Larry Buford – Page 4 – Los Angeles Sentinel

Words of the Week – The Reason for the Season

Rev. Dr. Kelvin T. Calloway, Rev. Dr. Najuma Smith-Pollard and Larry Buford, Contributing WritersDecember 20, 2017

This season, sisters and brothers, is not just one of fun, food and fellowship. It is not just one of parties, gifts, and toys. This season is the season of great joy. This was the prophetic pronouncement made by the angel of the Lord that ancient night to the shepherds; “I bring you good tidings of great joy.” It was a pronouncement worth singing, shouting and dancing about. This joy by which the shepherds were apprehended that night wasn’t just for them, this pronouncement of great joy was for all people. The joy of this season is for everybody.

National News News (Entertainment)

L.A. Memorial Slated for Motown Legend Bobby Taylor

by Larry Buford, Contributing WriterSeptember 21, 2017

Taylor died Saturday morning, July 22, 2017, at a hospital in Hong Kong, where he’d been living for the last several years.

Religion

Importance of a President’s Words of Solace, Comfort and Resolve

Larry Buford, Contributing WriterAugust 16, 2017

President Bush did it after the 911 tragedy; President Obama did it countless times after mass murder incidents – they offered words of solace, comfort, and resolve. President Trump failed to do so after the tragic Charlottesville protest where a white-supremacist deliberately plowed through, in a speeding car, a crowd of counter-protesters killing one and injuring several others. Trump’s words in part were “We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence, on many sides…on many sides.” He failed to call by name the “side” of neo-Nazi and Ku Klux Klan far-right extremists who

Religion

Words of the Week – O.J. Simpson: Biblical Joseph Story in Reverse

Larry Buford, Contributing WriterAugust 2, 2017

As I watched the O.J. Simpson parole hearing, I couldn’t help but think how life can take unexpected turns. Since 1994, we have watched a superstar – a man who was on top of the world – fall from grace in rapid fashion. We all know the story of his trial in the murders of his wife Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman. He was acquitted in that trial, but about 10 years later, he wasn’t so lucky when the state of Nevada convicted him in a robbery case for which he was given a harsh 33-year sentence. This was his

Celebration of Life Entertainment Music

Sylvia Moy: Motown’s First Female Record Producer Passes

Larry BufordApril 26, 2017

There was a time during the Motown “Heyday” that you could not say Stevie Wonder without saying Sylvia Moy.

Religion

Agape Christian Fellowship Shares Good News Gospel

Larry Buford, Contributing WriterApril 19, 2017

The men’s group at Agape Christian Fellowship, led by Pastor Edward L. Haygood, recently sent out squads to share the Good News of Jesus Christ in the Athens/Rosewood communities. The group distributed cards that show people how to share the Gospel in 60 seconds. People who received the cards responded by honking their horns in support as the sign-carrying squads marched down El Segundo Blvd. Plans are in the works for another such outing. The public is invited to participate and may obtain more details by calling the church at (323) 757-0254.

Religion

The Writing, the Reading and the Telling!

Larry Buford, Contributing WriterApril 12, 2017

For a sworn testimony, we are asked by the courts: “Please place your right hand on the Bible: Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?” Most people do it without even knowing a scintilla of what’s in that book! The Bible! People may boast, “I have a Bible…matter of fact, I’ve got two!” And so it may be; they have one collecting dust on the coffee table, and the other collecting dust on their nightstand! But what does it mean to just “have” a Bible? Some people feel

Religion

‘Hidden Figures’ Exemplifies MLK’s Famous Quote

Larry Buford, Contributing WriterFebruary 8, 2017

The movie “Hidden Figures” is a wonderfully untold non-fiction story written by Margot Lee Shetterly about three brilliant “colored” women working in key positions at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the dark Jim Crow era. The main characters – Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) – served on a team of brains for the historical launching of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. Directed by Theodore Melfi who co-wrote the script with Allison Schroeder, some of the scenes and portrayals may have been a little glossy and imbalanced as

Religion

President Obama Kept the Faith Through the Nonsensical

Larry Buford, Contributing WriterJanuary 19, 2017

Once during an interview on MSNBC, President Barack Obama said of then-House Majority Speaker John Boehner: “The only thing that’s stopping him is that John Boehner right now has not been willing to say ‘no’ to a faction of the Republican Party that are willing to burn the house down because of an obsession over my health care initiative.” Those tea party extremists like Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Virginia), and others were the kids who were bent on having their own way. I was reminded of a college friend who had a babysitting

Religion

‘Get Mad and Do It!’ (For the good)

Larry Buford, Contributing WriterJanuary 12, 2017

My father, Milton, once told me of the day he was on the job where he worked together with his uncle, Allen (my great-uncle), and the boss ordered him to do something he did not think was fair among the workers. My father huffed, puffed and kicked up dust, and Uncle Allen said to him: “Get mad and do it!” That was wisdom speaking – times were tough then and Uncle Allen knew the ropes; the consequence of not obeying orders. My father learned a lesson in humility and for the good. He had a family to provide for. Sometimes,

Religion

Words of the Week – The Yoke of the ‘Trumpence’ Era

Larry Buford, Contributing WriterDecember 1, 2016

Post-election angst is prevalent everywhere. It’s like a court arraignment and America has to answer to an indictment. The election of Donald Trump and Mike Pence – which I’ve coined “Trumpence” – came as a surprise to everyone. In 2015, when Trump announced his candidacy for president, we pretty much dismissed it as a farce. Surely “The Donald” could never be president. That measure of impossibility hovered over President Barack Obama’s campaign too, but God has the final say. As the “potter” He fashions vessels for His honor or for dishonor. People are scratching their heads, wondering how after a

Religion

Words of the Week – Halloween: Saints vs. ‘Haints’

Larry Buford, Contributing WriterOctober 27, 2016

Right after Jesus died on the cross, Matthew 27:51-53 tells us: “Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” It is believed God opened the graves of those who followed Him to underscore Jesus’ resurrection. As a result, people began to celebrate what became known as All Saints Day

Religion

The People’s Choice When God is Rejected

Larry Buford, Contributing WriterOctober 6, 2016

Most of us will agree that this is the worst general election we’ve experienced in our lifetime. People are speaking out against Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton alike and threatening not to even bother going to the polls on November 8. There was a time when one could vote for the “lesser of two evils,” but Trump and Clinton seem to be tied at the bottom of the scrap heap. America has been in a moral, downward spiral ever since we began rejecting the true and living God in our homes, schools, government and all other spheres of influence. The

Religion

Pledge of Allegiance: Reflection on Orlando Tragedy

Larry Buford, Contributing WriterJune 16, 2016

In the aftermath of the horrific tragedy that took place in Orlando, FL on June 12, we are seeing clips on the news of people pledging their allegiance to America. We hear words like ‘whether you are Black, White, Asian, Latino, straight, gay, Christian, Muslim, and the list goes on – we are all Americans.’ That’s the spirit! But sadly it seems, only in times like these. What about every day? If the heads of state, the United States Senate and Congress can open each session with the Pledge of Allegiance, why can’t the rank and file? I’m aware of

Religion

Hymn to Him: The Power of Congregational Singing

Larry Buford (Contributing Writer)February 17, 2016

Although screen monitors are used these days, I remember the interaction while sharing a hymnal and singing together with the person next to me in church – pointing out each stanza on each staff to keep up. There was something about congregational singing that was wholesome and you could feel it in the air and in your heart. Many churches today have either abandoned or just don’t know or don’t care about the value of congregational singing. On today’s church circuit, it’s not uncommon to hear a choir director or song stylist shout, “Get your praise on,” as if we