S7 Episode #17- Will Acuff

THE ONE WITH WILL ACUFF

This week I am excited to welcome Will Acuff, author of No Elevator to Everest, to the podcast! In this episode, Will shares about answering a call to ministry, navigating fear and burnout, and the unexpected path of Spirit-led self-awareness. We dive into themes of facing our fears, embracing God’s tender love, and the power of curiosity in our spiritual lives. This conversation reminds us that there’s no elevator to purpose—we walk it out with honesty, trust, and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit.

A Little more about WILL

Will Acuff, a pastor’s kid with a master’s in biblical studies, co-founded Corner to Corner, a nonprofit organization that promotes economic equality by launching underestimated entrepreneurs out of historically low-income communities in Nashville. As a father and husband navigating family health challenges, Will found renewal through trauma counseling and contemplative faith, embracing paths through pain to rediscover God's love and guidance.

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE BOOK

Will Acuff, husband, father, social entrepreneur, and advocate for children with disabilities knows what it feels like to be stuck—faith intact but weighed down by doubt, spiritual exhaustion and unanswered questions. In his new book, No Elevator to Everest: Shift from Survive to Thrive through Spirit-Led Self-Awareness (David C Cook, April 1, 2025), he invites readers on a journey he once had to take himself: A path beyond daily survival and disillusionment, where self-awareness and deep connection with God lead to a more authentic and joyful faith.

A groundbreaking book for Christians who remain committed to their relationship with God but feel disconnected or disheartened by the church, No Elevator to Everest offers a fresh perspective on spiritual growth. Through deeply personal storytelling, theological insight, and practical exercises, Acuff integrates emotional health, self-awareness, and intimacy with God’s heart.

“This book is a story of spiritual awakening that has led to a daily life of tremendous joy,” writes Acuff. “I want to make it clear that none of my circumstances changed. What changed was me. I learned how to live daily in the Spirit of Christ through the work of Spirit-Led Self-Awareness. Everything you read in this book comes from a deeply personal place. I do not offer you a theory, but a practice. The ideas are useless unless you put them to work. There are no elevators to Everest, but there are guides. It is a huge promise to say that these pages will bring you on a journey toward a deeper knowledge of yourself and the Spirit of God, but it is one I can sincerely make with you. With you means we will go together. May you find this book to be a useful guide on your journey.” 

With a deep emphasis on emotional health, contemplative faith, and spiritual renewal, No Elevator to Everest guides readers beyond mere daily survival into a life of soul-deep peace and thriving. In it, readers will discover: 

  • A liberated self-understanding as they see how Christianity embraces both the knowledge of God and the knowledge of self

  • Encouragement and resilience through one family’s experience of God’s tenderness amid clinical depression, trauma, and disability

  • Proven practical exercises to move beyond stale frameworks into an authentic, Spirit-led faith

  • A vision for joy that is not dependent on external circumstances but flourishes from within

L I S T E N

W A T C H

S H O W N O T E S

Will was raised in The Church and he doesn’t remember a time in his life without The Lord. Even in times of struggle, he was struggling with The Lord’s presence alongside him. His life has had a through-line of faith from the earliest days. 

FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN

In Will’s senior year of high school, he felt a call on his life for ministry. He didn’t know what it would look like yet, but he asked his mom to pray with him. 

Often, when God is calling us, He is calling us with very few details. We see this over and over throughout Scripture. Will initially thought that faith would come with more control, but throughout his life he has learned that it consistently comes with far more trust than control. 

All of us have moments in our lives where things seem to go “sideways”. Our brains naturally go into flight, fight or freeze mode. However, faith is asking us to see a greater story in the midst of the fear. 

Carve out time to get still and then get curious. Pray, “Lord, I am feeling all of this fear. What would you have me know about it?” 

We are promised the Holy Spirit– an inward presence of the Divine. When you move toward the fear with passion and curiosity, The Spirit will guide you. You may realize that you’ve been living out of a story that God is going to abandon you, but the truth is that He will never leave you. Or you may be living out of a story that says “only if my life looks like this then I will be safe”. But the truth is that The Lord can make you safe, no matter what the context of your life is. 

You will find that your fear can be a great truth teller, but it is not a great decision maker. You need to get to a space where you can tell the truth about your fear and bring it to The Lord and let Him meet you there. You will experience the compassion of The Lord in this space. 

THEOLOGY OF NEIGHBOR 

Will had grown up with a good understanding of theology of the cross, but as he grew in his faith, he realized that he was missing out on “the bits in between” as N.T. Wright calls the times when Jesus is showing up in the lived experience of real people in need. 

