DIANE CANADA
PODCAST HOST, AUTHOR, SPEAKER, NATIONAL TV COMMENTATOR
Diane Canada is a national television commentator, author, speaker, and the Founder of the Lady Up America movement. She is the host of the Lady Up America podcast, which has featured guests including Marsha Blackburn, Riley Gaines, Lee Greenwood, Kevin Sorbo & Dr. Carol Swain. Diane was the 2020 Republican Nominee for the Tennessee State House of Representatives District 56 & honored with an extraordinary citizen award from the TN State Legislature and the She Leads Tennessee organization for her Lady Up America movement.
She is a graduate of the Heritage Foundation's Political Leadership Academy, has served on the Mayor’s Minority and Business Advisory Council in Nashville, is a Founders Club member of the American Bible Project, and was the Nashville Political Advocate for the National Association of Women Business Owners.
Before getting into politics, she founded her own consulting firms, specializing in launching women’s businesses & resuscitating businesses in crisis spanning 20 years. Find out more about Diane at ladyupamerica.com
God Has The Best Drip Campaign Ever!
DIANE CANADA
My dad was in his Junior year at the University of Florida with a guaranteed job waiting for him in broadcasting at NBC upon his graduation. He met my mom and was saved in her church, where he was so moved that he switched to Florida Bible College to become a Pastor.
After they married and started a family, we were constantly on the move as he was planting churches before ultimately leading congregations of his own. We were the dutiful Pastor’s family, adhering to strict rules, but I can’t say that we knew what a “relationship with the Lord” looked like. It was all just so formal with expectations to represent my dad well.
When my Dad left my mom, my sister, and me for another woman, our family and faith were shattered. How could a Pastor abandon his family? How could a loving God let this happen? A million questions went unanswered for many years as we struggled to find our way. My life became a series of fumbles in the dark, making life-altering mistakes that hurt deeply, and having no concept of what a victorious life was supposed to look like.
I received an unexpected visit from a Pastor in my living room one evening. He asked, “Has the world beaten you up enough out there yet? Are you ready to come home? If so, this is God reaching out His hand and hoping you’ll take it tonight.” I surprisingly grabbed the Pastor’s hand without understanding why. I just knew, somehow, that I needed hope. I now see that God has the best “drip campaign” ever. He guides us slowly out of the dark, gently into the light, and begins to heal the broken pieces of our hearts. God draws us into a relationship, not just rules to follow.
I’ve been walking and growing with the Lord now for over 30 years, and I see the evidence of Jesus in my transformed life. I see now that people may hurt people, but God can heal our hearts and repurpose the pain. I see that hope is found in nothing that this fleeting world can offer us. I see that happiness is based on what “happens” to us, but joy is an inner knowing that no matter what “happens,” we are at peace in God’s arms. I now know that peace is our inheritance from God, but forgiveness and obedience are the keys to that peace. God designed us for relationship, so we never walk alone. God has walked with us into every room we have ever entered, been in every vehicle we’ve ever driven, and held us during every worry-filled midnight hour. God is real and so close to us every minute. When I surrendered my life to my Creator and asked for help in navigating this spiritual battleground of life, that’s when I finally learned what victory means.