Chief Michael Tupper's Challenge on 2-8-20

Announcements:

• STRONG Foundation:
  • Marriage Conference.
    • It is on our website under the Events tab.
    • Needs.
      • Donations.
        • Are to be sent/taken to the Ahrens Foundation. 
          • Donations will go towards the STRONG Foundation and we can use them for the conference. Go ahead and note or earmark your donations on your memo section of checks for the conference.  Skip Lowe
        • We’re in need of about 2-3 thousand dollars at this point.
      • Volunteers (Parking, Janitorial, Greeters, etc.).
      • Prayers.
      • See Skip, myself or any pastor if you have a desire to help in any way.
• Ox Strong Store closes March 1st.
• BROWN Strong is Launched.
• Ox Strong Women is Launched.
• STRONG Suit is on its way.
• NEXT Ox Strong:
  • We are holding our March Ox Strong get together on the first Saturday of the month…March 7th.
  • Van Harden will be our guest speaker.
• Challenges:
  • Continue dating your wife and children/grandchildren…doesn’t mean an expensive date…dollar menu works great.
  • Continue memorize scripture…doesn’t have to be from BROWN STRONG, but make every effort to be in His word somehow.
  • Additional challenge from what Chief spoke on? See Below.
• Reminders:
  • March 7th is our next get together.

Chief Tupper’s Challenge:
 
He has been involved in law enforcement for 28 years…he’s been Chief of Police these last 16 years.
Is a believer in Christ, and challenges himself each day to be better in his walk with the Lord.
Fell into faith and values by accident.

• Had an abusive upbringing (drunken father).
• Learned two primary lessons from his mom.
  • Perseverance…endured a lot, but was driven by his Christian faith.
  • Faith…she instilled it in him from a young child. 2 Timothy 1:5

What gets him through each day in law enforcement?

• Prayer and Faith.

2018 and 2019 were two of his most challenging years in law enforcement. He dealt with…

• The Marshalltown tornado in 2018.
• And the three missing persons in 2019.  
  • Corey Brown was one of the missing persons.
    • This one was particularly difficult for him to deal with because social media was heavily criticizing a mom for being a mom. He did all he could to get the focus off of blaming Corey’s grieving mother.
    • He prayed and asked God what to do…and he was led to write an article in the local newspaper. SEE THE ARTICLE IN FULL BELOW.
    • This put many readers at ease and made them feel much better after reading it.

Reminders:

• God has a plan for all of us.
• We have an ability to impact the lives of other people either positively or negatively.
• We never know what someone else is going through internally.
• May there be a snowball effect to help and love on others.
  • Let them see your smile.
  • Give them a pat on the back.

Chief Tupper lives by 3 Christian Values…Values in which he challenges his staff with regularly:

• Every day come ready to serve with passion.
  • Do what you love and give it 100%.
  • Use your imagination and see where God will take it.
• Serve every day with compassion.
  • Christ knew that one day His face would be spit in, yet he served with a compassionate heart.
  • Live by the golden rule of policing.
    • How would I want my loved one to be treated? Do unto others…
• Lead with a sense of urgency.
  • Urgency in the minor and major reports. What might be considered routine/normal and minor to me, might be considered the most traumatic event in the life of another.
  • There are weeks where the Marshalltown Police Dept. receives 800 calls for service. They need to be ready to respond to what’s important to another.
    • 2 Timothy 4:2
  • On July 19, 2018 Chief Tupper placed himself in a strategic position as the tornado was approaching Marshalltown so that he’d be ready to immediately respond.  
    • This was the scariest moment in his life. He had no idea what he was going to do. He just knew he had to be ready.
      • He spent a few moments in prayer, especially since he knew his wife and two children were located in other buildings downtown (the direct path of the tornado).
      • He thought about his mom.
      • He thought this was it.
    •  After the tornado passed through he darted for the police station…along the way he witnessed many people surfacing from the rubble (amazingly no one was killed in this tornado).
      • He asked his boss, “What now?” She replied, “You’re in charge.”
      • He went back to his office…prayed and reviewed his values.
      • He was reminded that God prepares us and puts us in these situations for a reason.

 
Nate’s Challenge:

• Who and or what gets you through tough times? What’s been instilled in you that prepares you for such moments in life? Take some time to reflect and give thanks for all He’s taught you and brought you through in life.
• Sam Yoder suggested a book to read if you haven’t already…it’s called “Lead for God’s Sake.”

 
Guest Column: Sometimes Tragedy Happens and No One is to Blame
POSTED 9:54 AM, JANUARY 29, 2019, BY STAFF WRITER, UPDATED AT 09:57AM, JANUARY 29, 2019
This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Corey Brown (WHO-HD)
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa — This guest column by Marshalltown Police Chief Mike Tupper, on the tragic death of Corey Brown, first appeared in the Marshalltown Times-Republican and is posted here by permission of the paper and Chief Tupper.
This past week our community was dealt yet another horrific blow. Corey Brown was a good kid from a great family. This tragedy will forever alter the Brown family and in many ways our community. All of us who call Marshalltown home are hurting. If you are a parent, the senselessness of this event is heartbreaking. Why do things like this happen?
I have witnessed more tragedy than I care to remember or discuss over the course of 26 years working in the law enforcement profession. I have witnessed and investigated unspeakable horrors. I have held the hand of far too many parents as they mourn the loss of a child. Any senseless or unexpected loss of life is difficult to deal with but when a child dies, it hurts in ways that for me are indescribable. When tragedy strikes, we want answers. We want accountability. There must be someone or something to blame. We speculate. We theorize. We pontificate about our own experiences. We convince ourselves we would have done something different to prevent tragedy had it been us in the shoes of those dealt the horrible blow. Maybe this is how we cope. Maybe this is how we try to convince ourselves such horrible things will never happen to us. We know better after all and someone must have done something wrong to cause this.
I am sorry to say sometimes tragedy just happens. It sucks. It hurts. Sometimes there are no explanations, no answers, nobody to blame. It is the harsh reality of life. I hate it. It breaks my heart. Tragedy can, does and will affect all of us at some point in our life. None of us are immune. How will you want people to treat you? Will you hope for a compassionate response?
I have been disappointed in the national media coverage of this recent tragedy. They have sensationalized, and inaccurately reported, irrelevant details in an effort to hint someone must be to blame. Some keyboard warriors on social media have done the same. They all have lacked basic human decency as they push out their theories and speculation. It must stop. This is wrong. The Brown family deserves, and needs our support, our love. They deserve compassion. There is nobody to blame here, folks. Corey Brown did nothing wrong. The Brown family did nothing wrong. They were the victims of unfortunate circumstances that could have just as easily visited our own families. Tragedy sometimes just happens. All you can do is support one another. As community members, we must rise up to support the unfortunate souls touched by tragic events.
The Marshalltown community is a proud and loving community. We all stand with the Browns. We will support them as friends and neighbors as they would support us under similar circumstances. God bless Corey Brown! Please pray for the Brown family.