Will and his wife decided to move into a low-income neighborhood where they had an open-door policy and worked with people in poverty. They realized that economic opportunity was a huge missing piece for helping move people out of poverty. They decided to create a nonprofit that was Kingdom centered with relationships as the core goal. This collaborative mentality launched Corner to Corner, a nonprofit organization that promotes economic equality by launching underestimated entrepreneurs out of historically low-income communities in Nashville. 

God custom builds every human. You are His image bearer. You have God-given passion and drive. You are not here by accident. Something inside of you is what the world needs right now.

THE HEART OF THE FATHER 

We consistently underestimate how good and loving our Father is. 

The prodigal son set out to have his dreams fulfilled, but everything fell apart for him. He was in a state of utter loneliness and in the midst of that, he returned to himself. He remembered who he was and he set out to return to his father. On his way, he gets caught in a shame cycle and seeks to put himself in the position of a servant, rather than return as a son. When the father reaches his son, the father puts an end to the shame cycle and reminds the son of who he truly is. 

God’s love is far greater and far more tender and merciful than we can ever imagine. 

NO ELEVATOR TO EVEREST 

On the outside, Will’s life appeared to be moving along perfectly, but the truth was that his family was struggling at home. His normal “see a problem and fix it” mentality was no longer working. He was at the edge of burnout when God met him in a beautiful way. He was able to see himself with tenderness and compassion for the first time. 

We often view ourselves as a problem to solve, but this is not how Christ views you. 

Will asked himself, “What would it be like to turn my life into a joy lab?”

You are made in the image of God. 

You have the abing Holy Spirit. The very Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is alive and living in you right now. 

So, if those two things are true, then your context doesn’t get the last word! 

There are no shortcuts, you have to walk out your life, but Will provides practices and stories to help you along the way in his new book, No Elevator to Everest: Shift from Survive to Thrive through Spirit-Led Self-Awareness. 

IDEA!

The Emotional Trailhead: Your emotions are not bad, so what do we do with them? When you wake up, you are not neutral. You wake up with all sorts of emotions about the day, but you usually just stuff them down and try to get through the day. Instead of stuffing those emotions, take the first 10 minutes of the morning, get still, and get curious. What is the biggest thing you are feeling right now? Why is that happening? Keep asking yourself questions and going down the path to identify what you need to give over to The Lord. Invite The Spirit into the process– ask Him what He wants you to know or do with this information? Maybe there is something you need to let go of or a lie that you have been believing. 

SPIRIT-LED SELF-AWARENESS 

We are promised that we have the Holy Spirit abiding in us. Yet, so much of our faith journey is about knowledge of God and knowledge of self just to the extent that we know we need Jesus living inside of us. This leads us to being “brains on a stick”-- learning more and more facts about God, but never diving deep into who He has made us to be. 

The journey of faith is knowledge of God and knowledge of self. This is what will allow us to bring our whole self before The Lord. 

“Search me and know me, O Lord.” 

“Cast all of your fears on The Lord because He cares for you.” – You have to be able to identify your fears in order to cast them on The Lord. You must be honest with yourself in order to be honest with God and move into alignment with Him. 

GET CURIOUS

What is your inner story? 

The reality is that The Lord says, “I have come that you may have life and you may have it to the full.” 

He is not saying someday, he is saying right now. In your real, messy, complicated life, you can still have the full, abundant life of Christ. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

You are not alone. The abiding Holy spirit is with you even now. The belief that we are alone in what we are going through is a tool of the enemy. You can be in a really hard context, but you are promised that The Lord has overcome the world and He is with you and in now. Take hold of this promise– it is true whether you feel it or not.

N E X T S T E P S

Here are a few action steps to help you dip deeper this week!

  1. Is there an area of your life where you are experiencing fear or anxiety? If so, carve out time to get still and then get curious. Pray, “Lord, I am feeling all of this fear. What would you have me know about it?” 

  2. Check out noelevatortoeverest.com and download Will’s practice guide. Commit to trying the “10 Minutes for 10 Days” Challenge. 

  3. Complete the “Emotional Trailhead” idea described in the show notes above.

Thank you, as always, for listening! Please remember that everything we do is funded by those who benefit from our ministry. Our ministry a 501(c)3, so your contribution is tax-deductible.

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  • The Collected Podcast is a production of Collected Ministries, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping disciples of Jesus discover and live from their true identity in Christ, recognize and walk in their divine purpose within the Kingdom of God, and experience growth in their capacity for mature, healthy relationships.

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  • The Collected Podcast is produced by Jes French and edited by Jacob Early. Cover art designed by Ben Biondo.

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