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Key Bible Verses: "The tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high shall visit us, to shine upon those who sit in … the shadow of death" (Luke 1:78–79, NASB). Bonus Reading: Proverbs 4:18; 22:29

Sunrise Senior Living got its name from a kitchen table discussion before the first home was purchased. "We'd already rejected the typical retirement names like Last Gasp or Shady Acres," Terry says wryly. "My stepmother left the table and returned with a Bible. She read [today's Key Bible Verses]. That was it! Sunrise would be about taking people out of the gloom that characterized the nursing homes we'd seen and giving them a way of peace."

The Klaassens sold their home and borrowed $25,000 to buy and renovate an abandoned nursing home. They designed an elegant environment, developed a resident-centered operating model, and moved in to take care of the first residents themselves. Soon they had a full house of 33 seniors and the prototype for what would become a multi-million-dollar business. Word of their resident-centered, compassionate care began to spread. Demand grew. By 1994 they had 20 assisted living communities. In 1996 they took Sunrise public.

Forbes once described Paul as, "An intense … evangelical Christian [who] tries to infuse every management decision at Sunrise Senior Living with a healthy dose of God.

—Christopher Crane & Mike Hamel in Executive Influence

My Response: Is there a risk I should take to make a dream reality?

Thought to Apply: The best prize life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. —Theodore Roosevelt

Adapted from Christopher Crane & Mike Hamel, Executive Influence (NavPress, 2002) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Lord, don't let me just put in time. I want to put energy and passion into my work.

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