me. You'd be so busy doing the work. And I love your company.
Philip:And sometimes in a storm, Bill, that's — the storm brings you closer to him. I need you to get this book today. Now listen, you can get it on Amazon and other book retailers. You can also go to billderrick.com — Bill Derek, D-E-R-R-I-C-K — billderrick.com. And say your testimony encouraged me. You encourage Bill by talking to him right now and contacting him and say, man, if you can make it through your storm, I'm gonna make it through my storm.
Philip:And I believe that God — you're not done. Listen to me watching just now. You are not done. This might be a bit of a wave or whatever, but he is going to outlast your storm in the name of Jesus. Bill, thank you so much for taking time to be with us today. I appreciate you so very much. I appreciate your experience.
Bill Derek:Oh, this has been a pleasure. It's just great getting to meet you and meeting a new friend. I feel like I've known you all my life.
Philip:Invite your favorite — my uncle, go on up. I've been watching you. I'm thinking, he looks like Uncle John. Thank you, Bill. Thank you for watching Daily Faith today. And we're gonna have Bill back on because I think he's got a whole lot more to tell us. And we are just so thankful. Help us if you would in this work we have in Ukraine and Moldova. We need you so much. Bye-bye.
For over 25 years, the Cameron family has been changing the lives of orphans in Romania and Moldova — from providing running water, flushing toilets and clean wells, to coal for heat, new windows, as well as food and clothing. They champion the physical needs of the orphans in these broken and desolate countries.
Many of Moldova's orphans are saved from the horrors of trafficking through homes founded by the Camerons. And in the process, orphans become daughters and sons. They come to know their heavenly Father and are forever changed by the love of Jesus.
God helped the Camerons lift these amazing young men and women out of darkness — now no longer orphans. They want to return and invade that very same darkness with the light of Jesus Christ. The Orphans Hands equips these daughters and sons to become missionaries.
Your monthly gift of $31 will allow us to rescue and take in more girls and boys, saving them from the hell of human trafficking. Your monthly partnership will allow us to care for those in the Orphans Hands homes in Moldova and Ukraine.
If you want to join Philip and Chrissy in taking care of these precious young people, please contact us today by calling 833-Daily-Faith. You can also give by going online to www.dailyfaith.tv or by writing to Post Office Box 25, Clinton, Tennessee 37716. So many lives depend on what we do. Thank you for loving the lost.
Common questions
What kind of storms did Bill Derrick go through that inspired him to write his book?
Bill went through two major storms: first, the Great Recession nearly wiped out his construction and land development business — land values dropped to about 25% of what he paid, and he had to let go of nearly 100 employees over a five-year period. After that, he also faced a serious personal health storm, including cancer, which he says is often connected to business crises.
What's the biggest lesson Bill says he learned from the Great Recession hitting his business?
Bill says he learned that he wasn't nearly as in control as he thought he was. He went into the storm believing he was immune to that kind of failure because his business was so successful — and he found out very quickly that wasn't true.
What advice does Bill give to someone whose business is falling apart?
Bill says the most important thing is to seek out people who have real experience and knowledge in what you're going through — don't try to figure it all out alone. He credits knowledgeable bankers and advisors outside his own circle with helping him put together proposals to work through his debt with the banks.
Why did Bill decide to write 'Restored by the Storm' if he's not a celebrity or famous athlete?
Bill says he's just a common guy, and that was exactly the point — he wanted to reach other ordinary people going through storms and show them what he learned. His goal was to inspire others, not make the book about himself, and he believed sharing his experience could genuinely help people navigate their own unexpected challenges.
Does Bill think the storms he went through — including cancer — were worth it in the end?
Yes. Bill says that once you go through a storm with the right attitude and strong faith, you can look back and see it as a blessing — even if it wasn't fun in the moment. He specifically says about his cancer: 'I'm not glad I got cancer. However, I am very thankful for the blessings that I have received because of it.'
Topics
restored by the stormbusiness crisisovercoming adversitycancer testimonygreat recessionchristian resilience