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Welcome back to Fierce Calling! In this episode, Doris sits down with Sarah Jean Snyder, author of He Said Saga: The Daughter’s Story. The conversation focused on Sarah’s deeply personal journey—her father’s battle with MS, her own diagnosis, and how these experiences intersected with her spiritual growth. A key theme that emerged was how the purpose behind Sarah’s writing evolved over a decade, transforming from sharing her father’s story to encouraging others through her faith. The discussion explored the challenges of living with chronic illness, the significance of supportive communities both in-person and online, and the unexpected ways God leads us through difficult seasons.

Several points were raised in this encouraging conversation, including the importance of sharing our stories honestly, embracing change, and finding hope and healing in unexpected places. Join us as Sarah reveals how her family’s legacy and her faith continue to light the path forward—not just for herself, but for anyone navigating hardship.

 Sarah shares how, through her father’s circumstances, she learned what it looks like to function through sadness, how to trust even with unanswered prayers, and that life isn’t always fair. However, she also learned to focus on the good and be grateful for it. In the end, sickness isn’t the story.

Disclaimer statement: The views expressed in this episode or any other episodes of this podcast are for informational purposes only. This content does not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

💡 Episode Highlights & Key Takeaways

Writing Journey and Spiritual Growth

• The process of writing her book over a decade
• Initial intent to share her father’s story about MS and how her own diagnosis influenced the narrative
• Transformation of the book’s purpose and the element of faith guiding the journey
• The importance of taking the first step even without full understanding of the “why”

Impact of Baptism and Faith Milestones

• Reaffirmation of baptism as an adult and its spiritual significance
• Reflection on being a preacher’s kid and hesitance to focus on religious elements
• How moments that seem accidental are viewed as divine interventions

The Book’s Structure and Themes

• Inclusion of personal photos and stories in the book
• Use of a Facebook group for chronicling and processing her journey
• The shift from being a book about MS to a story of spiritual transformation and faith

Living with MS and Sharing Hope

• The process of documenting both her father’s and her own experience with MS
• Contrast in perspectives: witnessing her father’s illness and experiencing her own
• Sharing hope and healing found in Jesus for those facing medical challenges

The Ending That’s Not the End

• Discussion of how the story continues beyond the book’s final pages
• Inclusion of group support through online communities
• Encouragement that everyone’s story is ongoing and evolving

Community, Support, and Group Dynamics

• The role of group studies and support groups for people facing similar challenges
• How the book’s message transcends MS to address broader emotional and physical struggles
• Sharing her father’s struggle and spiritual healing from alcoholism

Concepts of Healing and Acceptance

• Comparison between physical and spiritual healing
• Sarah’s father’s experience: sobriety as a form of healing even without physical recovery from MS
• Advancements in MS therapies and the shift towards holistic health approaches

Health Wisdom and Lifestyle Changes

• Pursuing knowledge and wisdom through faith and research
• The importance of gut health and dietary changes, including gluten elimination
• Learning from dealing with both her own diagnosis and her son’s epilepsy
• Recognition of the evolving nature of bodies and personal health needs

Autoimmune Conditions and MS Education

• Explanation of MS as an autoimmune condition affecting the nervous system
• Comparison of MS to electrical cords with compromised protective layers
• Acknowledgment of the complexities and unknowns in autoimmunity

Transparency and Vulnerability in Storytelling

• Importance of sharing both victories and struggles (divorce, miscarriage, challenges)
• Using personal story to comfort and encourage others in similar situations
• Response from the MS community and broader audience through social media

Encouragement for Others to Share Their Stories

• The impact and value of women sharing their stories
• Overcoming hesitancy, comparison, or feelings of inadequacy when sharing
• The ripple effect of encouragement and connection within faith communities

God’s Providence and Community Connections

• Unexpected connections and meetings within faith and author circles
• The role of community events in building support and encouragement
• Recognition that God orchestrates encounters and opportunities for sharing

The Purpose of the Book: Sharing Jesus

• Emphasis that the ultimate purpose is to share God’s love and the message of Jesus
• The invitation at the book’s conclusion for readers to receive Jesus’s message
• Ongoing calling to use her platform for faith-sharing

Resources and Accessibility of Her Story

• Information on where to find her book (website, local stores, Amazon)
• Announcement of the upcoming audiobook featuring family members as narrators

Prayer and Final Encouragement

• Praying for listeners and readers to feel loved and receive the message
• Affirmation of God’s unconditional love and grace
• Encouragement that even in hard and ongoing journeys, hope and purpose persist

Personal and Family Reflections

• Significance of her middle name “Jean” and its family legacy
• Importance of family involvement in both her story and her audiobook project

🤝 Connect with Sarah!

