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Toy Wonders New Arrivals

September 16, 2011

Dear Customers,

A few shipments arrived this week. If you log into your account at www.toywonders.com, before clicking on any of the links below, approved wholesale accounts will see wholesale pricing.

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DIECAST Collectible Model Cars And More

Image	Item#	Description	Stock Status
	12054SV/4	BBurago Gold - Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR M.M. Convertible #722 (1955, 1:18, Silver) 12054	Restock
	36813R	Maisto Premiere - Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible (1959, 1:18, Red) 36813	Restock
	V7426/9964	Mattel Hot Wheels Elite - Ferrari 458 Hard Top Italia Fernando Alonso (1:18, White) V7426/9964	New
	W1168/9964	Mattel Hot Wheels - Ferrari 599 GTO Hard Top (1:18, White) W1168/9964	New
	92058BU	Yatming - Shelby Cobra 427 S/C Convertible (1964, 1:18, Blue) 92058	Restock
	92058GN	Yatming - Shelby Cobra 427 S/C Convertible (1964, 1:18, Green) 92058	Restock
	92138PR	Yatming - Ford Crown Victoria (1955, 1:18, Purple/ White) 92138	Restock
	92138TQ	Yatming - Ford Crown Victoria (1955, 1:18, Turquoise) 92138	Restock
	92268BU	Yatming - Tucker Torpedo Hard Top (1948, 1:18, Blue) 92268	Restock
	92268R	Yatming - Tucker Torpedo Hard Top (1948, 1:18, Red) 92268	Restock
	92478TN	Yatming Road Signature - Studebaker Champion Hard Top (1950, 1:18, Tan) 92478	Restock
	92728GN	Yatming - Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato (1961, 1:18, Green) 92728	Restock
	92778R	Yatming - AMC Rebel Hard Top (1970, 1:18, White) 92778	Restock
	92778W	Yatming - AMC Rebel Hard Top (1970, 1:18, White) 92778	Restock
	92788R	Yatming - Aston Martin DB2-4 Mark III Convertible (1958, 1:18, Red) 92788	Restock
	24068BK	Yatming - Lincoln Continental Reagan Car (1972, 1:24, Black) 24068	Restock
	24088BK	Yatming - Lincoln Sunshine Special (1939, 1:24, Black) 24088	Restock
	32422BU	Signature Models - Cadillac Series 62 Sedan Hard Top (1949, 1:32, Blue) 32422BU	Restock
	32521GN	Signature Models - Ford Model TT US Army Issued (1923, 1:32, Green) 32521GN	Restock
	34341	Maisto Custom Shop - Buick Century Highway Patrol & Fire Chief (1955, 1:24, Asstd.) 34341	Restock
	34354	Maisto Custom Shop - Ford Model A (1929, 1:24, Asstd.) 34354	Restock
	4025D	Kinsmart - Toyota Prius Hard Top (4", Asstd.) 4025D	Restock
	5349D	Kinsmart - Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Hard Top (1:36, Asstd.) 5349D	New
	50298Y	RC2 Johnny Lightning JL Cars - Forever Release 17 (1:64, Asstd.) 50298Y	New
	31360/26/48	Maisto - Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Series 26 (1:18, Asstd.) 31360/26/48	Restock
	98661	Yatming - Digital Gas Pump Pontiac Service (1:18, Red) 98661	Restock
	98691	Yatming - Digital Gas Pump Cadillac (1:18, Yellow) 98691	Restock
	98711	Yatming - Digital Gas Pump Buffalo Gasoline (1:18, Green) 98711	Restock
	98731	Yatming - Digital Gas Pump Roar with Gilmore (1:18, Red) 98731	Restock
	98751	Yatming - Digital Gas Pump Indian Gasoline (1:18, White) 98751	Restock
	98771	Yatming - Digital Gas Pump Mohawk Gasoline (1:18, Red) 98771	Restock
	98801	Yatming - Digital Gas Pump Quaker State (1:18, White) 98801	Restock
	98802	Yatming - Cylinder Gas Pump Quaker State (1:18, White) 98802	Restock

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Thank you

Lu Su
Toy Wonders, Inc.
www.toywonders.com
201-229-1700

Sorry about last week's unfinished piece. That's what happens when you forward your assistant the wrong file. Here is the final copy.

