Mike Huckabee accepted $10,000 in payment for speaking at a San Antonio mega-church Sunday before Christmas, but donated the money to his own church in Arkansas, the Politico newspaper reported Wednesday.

The payment is not out of the ordinary for the Republican presidential candidate, who unlike other White House contenders has kept up his speaking career during the campaign. Politico reported that Huckabee gives churches a break from his usual fee of up to $25,000, but that he's booked two or three paid speeches in February, and already delivered that many in November.

Click here to read the Politico story about Huckabee's speaking gigs.

Huckabee told Politico that the pastor at the 25,000-member Cornerstone Church in Texas called him "personally" to set up Sunday's speaking engagement. He said the church insisted on paying him $10,000, even though he did not expect it, and that he then donated the money to his Church at Rock Creek in Little Rock.

Huckabee's speech at the Texas church received heavy attention because of questions about mixing politics and faith, an issue that has followed the former Arkansas governor.

As to why he continues to accept speaking fees, Huckabee told Politico that speaking income "is all I have."