The Ballad of Tim Collins

Allow me to tell you a brief story about a young man named Tim Collins.?A man who I became aware of through my brother Jeff Baker who coached, mentored, befriended, and loved him.??

Tim was born in Birmingham, AL on April 26, 1997.?He was raised by his mother and Tim helped raise his 2 younger sisters.?By the time Tim reached his junior year of High School he was standing over 6’3”, he weighed over 225lbs, but he was only reading at a 3’rd grade level.?The school that he was attending thought Tim had an undiagnosed special need.?The first time he took the ACT he fell well-short of college acceptance.??

At that time, his mother made the courageous decision to put him into a private-Christian School nearby, aptly called Restoration Academy.?This move proved to be the inflection point of Tim’s life.?Here he was poured into by teachers, coaches and volunteers.?Tim found a place that believed in him and Tim began to believe in what God could do in his life after committing his life to Jesus.?Tim was the football and basketball team captain and a state champion.?He drastically improved his ACT score and received a full scholarship to Tennessee Tech University where he became team captain as a sophomore.?He went on to graduate with a degree in Business and earned his Masters Degree from Western Michigan University as a graduate player.???

Upon graduation, Tim pursued his passion for business as a career by going to work in sales for Lab Works, LLC, in his hometown of Birmingham.?Tim was continuing his meteoric rise in life, however, God had different plans for him.?Tim passed away in his sleep January 14, 2023.?He was 25 years old.?

Tim’s passing has me asking two questions- 1. “Why would God take a man like Tim so soon, with so much life ahead of him?”?2. “How many other ‘Tim Collins’ are out there, waiting to be found, to be poured into, whose greatness lay waiting to be developed and unleashed?”

Are you a 'Tim Collins'??Are you waiting for someone to pour into you??Or are you looking to help develop the next 'Tim Collins'?

Allen Baker

Birmingham, AL