By One Spirit — Holy Ghost Ministry

Lary and his beloved dog Champ welcomed by Jesus into a radiant garden of flowers, waterfalls, and golden light
Remembering the ministry and teachings of Lary R. Hale

Faith carried forward

By One Spirit is a lasting home for Holy Ghost ministry, preserving the teachings of Lary R. Hale and the memories of the people whose lives he touched.

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Love and Salvation

A young couple follows Christ across a stone bridge toward a sunlit olive valley, each attentive to his guiding hand.
© By One Spirit Ministries

Last night while I was out I heard a song on the intercom system at the place where I was eating, and part of the chorus of the song really stood out to me. It went like this: "She is love, and she's all I need." Awwww, how romantic and sweet. And stupid. Really, really stupid! You want a failed relationship or marriage with someone? Just enter in on those terms and you're certain to fail, and fail hard. And you can be born again and do exactly that. All it takes is not keeping Jesus as the true love of your life and the apple of your eye. Everyone is looking for someone who can be everything to them, and it just ain't gonna happen my friend. Not ever. That's really like a can of gasoline looking for fire to be it's friend. There's simply no way under the sun that you will ever get that fairy tale to come true. Jeremiah gave us the condition of man's inner being in a nutshell. Well, actually God said it, and Jeremiah recorded it: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jer. 17:9). The answer is that God is the ONLY one who knows the hearts of men, and he knows that they are ALL in the condition described above unless and until they are sanctified by his Spirit (Acts 15:8,9; I Cor. 6:11; Rom. 15:16). And just because someone's heart has been sanctified once, doesn't necessarily mean that they are going to keep it that way. The scriptures make it clear that being sanctified, which is to say made pure from sin, is something that must be continued in till the end of one's life in order to obtain salvation (Mat. 24:12,13; Rom. 11:22; Philip. 2:12; I Jn. 3:2,3; Prov. 4:23). And the scriptures also are clear that it takes some doing to keep that task accomplished in our lives (I Cor. 15:58; Heb. 2:1; Heb. 4:1,11). So unless someone is actually doing these things as their basic lifestyle, they are NOT keeping Jesus first in their lives. If they are not doing that then they are not presently sanctified in their spirit, and they fall back to the condition stated by Jer. 17:9, as quoted above. And even if someone IS pure, and truly remaining that way, which is rare; they still are not able to be everything that someone is looking for. Only Jesus satisfies that requirement, and the living water that he died and rose to give us to drink for our souls (Jn. 4:13,14; Jn. 7:38,39; I Cor. 12:13; Rev. 22:17). And nobody "is love," as the silly song I heard was saying. Nobody except for God of course, because the Bible clearly says that "God is love" (I Jn. 4:8). Now if you want a fighting chance for a successful relationship and marriage, then be sure to follow Jesus' all time, all powerful, and all proven instructions: "(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Mat. 6:32,33). Now finding a mate is not included in the "all these things" that Jesus was speaking of here, but rather food and raiment. Nonetheless we can certainly include it to be covered under these instructions.

I once knew a young woman in Christ who wanted a mate, and when she would pray about it the Spirit would bring this scripture passage to mind. Well, in the end she decided not to keep those instructions and wait on God for the right person, and it eventually brought her to utter shipwreck concerning her life in the Lord. That was one testimony that I personally heard from the person, but I've seen the exact same thing happen to young people over and over again since I've been in Christ. There's nothing wrong with wanting a mate, but there is everything wrong with not keeping Jesus truly first on your priority list. And it is very easy to THINK you're making him your top priority, but again, keeping your heart pure from sin is the only proof of that. The only way anyone has a real chance for a "true love" with someone is if they are both presently purified by the holy Ghost, and they both remain that way. And even then there's no promise of it being particularly easy. That is why the apostle Paul gave due warning about the whole matter in 1 Corinthians chapter 7. In any event my friend, don't be deluded that someone is going to fill the lacking in your heart, because they will not. If there is lacking in your heart, you will take it with you into any relationship or marriage that you enter into. Not only so, but if you are lacking, you are going to end up with someone else who also is lacking, and all of a sudden you've got really big trouble waiting for you. Someone is going to find out that someone else is not getting it done for them and they move on to someone who they believe WILL get it done for them. They will be disappointed there as well, and someone will be left stranded, deciding whether they want to try to play the same losing game again. The only measuring stick on whether yourself or someone else is qualified to succeed in that arena is if sin is out of yours and their life. That is the definition of pureness, or holiness, or sanctification; whatever you want to call it. If you don't have power over sin, which Jesus gives to those who truly believe on him, then you certainly aren't going to have power over someone else's sins either. That's where the gasoline can meets the fire, and finds out the hard way that they weren't "meant for each other" after all. So when it's all said and done, only Jesus is worthy of it being said of him, "He is love, and he's all I need." If two people know and are experiencing that reality, they just might be blessed enough to make it work. Amen.

From the Preserved Writings of Lary R. Hale

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In loving memory

Lary R. Hale

Lary smiling with his beloved dog Champ
Lary with Champ

A Hero Finally Rests.

Lary Redman Hale of Louisville, KY entered into his greatest joy, the presence of King Jesus himself, welcomed by the cheers of angels and the saints of God on Sunday night, April 21, 2024.

What the outside world would see as the untimely passing of a humble, local minister, heaven saw as the triumphant finale of a valiant warrior's life. He fought the good fight, having kept the faith, and received what Christ himself called "The Champion's Wreath of Victory".

Lary was born November 13, 1954 to Marvin and Norma Hale. Being the youngest of his siblings ensured he had lots of time with his loving mother, from whom he undoubtedly developed his profound sensitivity, heartfelt sentimentality and emotional comfortability - characteristics that were trademarks of his life. He grew up surrounded by cousins and classmates that became his best friends.

