‘Generosity Failure’

One couple learned the path of biblical generosity is both personal and unique—and involves so much more than finances

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“Sometimes I just felt like a generosity failure,” said Donna Hepp. She and her husband, Marty Hepp, addressed the audience gathered at the 2024 Generous Giving Conference to discuss the topic of Biblical stewardship and how it impacted their hope for their family and marriage.

Marty and Donna Hepp / Video screenshot @GenerationalGiving

The couple—based out of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and the parents of two adult daughters—desired to live generously, but struggled with finding the best way to walk that out.

Donna admitted her view of godly obedience felt scary, especially as one who struggled with fear and worry.

“I wanted to live a safe life, in a safe home,” Donna confessed. “I had heard stories of generational giving, and with two daughters that is something I really wanted to do in our family. But God had a different plan for our lives. We discovered that once we surrendered, listened to His voice, and obeyed, we came to understand that His journey for us was personal.”

Donna had believed that generosity and giving was something tied to finances.

“Every time we tried to talk about that topic of giving as a family, it was stressful,” Donna recalled. “I can’t control our grown children who had their own lives and were walking with the Lord. I needed to start focusing on my own journey.”

After hearing the statistics of when women are widowed before the age of 60, Donna said she was stunned. She was used to Marty taking care of all their finances but knew it was time to get involved.

“We needed to work as a team to steward our resources,” said Donna. “And we needed to make financial conversations a priority.”

Marty and Donna had been involved in separate ministries, but he agreed they needed to find something to work on together.

“They say that opposites attract,” Marty said, comparing his “faith over fear” decision-making approach to Donna’s safety-first approach. A civil engineer, he was a driven achiever, a risk taker with big dreams and living from goal to goal. He had created a culture of serving and giving as a pillar in the Oklahoma City-based Cobb Engineering Company, where he has been president for 40 years.

After a men’s prayer retreat, Marty felt convicted about building more than structures—he also felt led to build disciple makers. He serves on the leadership team of Christian Business Men’s Connection whose mission is to help men to discover their purpose, grow in faith and to live love and lead like Jesus.

“I felt like I was doing great things for God, but I wasn’t a very good listener,” admitted Marty.

“God impressed on me that I should give away the entire value of the company,” said Marty. “It was God’s company and it was harvest time.”

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He set up a trust and a giving fund through the company with the hope to build a $10 million foundation that would last beyond his years.

“It seemed like it wasn’t really working like I dreamed,” Marty said about how the different ideas fizzled out. “What was working well was how Donna and I were giving together.”

Together they prayed about where they should give support. Oftentimes, the number they each wrote down was exactly the same.

The couple heard someone talk about giving an inheritance to their kids when it would benefit them the most—the “college, cars and braces years,” which is where their oldest daughter and husband are at with their four children.

“I thought at the end of our lives, all our money would go to our kids,” said Donna. “I thought that is what good parents did.”

Marty and Donna mapped out an 8-year plan to dispense the full amount of their daughters’ inheritance.

“Of course the girls were okay with that,” laughed Donna. “Now, we have freedom to give away the rest as God directs. I no longer feel like a generosity failure.”

“My perspective on money and time has changed dramatically,” Marty said. “God has called us to steward resources from his kingdom first—things like the fruit of the spirit, relationships, His word, wisdom, and many other things. Those are the things that I am called to steward.”

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