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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Undue Loyalty

Travelers choose a sunlit valley path beneath storm clouds beside a towering ancient city.
© By One Spirit Ministries

I’ve seen it more times than I can remember or count, and it never ceases to sadly amaze me. People are fiercely loyal to the very thing that has grievously injured their lives. I’m talking about erroneous religious traditions that so many have been brought up in, and the damage that they have done to so many lives. I see it up close and personal all the time, and I never get used to it or find it to be an acceptable thing. So what do I do about it? Well, beside trying to persuade people of what is real and true in Christ, I just continue to grieve about it and pray much. That’s really all I can do because the bottom line is that it’s up to them to pull free from these traps that have ensnared them. I couldn’t count the people I’ve met that have been brought up in some Pentecostal sect, who complain about the abuse from their parents and the judgmental spirits and scorn of those in their religion. They wear the effects of the injury done to them by their religion like a brightly colored scarf, yet they will defend these false religious traditions like a honey badger. And as I am always want to say, it is nothing new. Nothing ever changes. God’s people in Jeremiah’s time were conditioned the same exact way, to be fiercely loyal to religious traditions that their parents raised them in; which traditions were contrary to the law that God had given them. Jeremiah had God’s word while everybody else THOUGHT they had God’s word, and thought that Jeremiah was an enemy of ‘the faith.’ God told Jeremiah exactly what the reward would be for the parents who loved falsehood, as well as for their children who were taught to revere the erroneous traditions that were taught them: “The word of the Lord came also unto me, saying, Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place. For thus saith the Lord concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in this land; They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth” (Jer. 16:1-4).

A lot of soft bellied 'Christians’ would read that and say, “Oh that was the old testament, but we’re under grace.” My answer to that is one of stern, unwavering rebuke, which is this: So you’re telling me that upholding erroneous traditions about the faith of the suffering and death of God’s only begotten Son is more excusable than for those people to follow after tradition that was contrary to the law of Moses which was established on the blood of bulls and of goats? The men to whom God entrusted the writings of the holy scriptures certainly did not think like that: “He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?” (Heb. 10:28,29). Again some pacified 'Christians’ will read that verse and say, “He’s talking about 'the world’ there.” Really? Well then I suppose we’ll just have to tack on the next verse in that passage for good measure: “For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge HIS PEOPLE” (Heb. 10:30). This generation of 'believers’ have been pacified by preachers of misguided hope the exact same way that God’s people were pacified by 'prophets of victory’ who opposed Jeremiah. Jeremiah warned of oncoming judgment for the continued willfulness of God’s people to continue in their stubborn denial of his word, but all the other prophets promised the people victory BECAUSE they were God’s people. That is what God straightly told Jeremiah they were doing: “For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace” (Jer. 8:11).

Everybody and his brother today have promised everyone salvation just on the basis that they have made some verbal confession of faith, or because they have received the holy Ghost, or by many other similar means. And the same 'everybody and his brother’ have also taught God’s people that they are still sinners, and that they are unable to NOT be sinners. They are liars who speak such vanity in the name of the Lord, even as the prophets of Jeremiah’s time were all liars for speaking the equivalent of their day. And like the prophets who opposed Jeremiah, the wayward ministers of today are sending the same exact message to all who hear them, and that message is the same one that God rebuked through the prophet Malachi: “Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?” (Mal. 2:17). So the moral of the story my friend is that nobody can possibly prosper by following after vain religious traditions, regardless of how may people preach them or how many people believe them. The reason that the lives of those who follow such things are so damaged is that God is merciful to give all such a light preview of what is to come if that path is not departed from. Loyalty is a very good thing, but be certain that your loyalty is to the Son of God who died for you, and not to some misrepresentation of him. As for being loyal to such things for the sake of family, Jesus had a very direct answer for that as well: “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Mat. 10:37). Many think I’m a hard nosed preacher. They know nothing at all. God on the other hand knows all things, and said the following: “Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” (Jer. 23:29). I believe that covers the bases on that for now. God bless.

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