Phillipians application

Regarding Phillipians, how do I apply this to myself?:

When pondering Phillipians, I normally think about an email that was sent to me by a sister-in-Christ when I was on a tough business trip in April of 1994. The note contained Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." (NIV).  One thing is for sure in reading this passage: even if there seems nothing before us that is excellent to think about, we can always think about God.

Regarding Phillipians, how do I apply this to my community?:

When I was on the Leadership Team of Salt and Light, we had to memorize a bunch of Bible verses.  Being a rather new Christian, it was challenging, yet I committed to it, though in doing the rope memorization I was often not soaking in the meaning. One weekend, I really wanted to get away.  I drove to Blacksburg, Virginia, and attended the Virginia Tech vs. Syracuse game.  That night I camped in a field in National Forest land. By flashlight I read and memorized Philippians 4:6-7.  I am thankful that I have this verse memorized. Bible memorization is great, though I do not think it should be forced on people, and memorization does not mean you understand it in your heart. What separates Scripture from other writings is that God always has a message for your heart, and that is what you must have for goodness!
Hunter Irvine