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Heather Madder: Walking On the Ceiling

Heather Madder is on a mission to help others.

The Gilbert author's first book, Walking on the Ceiling, is a spiritual self-help book that Madder hopes will help others live lives of truth and fulfillment.

Madder, a 30-year-old mother of four, started writing in 2001 as a way of working through her own experiences and problems. Her father was dying of alcoholism and addiction to prescription pills, and she needed to find a way to confront her pain.

"People need to wake up and start telling the truth about their condition," she said. "It's only after you confront those problems and partner with God that you can overcome them."

There was nothing Madder could do to save her father. He died a few months later of an overdose of prescription drugs.

But writing, researching her book and sharing her message with others has helped her overcome her pain, she said. It's also allowed her to relate to others suffering from addiction, Madder said.

"I feel so passionately that people can be free from the barriers and bondage," she said. "I will spend my life proving to other people that that freedom comes through partnering your life with God."

Madder writes about the emotional, relational, and mental barriers people experience, and she provides spiritual solutions to overcome them.

She also discusses how to develop a sense of self, aside from the ways people try to define themselves through image and material possessions.

Madder's book is available through major booksellers, including Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart.com.

She'll also be presenting several lectures in April and May. Her lecture on "Reclaiming the Mind" will be April 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the Power Ranch clubhouse, 4444 E. Haven Crest Drive. She'll have another lecture at the Power Ranch clubhouse on May 6 at 10 a.m. on "The Human Search for Identity."

Article in Active Christian News

When local author Heather Madder found time to write, she didn't expect what would come from her scattered writings in various notebooks.

Mother of four, Madder published her first book Walking on the Ceiling and she has been surprised and blessed by the book's reception.

"I have been overwhelmed by the positive responses that I have received to the book. Whether it is flowers on my doorstep, letters, or phone calls, I have had countless contacts from readers stating how the book has helped them in one way or another," says Madder. "It is very encouraging and I am extremely appreciative of those who have done so. I am also very humbled by it, because I realize that people are allowing you into their life, which is sacred ground. It reminds me to step carefully, distinctly, and above all to remain pure."

Written when she had a moment to spare, whether at a stoplight or as her kids slept, the book seems almost like Madder's personal journal of her walk with the Lord. It is a compilation of the lessons she has learned about what it is to experience real freedom in Christ.

"My desire is that people will fervently continue down their own path of freedom. First, they must look at their lives closely and accurately and tell the truth about their barriers. Simultaneously, they must seek God as the Source who can help them not only recognize their barriers, but point the path towards freedom. We need to break our trust agreements with the physical world around us."

Speaking around the Valley, Madder invites her audience into a journey of spiritual freedom. She speaks from a non-denominational platform which has opened into a variety of settings. This summer she will be speaking to youth at the Mesa Detention Center.

"The ability to convey these concepts into words happens through a power beyond my own, which is more testament of His greatness," she says.

Currently, Madder is working on a collection of creative essays on parenting. She says it is in her day-to-day life that she finds inspiration and is approaching the book with humor and what she's learned as a mom.

"I am hoping to inspire parents to rise to the challenge of life's most important endeavor and seek the companionship of God to accomplish it."

She is also writing a sequel to Walking on the Ceiling and is excited about the future of her work.

"My plan is to continue to write and speak as long as I am able to do so, hopefully for the rest of my life. Aside from raising my family, this is what I feel the most passionately about and the work that is the most fulfilling for me."

For more information about Heather Madder and her speaking engagements, please visit her website at www.heathermadder.com.

Meet Your Neighbor - Heather Madder

What do you like most about living here?
I love the friendly people and the family focus that permeates our community.

What is Your Favorite community cause & why:
I am very concerned about adults and children who have suffered from various forms of abuse. My career and interaction with others has led me to understand how difficult it is to overcome the damaging the effects associated with it. I will be speaking to youth this summer at the Juvenile Detention center in Mesa, and my desire is to bring a message of hope and healing to adolescents who have suffered so much themselves, and in turn, have caused the suffering of others.

Where Did You Live Before and Why Did You Leave?
My husband, David and I lived in Pittsburgh, PA where he attended dental school. After four years of cloudy skies and snowy streets, we headed for the beautiful, sunny desert in 2002 when David set up his dental practice in Gilbert. (David T. Madder--Family and Cosmetic Dentistry.) We truly love living here and plan on staying indefinitely.

My family:
We have four children: Jordan, Chase, Isaac, and Analiese.

What Kind of Work Do You Pursue?
I am an author and a public lecturer. My first book, Walking on the Ceiling was released internationally in January of this year. I lecture throughout the area, as well as other parts of the country and I deliver non-denominational spiritual teachings, with a special focus on instructing others how to become free of their personal barriers.

What I like most about what I do:
The most favored aspect of my job is that I feel that my work is making a difference in the lives of others. I receive so many phone calls and letters from those who have read the book or attended the lectures explaining how much it has changed their lives which. To reach people for good and make an impact, whether large or small, means a great deal to me.

What Were Some of Your Previous Occupations?
I have been a personal trainer, a cycling instructor, a tutor, and in my college days I was a hostess at an Italian restaurant. The best thing about that was the free food, of course, but then I definitely needed he cycling afterwards! It took me awhile to find my passion of writing and speaking, and now that I have it is hard to imagine doing anything else.

