Anchormen Episode 41 A Changed Life w/ Ed Ivanyo

Our lives get changed all the time and influenced by so many things but this week, our guest, Ed Ivanio, will tell us a little about how he grew up learning and knowing about God, but since he has began a journey with the Anchormen over a year ago, His life has changed.

How has his view of who God has changed and now Ed understands Who God is and not about Him. What God has done in his life and how this change or "New Identity" has had an impact on his own children and the hundreds that he has influenced on as a local principle at a local Middle school here in Northwest Indiana.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:09

In our walk with God, we often experience moments when our faith is tested. It's in these times that we truly discover what it means to be anchored in faith. Our faith is like a sturdy ship anchored in the harbor. It keeps us grounded when the waves of life toss us around. When we lean on God in His Word, we find the strength to persevere and trust in His plans. They anchormen remind us weekly that Jesus is our anchor, providing stability and assurance in the midst of uncertainty. Together, let's dive deeper into the powerful words that encourage us to hold fast in the faith of Jesus the Lord and not rely on our good words to be in righteousness.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

Timer's on.

SPEAKER_02 1:24

Timers on. We're going back.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

Animal Stories with John Rutgers Landecker.

SPEAKER_02 1:30

No, that was that was not Rutgers Landecker. Who was it? That was Larry Lujak. Oh, Larry Lujak. I remember those guys. Yeah, I love them guys. Well, as you can tell, we're getting ready to start this uh Anchorman Anchored by Grace podcast. Uh thank you guys all for joining us today. It's uh it's good to have uh a guest in the in the house. Another one! Another new guest in the house. This is wonderful. Uh Ed, he's one of our Anchormen that come here on Thursday night. He's been coming for about a year and a half now? I think so, yeah. It's about a year and a half, okay. I couldn't remember the exact timeline, but it's it's good to have you here.

SPEAKER_00 2:08

Um we gotta ask the question. Ask the question what nationality are you? Oh we were talking about that today, Czechoslovakia. All right, a little Russian. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 2:19

So, and how do you pronounce your last name?

SPEAKER_01 2:21

Ivanio. Ivanio. Ivanio.

SPEAKER_02 2:23

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 2:24

Ivan Yo with an I. With an I. And just the other day he someone asked me, Ernest, you know, he knew one of uh a relative and says, Yeah, I'm related. And he was questioning the I and the E. Well, the story is this when they came over on the boat, my grandparents and all the brothers and sisters, uh, the beginning few didn't change it. They just left it as an E. But then the ones that came up later, uh like my dad, my grandfather, we call him Zeto, uh, they changed it to an I, so it's an I. So the E's and the I's are the same family.

SPEAKER_02 2:59

And Todd, I don't know. I think that's an Italian name. Lezinski? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:04

It's actually in Polish, it's Leczynski. Is it? But there's no way I'm gonna pronounce it that way. Why? Because then everybody knows that you are Polish.

SPEAKER_02 3:12

Well, you're no I'm not even gonna go there. Well, thanks, Ed, for coming here and being with us today. Um, I want to start out by just asking you, well, you know, what's the prayer you were gonna say? Yeah, that's what we're gonna do. I know that's what you're gonna say. That's a prayer. All right, dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this time together. Uh, thank you for Ed to come here and join us today on his podcast. And uh Father, let this uh Holy Spirit lead this conversation as it always does. And uh you're here, and we ask you to uh just be with us as uh we just explore what you have us to learn today. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. All right. So my question to you is since you've been coming here for about a year and a half, what was your uh your religion experience before you started coming to to Anchorman?

