J.Marlin Goodman Scholarship

The scholorship is designated each year for a Giles County student who pursues a degree in Teacher Education. The first five recipients attended the 2005 Bodenham Reunion.

J.Marlin Goodman Scholarship Winners
Lacy Stanford
Beth Marks
Jessica White Harrison
Lauren Nave
Grayson Rose


2006 Scholarship Winner---Megan (Alex) Golden
2007 Scholarship Winners---Cody Taylor ,Mary Beth McCree, and Brandon Spivey

2008 Scholarship Winner---Christine Horn accepts award from Scholarship Chairman, Michael Burns.




Mr. Goodman read this parable at the beginning of each school term to the faculty and students at BHS.
THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS As delivered by Harold Bass on October 1, 2005 at Bodenham Reunion I read from The Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 25, verses 14-30, the King James Version:
14- For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
15- And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
16- Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
17 -And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
18- But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.
19-After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
20-And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
21-His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
22-He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
23-His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24-Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
25-And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26-His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27-Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28-Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
29-For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
30-And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
If you attended Bodenham School during the years that Mr. Goodman was principal, you will recall that a part of the Bodenham tradition was that each school year began with the reading of the Parable of the Talents.
This parable was one of a series of parables addressed to the Twelve Apostles. We are told that Jesus related this parable only to the innermost circle of his most trusted disciples. However, this parable, as pertinent today as it was during Jesus’ ministry, is to all believers. Our natural inclination is to think of a talent as an innate ability or gift that we have for something, such as an athletic activity, artistic endeavor, or educational pursuit. However, we are told that a talent in Jesus’ time was a measure of money. It was not a coin, but a weight of money sometimes measured in bars of silver. It is estimated that a talent weighed several kilograms, making it a huge sack of silver and making a talent a small fortune in that day. I even found one article on that source of all knowledge, the internet, that stated that a talent was a monetary measure which would take an ordinary laborer twenty years to earn. So we are not talking small change. According to the parable, the master divided the money among his servants according to their abilities. No one received more or less than he could handle. If he failed his assignment, his excuse could not be that he was overwhelmed. Failure could only come from laziness or disregard for the master. The talents, however, represent more than money. They represent any kind of resource that we are given. God gives us time, gifts, and other resources according to our abilities, and he expects us to invest them wisely until he returns. In the parable, Jesus uses the words, “good and faithful” in describing the two faithful servants. All can have these qualities regardless of whether rich or poor, uneducated or brilliantly intellectual. God requires this in everyone: GOOD in character, FAITHFUL in service. We are expected to be of good character, and we are expected to be responsible in the use of what God has given us. The issue is not how much we have, but how well we use what we have. The parable tells us that the reward of work well done is still more work to do. The two servants who had done well are not told to lean back and to rest on their oars, because they have done well. They are given greater tasks, and greater responsibilities in the work of the Master. The reward of work is not rest, but more work. The parable tells us that the individual who is punished, the one who is called “wicked and slothful” is the individual who did not try. The man with the one talent did not lose his talent; he simply did nothing with it. Even if he had invested it and lost it, it would have been better than to have done nothing with it at all. It is always a temptation for the one talent person to say, “I have so small a talent, and I can do so little with it, that it is not worthwhile to try, for all the contribution that I can make.” But the parable tells us that condemnation is for the one who, having even one talent, will not try to use it and who will not risk it for the common good. Finally, the parable lays down a rule of life that is universally true. It tells us that to him who has, more shall be given, and from him who has not shall be taken away that which he has. If a person has a talent, and exercises it, he or she is progressively able to do more with it. But, if one has a talent, and fails to exercise it, he or she will inevitably lose it. If we have some proficiency at a game or an art, if we have some gift for doing something, the more we exercise that proficiency and that gift, the harder the work and the bigger the task we will be able to tackle. But if we fail to use it, we lose it. That is equally true of playing basketball or playing the piano, of singing songs or writing sermons, of carving wood or thinking out ideas. It is the lesson of life that the only way to keep a gift is to use it in the service of God and in the service of our fellowman. This was the challenge that Mr. Goodman laid before both his students and his teachers at the beginning of each school year – the challenge of being the best that they could be – the challenge of using their God-given talents to the utmost good for themselves and for their fellowman, and ultimately for the betterment of God’s Kingdom on this earth.
Join with me as we pray. Dear God, on this beautiful fall day, on this cherished site, we give thanks for the talents that we possess, whatever they may be. We thank You for the memories we have of this school and for the many dedicated principals, teachers, coaches and other workers who gave their best to this school. We offer thanks for the athletes, both male and female, who so proudly wore the name Bodenham on their uniforms and who represented this school, this community and all of Giles County so proudly and so well. We thank you for each student who attended this school over the fifty years of its existence and for the entire community who rallied around the school so loyally. We give thanks for those who have contributed so generously to help make the J. Marlin Goodman Scholarship Fund become a viable reality, that the memory of Mr. Goodman may continue to make a difference in the lives of growing numbers of young persons today. We give thanks for the opportunity to renew old acquaintances and to enjoy the fellowship of being together once again on this rocky hillside. And, Dear God, once again we give thanks for the current and former members of the various branches of military service, those from this community and those from beyond, those living and those who have gone on to a better place, for their unselfish gift of service to their country, that we might enjoy the freedoms that have been ours in this great land. And we ask, Dear Father, that You be with each of us today as we celebrate this place and the fond memories that we hold so dear. May our actions and decisions be guided by our dependence upon and our trust in You. All these things we pray in the name of Your son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. AMEN.