At his 50 year class reunion he was overjoyed and excited to catch up with so many of them, smiling and laughing more than he had in a long time. He would often tell stories of how he treasured those times as a young boy riding bikes, shooting B.B guns and playing with his childhood dog Peanuts; all while getting into assorted harmless mischief. He cherished the time he spent living on his parents houseboat and helping his dad, a united states marine veteran, take care of the boat and dock.

His relationship with his dad was only strengthened in their later years as they watched boxing matches almost every weekend for the remainder of his dad's life. He admired his brother Gary for his athleticism and industrious attitude, and thought his sisters Vicki and Mila had hearts of gold just like his mother. In his teen years Lary developed three of his lifelong loves: swimming, cool cars and lifting weights.

Some people said Lary was part fish because of how well he swam, but Lary would correct them, he was actually part dolphin. As a young man he managed a health club where he helped multiple people lose weight and counted that a huge joy. He loved nature and taking photos of it, honing his skills and knowledge in cameras. His vocabulary was second to none and he enjoyed learning new words and using them especially in his writings.

Before he passed he still exercised as much as his body would allow and he longed to return to the ocean and the white sands of Destin, Florida.

Like most disenfranchised teens in the early 70s, Lary indulged in countless vices that left him empty and searching for more. Although his long black curly hair, loud clothes, muscles and muscle cars made him the envy of the boys and the heartthrob of the girls, none of these things satisfied his heart. He pursued a college education briefly, desiring to be a marine biologist or philosopher but found that this was not what he was missing either - he longed for true fulfillment.

Depressed, empty, and feeling hopeless, Lary heard about a particular beautiful girl he had a crush on that was attending a small church where the "Spirit of God" was changing people's lives. After wondering why someone like her would attend a church like that, he began to attend also.

After a few months, he made a simple prayer on his hands and knees, saying "God I can't stop smoking, drinking, raging or any of the other countless vices I have - but if you can set me free from these things, I'll know you're real and that you want me to serve you". The next morning Lary woke up and described the next few hours as "walking on air" realizing he was, in his words "delivered" and never going back to those vices.

This began his life long commitment to glorifying Jesus, the king of glory, for how he transformed Lary's life from darkness to light. Lary would marry that same beautiful girl, the love of his life, Fay Kustes, and they would have two sons together, Benjamin Isaac and Elisha Daniel. Lary's greatest joy in life was being a husband and father.

He was happiest when he was sharing what he was learning in the bible with his family, and teaching them that knowing God was simplistic and yet powerful - that God was not merely a religious concept, but a powerful savior on a day to day basis. As Lary made it his life's goal to find "the lost sheep", he would tap into his multifaceted creativity that went largely underappreciated.

Lary produced well over a thousand episodes of gospel presentations: self-producing, mixing, editing and encoding both a radio and television show. Between the two, he broadcast for over 30 years. All of this in the analog age, where self produced radio and TV shows were nearly unheard of, especially without any budget whatsoever.

Lary was an evangelist in Louisville and southern Indiana, being asked to preach and teach in multicultural and multi-generational churches across the city. The churches he was most loved and welcomed by were the African-American Baptist and Pentecostal churches that loved and welcomed his passionate, excitable and action packed style of preaching.

Once the dawn of the internet came, he immediately worked to have a website published, making his literature and gospel teachings available. Eventually he'd use social media to teach, preach and encourage believers all across the world. He would spend every night praying with and encouraging christians from every nation until the end of his life. Many of which saw him like a second father and all of whom greatly mourn his passing.

Even though he produced over a thousand episodes of media, taught in multiple churches, mentored in multiple countries, and had multiple printed works of literature, he considered his greatest life's work to be his two sons. One of their earliest memories is Lary saying "the most important job in the world is not preaching the gospel, it's raising kids in the gospel". This threaded through his entire life.

In his final week on earth, he reminisced on his life saying "I see my life as the highest success, because my life's work are my two sons, who I am so incredibly proud of - not for their natural achievements but for their love, humility and personal faith in Jesus that is not only evident in their lives but also in their love. Because of them, I know my life is a true success - and I credit Jesus for all of it".

His sons today see him as the most successful man they will ever know. He succeeded in loving them and never hurting them. Leading them and never controlling them. Being there for them and never leaving them. He was a man that would apologize quickly, forgive quickly, and always encouraged his sons to "get up and go from here". He succeeded in teaching them faith, hope and love in a world starving so badly for all three. His ministry lives on in them.

The lives of everyone touched by their lives are forever indebted to this humble, prayerful man of faith.

He is preceded in death by his father Marvin, mother Norma, sister Mila, sister-in-law Marlene, nephew Adam, aunts, uncles, treasured cousins, and his beloved dog of 18 years, Champ.

Until they are reunited in the glory of heaven, he is survived and will be missed by his sons, Benjamin and Elisha (Katrine), his wife of 30 years, Fay, his brother Gary, His sister Vicki (Dan), his cousins, nieces, nephews, his friends, and those that called him their pastor and teacher.

"The righteous perish, and no man lays it to heart: merciful men are taken away and no one considers that the righteous person is being spared from the evil to come. He shall enter into peace: he shall rest in his bed, having walked in uprightness." Isaiah 57:1&2

A life in pictures and film

Watch the tribute video shared with Lary’s obituary. It brings together moments from his life and footage of the man so many loved.

Video hosted by Tribute Slides through Newcomer Kentuckiana.

Original obituary at Newcomer Kentuckiana

Memories of Lary