My Interests and Hobbies:
I love reading, biking, and playing sports with my boys. Together, my husband and I like to play tennis and cook--he does the grilling and I do the rest. (Thankfully he jumps in on clean up!) Because I played tennis in high school and a little in college, tennis was the only sport in which I could hold my ground while competing against him. Unfortunately, he is now edging past me and now I have to decide to either accept defeat or hang up my racket while I'm not far behind and my dignity is still present, though wavering. No final verdict yet, but if you see me struggling on the court--could you bring me some water? I probably need it.

What Are Your Best and Worst Habits?
My best habit is that I can work consistently to accomplish what I have set out to do, no matter how long it takes. I pursue my career in just a few hours of work time each day (usually in the early morning while every one is asleep) which allows me to dedicate most of time to my family. However, as the work accumulates over the months and years, I am able to accomplish my goals as a writer and speaker. I am often asked how I am able to have this career when I have young children and I usually reply, "slow and steady."

One of my most annoying habits, according to my children, is that I don't unload all the groceries in the car, and miscellaneous bottles of juice might be rolling around in the trunk for days before they ever make it in the house. (My oldest boys are also highly irritated that I have to spend time putting on make up when they are all ready to leave.) That, and I have become un-spontaneous when it comes to scheduling my time. I like consistency and predictability which can be an asset sometimes and a weakness at others.

What are Some Traits You Admire in Others?
Because there are so many people who suffer in our world, I deeply applaud people who don't just see the problems around us, but seek to be a part of the solution. I also truly admire people who are spiritually oriented and high-principled - honest, moral, have integrity and have a sincere relationship with God. I also respect people who are steady and consistent in their minds, their emotions, and who make sound decisions.

Who Has Inspired You and How?
Beth Moore and Paula White are two women who have been great inspirations to me in the last few years. I have observed that these women are not only dedicated mothers, but they have also set out to do tremendous good on a global scale. They both write, speak, and run self-made ministries which help thousands, even millions of people across the country and throughout the world. They are testament that the dedicated life of just one person has no limitations on how much good can be accomplished, especially when that one person seeks to partner their efforts with God.

What is Your Guiding Philosophy?
My guiding philosophy is to have God and eternal truth at the nucleus of who you are. It is the core foundation upon which every valuable thing in one's life can be built. If a person seeks to base their minds, their emotions, their decisions - thus their very lives, on pure truth then they experience the joy and freedom that ensues. Suffering and bondage are most often the result of falsehoods that have been imbedded somehow within us. That is why I sincerely believe that every person must live a life of introspection and continually seek truth on all levels if they are to achieve peace and freedom.

What is Your Advice to Today's Youth?
My advice to youth is to actively seek to meld your mind and your choices around true principles and not to today's culture which is full of mental, emotional, and physical traps that will enslave and dis-empower you. Every adolescent must purposefully decide which edict to follow and far too many follow the masses and succumb to the pulling tide of popular culture. Whenever I speak to youth, I encourage them to strike out, seek higher ground and pursue the life that *they* would like to create and not choose by default in accepting whatever is handed to them by others or the world in general.

Author breaks through "Ceilings," shares truths with others

With her recently published book and in speaking engagements, Heather Madder is helping hundreds break through barriers they have struggled with for years, perhaps even most of their lives.

"Walking on the Ceiling is a book that addresses emotional, relational, and mental barriers that people commonly experience, and provides spiritually-based solutions to overcome them," Heather explains.

The book came about as Heather encountered what she calls "ceilings" in her life.

"My first view of my own ceilings was an astounding one. Several years ago, many difficult circumstances coalesced in my life and knocked the wind out of the sails that had been transporting me along my path," Heather writes.

That became a turning point, which Heather calls "the formal beginning of my life as a seeker."

She set about seeking knowledge, through quiet reflection, mediation and prayer; intensive reading and listening to books on tape; and writing pages and pages chronicling her observations.

"I was in bondage to my own thought patterns and chaotic emotional state. I was preoccupied by the physical world surrounding me, while the spiritual world was like a foreign land," she says. Heather was determined to change her life.

Her book describes what she learned along the way: that trials and limitations keep us from our highest selves, and that our thoughts can hold us back from living in harmony with eternal truth. She also learned that boundaries can be for our benefit as we work beyond them and emerge enlarged by the experience.

"Therefore," she says, "the same ceiling that holds us captive also has the power to exalt us."

Ultimately, writing Walking on the Ceiling and having it published has helped Heather understand her life's mission as a writer and public speaker. Still, she doesn't hold herself up as an expert, but considers herself an instrument to encourage people to "go to the source, which is God" and to "discover truth for themselves."

"I am just a seeker of truth, and if I find it, I find ways of sharing it," she says. "The book has opened the door."

Heather is "delighted and in awe" at the reception received by her book and her presentations to church, civic and community groups, including recent addresses to youth at the Mesa Detention Center and to teachers at Eagle's Aerie Elementary School in Gilbert.

"I teach gospel principles - in any setting, to any denomination - in a way that helps people overcome spiritual and physical barriers," she says.

Editor's note: For more about Heather, including a schedule of upcoming speaking engagements, visit her Web site at www.heathermadder.com. Walking on the Ceiling, published by Tate Publishing & Enterprises, is available online or in local bookstores.