Charlie Murphy had been out of jail only two days when the call came. The call that was an answer to a desperate prayer he had prayed to a God he barely knew. The call that would change his life.
Today, more than 10 years later, Charlie is a police officer himself, serving in some of the toughest areas of his community. But before arriving at Arizona Christian University, Charlie saw himself as a broken man.
“My dad had anger issues. He and my mom fought a lot,” he recalled. “I told myself, I don’t want to have the issues my dad has.” But as a teen, he remembers being intimidated by other people. “I was down about myself,” he said. “I would find ways to hurt others, just to feel good about myself.”
“One day my buddy and I had a fight outside my house, and 10 minutes later the cops arrived.” With tears in his eyes he continued, “just seeing the look on my mom’s face, I knew something had to change. I felt broken. I wanted to be the kind of person who helped others, but instead, I let everybody down.”
At his lowest point, Charlie knew that he needed help. “I had never really prayed before,” he remembers. “But I looked up and said, ‘I don’t know you God, but please help me.’”
Just two days later, after Charlie had been released from jail, a football coach from ACU reached out to him. Charlie had been attending a local junior college and planning to play for that school, but the ACU coach was asking if he might consider joining the Firestorm. “The minute I heard the words Arizona Christian University, I knew this was God’s answer to my prayer,” he stated. Charlie knew he needed God. He remembers saying to himself, “This is it.”
After arriving at ACU the next semester, Charlie quickly realized he was there for more than football. “My coaches and professors taught me about life and showed me ways to overcome difficult times through a relationship with God,” he said. “I felt this huge transformation.”
“Coach Bowen became a father figure . . . to help me be the person God wanted me to be,” Charlie continued. “He saw potential in me and invited me to attend a leadership retreat. During the retreat a pastor invited me to be baptized. My life started over again.”
At his baptism, Charlie gained a new perspective on how to deal with his anger. He made a promise that whenever he got mad at someone, he would remember what Jesus did for him. “Jesus died for my sins to forgive me,” he reflected. “So, through him, I can forgive others as well.”
While at ACU, Charlie majored in political science in order to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a police officer. He took courses in law enforcement with Dr. Travis Meadows, an active member of the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) who opened the door for Charlie to have an internship with the department. Since then, Dr. Meadows has remained a role model and mentor.
Today, Charlie’s childhood dream of making a difference for others has been fulfilled. In his role as a patrol officer for the Gila River Police Department he is living out the mission of ACU, transforming a broken culture with truth, one child at a time.
“My supervisor knows I have a soft spot for kids, so he sends me to neighborhoods with troubled youth,” Charlie recounts. “I tell them I struggled as a kid . . .that they matter, and they can do great things in their life.”
ACU left a lasting impression on Charlie’s life in another way as well—he met his wife Amanda during his sophomore year at the university. “I invited her to go to church with me as a date, and from there things just kicked off,” he laughed. “We’re both all into Jesus . . . she got baptized at our church and we’ve given our lives to God.”
As he has walked in obedience to Christ, Charlie’s relationship with his father has begun to change as well. After not seeing his father for almost 10 years, Charlie and his dad recently reestablished contact. “I want to honor my father, and I call him at least once per week,” states Charlie. Their renewed relationship is playing a restorative role in both their lives.
Charlie’s journey is a testimony to the transformational work of Jesus Christ in his life. “I didn’t have purpose in life growing up,” he said. “I struggled in school, and I felt I wouldn’t do well in life. That all has changed. It starts with Jesus who died for us to forgive our sins. God has put me here for a reason.