In Memory of Rev. L.L. Collins

Besides my father, no other man made a more significant impact on my life than L.L. Collins. He was my pastor from the summer of 1980 till he closed his eyes for the final time this past Sunday, February 3, 2019, at 6:21 pm. We laid him to rest yesterday (2-8-19) with all the honor and reverence his life deserved and also with an amazing amount of laughter!

He was a beautiful throw-back to a bygone era when men were manly and unashamedly so. He was from a time when men spoke their mind and clearly said what they meant with no consideration about offending cultural sensitivities but with no design to do so either. They were comfortable and confident with who they were and allowed others to deal with the awkwardness of determining how to either accept or reject them.

My pastor was not a perfect man, and I have followed him in that regard. His sternness was an issue with some but his humanity still always came through and now most of those incidents are remembered with laughter! He often told people who asked that L.L. stood for "Like it or Lump it, Love it or Leave it!"

In an age inundated with the tepid and overrun with the opaque, in a land that is homogenized and glaciated to the point of boredom, he was a mountain of a man. He was different, unique, authentic, an original. I was blessed to be raised in the shadow of this mountain.

I remember often traveling to camp meetings across the country with him when he had a large conversion van with two gas tanks. He would not stop till both tanks were empty and then only to fuel up and hit the road again. He was driving hard to do the work of the Kingdom of Christ. When he did stop, he would tell us passengers to "Hurry up! You can party when you get there!" I think that is the way he lived his life and is now living his eternity. He worked and pushed and prayed and preached until he could work no more. He now has finally arrived there and is now partying.

I will die with the fingerprints of this man on my mind, my spirit, and my heart. I will die with the fingerprints of this man on my life, and I am a better man because of it.