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 met my mom when he was in his junior year of college, with a guaranteed job in broadcasting waiting for him after graduation. But the experience of being saved in her church was so powerful that he became a pastor instead.
They married and started a family, but we were constantly on the move as he planted many churches before coming to lead 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.
When my Dad left my mom 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. I made painful life-altering mistakes, as I had no concept of what a victorious life was supposed to look like.
One evening, I received an unexpected visit from a pastor. He asked, “Has the world beaten you up enough yet? Are you ready to come home? If so, God’s hand is reaching out and hoping you’ll take it.” I surprised myself by grabbing the pastor’s hand without understanding why. I just knew, somehow, that I needed hope… that I needed God. In retrospect, I see that God has the best “drip campaign” ever; God is always sending us messages, and is always willing to wait until one gets through. In this way, God guides us out of the dark, drawing us gently into the light and beginning to heal the broken pieces of our hearts. Drop by drop, message by message, this campaign eases us into a relationship with God that is much more meaningful than just following the rules.
I’ve been walking with the Lord for over 30 years and I see the power of this relationship in my transformed life. I now understand that people might hurt people, but God can heal our hearts and repurpose the pain. I see that hope is found only in God, not in anything that this fleeting world can offer us. I recognize that happiness is based on what “happens” to us, but joy is the inner knowledge that no matter what “happens,” God’s arms protect us. I now know that peace is our inheritance from God; forgiveness and obedience are the keys to that peace. God designed this relationship and we never walk alone. God has walked with us into every room we have entered, been in every vehicle we’ve driven, and held us during every worried midnight hour. God is real. God is so close that when God whispers to us, we can discern God’s voice. It was when I surrendered my life to my Creator, asking God to help me navigate this spiritual battleground of life, that I learned what victory really means.