Real America's Voice – Joni Table Talk (Nov 23rd, 2025)

Podcast: Real America’s Voice
Episode: Joni Table Talk – November 23rd, 2025
Date: November 23, 2025

Episode Overview

This special episode of Joni Table Talk explores two core themes: healing from the “orphan spirit” and navigating healthy leadership transitions in ministry and family. Through candid, faith-based discussion, guests share deeply personal stories about identity, belonging, rejection, and legacy. The episode features powerful testimony from Pastor Mark Jobe about overcoming childhood wounds and discovering true spiritual adoption, followed by insights from Pastors Kim and David Norris, a father-son duo, on how to transition leadership well—supported by practical wisdom and their book, Pass the Mic Before It Drops.

Healing the Orphan Spirit: Mark and Sandy Jobe’s Testimony

Setting the Stage ([03:55]-[05:29])

• Host Joni introduces the emotional question, “Have you ever felt like you didn't belong?”
• The panel (Cindy Johnston, Sandy Jobe, Kim Norris, Rachel Lambront, and Cindy Murdoch) resonates with themes of feeling unseen, rejected, or not enough.
• Sandy Jobe: “At times I still battle with rejection and feeling that I'm not enough. But I'm thankful for stories like today that help you see with God, you are.” ([04:45])

Defining the Orphan Spirit ([05:54]-[07:16])

• Mark Jobe provides a working definition:

  "An orphan spirit, boiled down, is really the spirit of the enemy to try to keep you from a relationship with God." ([06:15])

• It’s described as widespread—even in churches—blocking people's ability to feel valued or comfortable in God’s presence.

Symptoms of the Orphan Spirit ([06:55]-[09:19])

• Mark Jobe lists typical signs:
  • Never feeling successful “enough”
  • Self-worth tied to performance
  • Inability to feel affirmed or valued
  • Stepping on others or needing titles for validation
  • Name-dropping to seem important
  • Feeling excluded from God’s promises
• Notable Quote:

  “When you read the promises of God in the Word and a voice says to you, ‘That doesn’t apply to you now,’ you're blocked from any hope.” ([08:11])

Mark’s Adoption Story ([10:15]-[22:32])

• Born to a mother who was only 15, Mark was adopted at age five, learning only afterward that his stepfather was not his biological dad.
• He describes feeling like he “didn’t fit in,” becoming “addicted to peer pressure” and performance in sports, striving to feel noticed or affirmed.
• Remarkably, Mark’s biological father, Sonny, lived nearby and watched his football games silently from the sidelines—unbeknownst to Mark.

  “He was on the sidelines watching me play every game... but never came up and talked to me.” ([13:18])

• Mark recounts the first moment they met: making an appointment at his father’s bank, revealing himself during a deeply emotional meeting.

  “I said I came to just meet you... I don’t want anything. And he said, ‘I’ve been waiting for this moment a long time.’” ([16:23])

Breakthrough and Spiritual Adoption ([20:33]-[24:44])

• After his father’s death, Mark describes a healing moment with his grandmother, who, after years of denial, accepted him as her grandson:

  “She starts caressing my face and said, ‘You are Sonny’s boy.’ Something broke loose inside of me...” ([20:48])

• Mark’s story climaxes as he realizes—standing over his dying father—that he looked like him but didn’t know him, paralleling his relationship with God:

  “The Lord said, ‘You look like me, but you don’t know me...’ That’s when that broke in me, and I began to have relationship with my heavenly Father.” ([21:19])

• Mark leads listeners through a prayer to receive the “spirit of adoption,” emphasizing relationship over religion:

  “The Father will not disappoint you. He'll never leave you. He'll never forsake you... By the authority of the Word of God, you've been... accepted into the family of God. There’s a place for you at the table.” ([26:44])

Keys to Healthy Leadership Transition: “Pass the Mic Before It Drops”

Introducing the Transition Theme ([35:34]-[37:11])

• Joni pivots the conversation to leadership and legacy, introducing pastors Kim and David Norris, authors of Pass the Mic Before It Drops.
• Panelists discuss the importance of legacy, transitioning roles, and honoring those who paved the way.
• Notable Quote:

  “Legacy is history repeating itself... No matter your past, you get to choose what that's gonna look like for future generations.” – Dorothy Newton ([37:37])