SPEAKER_01 4:13

So uh my dad and his family uh were Byzantine Catholic, are Byzantine Catholic, and I went to uh Byzantine Catholic church throughout my youth. Um I got uh first holy communion there and everything. Um my mom is from Virginia, Baptist, and she's passed away, but um she went with my father, he led, he he he took us all to church, and it was pretty strict and how we needed to go every Sunday, and um you know he did have shift work, sometimes we miss. Uh, and then you know, after some time passed and we grew up and moved, uh my mom kind of went towards Methodists, and she started going to that uh denomination, the church right outside of where we lived. So my brother and I we would go to that church, and uh when my dad was working, so I was going to two different places. I felt more in you know, more of a feeling from the Methodist church. Um inside, I didn't really express it because I you know I was a teenager, and a lot of times I was like, ah man, Sunday, I don't want to go. But uh, you know, it started out Byzantine. I started out always knowing God, knowing God. Um, through my mom's church, I started seeing the uh more than knowing, but not to such a degree that it sunk in. Um there's a lot of thoughts as I, you know, was growing up. Oh, I'll do it later, I'll do it later, or this will happen then. And I really didn't see anything like that, um, or experience anything like that for sure in in the Byzantine and with my meth uh Methodist experience, just probably but more so because of me. So, and then we we uh I got married and we tried to find some churches and we my kids went to Emmanuel, um, we went to Calvary for a bit, um, and then you know, COVID hit, and then we find another church online, um, first church in Hebron, and we started going there. But um, you know, through going to church at Hebron, uh, that's you know, I I realized you know, I because my mom would, she was a big influence in my Christian life. Um she's like, you you need to profess in front of people. And I that's one of the things I said, well I'll do it later. I'll do it later. And and um there was a point where my wife and I we went and we had profession at first church in August of 2023. Um and I felt good about it, and you know, I'm I'm now listening to podcasts, I'm uh doing Bible studies with my wife in the mornings, and um then one day we meet Larry for lunch or for breakfast. And Larry Wright. Yes, another one of our guys.

SPEAKER_03 7:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:19

And he prays in public right there. Invites me here, and then I come here, and then I see you guys and what you're talking about. You mention Andrew Farley, I start listening to him, and man did it turn. I'm starting to get more of a personal relationship. I'm understanding the love relationship that is out there with Jesus, and things, and I'm doing a fast story, but things click, and the next thing you know, through people here and conversations and just understanding and growing, I end up at the great banquet. And man. Things have changed in the last year and a half or something.

SPEAKER_02 8:03

Yes, yeah, that was awesome. Yeah, yeah. Unbelievable. So yeah, it sounded like you've changed from knowing about God to knowing God.

SPEAKER_01 8:12

Yes, yeah, and and just and you know, there's there's moments here and there, but just to know that you have that personal relationship with him, um, and you can talk, and you know he's speaking to you somehow, some way. Yeah I mean, even tonight, I feel like is his doing.

SPEAKER_03 8:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:34

And uh and it and it's the the constant uh, you know, I don't want to say rehashing, but when we come here and we talk and you just learn new things and and you your mind turns and you find out new areas and um and then when you talked about the tug of the Holy Spirit, I I truly feel that here and there. And I mean I'd like to say I said I do it all the time, but sometimes I kinda I kind of don't. And but just to know that he's out there, Jesus is out there, he just coming and working through you and and setting things and knowing everything's gonna be alright with him.

SPEAKER_00 9:15

Yeah, I've got uh I've got a really inquisitive question. So you're you're a principal in the area, yeah. You obviously, I mean, you've got the educational background. Well, in the educational background, with pretty much everything that you're taught, it is what it is. You go to math, two times two is four, it's always gonna be four. You go to English class, whatever you learn in English, English class, pretty much it's it's the same, it doesn't change. Your Christian life, not that way. You probably you went through and you learned what you learned, but now that you have learned the grace message, how was that difficult for you? Was it uh an easy transition? What tell us a little bit about that because of like with your educational background and the way things are.

SPEAKER_01 10:18

So I did there was a bit of a struggle with with works because I I struggled with okay, Grace, no matter what, you're saved. You don't have to do anything. And then yeah, I you I hear people well, well, they're doing this and they're doing that, and like, well, should I be doing those things? And um that was something that kind of was a little bit of a struggle, but as I just I as I listened and I prayed and and and felt in my heart that that I know I don't need to do a thing because if I do something, then I'm trying to earn something. And it's just an absolute all-out loving gift, a gift that just we have to just accept like we don't have to, but that it's glorious to accept. Um so I don't think of the works. I I want to do things, but not because I have to. Yes. Um, I I you want to. Yes. It's it and I know some people are like, well, the grace is just an excuse to sin and all that. And I try to think of an analogy because I like to do analogies, but I think if let's say you're you're homeless and you're on the road and you're you're getting in and uh and you're uh sleeping in um cardboard boxes and all that, and then someone comes up and says, Listen, I just got a million-dollar house for you. That's yours, free of charge. So am I gonna go in saying, I don't want it because I want to set fire to it on purpose. I'm gonna I mean, I'm not going to do that. Yeah, I'm not going to ruin that house. Right. Maybe I might spill bacon grease and catch a little fire here and there on accident, but yeah. But I'm going to accept it. I'm going to want to keep it well, and that's a gift. Yeah. That's the gift that I've got.

