Are You A Purple Cow?

Hadley Baker


Matthew 5:16
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Chris Lindberg is a long-time friend of mine. Many moons ago he and I led the student ministry at Northplace Church in Sachse, Texas. He pastored the high school students. I had the “privilege” of leading our middle school students. Lucky me! Among other things, Chris is very gifted at marketing and promotion. He just has a way of promoting and branding events that gets people excited. So effective was he at this that on one occasion more than 1,200 students showed up for a Wednesday night worship service! Incredible, huh? I once picked his brain on this, inquiring on the thought process behind his approach. His answer was somewhat bizarre. “Purple cow,” he said. “Purple cow?” I asked. “Yup. Be the purple cow.” Seeing that I wasn’t exactly following his logic, he expounded: “If you were driving down the road and saw a pasture full of cows, no single cow would really stand out. They are all black and white. But a purple cow—that cow would definitely stand out from the rest.” Then it all made sense. Be intentional about standing out. That’s what grabs people’s attention.

As a Christian, do you stand out in our culture? Does your life look any different than that of your friends, classmates, co-workers, or do you simply blend in? Jesus said our lives should be such a contrast to those who are lost, that it would be like light shining in the darkness. So let me ask you—are you a purple cow?