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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Perseverance and Love

Paul and fellow travelers support one another on a coastal path as storm clouds clear.
© By One Spirit Ministries

"For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us" (II Cor. 1:8-10). These words were written by the man who may very well have been the man of greatest faith and love in the history of the world, excluding the one man that came from heaven. We're talking about the apostle Paul here, the man who persecuted the early followers of Christ with a vengeance like none other. But when God turned the man completely inside out he ended up with a love, a faith, and an understanding that I believe surpassed all who have lived upon the earth, other than the one who came from heaven to earth. One of the things I love so much about Paul is the same thing I love about all of the righteous souls we read about in the Bible: He was totally honest and open about where he was at all the time. When it was necessary to do he wasn't afraid to make it known that he was pretty much at the top of the heap when it came to the Gospel and the ministry thereof (Rom. 11:13; I Cor. 15:10; II Cor. 11:5; II Cor. 12:11). By the same token when it was time to tell of his weakness and neediness he was not afraid of that either, as our text passage graphically illustrates. The thing that I would like to point out from our text passage of scripture is that anyone who stays the course of holiness with Jesus over an extended period of time, is going to be well practiced for being in the resurrection of the dead by the time they get to it.

To see what I'm saying here just read the opening passage of this article again. The apostle plainly stated that his troubles in Asia, as well as those who were with him, were as good as a death sentence. He acknowledged that their circumstances squeezed them beyond their capacities, above their ability to endure, and brought them to a place of having no hope left to live. That is right, the word 'despaired,' as in "despaired even of life," comes from the Greek word Exaporeomai; and it simply means to be "utterly at loss." But the good news is that from the greatness of their tribulation they learned, as he said, "that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead." By trusting in God when there was no hope left, the result was that God did indeed deliver them from what he called "so great a death." This is part of the calling of every child of God who expects, as Paul did, "to attain unto the resurrection of the dead" (Philip. 3:11). If we are in Christ then we are the seed of Abraham, and it is Abraham of whom the scripture says, "Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be" (Gal. 3:29; Rom. 4:18). So we simply must realize as the children of God that there are going to be times when there just isn't any hope in a situation we're in, and we're going to be pushed beyond our limits and capacities; and we may very well feel like death is all that is left. That is exactly what the great apostle described about himself and his fellow laborers in our text from 2 Cor. 1. Nonetheless we must keep firmly in our mind and spirit that when there is no hope left, and we have what amounts to a death sentence in our own hearts; we CAN, as Paul did, trust in God who raises the dead.

That is what it amounts to. We cannot expect to be in this journey for very long a time, and be serious about holiness, and not run into something that puts us into that territory. The good news is, as it was with Paul, that if we hold fast to God in holiness and refuse to be defeated, God WILL raise us up from the very grasp of death, so that we can live even more powerfully for him! It's no wonder that this is the case, because after all "the Captain of [our] salvation" himself was made "perfect through sufferings" (Heb. 2:10). Not only so, but this same 'Captain' has gone before us in death, and he has also preceded us in the resurrection from the dead. In fact Jesus is, as he himself said, "THE resurrection, and THE life" (Jn. 11:25). If we abide in him and we refuse to allow sin to become our companion, then we are going to be raised out of every death-like circumstance that we find ourselves in, and ultimately we will physically be raised from the dead and glorified at his second coming. It simply can be no other way because that is his estabished will (Jn. 6:39,40,44,54). But rest assured that by the time we leave this world, if we have been faithful to our calling, we will have become well versed in being raised from the dead, even as Paul and his brethren were. I honestly couldn't count the times that I've been in that place, but somehow God has lifted me above it all every single time. It is sometimes hard for me to believe that I'm still in the land of the living, because so many times I've been pushed beyond my capacities and have felt certain that death was all that could be left. One day it most likely will be, but until God is done with me, or with you, "we [can] trust that he will yet deliver us," as the apostle said. So we just need to hunker down for the journey, pray always, and let God have his way with us. His way is always good, even if and when we find ourselves in a state where "we [have] the sentence of death in ourselves." 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