SPEAKER_02 12:12

How is how has the this gift uh transitioned to your public school leading at the public school? Has it changed the way you you lead at the public school?

SPEAKER_01 12:26

I feel, yes. Um I do have a knee-jerk reaction with things, and I know that knee-jerk reaction now goes through a system of checks. Um I I have moments to be like, oh, okay, hold on. You know, understand what's going on, you gotta relax. Um and I felt that it has given me more of a uh a calming, uh patient uh demeanor in terms of things and uh and dealing with items and also to think that uh to think that I'm the only one that God is dealing with, that's a prideful thing. I have to know, and I need it. These are also God's children, yeah. And some of them might be brothers and sisters already, others might be future brothers and sisters, so why would I want to do do anything, you know? I mean, and sometimes you need a little sternness and you know, it's not.

SPEAKER_02 13:34

Oh, everybody does. We all need some discipline. I know I do. Yeah, we all need discipline, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:38

So, but yes, I it it has changed how I approach.

SPEAKER_02 13:41

Have you have you had any pushback or challenges from the school board about the way you're doing things?

SPEAKER_01 13:47

Uh no, I the the the uh there's nothing in that reached anything there.

SPEAKER_02 13:51

Yeah, yeah, that's good. You're doing it right. I know this this general area where you're at in the school you're at, it's a little more lenient, I think. I I don't know for sure, but I feel as though that area down there might be a little more lenient. Uh but you're not teaching religion down there.

SPEAKER_00 14:08

Right. You're not walking around with Jesus shirts on about the hallways and telling, stopping every kid and saying, Hey, do you want to accept Christ?

SPEAKER_02 14:16

Yeah, yeah, you're not doing that.

SPEAKER_01 14:17

So and what they want to see, they just want to see that you care about them, that there's a caring path. And you know, I think I just heard something recently, you want to show that you care and love, and then make that caring and loving bridge so then now Jesus can walk down it.

SPEAKER_00 14:33

Yeah, you know what's really cool. Um, so the last four days my son has gone to basketball camp at Valparaiso University, and um Roger Powell, the head coach there, is a very big believer and has very strong faith and actually is a minister. And before and at the end of every camp, he prayed. Doesn't ask for permission, and uh I think that that's kind of cool, if I'm not mistaken, isn't Valpo a Lutheran um denomination? But I I just like the fact that he's decided this is what I'm going to do, take it or leave it. And uh it just it's really awesome, and to see the culture there now that he's building, it is phenomenal. I mean, talking to the players and stuff, and I can only imagine what it what it's like, you know, because I know in in through my work, I've had plenty of opportunities to talk to people about Christ, and I do. Um, you know, all you've got to do sometimes is just listen, and then you'll hear the ding ding ding ding go off, and then you can talk to people, and I've had awesome conversations, and then you know, when I've ended it, I've told the people, I said, I'd always rather have this conversation right now that we just had than insurance any day of the week. You know, it's just so enjoyable, and I'm sure that you find that to be the the same with your work. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:02

How has the uh how has the school, the teachers, uh have they noticed a change in you? Do you know is that anything that noticed the change?

SPEAKER_01 16:11

I think so. There's there's a there's a couple on staff that we're able to talk with about God. Um but yeah, I I I feel like it's a good it's a good unit. How how long have you been a principal down there? Elementary since 2017.

SPEAKER_02 16:30

Okay, so it's been almost ten years, nine years. Well that's excellent.

SPEAKER_00 16:35

I got a question for you. You brought up that you've been praying and doing studies with your wife. Um how has it been for her and how has it been for you introducing to her the grace message?

SPEAKER_01 16:49

Um so yeah, I talk about things when we get home, and you know, she just listens and you know is just happy to hear, and um it's you know, our relationship is really blossomed from things that we read because you know, we'll pick we'll pick some uh Bible plans that you know I don't know if it's always been there, the grace message, but I find it in things now. Yeah, like I find it in things that I listen to, it's like wow, this is what Farley says. We call it the grace lens, right? That's I definitely have a grace lens now. Because usually you think, oh, okay, you have this side and you have that side, but now when things mesh, that's really awesome.

