February 27, 2026
East Texas Baptist University recently concluded its annual Spiritual Renewal event, held on campus February 23–25. The three-day emphasis featured guest speaker Josiah Jones (’06) and centered on the theme, “No Filter: Getting Real about Faith, Hurt, and Hope.”
Throughout the week, students, faculty, and staff gathered in Rogers Spiritual Life Center for morning Chapel, with additional evening worship services on Monday and Tuesday.
“Our Spiritual Renewal emphasis is a cherished time of spiritual reflection and growth for our ETBU students, faculty, and staff,” Dean of Spiritual Life Dr. David Griffin said. “The theme ‘No Filter’ invited us to strip away the shallow and broken answers we often hear from the world and take an honest look at where we are with God. It provided time to take off the filter, to get real about our faith and our hurt, and look for a new hope in Christ.”
Over three days, Jones shared both biblical teaching and personal testimony. Raised in Fort Worth, he was deeply invested in sports and pursued success in every arena he could find, only to discover it left him empty. As a college student-athlete, he surrendered his life to Christ, an experience that reshaped his purpose and direction.
By sharing personal experiences and pointing to Scripture, Jones emphasized the importance of being authentic and surrounding yourself with other believers.
“One of the primary ways God does His finding in our hiding is through biblical, trusted community,” Jones said. “God has called us to be fully known. When we refuse to live lives where we are fully known, the result is always the same. Hiding, isolation, managing sin instead of killing it, suppressing pain instead of healing it, and slowly becoming someone God never intended for us to become.”
In 2007, Jones began a student ministry and started speaking to young adults in Kansas City, Missouri. In 2019, he joined Watermark Community Church in Dallas, where he became a teaching voice at The Porch, a young adult ministry that has impacted thousands across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Today, Jones serves independently as an evangelist and event speaker. He and his wife, Cathy, have three children: Camille, Isabella, and Caleb.
During his messages, Jones addressed topics many students quietly wrestle with, such as disappointment, doubt, pain, and misplaced identity. Students were reminded of the hope found in Christ and challenged to pursue an authentic faith marked not by image or works, but by surrender and trust in the Lord.
“Events like Spiritual Renewal are integral to ETBU,” said ETBU senior Audrey Salley, who led worship alongside other ETBU students during the event. “In the midst of a busy semester, it gives us time to slow down and recenter our focus. It is so exciting to be in the midst of a large group of people my age who are passionate about Christ and hungering for spiritual knowledge and renewal. Leading others in worship with the gifts God has given me brings me such joy. It truly was a great week.”