You can connect with Sarah at https://www.hesaidsaga.com/

Sarah Jean Snyder lives with multiple sclerosis. She is a preacher’s kid, an optician and a mother. She loves the Lord.

🙏 Your Story Matters

As always, remember—your journey, your fierce calling, and your honest story can comfort and encourage others. Where can you share your experiences this week?

Grace and peace,
Doris
Host, Fierce Calling Podcast

What Threatens to Steal Your Joy?

Check out Surrender the Joy Stealers: Rediscover the Jesus Joy in You 6-week Bible study rooted in John 15. You can find more info at https://dorisswift.com/book/

Let’s Stay Connected!

Find my free resources including Fear Fighting Bible Verses, Simple Tips for Sharing Your Faith, Surrender the Joy Stealers, Step Out of Your Doubt and Into Your Calling ebook, and more on my dorisswift.com homepage!

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Thanks for Listening!

I hope this episode encouraged, inspired, and challenged you to cultivate community, live and walk in the value, purpose, and worth God gave you, and take action where your passion, compassion, and conviction intersect.

If you’re looking for a speaker for your next women’s conference, retreat, luncheon, or workshop, reach out and connect with me on my speaker page at https://www.womenspeakers.com/florida/edgewater/speaker/doris-swift

Let’s have a chat about your next event!

Stay tuned for more amazing content and remember to check the show notes for all the links mentioned.

Thank you for being a part of our community. We are grateful for your continued support and encourage you to embrace the unique gifts that make you magnificently you.

I hope you’ll join me next time when I talk with another guest who is taking action where her passion, compassion, and conviction intersect …

Until then friend, have a blessed week, and I’ll talk to you soon.

With love and joy,

Doris

Transcript

Doris Swift [00:00:00 – 00:01:29]

What if your hardest seasons, your deepest passions, and all the things you’ve walked through and are currently walking through were meant to become the very calling God has placed on your life? Welcome to the Fierce Calling Podcast. I’m your host, Dara Swift, and I invite guests who are taking action where their passion, compassion, and conviction intersect and share their stories. Of faith, hard seasons, resilience, and their calling. So together we’ll discover how God uses every part of our stories, and how when we say yes to Him and use our gifts to impact the world, that God can do extraordinary things in the midst of our ordinary days. And sometimes hearing someone else’s yes to God is just what we need To find the courage to say yes to Him too. So my hope is that the stories you hear will encourage, inspire, and challenge you to step out and discover your own fierce calling, because your story may be the very place where God is preparing you to jump into the work He prepared in advance for you to do, and to follow Jesus in deeper and more profound ways. So yes, this is Fierce Calling. And if you’re ready to discover where your passion, compassion, and conviction intersect and step out in faith to make a difference, you’re in the right place, friend.

Doris Swift [00:01:29 – 00:02:23]

So listen in while I have a chat with today’s guest who has a message to share with you. Welcome back to the show. Today I am so excited to welcome my friend, Sarah Snyder. We’ve done some book signings together at a local Christian bookstore. There was an author event at one of the churches we both served there together and did the author event. That was fun. And Sarah has quite a story of her spiritual journey, physical journey, you know, all these different things that have come out in a book that she wrote that is kind of a continuing book, which I’ll let her explain what that means, uh, from when her dad— his writings and things. And it’s called He Said Saga: The Daughter’s Story.

Doris Swift [00:02:23 – 00:02:29]

So here it is, and I love the COVID She’s standing on the speedway. Is that Daytona Speedway, or—

Sarah Snyder [00:02:30 – 00:03:19]

It is, yes. Thank you for introducing me. I’m happy to be here with you, and I’m super thankful for this opportunity, and I’ve enjoyed speaking with you in the past. So I did write a book called He Said Saga, and it’s based around a story that my dad wrote in the early ’90s about his experience with MS. And I do hope to publish that book as well again at some point. But my book is currently available, and throughout writing, it was over a decade, my intent was to just share his story. It was never— I didn’t really know what the purpose of the book was when I was following the steps of writing it and beginning it. So in the end, I, like you, want to be an encourager to other writers.

Sarah Snyder [00:03:19 – 00:03:24]

Just if you don’t know the ending, that’s okay. It’s all a surprise to me and to you.

Doris Swift [00:03:25 – 00:03:25]

Yeah.

Sarah Snyder [00:03:26 – 00:03:50]

I just started documenting his story about MS And what a great man he was. And then I became diagnosed as well, found the Lord. And a lot of it is just looking back and seeing and writing too, like how I was then and how I am now. So readers can see throughout the decade of writing.

