NCF Houston’s Brandon Lackey and his new bride, Lee Anna, were fresh out of college and barely scraping by on a combined income of $54,000 when Lee Anna’s parents took them to The Gathering – an event that would change their lives and pave the way for a multigenerational focus on generosity.
That weekend, Brandon and Lee Anna heard a young Tim Keller speak about how money can become an idol that manifests as security or status. Keller’s words perfectly explained an internal wrestling Brandon had been struggling with since college.
Feelings of insecurity and inferiority had taken root the moment he’d rolled into his freshman year at Baylor University in a beat-up 1978 Camaro with fuzzy seats and no air conditioning, surrounded by BMWs and Polo shirts. Now Brandon was struggling to find his place, and value, in the wealthy family he’d just married into.
Two worlds collide
Brandon grew up in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in a lower-middle class family. His parents divorced when he was young, and though his dad led him to Christ as a teenager, faith was not a core part of his upbringing. Money was also rarely talked about. It wasn’t until college that Brandon became aware of wealth disparities or the fact that money was tight in his family.
By contrast, Lee Anna’s family was deeply rooted in both faith and financial success. Her father, president of Halliburton when Brandon met and married into the family, had helped his new son-in-law get a job. Brandon was grateful, but also struggling with insecurity about money, possessions, and identity.
“I just didn’t know how I was going to achieve all the things I imagined were expected of me,” Brandon says.
The Gathering reframed everything for him. He learned that the antidote to all the turmoil he was feeling was generosity. Brandon immediately felt the freedom of a future defined by generosity instead of the pressures of accumulation.
Starting small, giving big
Thrown into the deep end of generosity before they had much to be generous with, Brandon and Lee Anna began by committing to a 10 percent tithe. As their income grew in their late 20s – through promotions, entrepreneurial ventures, and tech start-ups – so did their giving.
“I was getting significant bonuses, which we mostly gave away,” Brandon says. “Every time we would get a bonus, we’d have an opportunity to buy someone a car or pay off someone’s note or something like that. That just brought a lot of joy.”
Then, when Brandon and Lee Anna were in their early 30s, lives full with raising their three sons, Lee Anna’s father died unexpectedly.
Honoring a father’s legacy
No one was prepared to handle the kind of issues they were facing, but since Brandon had some business and financial experience, guiding the estate and family’s private foundation fell to him. As the family discussed the best way to steward assets, Brandon remembered someone from The Gathering who spoke about this very thing.
“I told my mother-in-law we needed to track down Terry Parker,” Brandon says.
Terry Parker, Co-Founder of the National Christian Foundation (NCF), walked the family through all the ways they could honor their patriarch’s life of generosity by ensuring his assets helped support causes and ministries they all loved.
He connected them with Randy Schroeder, a generosity-minded advisor at Blue Trust, who set up a charitable lead trust and introduced them to NCF’s Giving Fund. While there are similarities between a private foundation and a donor-advised fund, the benefits of using a Giving Fund to streamline their generosity were clear.
“My father-in-law had set up the foundation in the early 90s,” Brandon says. “It was probably the only way he knew to accomplish his [generosity] goals. But now we all have Giving Funds and primarily use those.”
Extending the invitation
From there, Brandon and Lee Anna got involved in Generous Giving. They attended a Journey of Generosity (JOG). They went to the Celebration of Generosity (COG). They became certified JOG facilitators and began hosting JOGs at their lake house.
“I love facilitating JOGs,” Brandon says. “I love the generosity story. And I especially love leading JOGs for younger people because of my story.”
But perhaps their greatest legacy isn’t what they give away; it’s what they’ve passed on. When their boys were young, they took annual trips to Zambia, where they served orphans and were exposed to a radically different way of life. At home, they were planting churches in underserved communities around Houston. Brandon and Lee Anna’s sons didn’t just hear about their grandfather’s legacy of generosity; they saw it lived out.
A year ago, Brandon and Lee Anna were able to invite Randy, their advisor of 25 years, to lead a JOG for their family – Brandon, Lee Anna, their three sons, and their daughters-in-law.
Afterwards, Brandon led a family meeting to discuss their assets and estate plan. They discussed their succession plan and how they hoped their charitable dollars would be spent. They talked about what their sons would inherit and what they would help Brandon and Lee Anna give away through their Giving Funds.
Three generations, one story
Recently, Brandon’s 86-year-old mother-in-law took her children, grandchildren, and all their spouses to the 2025 Celebration of Generosity.
“We’re just trying to do for our kids what my in-laws did for us,” Brandon says. “They introduced us to believers and teachers who were living extravagantly generous lives that motivated, encouraged, and informed us about biblical generosity.”
At the COG, three generations worshiped, learned, and dreamed together about what it means to live generously. “Thanks to God, all my adult kids love Jesus,” Brandon says. “Having them there, alongside their spouses and my mother-in-law, was an incredible gift. It’s exactly what we hoped for – to see the next generation stepping into this story.”
Coming full circle with NCF
In 2024, Brandon found himself in a slower season of life. After an extensive entrepreneurial career, as well as a stint as an executive pastor at a multi-campus church in Houston, he took the time to enjoy a little break. He spent his mornings reading his Bible at a local coffee shop. Then, he would head over to one of their concessions stands to fix a slushy machine or restock the potato chips. It was nice, but it wasn’t his calling.
“I had a real sense that I needed to use the story God had given me, especially in the generosity space,” Brandon says. “I thought, if I could spend my days doing anything, it would be spreading the message of biblical generosity. And that really narrows it down to two organizations: Generous Giving and NCF.”
Brandon reached out to his friends at the NCF Houston office right as they were looking to hire a new team member. Now, Brandon is on staff at NCF Houston, bringing his passion for generosity full circle.
What started as an invitation 30 years ago is now a legacy that’s growing exponentially. Every year, events like The Gathering and the COG offer that same opportunity for families longing to plant similar seeds – a place to listen, imagine, and begin a new generosity story. If you would like to experience the 2026 Celebration of Generosity, registration is now open.
