Huck

  I was in seminary with Mike Huckabee at Southwestern in Ft. Worth.  He was a year ahead of me.  Mike was a pastor for many years, before he decided to run for Governor of Arkansas and later President.  In 2015, Mike came to Columbia to file with the state Republican Party to have his name on the ballot for our primary. 

 When I heard he was coming, I wanted to reconnect with him.  I went down to the Republican headquarters to say hi.  Those of us who wanted to do so were ushered into a little room to wait for him.  Among those were my pastor, Wendell Estep, who was a good friend of Mike's, and our new Senior Adult minister whose name was Richard Humphries.  We would later become good friends, but that's another story for later.

 Mike came in and greeted everybody.  I had brought something from our seminary days which was fondly called the "funny book".  It had pictures of all the students and faculty for that year.  Just before he was to step before the press, I showed him his picture and mine.  He quipped that was when we both had hair.  He was laughing, when he got before the cameras.  I know the press wondered why.

 After the event was over, we all adjourned to the parking lot.  Mike introduced me to his daughter Sarah.  He and I chatted about our seminary days, and he had remembered seeing some of my drama work at school.  He then asked me if I had been back since graduation.  I told him no, and he proceeded to tell me about all the changes in buildings and the like.  We had a good time remembering those days, but Sarah was antsy about getting her father in the van and onto a campaign stop.  We said our goodbyes.  

 Mike is a good guy.  I wish he would go back to the ministry, but in some ways his ministry has now taken the form of his TV show.  We all don't have to be on a staff of a local church to have a ministry.  It is whatever God has called you to do.  I pray that you will find what God wants you to do.