John K. Carmack

First Quorum of the Seventy (April 7, 1984 – October 6, 2001)

General Conference Addresses

• April 2001 General Conference
  • United in Love and Testimony
    • “My testimony is built on the firm convictions that the Book of Mormon is true and Jesus is our Savior. This spiritual foundation has helped me weather the storms of challenge and doubt. I started reading the Book of Mormon in my youth and have continued, learning and drinking its spirit with every study.”
    • “I also wonder if we fully appreciate the value and strength of the witnesses’ testimonies published in each copy of the Book of Mormon. Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris saw the plates and the angel. And Joseph also showed the gold plates to eight other men who saw and, using their word, “hefted” them.”
    • “Christ’s Atonement is the central doctrine, but of even more comfort and benefit has been how wonderfully accessible and individual His mercy and help have been to me personally.”
• April 1993 General Conference
  • Faith Yields Priesthood Power
    • “The priesthood of God is potentially a greater source of power than electricity. Collectively, priesthood brethren perform well, but we fall far short of our potential. Why? Could our problem be that we fail to tap our greatest source of power in exercising our priesthood? Do we trade electricity for candles?”
    • “Rather than relying on faith, we are tempted to stay with the comfortable and tangible tools of our temporal lives to accomplish priesthood callings. The Church has also provided some tools. These tools are useful. They have helped us achieve success, power, and control over our time. They include our natural intelligence; education and training; preparation, with manuals, handbooks, agendas, and budgets.”
    • “Add faith, however, and priesthood service becomes magnificent. Two candles suddenly burst into four hundred watts of light. More to the point, we tap into the Lord’s power source, and our actions move in rhythm with His. The Lord compensates for our deficiencies. Vast, unseen reservoirs of dynamic power supply our needs.”
    • “With faith we can get the right things to do into our hearts and the words and mental exertion to do them. It may require leaving unstructured time in our planning and on our agenda. Then faith would have some air to breathe.”
    • “Pride and arrogance block out faith.”
    • “Self-sufficiency, often through financial success, high educational attainment, fame, and honor among men, can keep us from having faith.”
• October 1988 General Conference
  • The Soil and Roots of Testimony
    • “Testimonies are like our lawn. They may be green and growing, but the heat of summer can change all of that. I shudder when I hear anyone declare, “I will never deny my testimony of the gospel.” I seem to hear another standing by and answering quietly, “Well, we shall see.””
    • “First, our testimonies will be in good ground if they are rooted in Christ. Christ is the source of our greatest strength and comfort in times of stress or doubt.”
    • “I don’t believe it was ever intended that the gospel be proven true by physical or documentary evidence acceptable to all. In this life, the believer must come to his witness by faith, not by logic and proof alone. And the starting point is to place the ingredient of desire in our soil.”
• April 1984 General Conference
  • Upheld by the Prayers of the Church
    • “I testify to two things. One is that there is a real Jesus the Christ. He has a personal interest in each one of us. And secondly, if we seek him, he brings to us the peace which passeth all understanding.”
    • “Don’t neglect those early morning prayers to our Heavenly Father. Through those prayers, you reach him, and through that, you can have peace.”
    • “Christ’s love can be tough.”
    • “God wants us to become like himself. We are being prepared for godhood, and it hurts; it hurts abominably, but there is peace.”

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