Religion, Politics, and The Akward Party

I am an opinionated person. But, last night I experienced just how opinionated my new friends can be. I had a dinner party. We'll just call it the awkward party. I don't like to talk politics with people here, it just tends to be...well, not a beneficial experience, shall I say. Elections are coming up and maybe tensions are running higher than usual thanks to all the advertisements and campaigning efforts. But last night, i had two different friends over for dinner...I'll replay the details for your awkward reading pleasure. It was such a mixed up evening. They didn't end up getting along at all, and all the while with my new visitor from the east, I was trying to be the hostess with the mostest--but that means a whole new thing over here. Hospitality is huge. I hardly sat down once last night! Melissa and I cooked an Enchilada casserole and the fixings. One of my friends had requested Mexican. So, the meal is ready. We've just sat down and prayed...and one of the very first topics that one of my friends brings up is terrorism and her views on the government's actions towards it and activity in the east of our country. Great. The night just started with a bang. So then, my other friend becomes defensive. I am struggling to understand exactly whats going on--Turkish is flying rapidly and the voices are getting raised. Ak-ward. Everyone calms down and then we have dessert. Tea is such an art here. I was so stressed trying to keep all tea glasses filled, wash forks--because we had already used all the forks and didn't have enough for dessert! So, we're washing forks, spilling tea on the carpet, trying to gage the conversation and keep it afloat without any more disasters. We are well into the dessert course, moving into the fruit course, mind you when things again went awry. Not to mention the fact that at this point, there are a million dishes on my kitchen counter and we had to have cut the juiciest watermelon I've ever seen in my life...so the kitchen is a disaster, but we're on to watermelon eating in the salon and my friends are now talking about religious sects in Islam. They are getting along about as well as at the dinner table, only keeping their voices to a dull argumentative tone. The only moments of relief were the smoke breaks my friend took that I accompanied her with to the porch. They each made sure to tell me they didn't like the other before the night was over. I guess not everyone meshes, I'm learning and apparently opinions run strong...and they're not afraid to argue over them. But, I think this may just be another part of the culture because everyone seems to be fine now. It was just such an awkward night. I brought two friends together that share a common bond of new faith that I too share, and it seems the only thing they could do was pick each other apart over the things that they don't see eye to eye on. It made me think, as Christians, we have something so huge that binds us and connects us. What do we let divide us? There's just no room over here for division, really, no room anywhere for it. The only thing I want to divide in me is the Word...
For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of the soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12