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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From the ministry archive

Just a few words today about being desolate

Two neighbors visit an elderly widow, bringing companionship and warmth to her quiet home.
© By One Spirit Ministries

Just a few words today about being desolate. First of all it isn't good. To be 'desolate' means to "be solitary, left alone, or forsaken." There is only one scripture in the Bible that hints at anything good coming from being desolate. That would be 1 Timothy 5:5, which defines a true widow as someone who is "desolate and continues in prayers and supplications night and day." While it is a good thing to be constant in prayer, it should be duly noted that much of that chapter is dedicated to how a congregation should support and help true widows. The last time I checked nobody really aspired to be a widow or widower. So even this passage tells us that we're talking about someone who is in a disadvantaged position and needs special care, which would not be the preferred situation of anyone. It should also be understood that being desolate is not just about being widowed or unmarried. There are friends, family, and brethren that can take up the slack for someone who is unmarried. Being desolate simply means that someone is alone and it is not by their choice. In the beginning God created Adam and then decided that it wasn't good for him to be alone, meaning without someone of his own kind (Gen. 2:18). You know the rest of that story. The point is that God is good, and if he says it is NOT a good thing to be alone, then it isn't good. Solomon in his large endowment of godly wisdom said the same thing: "Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken" (Eccl. 4:9-12). That's just good sense, and it is evident that anyone would rather be in that position than to be desolate. Jesus applied that same wisdom when he sent the apostles out to preach the Gospel and heal the sick: "And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits" (Mk. 6:7). Later he anointed seventy more men and sent them two at a time as well (Lk. 10:1). It's true that there are people who actually want to be alone, but that isn't the natural way to feel about the way we want our lives to be. If the story be told in these cases, we would find that someone who prefers to be desolate has suffered some kind of hurt that has never been healed; and they are misguidedly doing the only thing that they know to do to 'protect themselves.'

I should note here that I am NOT saying that it is unnatural for someone to prefer being single in terms of marital status, but rather just totally alone, period.There are simply too many scriptures to bother referencing that show us that it is a really good thing and pleasing to God for us to to all that we can to see that the desolate in our sphere of living do not remain so. No doubt we've all been guilty of neglecting someone who is desolate, and life can be very busy and time consuming. May God help us all to do better in this respect. More often than not it is the elderly who are desolate, but by no means is this always the case. Sometimes people who are not elderly, and in fact may appear to be someone who you wouldn't think to be desolate, are far more alone than it may look like. One would not think that David, the ancient king of Israel, would be one to be desolate. Yet the words of this Psalm appear to have been written when he was young and probably fleeing from Saul: "Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted" (Psm. 25:16). Even Jesus, who had the closest relationship with the Father in the history of the world, and was surrounded by people most of the time; had some feeling of desolation at times, as the prophecy of the Psalms shows us: "Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none" (Psm. 69:20). The moral of the story is that we should be in tune with the Spirit of God's love, and be aware of the loneliness that plagues many people who are being overlooked. I've said it often, and I'll say it often yet, that the pinnacle of human relationship is to truly care about the needs of others, and to feel truly cared for by others. It really just doesn't get any better than that, and beside that it is the heart and soul of our calling as children of God to see to it that these things are fulfilled in our lives while we have the time to fulfill them (Mat. 7:12; Gal. 5:14; Gal. 6:2). 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