Doris Swift [00:03:50 – 00:04:38]

Yeah. Yeah. It’s a really powerful book. And I love that you share how it didn’t start out the way it ended up, which is really, I think, powerful also in the fact that the Lord led you to what this was going to turn out to be. And so, yeah, and I love to ask my guests, you know, where they’re taking action, where their passion, compassion, and conviction intersect. And I’m so thankful to welcome you on today to share about that and share more about the book. And yeah, it’s just, it’s, There’s, there’s photos in here. There’s, um, like, you know, you had a Facebook group that you share posts about your journey and all of that.

Doris Swift [00:04:38 – 00:05:09]

But as we were talking about before we started recording, that ultimately it became a story of your spiritual journey and growth and, you know, your walk with Christ. So if you could share a little bit about that and how, like, when this project first began, what did that look like, as you kind of shared a little already, but also how the Lord just was with you all along the way, as we know that He is.

Sarah Snyder [00:05:11 – 00:06:14]

Yeah, so I knew that I was supposed to write the book, but I did not really know who for or what it would turn into or anything like that. So I always think the first step now of whatever you feel like you’re supposed to be doing, there’s something that can be divine about the purpose. And I feel like I’m still on the journey of learning what that purpose is. But in the beginning, I was, well, not really the beginning. It’s probably in chapter 5 somewhere. I was discussing how I did a baptism reaffirmation and, um, It actually— I feel like things like this actually happen in my whole life. So I was having internal questions of, am I really baptized? Like, of course the Lord knows me as a follower, but I was sprinkled as an infant. And I am super thankful for my experiences with my family and that they knew that I belonged to the Lord and that they made that relationship known early on.

Sarah Snyder [00:06:14 – 00:07:25]

So I do not want to say anything negatively about that. I went to the reaffirmation in the ocean, and I was thinking, how can I remember my baptism when I was an infant? And then the pastor, he— when they do a reaffirmation, they say, remember your baptism and keep it holy. Well, he didn’t know any of my internal dialogue or questions and did the baptism and said, I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So, and then he was like, oh, I’m sorry, where’d that come from? So things happen that look like accidents, but that was on purpose. Like, the Lord really spoke through him, you know, she is mine. And so in writing that book, in early chapter 5, I said, this is how much I didn’t want my own story to turn into something religious. I’m a preacher’s kid, and I thought it was going to be about MS, so I didn’t think anything about that was important to mention, but I did. And I said that he said, the Father…

Sarah Snyder [00:07:25 – 00:08:00]

That’s all I put. I didn’t even want to say Father, Son, Holy Spirit. It’s not a biblical story, you know. And then it’s kind of funny, I did that baptism in the middle of the Country 500, left it and went. The Country 500 is actually where the COVID was taken, at the Daytona Speedway. So I didn’t even think of that coincidence until I’m talking to you just now. But I was baptized, and I didn’t feel like that would be significant. And then you continue reading, I feel like you can see my own faith kind of continue to expand.

Sarah Snyder [00:08:00 – 00:08:47]

And I end the book with a chapter called Invited. And it is just the Lord’s Prayer and from the Sermon on the Mount, and then a verse in Numbers about, may the Lord turn His face upon you. And so I feel like that kind of has become the whole purpose of my life, of Calling on My Life. And it is about Jesus. And I feel like people who are going through medical conditions, you know, you can look at something and not feel hopeful, especially me having this diagnosis after seeing my dad’s experience. Um, but hope really is something that’s available to us through Jesus, and I feel like there’s a purpose on my life to share that now.

Doris Swift [00:08:48 – 00:09:22]

Yeah, wow, that is really beautiful, and I love how the Lord just led you to totally transform this project from what you originally thought it was going to be. And I really love at the end how you did end it, like, with the blessing, you know? And it’s just, it’s always such a powerful thing to read it or say it out loud, you know? And just some other things that you shared. But, and also when you’re getting toward the end, how it was like, but it’s not the end. And then here’s another, you know, here’s more, here’s more, here’s more.

Sarah Snyder [00:09:22 – 00:09:22]

I know.

Doris Swift [00:09:23 – 00:09:27]

That’s how our story is. Like, God is not finished with us, right?

Sarah Snyder [00:09:27 – 00:09:28]

Right.

Doris Swift [00:09:28 – 00:09:30]

So, you know, he—

Sarah Snyder [00:09:30 – 00:09:30]

it’s still—

Doris Swift [00:09:31 – 00:09:54]

yeah, it’s still ongoing. So that’s what I love also about your book, but you share a lot of personal things in your journey, um, fun, funny things, hard things, you know, um, and so this— a lot of it also kind of came from A group that you had, right? A Facebook group that you would share.

