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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Legacy · Q&A

Order and Edification in a Prayer Meeting

Raphael-inspired painting of a person kneeling in prayer beside a window overlooking a tranquil blue lake.
© By One Spirit Ministries

Question:

Dear Lary,

Thankyou for your prompt reply. Your comments are appreciated. My wife and I were once Jehovah's Witnesses until we met the real Lord Jesus in 1978. We were baptised in the Holy Spirit shortly after we came to Him. So, the question is not about "praying in the Spirit" but rather the fact that the type of prayer meeting came into being as a result of someone saying that, "I believe that the Lord has called us into a season of prayer in which we will gather Monday through Friday from 6:30 to 7pm to pray in the Spirit for 30 minutes". This is in addition to the weekly evening prayer meeting on Wednesdays from 7-8pm; Wednesdays at 9:30-10:30 for Intercessors and also11-12noon for all who would like to attend and also 10 minutes before Sunday morning and evening services.

In all these meetings people do all the things you do in your meetings. However, these meetings are "led" to pray for all the needs and work of the church; the church family and the body of Christ. The leading of the Holy Spirit is sought in all of these. But, the 30 minutes each week-day is not led by anyone and there are no specifics given as to what to pray for, there is nothing but praying in tongues for the full 30 minutes - no topics suggested, no needs mentioned, no "words" and no other comments are made. People just file in and cease to speak to each other for the full time and then go home! These meetings have been running for over two months and nothing seems to have come of it all - in fact the numbers have dwindled from nearly 30 each night to sometimes only 2-3? My wife and I can't qualify this in the Word, no do we know anyone who has experienced this - that's why I thought I would ask further afield?

Fred

Answer:

Hi Again Fred,

I'm glad to hear from you again. Thanks for getting me straightened out about the issue. I'm also glad to learn that your wife and yourself have been born of the Spirit of God. It sounds like a lot of other people have felt the same thing that you and your wife have felt, from what you said about the dwindling numbers. I do agree that someone should be leading the group to some extent, like you mentioned. When there is no right leadership there's always confusion. Are you certain that where you are, as far as a congregation, is where you belong? I do know by the Spirit and by the Scriptures (Rev. 18:4) that God is calling His people unto Himself, and out of a whole lot of religious things that are hindering His people from being led and taught by the Spirit. God was being boxed out by His people even before the first century A.D. was finished (Rev. 3:20), so it's no marvel that He would be calling His people out of situations now that are not prospering His people's souls and lives. (Rev. 3:20 is often used as a call to sinners to come to Christ, but actually it was a message from Jesus to the Pastor [angel or messenger] of the congregation in Laodicea).

I would say that the best thing that you can do is just really seek the Lord together for an answer about the whole situation. I'm sure He will manifest the truth of the matter to you. He may be using this situation to get something across to you, in terms of direction. My perception is that you are wanting to do whatever is the right thing to do, and God may be bringing you through this so that you can search Him out about it, and He can open up a clearer path to you on a larger scale than just this particular situation.

To be perfectly open with you, most of God's people are in situations where the affiliations that they are part of are in many things causing the people who are seeking to be led by God's Spirit to go in another direction. One of the things that constitute this condition is over-much religious service that God simply is not in. I do admit it does sound kind of like this is what is going on here. The result of being in this kind of strait is a confusion on the part of honest hearted believers between feeling in their hearts that they are not being truly blessed in

all of this supposed service to the Lord, but not wanting to fail God by not going along with it all. It can and does paralyze the spirit of those who allow themselves to continue to be trapped in this manner. I know a lot of people who are in that very state, and for whatever reason, they allow themselves to continue to be weighted down by that captivity. The Lord gave me a dream somewhere around 16-18 years ago where He let me feel exactly what people in that kind of situation are feeling and dealing with. If you're interested I'll be glad to tell you and your wife about it. It's quite a revealing dream, and totally scriptural. Anyway I hope maybe I've said something to help in some way, and you're always welcome to correspond. May God bless you both mightily!

Sincerely,

Lary

Follow-up:

Question:

Good morning again Lary!

Thankyou again for getting back to us so quickly. I guess you've said a lot that we are already thinking and praying about. It's difficult to know what the right course of action is when we have two married daughters and their husbands and children also fellowshipping in the same church?

However, we only want what our Heavenly Father wants for us and rest assured that is what we will do. Yes, if it is not too much trouble, we would like to know about your dream as you said. There is much that goes on in the church today that is simply not of God - it's just that this prayer thing has confronted us and we want to be really sure that we are not missing something - that's why we spend so much time in the Word when we come across something that doesn't "sit". Thanks for being there.

Fred

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