Remembering the ministry and teachings of Lary R. Hale
A ministry home
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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The book of Proverbs, along with the book of Ecclesiastes is the greatest compilation of divine wisdom that the world has ever known, and I would like to make a point about the first proverb that is listed in the book. Now there are a few verses before this one, but this passage is really the one that kicks off the long string of wise sayings that cover the thirty one chapters of the book: "A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels" (Prov. 1:5). There is surely a good reason that the proverbs begin in this way, and it is obviously because Solomon, who was given such magnificent wisdom from heaven, knew the value of listening to others who had understanding. After all, he did say later in the book; "Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety" (Prov. 11:14). In fact he wrote a number of proverbs in the book that are similar to that one. Solomon did not acquire the vast wisdom that God promised him in a dream, overnight. And he didn't acquire all of it directly from heaven either. In fact there is no doubt that much of the wisdom that he attained unto was gained by his willingness to listen and learn from others. This is how he learned the following powerful spiritual reality: "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed" (Prov. 13:20). And he also learned that it was wise to NOT listen to a lot of people: "Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge" (Prov. 14:7).
The thing that made Solomon so wise, and such a great teacher of wisdom, was that he actually LOVED being taught, and was always willing to hear someone to see if he could learn something valuable. That way of thinking and living was what motivated the following passage: "Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life" (Prov. 4:13). What he was saying in that verse is that we cannot afford to ever lose the willingness, the humility, and the desire to be taught by someone who has godly wisdom. And that was the mindset that inspired the following proverb from the book of Ecclesiastes, which was also written by Solomon: "Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished" (Eccl. 4:13). He knew and liked the ideal of favoring listening over speaking, as he also alluded to in his writing (Eccl. 5:1). James also ascribed to this way of godly thinking, saying; "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (Jas. 1:19). And we can finish off this article by applying the truth that we have read here to the saying of the beloved apostle: "For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" (I Jn. 4:20) By the same token we can say, "How can we learn of God whom we cannot see, if we can't learn from our brother whom we can see?" Amen.
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
Remember him
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.
