Pastor Norm grew up near Durham, North Carolina with his mom and dad and younger brother, Steve. He gave his heart to Jesus as a child, sitting in his living room alone watching Billy Graham on television.As a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he became active in Baptist Student Union, where he began to truly develop a relationshipNorm worked as a youth minister in In 1994, Norm took a position at Front Street Baptist in Statesville. During the life-changing two years at Front Street, the Cannadas answered the call to inner-city missions. Front Street became their sending church as they made the move to Charleston. Norm has served as pastor of West Charleston Baptist Church since July of 1997. He is a Church Planter Strategist with the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.Pastor Norm loves baseball, no matter who is playing, but he particularly loves the Boston RedSox. He's a faithful supporter of his UNC Tarheels, the proud dad of Tres (and his wife Courtney), Billy, Shannon, and "Papi" to granddaughter, Emeri and grandsons Drake and Elliot.
That is a friend’s response to the question “how are you.” Without hesitation or change, he responds the same way every time he is asked the question. It startles some and brings a smile to others, but it is the response all of us need to have every day. It recognizes that we are sinners in need of a Savior, and that every good and perfect gift comes from the Lord.We take a lot for granted today and we are not nearly as grateful as we should be. The words “Thank You” are sometimes forgotten. I am one of the worst for this, but I am trying to get better. During a great crisis in our ministry last year, I took an afternoon to seek the help of the Lord. I told Him I would do whatever He wanted. He responded by telling me to write Thank You notes. I didn’t understand why, but I went to the store and purchased a pack of Thank You notes and began to send the notes as the Lord directed me. By the end of the afternoon, I had mailed 19 notes to people who had helped us in various ways. I didn’t understand what it had to do with my crisis, but I did it. Just a few days later, in a totally unexpected way, the Lord took care of our crisis.What I learned and am still learning from the experience is that “God inhabits the praises of His people.” (Psalm 22:3) God can’t resist us when we offer Him praise and thanksgiving because it acknowledges Him as the Giver of all good things. It acknowledges that we are completely helpless without Him. Take time to praise the Lord today. Tell Him how great He is and how much you love Him. Tell Him how grateful you are for the relationship you have with Him today. Every day with Jesus is a day when we are better than we deserve. Great is His faithfulness.