Sarah Snyder [00:09:54 – 00:10:42]

Yeah, it’s— he said Saga as well. And so I’ve just kind of, after appointments, been processing my own, um, experiences through all that. I, I don’t post as much after appointments now, but I’ve been feeling great for 5 years. And so there really is hope and healing that I’ll also discuss. Um, after publishing, I went to a place called Jesus Image in Orlando just for one night, and afterwards went with a group of friends to a restaurant, and someone handed me a bowl of pickles, which also, if you read in my story at the beginning, at restaurants with my dad, they would always bring me bowls of pickles. So it’s like, you, you can see more than signs. Like, it’s more than coincidences.

Doris Swift [00:10:42 – 00:10:44]

Mm-hmm.

Sarah Snyder [00:10:45 – 00:11:00]

right thing. I don’t know, it’s, it’s been a blessing. I’ve always heard about how the Lord, um, is with you, and I’ve always felt he is with me, but it’s beyond something I can cause. Like, who randomly gives someone a bowl of pickles? No.

Doris Swift [00:11:01 – 00:11:15]

That is a powerful part of your story, how you share about Jesus through the book, you know, throughout the book. And it wasn’t really something you meant to start that with? So it kind of just came.

Sarah Snyder [00:11:17 – 00:11:45]

Yeah, I like at the beginning of your book, the intro talks about, um, you invited women to lay down their burdens. And I don’t know why I’m realizing women with MS specifically— I mean, maybe it’s women like you’ve noticed in your experiences, but women with MS often feel like they have a burden with the disease. And so I feel like my book in processing my own diagnosis might relate also to people that are experiencing other medical conditions.

Doris Swift [00:11:45 – 00:11:46]

Mm-hmm.

Sarah Snyder [00:11:47 – 00:12:36]

You know, um, but yeah, laying down that burden, that’s part of what my whole book has been, just laying down, writing it out, getting it out of my head. And, and watching dad suffer, um, I didn’t think healing was something that would happen. And MS is relapse-remitting, So people can be better, that can be expected. Um, but I’m still hopeful that it will, for me, continue to be good. But either way, um, I’m grateful to be recognizing how God is on my path and how he wants me to others. But I really like that you encouraged your book to be a group. Um, so you have other people, you know, that can help you process those different things, but laying down burdens, that’s a good step one that you pointed out.

Doris Swift [00:12:38 – 00:14:07]

Yeah, well, thank you for bringing that up. And it is kind of an interesting thing where you can have a group that goes through, you know, the study like that, that have common things, like a common, um, issue, you know, health issue or something like that. You know, maybe, you know, people who are struggling with, you know, there might be groups that meet to encourage each other who have prodigal children or any things like that. So it could be physically, it could be emotionally and different other things. Um, But I love that you also share encouragement and speak to a community of people who may or may not have MS, because I read this book and I found it very interesting. And it’s important to, you know, know facts, and it can also apply to a lot of other health issues that people might experience throughout their life. but also encouraging them, uh, you know, in different ways, like in sharing your dad’s story. Because I know in the book you talk some about— you share his story where he, you know, as far as like, yeah, well, maybe there wasn’t the physical healing this side of heaven, but he was spiritually healed of alcoholism, right? So that was something that he was very vocal and power— felt powerfully about the fact that God did a healing work in him, right? Can you expand a little bit on that?

Sarah Snyder [00:14:08 – 00:14:48]

Yeah, so I, whenever I was younger or even a few years back, honestly, the verse or the scripture story about how Jesus healed the man by the river, or I’m sorry, by the water, for he had been there for years and years, and then Jesus told him to get up. So I was saying to my mom, how did healing not happen to my dad? Because I watched someone that believed in the Lord, believed in sharing his story, who felt like he was healed of alcoholism. I, I only knew his life sober, you know.

Doris Swift [00:14:48 – 00:14:49]

Right.

Sarah Snyder [00:14:49 – 00:15:42]

Um, I got to meet all the AA friends, and, um, so that, that was a blessing. But I feel like honesty, transparency, that’s always been a big deal for my family. And I think through who I am that just naturally comes out now. But yeah, healing— he was never mad at God or never expressed that. And that was hard for me to imagine because as his daughter, I felt like, you know, he deserved it. He deserved healing. But now living with knowing that he had that occur and he was not physically healed on this side of heaven, like you said. I think he would have wanted me to know just how powerful the Lord can be anyways, and how healing looks different.

Sarah Snyder [00:15:43 – 00:16:01]

And even though he was deserving, like, I feel like his path lit my way, I say, because I have been doing things that are different, like IV vitamin therapy and It wasn’t really, you know, 20, 30 years ago something that was discussed or is easily available in communities.

