Jeff Spector is a 1st generation Mormon who converted from the Jewish Faith in 1982. He was born in Hollywood, Ca and grew up in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. He was a Bar Mitzvah at age 13. After graduating from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo with a degree in Engineering, he moved to San Jose, California and went to work for the Hewlett-Packard Company, where he has been for the past 29 years.
He met his wife, Debbie, also a convert, on a cruise ship (no, not the Love Boat!) and they were married in February of 1982. Jeff joined the Church in June of 1982. They have 5 children. They were sealed in the Oakland Temple in August 1983.
Jeff’s interest in all things Mormon began when invited to participate in a Mormon computer bulletin board (pre-Internet) which discussed Mormon doctrine and history. Because of the heavy involvement of people who were critical of the Church, Jeff had to do significant amount of research to learn the truth about the claims they were making. In the process, he acquired a ton of books and other materials.
Jeff’s love for the Temple and his travel for work has enabled him to visit 40 different Temples on every continent except Africa.
Jeff and family left San Jose after 24 years and now reside in Colorado Springs. Author Profile: Jeff Spector
Jeff Spector is a 1st generation Mormon who converted from the Jewish Faith in 1982. He was born in Hollywood, Ca and grew up in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. He was a Bar Mitzvah at age 13. After graduating from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo with a degree in Engineering, he moved to San Jose, California and went to work for the Hewlett-Packard Company, where he has been for the past 29 years.
He met his wife, Debbie, also a convert, on a cruise ship (no, not the Love Boat!) and they were married in February of 1982. Jeff joined the Church in June of 1982. They have 5 children. They were sealed in the Oakland Temple in August 1983.
Jeff’s interest in all things Mormon began when invited to participate in a Mormon computer bulletin board (pre-Internet) which discussed Mormon doctrine and history. Because of the heavy involvement of people who were critical of the Church, Jeff had to do significant amount of research to learn the truth about the claims they were making. In the process, he acquired a ton of books and other materials.
Jeff’s love for the Temple and his travel for work has enabled him to visit 40 different Temples on every continent except Africa.
Jeff and family left San Jose after 24 years and now reside in Colorado Springs. Author Archive for Jeff Spector
Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words, Hymn no. 232
Let us oft speak kind words to each other. At home or where’er we may be;
Like the warblings of birds on the heather, The tones will be welcome and free.
They’ll gladden the heart that’s repining, Give courage and hope from above,
And where the dark clouds hide the shining, Let in the bright sunlight of love.
[Chorus]
Oh, the kind words we give shall in memory live And sunshine forever impart.
Let us oft speak kind words to each other; Kind words are sweet tones of the heart.
- Joseph L. Townsend, 1849-1942 Continue reading…
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Over the years, the church has cut back and eliminated activities that, in some cases, were long-standing traditions. Which ones do you miss the most?
- Speech Contests
- Stake Dramas and plays
- Talent shows
- Concerts
- Roadshow
- Dance Festivals
- Monthly ward activities
- Ward fund raisers
- Inter-church sports tournaments
- Know Your Religion
- Gold & Green Ball (Laurels coming out party?)
- Others
I am sure that there are other activities that I have not mentioned. I also think that some wards and stakes may still do things that are on the list.
What were your favorites?
I recently lead a discussion in High Priests (I never call it teaching) about Discipleship, what it was and how we can become true disciples of Jesus Christ. I used several talks and articles by Elder Neal A. Maxwell. He spoke quite a bit about the concept of discipleship and he always had a manner of speech and writing that made what he said or wrote seem more important. Continue reading…
The Church of Jesus Christ claims to be the Restored Church of the Lord Jesus Christ and the “only true and living church on the face of the whole earth.” (D&C 1:30)
On the other hand, there are many in the world who would claim that the LDS Church is a false religion and because of our differing beliefs we are all destined for the fiery pit of hell. Which, of course, I do not accept.
But, it has always gotten me wondering, what if the Church wasn’t true. Continue reading…
This post is not intended to be a historical look at changes that have happened in the church throughout the years, but more of experiential observation.
Over the years, change in the Church has been much more top-down driven from the leadership to the members. But I think, to some extent, it is changing to a more bottom up orientation and I don’t think it is overall positive for the Church.
I have been under the impression over the last 26 years in the Church that if one had a pretty strong testimony of the Savior, the truthfulness of the Gospel as restored by the Prophet Joseph Smith and other essential doctrines, that if would be enough for the average member to weather the storms of doubt, social rejection and, their discovery of new information that might come along from time to time.
