Talk to focus on fatherhood and leadership - Lloydminster Meridian ...

By Murray Crawford

Posted 11 hours ago

Leadership and hard work will be the focus of this year?s annual Mayor?s Prayer Breakfast as actor Robert Amaya will talk about the importance of leadership, as well as authenticity, within family.

Amaya is excited for the trip, as it will be his first time in Canada. The Florida native has been promised his first bison burger or steak on the trip.

But the main reason the actor is coming to the Border City is to speak at the annual Mayor?s Prayer Breakfast this coming Friday.

?I know I will be talking about the importance of family and authenticity,? said Amaya. ?In order to be a good leader, to raise good children or just to be a decent husband or wife you need to know how to be authentic and genuine.?

He pointed specifically to biblical scripture as showing how people don?t need to hold up masks.

?That?s what Jesus came for,? said Amaya. ?He came so we don?t have to wear the masks, we can just rely on his forgiveness.?

Amaya recently had a role in the Christian movie Courageous, a movie about the importance of fatherhood and its impact on families. He said the role reminded him of his father.

?It felt like I was playing my dad, to be quite honest,? said Amaya, adding his father came to the United States when he was about 20 from El Salvador.

?He had little to nothing, basically just the clothes on his back. He worked his tail off, learned the language, got married and had two children. My entire childhood I remember seeing my dad working hard to provide and never ever compromising on his beliefs.?

Amaya grew up in a Christian home and his father was a pastor for a couple of years and a preacher for many years. It was his dad?s hard work that he valued the most.

Another element of scripture that Amaya spoke of is the drive for working hard and that hard work is a good thing.

?Before sin ever came into the picture man was created to work,? said Amaya. ?We were designed to work the garden and keep it.?

But he said the value and results of hard work go beyond religious ideals, and the ability to recognize and understand the importance of hard work should be a universal concept.

?For most Christians working hard is the way of actual worship,? said Amaya. ?It?s a way of thanking God in front of everyone around us of being able to work.?

Growing up Amaya was always creative as he played numerous musical instruments and sang for a while professionally. In 2002 a church friend who was running a small community theatre invited him to play a role in a production he was working on.

?It was the first time I?d ever acted and I got hooked right away,? said Amaya.

Both Amaya and his wife got right into it and they had the opportunity to be a part of productions of well-known plays such as Miss Saigon and Les Miserables.

Eventually the productions went from stage to screen, which Amaya said was a different type of experience. Whereas with a stage production you get one shot and nearly instant feedback, on the screen it can be a year between when an actor finished production and the film premieres.

?I learned a lot about what it is to be a husband and a father in the making of the film,? said Amaya.

The film will influence the speech as Amaya said part of what he portrays in his role is what he will talk about.

?We?re going to want to dive in practical ways of showing leadership,? said Amaya. ?It doesn?t just apply to Christianity, it applies in general. And I believe a lot of the answers we?re seeking for are found through scripture.?

Amaya said is not a whole lot like the character he played in the movie Courageous.

?For starters I don?t have an accent,? said Amaya. ?I once had someone recognize me ask me to get on their phone and talk to their daughter. It took me about 20 minutes to convince her it was actually me because I didn?t have the accent.?

Another element though is that he is an active and boisterous speaker, which he said will mean a lively presentation.

?I?m very passionate about what I talk about, because I believe in what I talk about,? said Amaya. ?I believe very much in my faith and what God has done for me and my family.?

Tickets to the annual Mayor?s Prayer Breakfast cost $35 each or $440 for a reserved table of eight. It will be held at the Lloydminster Stockade Convention Centre with doors opening at 7 a.m. and the event getting underway at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 15. Tickets are available at Verses in Lloydminster or by calling 780-871-4722.

Source: http://www.meridianbooster.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3602733

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