Doris Swift [00:16:03 – 00:16:54]

Yeah, so he led the way is what you were saying, which, you know, there have been some advancements, you know, since he was kind of dealing with the whole things with the symptoms and the progression of the disease and all of that, but also it caused you to take a journey, not only spiritually, which was the most important journey, but also to gain the knowledge. ‘Cause God gives us wisdom. You know, it says in James, we pray for wisdom, he gives us wisdom. And so you were led to certain doctors, you were led to certain information that was, you know, that was good. And you talk also in the book about gut health and how important that is. If you wanna expand any on— some of the things that you’ve learned over the course of this journey and still continue to learn?

Sarah Snyder [00:16:55 – 00:18:02]

Sure. Um, so I have been learning a lot about health and how important, um, just overall well-being is. On an MS side, I’m super grateful that doing the vitamin therapy, I haven’t had any progression. Um, but I always am cautious of talking about how great I feel and how energy, uh, I’ve noticed comes through rest and comes through, for me, through IV vitamin therapy. I know there are people like my dad who wouldn’t have been able to go to the gym and exercise, and, you know, so it’s kind of hard. My heart goes out to people that are experiencing these things on my level or his level, you know, and I can’t see what the future will look like, and I’m feeling great today, but I think that, that helps me know that when I feel like I should share, there’s nothing holding me back now, you know. Um, I know that God is with me, and I know that my intentions are just to be helpful and in whatever that looks like. And the only way I know how to, to express that is just say what works for me, you know.

Doris Swift [00:18:02 – 00:18:02]

Mm-hmm.

Sarah Snyder [00:18:02 – 00:18:27]

Uh, God’s love is, is right here. There are, um, yeah, he just leads you to the right place at the right time, the right doctors, the right It’s really been something that has been eye-opening to me because I felt like I was a Christian my entire life. And now, I guess, as you continue to grow and grow, things always are different than anticipated.

Doris Swift [00:18:28 – 00:18:28]

Yeah.

Sarah Snyder [00:18:29 – 00:18:44]

So it’s been— I’m thankful, and I hope that I continue to be thankful regardless of the outcome. But my heart goes out to To people that are on— it’s a broad spectrum, just like a lot of what anyone experiences.

Doris Swift [00:18:44 – 00:19:35]

Yeah, so there’s different levels of it. And too, for me, because knowing you personally, you’re always like a ray of sunshine every time I see you. I mean, you just radiate Jesus, and you are just very positive and very sweet spirit. That’s just how I have always perceived you. That’s how you are. So reading the book, it really touched my heart because there are struggles that we don’t see, you know, sometimes that people are going through and how much people can be going through when we don’t really realize it, you know. And so it helped me to learn even more about you and about your journey. But seeing how God has brought you through, Um, but I do love that you share.

Doris Swift [00:19:35 – 00:20:31]

There are different levels of it. You know, it’s not always going to be the same for everybody, the experiences. So when you were sent to different doctors, like doing the, you know, the vitamin therapy and natural ways that our bodies can respond, like you discovered some things about your body as far as like diet changes, right? What are some things? And I know, you know, you want to necessarily recommend it because it has to be something that people talk about with their doctor, or it might not be right for them or something. But what are some good healthy things? Because it could be good for anybody really, not just, you know, not just if we’re facing a health issue, but to prevent future health issues. What kind of knowledge have you really gleaned from, you know, when you’ve researched on that?

Sarah Snyder [00:20:32 – 00:21:09]

Yeah, so something initially that was beneficial for me and also my son was a gluten elimination diet, and I initially started just to be supportive of him and his experiences, and he, um, he’s not super public about everything that he goes through, but he does have epilepsy and is okay with me sharing that, I know. Um, but seizures can be linked to gluten. So I initially, uh, was supporting him and thought, oh, I’ll just eat it when I’m not with them. So I tried that.

Doris Swift [00:21:09 – 00:21:10]

Mm-hmm.

Sarah Snyder [00:21:10 – 00:21:18]

And I guess when you remove something from your diet and then add it back in, um, there, there can be more of a significant issue.

Doris Swift [00:21:18 – 00:21:18]

Mm-hmm.

Sarah Snyder [00:21:19 – 00:21:49]

And which is good for you seeing what the problem is. But anyway, so I, I cheated when he was at school and I got very sick, so I just, I went, uh, like 15 years without gluten, and I just had, uh, a little bit recently and I seem to be okay. So it’s like your body can heal over time of certain things, and moderation is important, and I think I had a lot of other factors as well, stress and—

Doris Swift [00:21:49 – 00:21:50]

Mm-hmm.

Sarah Snyder [00:21:50 – 00:22:18]

Things like that. But, um, which is interesting to me about gluten being the problem, uh, it is a higher prevalence in people that have autoimmune conditions and MS. So, um, I have learned what was okay to eat. And like I said, moderation is, is, I think, a key factor. So diet can be changing. And that, that began a big process of me wanting to start the story.

