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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Look Straight Ahead

A farmer guides an ox-drawn plough while looking ahead toward a bright dawn.
© By One Spirit Ministries

“And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Lk. 9:61,62). All I can say is, What a statement! Nothing could be more true. While it is a good thing to look back on what God has done for us, and it is not harmful to occasionally recall certain things in our lives; it is NOT good to look back at “the way things used to be,” so to speak. It’s really bad in fact, and it will surely freeze you right in your tracks. The wise proverb tells us, “Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this” (Eccl. 7:10). For anyone who is continually moving forward in Christ, there simply ARE NO “former days [that] were better than these.” The present should always be our best days that we have had yet, and we should only look forward to better things to come. If our present days are not the best days we’ve had, then we need to “repent and do the first works” and move forward with the Lord (Rev. 2:5). If we look back on regrettable things, then that will certainly bring a sinking to the stomach, and if we look back on good things in our lives; well, they’re gone now, so that will bring the same sinking feeling. The truth of the matter is that absolutely nothing in this life lasts except for the eternal Spirit of God that we’ve received, so we just need to put all of our eggs in that basket and keep them there. Isaiah told it like it is as far as what we need to think on: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isa. 26:3). I assure you that looking back on the way things could have been, or the way things were, is not a good recipe for peace. Keeping our minds in tune with what God is saying and doing here and now on the other hand, is a wonderful prescription for peace; because God is always preparing good for us in the here and now (Rom. 8:28). Solomon, who had everything that could be wished for, had this report about the temporal state of things in this present life: “Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit” (Eccl. 2:17). “Vanity and vexation of spirit” is translated there to mean “empty, futile and the pursuit of wind.” It is indeed an empty and hopeless endeavor to try to hold onto or regain the things of this life that are past, or even things that are present for that matter.

Solomon had the hope of the resurrection to look forward to, but he had nothing that was presently eternal that he could sink his teeth into. Therefore he was much grieved about the fleeting nature of everything in this life. Jesus died and rose again to give us something eternal here and now, to accompany the same hope of the resurrection from the dead. In fact the power of the Spirit of God is what WILL raise us from the dead one day if we continually purify ourselves by that same power while we are here (Rom. 8:11; I Jn. 3:2,3). Because of the great price that Jesus paid for our redemption, we have access to all eternal things that are spiritually tangible to us here and now (Eph. 1:3; Eph. 2:18; Heb. 6:5). I believe that is worth us keeping our minds in the here and now, and “seeking first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Mat. 6:33). We simply cannot move forward with God if we are looking backward. Even natural law shows us that if we look backward while attempting to walk forward, we will invariably trip over something and probably be injured in some way. If we look back long enough at how ‘bad’ things used to be, we may end up becoming resentful about something or someone. If we look back at how 'good’ things used to be, we will probably become depressed fairly quickly. It just isn’t in line with the leading of God’s Spirit to look back, as the scriptures have confirmed to us here. The Bible tells us, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons [and daughters] of God” (Rom. 8:14). It is certain that God’s Spirit is leading us in a forward direction which will eventually result in the resurrection of the dead, which is the “one hope of salvation” (Acts 23:6; Eph. 4:4; I Thess. 5:8; Rom. 8:23; Philip. 3:21; I Pet. 1:9; I Jn. 3:2,3). That same resurrection of the dead will take place at the second coming of the Lord to this world, and we cannot prepare for that event by dwelling on the past events of this life. Jesus speaking of that day gave us full assurance of the same with this memorable statement: “In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot’s wife” (Lk. 17: 31,32). And what did Lot’s wife do? Read it for yourself; she looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt (Gen. 19:12-26). Yeah, it’s that serious. Amen.

From the Preserved Writings of Lary R. Hale

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Jesus Is All

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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