A crash course in generosity: How a near-death experience changed Greg Horton’s life

As gasoline poured out from the underbelly of his crashed plane, Greg Horton realized he was trapped. Greg didn’t think about his businesses, possessions, or bank account in what could have been his last minutes on earth. Instead, he realized that only two things mattered: His relationship with his Creator and his relationships with those he loves.

While all signs pointed to the end for Greg, he realized God was inviting him to surrender security and embark on a journey of generosity.

A desire for financial security

Greg grew up a Missouri farm kid, where life cycled between feast and famine. His family relied on the wind, rain, and sun working just right, or there would be a financial disaster. This foundation of uncertainty led young Greg to promise himself he would find a dependable career that would never expose him to this kind of economic insecurity again. 

True to his word, Greg became a successful accountant and progressed to partner in a firm, assisting clients with strategic planning for small and midsize businesses. Greg spent his 30s and 40s making conservative financial decisions – which included consistently tithing 10 percent –  and his family’s future looked dependable and safe. 

Greg didn’t know God would soon call him to walk away from the security he’d built. 

A seed of biblical generosity takes root

Around 1999, Greg was invited to attend an all-men’s Journey of Generosity (JOG) with other Christian small business owners. He assumed it would be like most financial discussions between men, guarded and filled with vague and boastful statements. But God was planting seeds. 

The conversations that transpired opened Greg’s eyes to the life of biblical generosity God calls us to. Most importantly, Greg realized that everything he had wasn’t his to “give back to God.” Instead, he began to see his LIFE (Labor, Influence, Finances, Expertise) as God’s generosity beyond measure toward him and his family. 

As a firm believer in servant leadership, the seeds God planted in Greg’s heart began to take root. 

Shortly after the JOG, Greg met with a small group of home-care and hospice professionals seeking advice. These individuals had selfless compassion for the elderly and disabled in a way that significantly conflicted with their employer. Greg believed this group deserved an employer who valued those needing care and the caregivers themselves. To his surprise, Greg also knew God was calling him to be the man for the job. 

In 2000, Greg made an uncharacteristically risky move to leave his career as an accountant and founded Integrity Home Care and Hospice in Springfield, Missouri. From the world’s point of view, Greg could have been burning his life down through an unwise business move. Greg put everything on the line to follow God’s calling – his family’s security included. 

But, step by step, God showed Greg that the more he trusted him, the more he would provide. Even through the challenges of starting a business from the ground up, God walked alongside Greg. He put the right people around him to overcome obstacles and build a multi-million-dollar business. 

Greg’s tale of taking a risk and stepping into a life of generosity didn’t end there. A pattern had emerged. God wasn’t finished with Greg’s story.

A generous mission unfinished

It was December 12, 2014, and Greg and three other members of his executive team were returning home from a visit to Kansas City. Their small plane made contact with something in the dark, cloudy sky over Springfield, and within 90 seconds, they had crashed in the middle of town. Two passengers freed themselves from the wreckage, but Greg and another were trapped as a full gas tank spilled across the ground beneath them.   

Greg had already talked with God a few times that day, and in the last few seconds before he thought his life would end, Greg spoke with him again. Greg asked God if he was sure his life on earth was done. Greg believed he and God were on mission together. So many people depended on their work, and Greg felt it wasn’t finished. As the seconds ticked by, Greg didn’t get an audible answer from God. In its place, peace filled the cabin in a way Greg had never experienced before. Greg knew God was with him, whether he was going home to his family or heaven that day.

Miraculously, God spared Greg and his co-workers. From the FAA to the EMTs, nobody can understand how they didn’t die from the sheer impact of the crash or why the plane didn’t catch fire. 

Looking back, Greg realizes that, in what he thought were his last moments, only two things mattered – his relationship with God and his friends and family. 

As he sat trapped in the plane, convinced he would burn up, Greg would have given every business and possession he owned to hold his family in his arms one more time. He would tell them he loved them and that God never abandoned him. None of his investments, bank accounts, or businesses were on his mind. 

A life of generational generosity

By God’s grace, Greg was able to hold his family again and share his encounter with God. Greg’s experience reinforced his desire to do as much with the LIFE God has given him as he can, while he can. God showed him that he doesn’t promise tomorrow and that worldly securities have absolutely no value when we die. It’s what we store up in heaven that genuinely matters. 

In 2020, Greg gave more than half of his ownership in Integrity to the National Christian Foundation. Through this gift, Greg committed that ownership interest in the company to help others. This not only was a practice of generosity for Greg, but also one of discipline too. 

Later that year, an interested investor with faith-based values approached Greg and his partners, including NCF, about becoming an equity partner in the business. While selling a large stake in the company was a big decision, Greg knew he had come close to not being alive for this opportunity. The sale proceeds attributable to NCF’s ownership would be used to fund charitable purposes, and since Greg had already given that ownership interest to NCF, he was never tempted by having it available for personal use. 

Today, Greg and his wife, Kim, use their NCF Giving Fund to support missionaries and ministries on the frontlines of need so they can do whatever God calls them to. Greg also uses his time to mentor young business leaders and entrepreneurs, providing feedback on business plans and helping them navigate challenges. 

Greg and Kim bring their two sons and their families into giving-strategy discussions to cultivate a family legacy of generosity. As Greg is generous with his own LIFE, he believes God provides the security for others that he sought his whole life. 

Some may call Greg’s life a miracle. To Greg, it is just a part of God’s pre-written story of generosity.