It might just be me, but I’ve noticed an upswing in eating and drinking during the three hour block. Now, I am not talking about cheerios, fishy crackers and sippy cups, but older kids and adults. Continue reading…
As I watched the press conference last week between the Sunday sessions of General Conference, I found out that the new 2nd Counselor of the Young Women General Presidency, Ann Dibbs, is a daughter of President Thomas S Monson. It got me thinking about how many relatives of Church leaders also become leaders themselves. Is nepotism a problem in the Church today? Continue reading…
As members of the LDS Church, we recognize that the Gospel was “restored” to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith and that he founded the Church on April 6, 1830. A question we might ask ourselves is: what is the actual purpose of the Church? Why does it exist? How does it help us? And, do we need it to exist to in order to achieve exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom, living with Heavenly Father and Jesus for all eternity? Continue reading…
This part 3 of Testimony is just for fun. I will give you four examples of some of the stranger testimonies I have heard. No doubt I have forgotten the strangest ones. But these are the ones that come to mind. You can check out Part 1 and Part 2 to see how I got here. Continue reading…
In part 1 on Testimony, I discussed that oft heard phrase, “I know the Church is True.” In this 2nd part, I’d like to focus on what a Testimony is supposed to be. In part 3, we’ll have some fun as I relate some of the more memorable testimonies I have heard. I am sure you will be able to share some of yours as well at that time.
The first time I attended the LDS Church was a Fast and Testimony Meeting at the University Ward in Berkeley, California. Coming from a background where a liturgy was the Sabbath Service with very small amount of a sermon or speech coming from the Rabbi or Bar/Bat Mitzvah kid, I was just dumbfounded. The idea of members of the congregation getting up and just speaking extemporaneously was shocking to me. I was incredibly impressed and really enjoyed it even if, at the time, I had very little clue what they were talking about.
“Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” - Amos 3:7
In the scriptures and throughout the history of the church, it has been somewhat easy to determine revelation from the Lord given to the people by one of His servants, a prophet. As examples, here are some declarations which make it pretty clear that it is coming from the Lord.
"And God said..."
"For thus saith the Lord..."
"And it shall come to pass in the last days..."
"And again, verily I say unto you, O inhabitants of the earth..."
"For I will reveal myself from heaven with power and great glory..."
"The Word and Will of the Lord..."
There are many other examples, but this is a few.
“Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah! Jesus anointed that Prophet and Seer.”
-W.W. Phelps, “Praise to the Man,” Hymn #27, LDS Hymnbook, 1985
While this was written for the Prophet Joseph Smith, this line can certainly apply to President Gordon B. Hinckley, who passed away this past Sunday, January 27, 2008 at the age of 97.
“And I … bear personal witness, as a witness, of the divine calling of President Gordon B. Hinckley to this holy office and sacred assignment for which he has been so long and so well prepared. And by “preparation” we mean not only the many experiences which he has had in the Church from his youth, but also mean that doctrine Alma taught, that such a man is “called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God,” a calling predicated at least in part upon demonstrated “faith and good works” before President Hinckley ever came to this earth”
-Jeffrey R. Holland, “Our Priesthood Legacy,” Ensign, May 1995, 38
I wanted to share a few of my own personal recollections about President Hinckley and his family and invite you to do the same in the comments below.
In 2006, there were more than 272,800 convert baptisms in the Church. A year later, I wonder how many are still active? As President Hinckley has said,
“…it will do no good for you to baptize someone and have that individual fall away from the Church shortly thereafter. What have you accomplished? You may have labored long and hard, you may have fasted and prayed as you taught a particular individual the gospel. But if he does not remain active in the Church, all of your labor has been in vain. The whole process counts for nothing. Any investigator worthy of baptism becomes a convert worthy of saving.” Gordon B. Hinckley, “Find the Lambs, Feed the Sheep,” Ensign, May 1999, 104
But is there a rush to baptism? Are numbers and statistics overriding common sense when it comes to making sure that new converts understand what membership in the Church means? Do we seek quantity over quality of the converts coming into the church?
Have you ever noticed how small the LDS Church world is? It is not uncommon to run into people who know people you know. I’ve had several incidents in my years in the Church, some of which I considered kind of strange, in how and where I encountered Church members and found out we knew people in common.
The first time it happened I was in Geneva, Switzerland on business and because I often drove into France from there, I would see the Geneva Stake Center on the way. Well, on this one particular weekend at the end of May, I stopped in on Saturday to see if I could find out when Sacrament Meeting was held the next day. I encountered two missionaries in the building. As I was talking to them, I asked them where they were from. One was from Utah, and the other from Palos Verdes, California. When I told him I was from San Jose, California, he said that their former next door neighbors, Brother and Sister Davis, now lived in San Jose and did I know them. Well, Brother Davis was serving as the Stake Clerk, so yes, I knew them. By the way, on that Sunday, they were watching a tape of the April Continue reading…