Doris Swift [00:22:18 – 00:22:18]

Yeah.

Sarah Snyder [00:22:19 – 00:22:24]

So in the end, things might be different than what you’re thinking.

Doris Swift [00:22:25 – 00:23:28]

Yeah, and I think that’s good that you try because what do they say? Our bodies go through cycles like every 7 years or something like that where things might change. Like, I know I didn’t used to be— I don’t know if that’s good English, but I didn’t used to be allergic to like oysters and scallops, and then Because I used to eat them and I enjoyed them, and then all of a sudden, on a few different occasions when I ate them, I got sick every time. And I thought, do I want to keep trying this, or do I want to just not eat them at all? And so I’ve always wondered, if I tried to eat it again, would it make me sick? I don’t know. I mean, now, by now, maybe things have changed with my body makeup, you know, maybe it wouldn’t cause that anymore, but I don’t know. And it’s Fine for me not to take that risk and eat it. But, um, but it wasn’t anything that seemed life-threatening. I would just get like a very bad intestinal, like, like food poisoning kind of, um, symptoms, which aren’t pleasant, you know. So I haven’t tried it again.

Doris Swift [00:23:29 – 00:23:39]

But, you know, you just, you just never know. So adding certain things back slowly, maybe just to see, your body will let you know. You know, if it’s—

Sarah Snyder [00:23:39 – 00:23:49]

yeah, I had a friend telling me about a certain probiotic that, uh, good to take after trying. And she told me about it a few times.

Doris Swift [00:23:50 – 00:23:50]

Mm-hmm.

Sarah Snyder [00:23:50 – 00:24:32]

At the same— coincidentally, my, my doctor, um, because I was being antibiotic resistant and UTI stuff, which I guess can also be common in MS, um, he prescribed that a probiotic for me. And then I was with my friend and realized, as she was telling me to try it out, if I tried certain foods, um, I realized I had that on my bathroom counter because the doctor had already coincidentally prescribed it to me. Anyways, I don’t know if you’ll want to, to share this stuff to do the probiotic. Um, and then in my story, I also talked about how It’s the, um, the wheat and tares.

Doris Swift [00:24:32 – 00:24:32]

Great.

Sarah Snyder [00:24:32 – 00:25:01]

Um, talks about how the enemy comes in and sows weed with the wheat, and it just seems like no wonder everyone is having a gluten problem. Why? Like, the enemy’s in our bread. I feel like the Bible just gives you little clues here and there, and you— but, but I’m not a theologian. I’m just saying, like, it’s— it doesn’t seem Surprise that a lot of people are having a problem processing gluten in their bodies.

Doris Swift [00:25:02 – 00:26:00]

Yeah, and plus, you know, back in biblical times, things were so much more natural, you know, and there weren’t any pesticides and there weren’t, you know, any nitrates or, you know, preservatives or anything like that. It was all natural, and things that we sometimes will put in our body without even realizing it are things that our bodies have no idea what to do with. You know, it’s like, this is not natural. So what do— where do I put it? And then it winds up going into like fat cells or it winds up going into, you know, some other place that it doesn’t belong and it can cause a lot of issues. And then talking about, because, you know, I do have other friends that also have that diagnosis of MS, which is multiple sclerosis, right? If you could explain just a little bit, and I know you do in the book, What exactly is that? You know, what happens in your body when you have it? And it could be— I know there’s different levels and stuff of it, but—

Sarah Snyder [00:26:01 – 00:26:10]

Yeah. So MS in general, it affects your brain and nervous system, the myelin sheath, and disrupts how your body connects.

Doris Swift [00:26:10 – 00:26:14]

I know in the book there’s a photo that you provide and it looks like a charger.

Sarah Snyder [00:26:15 – 00:26:25]

Yeah, I’ll say MS To me, it was explained when I was a kid how there’s a protective layer around, like, an iron cord, for example, or a charging cord.

Doris Swift [00:26:25 – 00:26:26]

Mm-hmm.

Sarah Snyder [00:26:26 – 00:27:22]

And when you have MS, there are parts of that protective layer of tissue that leave the nerve or wire exposed, which can create many different symptoms. And it can be something that comes and goes and Um, but MS, it’s also, uh, your immune system becomes overactive and your body is fighting something. So it does make me wonder, uh, if there’s just— well, there definitely is more to MS than everyone understands, or it wouldn’t be that people have a problem with it. Um, I mean, it would already be cured is what I’m saying, but Yeah, it’s your body is overprotecting. Uh, so I feel like there is some sort of factor that hasn’t been, you know, caught just yet. Like, what is our body fighting in the end?