The Norris Family’s Transition Story ([40:03]-[47:00])

• Kim Norris shares how David began in youth ministry, serving and learning without demanding the pulpit, acknowledging the slow process of maturing into leadership.
• David Norris discusses the challenges and pressures of growing up in ministry, his struggles with stuttering, rejection, and childhood abuse – and ultimately, his conversion at church camp.
  • His journey included acknowledging trauma, seeking counseling, and accepting accountability.
• Notable Quote:

  “We need people to help us understand ourselves. We need God… and we need the right people to help us: pastors, counselors, etc., and shining the light.” – David Norris ([52:11])

Transition Wisdom and Practical Steps ([55:01]-[61:00])

• Kim Norris describes assessing successors on patterns and attitude, not just potential:

  “If we think, hey, they'll change later, usually that's a mistake. …There is no success without a successor." ([55:46])

• David Norris emphasizes humility in successors: learn from those who came before you, respect differences, and honor legacy.
  • Avoid sudden, drastic change during transition; instead, initiate major shifts while the predecessor is still leading so that the team and culture can adapt gradually.
  • Notable Quote:

    “A lot of people… don’t change anything until they pass it, and then the new person becomes the bad guy. That’s a disaster.” ([58:02])

• Both warn: Don’t force a transition if there are heart or character issues.
  • “Legacy is too precious… Avoid the stumble and the transition.” ([60:48])

Memorable Quotes and Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|-------|---------| | 06:15 | “An orphan spirit, boiled down, is really the spirit of the enemy to try to keep you from a relationship with God.” | Mark Jobe | | 08:11 | “When you read the promises of God in the Word and a voice says to you, ‘That doesn’t apply to you now,’ you’re blocked from any hope.” | Mark Jobe | | 13:18 | “He was on the sidelines watching me play every game... but never came up and talked to me.” | Mark Jobe | | 20:48 | “She starts caressing my face and said, ‘You are Sonny’s boy.’ Something broke loose inside of me...” | Mark Jobe | | 26:44 | “The Father will not disappoint you. He'll never leave you. He'll never forsake you... By the authority of the Word of God, you've been... accepted into the family of God. There’s a place for you at the table.” | Mark Jobe | | 37:37 | “Legacy is history repeating itself... No matter your past, you get to choose what that's gonna look like for future generations.” | Dorothy Newton | | 55:46 | “If we think, hey, they'll change later, usually that's a mistake. …There is no success without a successor.” | Kim Norris | | 58:02 | “A lot of people… don’t change anything until they pass it, and then the new person becomes the bad guy. That’s a disaster.” | David Norris | | 60:48 | “Legacy is too precious… Avoid the stumble and the transition.” | David Norris |

Key Takeaways

• Healing identity wounds: The path to overcoming rejection—a sense of orphanhood—requires acceptance not just from family but from God as a loving Father. Healing comes through relationship, not performance.
• Practical signs to watch for: Symptoms like performance mentality, striving for approval, feeling disqualified from promises, and over-valuing titles can all point to deeper wounds of abandonment or rejection.
• Transitioning leadership: Successors must lead with humility, respect for history, and willingness to adapt. The process should be gradual and intentional—with predecessors enabling change before the handoff.
• Legacy is intentional: Legacy is built consciously, requires qualifying the next leader, and is jeopardized by ignoring character or heart issues.
• Faith and restoration: The spiritual dimension of belonging—knowing God as Father—restores true identity and breaks the cycle of orphan-thinking.

Important Timestamps

• Defining Orphan Spirit: [06:15]–[09:19]
• Mark Jobe’s testimony: [10:15]–[24:44]
• Prayer for healing and spiritual adoption: [26:44]–[29:29]
• Introductions and context for leadership transition: [35:34]–[37:11]
• Norris Family’s transition and healing journey: [40:03]–[52:11]
• Transition best practices and red flags: [55:01]–[61:00]

Final Thoughts

This deeply personal, faith-oriented episode provides comfort and instruction for anyone struggling with identity, rejection, or complex family histories, as well as practical wisdom for those facilitating succession—be it in church, family, or business.
"You don’t have to earn your place or prove your worth. Jesus is calling you today. He has a table prepared and a seat ready for you." ([29:29], Joni)