SPEAKER_02 17:33

Yeah, and I think it's become it's made me more aware of what we're not getting taught in our churches. Like, okay, what do you what do you really believe? Do you really believe our faith is works-based, or do we really believe it's because of grace? I really believe because of grace. Uh it's not works-based. We can't earn it, we can't do enough to get salvation. It's a free gift.

SPEAKER_00 17:59

Ephesians 2, 8 through 9. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves. It is a gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.

SPEAKER_02 18:13

Exactly. Beautiful. Good time. Todd, Todd's our our uh official he can live. We've got to have scripture in all of our scripture and he goes to it and he finds it. It's like that's excellent. But it's it's uh that's good. And uh, and I think the grace message is important to understand. I have a hard time trying to teach that the grace message to my grandkids because I'm not I only see them very often. I think I try to be more of an example to them than trying to teach them anything. Uh and I I hope that all the men that have come to our anchormen group are trying to lead by example or leading by example the grace, what what grace message is. Because look, Todd and I were talking earlier today, there's a lot of stuff going on at churches, even in Sunday school classes, that doesn't line up with the grace message. And how do we know what they're teaching? It's uh we need to go into those churches and those classrooms and say, what are you teaching? What's the curriculum? And look at it. I don't know if should we do that? No, I mean uh it's just yeah, I think it's important to know what we're being what the kids and what we're being taught in church taught.

SPEAKER_00 19:27

Do you have a goal now? Like with your kids, you know, I want to get the grace message over to my kids so that they understand it, or how have you thought about it? I think as dads we always think about that stuff.

SPEAKER_01 19:40

Yeah, I I I mean, again, they I've talked to them about coming here. Um, I know, like right now, my son, he's practicing drums for Sunday. Um, but I think he would really enjoy this here. And my other one is down uh at Marion. But uh I've talked to them about it, and I told them the array of minds that are here and ages and how how awesome it is to see some young guys here. But yes, I've talked. Um I know my oldest last weekend chose to be baptized uh in church, um, so that was uh an awesome experience. But uh I know his views and uh uh are aligning with the grace message. I know my little boy, he has taken an interest in looking at Catholicism and just learning about it. I think he would really like it here. Yeah, I once he got comfortable, I think he would like love uh to hear Brad. And my daughter, she's uh she's you know, step by step, you know, getting some experience. She just went through surgery, we prayed for it, things are coming out good, and I'd say you guys like So what are what are your boys' names? Tate is the oldest, Ty is the second, Lexi is the Tate and Ty.

SPEAKER_00 20:58

Yeah. So Tate and Ty, we know that you're gonna be listening to this podcast in the future. You are both very much welcomed and invited to to come to the Anchorman group. We'd love to have you.

SPEAKER_02 21:13

And if you didn't hear that, you're deaf. Again. Like he has to hear that, we have to hear his voice. It's all in fun. Loud and clear. Well, I don't know clear, but loud.

SPEAKER_00 21:32

Actually, I did that. I thought my sexy voice was no one wants to hear that.

SPEAKER_02 21:38

Not even your wife wants to hear that. But all right, well, I'm gonna close this up here uh just to say thank you again, Ed, and appreciate what you've been here for a year and a half. Yeah. Every time you you speak, you don't speak much, but every time you speak, it's always very uh full of wisdom. Really full of wisdom. And and I just appreciate you jumping in and going, you know what, I got a question. Yeah, not everybody does that. A lot of guys keep the questions in. You could you come right out and say, I got a question, I gotta, I gotta back up a little bit. Let's just back up. And that's encouraging to me, just to see anybody doing that. And uh, but uh anything else? That's it.

SPEAKER_01 22:19

Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_02 22:20

Oh yeah, I'm glad you're here. Ed, would you want to close us in prayer?

SPEAKER_01 22:24

Sure. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for letting us be here and having you speak through us through this uh casual conversation that others can hear. Hopefully, uh we've touched the lives of someone out there. And uh again, thank you for the group of anchormen, John and Todd, and all the other guys, and um just ask that you're with us tonight um as we go through our um session, and uh just tonight with the storms, let everyone be safe. In your name we pray. Amen.

SPEAKER_02 22:53

Thanks again, Ed. Yes, thank you, Ed. Thank you. Um see you guys next week. Anchors Away. All right, talk to you guys later. Bye bye.

SPEAKER_03 23:03

Thank you for listening to Ancony Anchor I