Doris Swift [00:27:22 – 00:28:15]

Yeah, yeah. And like you said, it’s autoimmune, right? Um, which there’s a lot of different kinds of autoimmune conditions. So I think it’s interesting to understand a little bit about what it is, you know, so that we can understand what the Lord was helping you battle, you know, as far as the symptoms and the things like that. But you share a lot of, uh, your story and even the real raw times when you— like right after you got the diagnosis, um, you obviously— I think you said you, you told your, your mom and your, and your son, your family, but then you did share it on the page. It’s not the diagnosis you were hoping for, but it was kind of like, it is what it is, but let’s see now what God’s going to do kind of thing and move forward in it.

Sarah Snyder [00:28:15 – 00:28:15]

Right.

Doris Swift [00:28:15 – 00:28:58]

But I love how you talk about joy and peace can’t compare to the joy that is coming. This is in chapter 12. It says, I have learned big life lessons recently on this divorce path. So you were talking— you talk about things that you went through. You, you went through a divorce, you went through, um, a child loss, you had a miscarriage that you share about in the book. And those are really hard things. But I think, like you said, um, we, you know, God opens the door for us to share our stories and parts of our stories that are, that are hard. And so that Others can be encouraged who are also going through it.

Doris Swift [00:28:58 – 00:29:32]

You know, like the scripture that says that we can encourage others with the comfort that we’ve received. You know, we can comfort others because of the comfort that we received. So I think that is definitely what you’re doing, and you’ve done this through your book and through your page. When you were sharing on your, on your page— I know you might not post there as often, but when you were— Was it— what was the response that you would receive? Like, were there people on the page that responded often, or how did that work?

Sarah Snyder [00:29:32 – 00:30:08]

Yeah, I do have a lot of supportive friends and other people that I’ve met in the MS community. I recently did a podcast with a lady in Australia that has a movie. She’s a movie producer with MS and shares her story as well. So I feel like I’m connecting with women who are trying to follow what the Lord wants them to do in general. And for some of us, like you with writing, it just is expressing yourself really may help someone else kind of process what they’re going through. And every situation is going to look completely different.

Doris Swift [00:30:08 – 00:30:08]

Yeah.

Sarah Snyder [00:30:08 – 00:30:54]

And I think women need to know that, like, sharing their story, a lot of people I found want to be quiet because they feel like it’s not as bad as what someone else is going through, or there’s just a wide variety of why people aren’t sharing. And I think shutting that thought down or turning that thought away, it really helps you, and it’s helping you help other people. And in the end, isn’t that what is supposed to happen in life? You know, we can connect and be encouraging, and it’s amazing to see Like how people know different people. I met you in— we were in another state, Kentucky, uh, right?

Doris Swift [00:30:54 – 00:31:50]

That was so— yeah, I, yeah, I didn’t forget to mention that. That was really cool that we only live, what, maybe 25, 30 minutes from each other here in Florida. And then I was at the Christian Products Expo with my book where booksellers and bookstore owners and stuff come in and, you know, look at all the different books that authors have, you know, new books that are out and all. And you were there, and yeah, and I got to meet you. You were with— I think you were with Susan when you came up to the table, who owns the Christian bookstore locally, who has had us as authors there locally to sign books and stuff. So it— yeah, it’s amazing how God puts us together. And, and then to the link with Monica, because you both were going to— I think you were going to a different campus location, right, of the church where she was. We had that author event, which was really fun.

Doris Swift [00:31:50 – 00:31:51]

It was so fun.

Sarah Snyder [00:31:51 – 00:32:25]

Yeah, that was right before I published, and that was my very first speaking opportunity. So I feel like since then and even now, I’m just continuing to grow. And thank you for helping me at that interview feel comfortable. it was easy, I think, to share, which sometimes I have— I’ve had to learn, I’ll say, because I like to think my own thoughts or share on a quiet platform. And I feel like really, for whatever reason, it wants me to share my story. And I think it’s in the end so people can know him.

Doris Swift [00:32:25 – 00:32:25]

Yeah.

Sarah Snyder [00:32:25 – 00:32:35]

It’s not about me, about MS. So that would be part of my purpose, I feel like, is sharing him and his love for you.

Doris Swift [00:32:36 – 00:33:14]

Amen. Amen. And I love that that’s what this book turned out to be, you know, and not only in the book but your life, how you live your life and how you share about, about Jesus. But that the last chapter you felt compelled to write about the invitation, that it’s free for everyone. Jesus is knocking open the door, you know, of your heart. And, and so, um, Yeah. So Sarah Jean Snyder, this has been an amazing, um, conversation, and I would love if you could share how the listener can connect with you and how they can find your book and more about you and Jesus.

Sarah Snyder [00:33:15 – 00:33:43]

Thank you. Um, my book is available. Yeah, absolutely. Jesus, well, he’s anywhere. He lives in your heart, and if you just ask him to hear you, he will. Um, so thank you for that opportunity to say that. Um, But my book, you can find it at hesaid saga.com, or it’s a few places locally, Halifax Hospital and Novelties Bookstore. Um, Amazon has it as well, and I appreciate getting the word out.

Sarah Snyder [00:33:43 – 00:34:15]

That last chapter, The Invitation, uh, the Lord kind of put it on my heart, and I had written it, and it wasn’t an addition of the book. The book was already in the process of being published. And the invitation, I just knew the Lord had me write it, but I didn’t know. So the chapter before, I didn’t know, and this, I didn’t know that I was gonna turn into someone that really knew my purpose of life, or my fierce calling is to share the Lord’s love for people.

Doris Swift [00:34:15 – 00:34:15]

Mm-hmm.

Sarah Snyder [00:34:16 – 00:34:34]

But yeah, um, got the last edit back from the publisher. I thought, that’s what this is for. And I added the I Didn’t Know chapter and the invitation. So sometimes you don’t know what the Lord is going to do with what he’s calling you to, but we don’t, we don’t have to know. We can trust that things will make sense later.

Doris Swift [00:34:34 – 00:35:23]

Yeah. And no matter what kind of phone call you get or what kind of diagnosis or what news you get, uh-huh, that might not be good or seem good, God is good and he does work all things together, which I know sometimes can sound trite or whatever, you know, when people hear that. But it’s true. And you, you are sharing the love of Jesus with others through this journey. And I think this is so powerful and encouraging, and mainly so that his light shines. And that even when we think something is over, it’s not over. Just like the example of your book, like, no, it’s not over. Jesus and the invitation is what’s going to be in the end of this book.

Doris Swift [00:35:23 – 00:35:25]

So it’s like, yeah.

Sarah Snyder [00:35:25 – 00:36:01]

I have an audiobook version in process, and my mom reads her foreword, and then my brother— we haven’t actually continued all the way through the recording process yet, but my brother is going to read my dad’s quotes, and then I’m narrating the rest of the story. So, wow, I feel like it’s great family blessings throughout. I mean, just reading my mom’s forward, I was crying myself in my own story. But yeah, it’s great to see what the Lord does. And I just want to say, uh, if you are okay with it, a very quick prayer publicly for our listeners.

Doris Swift [00:36:01 – 00:36:02]

Yes, I would love that.

Sarah Snyder [00:36:03 – 00:36:24]

Dear God, thank you so much for continuing to be with both Doris and I throughout this recording. We just ask that you are with our listeners and that whatever message you you want them to hear, they hear. And I see it as, dear God, please let the listener know they are loved. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Doris Swift [00:36:24 – 00:36:57]

Amen. Thank you. Thank you for that. Somebody listening today needed to hear that prayer, needed to receive it, like you were talking about receiving, um, needs to receive that and the love of Christ, and that God’s love is unconditional and we don’t have to earn it. And, you know, it’s by grace through faith that we’re saved. And so that is just so important and how it shines through in your message. So thank you again for being on the show. It was so great to have you.

Sarah Snyder [00:36:57 – 00:36:58]

Thank you so much.

Doris Swift [00:36:59 – 00:37:12]

And I know that whoever picks up this book is going to be encouraged by the message that Sarah shares. And it, it’s Sarah Jean Snyder. I didn’t say Jean at first, and I love that you’re Is that part of your first name or your middle name?

Sarah Snyder [00:37:13 – 00:37:33]

Jean is my middle name, and it’s pretty prevalent throughout my family. My mom’s middle name is Jean, and I had aunts with the name Jean. And I actually, for the first 20 to 30 years of my life, never shared that that was my name. But it, it means something of God’s blessing.

Doris Swift [00:37:33 – 00:38:02]

And yeah, I love that. I think it’s important. you know, to share our middle names. Like, my middle name is Susan, and I sometimes I forget that I have that name that was given, you know, to me. And so, um, so I love that and just a reminder. So yeah, Sarah Jean Snyder, He Said Saga: The Daughter’s Story. And I’ll have the links in the show notes so you can find it and the website page and all of that. And I’m sure your audio, when that’s completed, you’ll upload the link.

Doris Swift [00:38:03 – 00:38:47] To that same website, right? So people can find the audio version. Yeah, and I love that it’s a family thing. I think that’s really impactful, you know, for people to listen and hear because this is a family thing, you know, and some may or may not have earthly families that stand by them through a crisis or a situation. But, but it’s a blessing that you do and that they’re involved in this project as well. So I think that’s fantastic. And friends, I thank you for listening today, and I hope that you’ll join me next time when I talk with another guest