God and the Art of Toy and Diecast Marketing
Looking for God
By Lu Su

For those looking for God, if God became human, would you be able to recognize God? Does he always wear a robe and sandals? How would you know this person was God? Maybe do a King Herod and ask God to become your court jester? You know, "Do a few tricks for me and then maybe I'll believe." God might not even dignify the question with a response.

When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort. He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. -Luke 23: 8,9

For those anxiously looking for God, has it ever occurred to you that God might be looking for you? Maybe you just keep inadvertantly ducking Him? The Bible records several events that show God entering our plane of existence (i.e. three spatial dimensions plus time), encounters people, but didn't seem to have the need to do or say anything to bring special attention to Himself. Rewind the tape to the Garden of Eden. (Rewind the tape? how ancient am I? I come from from an era where there were these things called film, cassette and video tapes)

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” -Genesis 3: 8,9

Adam and Eve obviously had encountered God before, because how would they know to hide from Him? Notice that the husband and wife team "heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking". Walking implies feet and legs. Hopefully these feet and legs are connected to a body and head or that would have been awfully scary; and thus provide an alternate theory on why they hid. Notice in this encounter, God is not some glowing orb, a floating spirit, or a voice in their heads. In the above passage God calls out. Since they didn't have electronic voice synthesizers back then, calling out requires a diaphragm, lungs, vocal chords, and a mouth. In other words the LORD God had taken a human (or at least human like) form in the garden. Also realize at this point, Adam and Eve had already committed sin (sin being defined as anything that is against God's will). So what does the all powerful God of the universe do? Wipe them out? Ignore them? Remove their ability to choose not to sin? No, He comes looking for them.

Two quick side bar here. Mohammad, in writing the Qu'ran (roughly 630 AD) also includes the Garden of Eden story with the same two characters; however, there are pretty big differences in the story line. For one, in the Judeo-Christian scriptures (roughly 1300 BC, about 2000 years before the Qu'ran) God walks and searches for Adam and Eve, but in the Qu'ran this detail is absent.

Also, most religions make a distinction between the body and the spirit. But many ancient and many of these new age religions will add the idea that the body is somehow bad (dirty) and the spirit is good (pure). So often these types of religions will then encourage you to do stuff like purge everything out of your body, meditate to escape your body, put your body in an uncomfortable position (so that your mind wants to escape), or even eat or breath in things to encourages hallucination. All this in an effort to "escape" from your body and to put some distance between the good and the bad. However, with the premise that the flesh is bad, then God taking on human form would become impossible or at least something very difficult to believe. Moreover, many religions will usually then take this opportunity to teach that one sex is superior -thereby granting more privileges/opportunities to one over the other. So two questions here. 1) Is the body bad? and 2) Is one sex more superior than the other? Since we are already in Genesis, flip over to the end of Genesis 1, read what God said. Then judge for yourself who is correct (God or man) on this matter.

So God created mankind in his own image,
   in the image of God he created them;
   male and female he created them.

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. -Genesis: 1: 27, 31

We weren't just made good. We were all made "very good". God don't make junk. Fast forward the tape to the Tower of Babel:

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” -Genesis 11: 1 - 7

Apparently a bird's eye view wasn't good enough. God comes down to Earth to check out the construction of the tower. I bet God walked right by one of our distant relatives. Maybe God even bought an over priced bagel from your distant cousin Elmo who ran a concession stand adjacent to the construction site. And later God got thirsty (bodies require fluids) and bought a bottle of Babbling Spring water from our super great grandmother. If God was there to check out the tower, He probably also bought a copy of local newspaper: The Babbling Times from a local grocery whose offspring would eventually be reading this article.

The point I am making is that most likely, God interacted with people while on his recognizance mission. But people didn't know who He was because He was in disguise. Notice something interesting here. Genesis was written by Moses. Moses was a Jew. One of the tenets of the Jewish faith is the claim that "The LORD is one" (Deut. 6:4); Well if the "LORD is one", why does God refer to himself as "us" and not "me"? This is the second time God says, "Let us". The first time was right before he created man. It's not until the New Testament that we learn that God is Triune in nature. Three persons in one single essence: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It's enough to make your head spin. Including myself, I don't think most people can fully comprehend the Trinity. But I do know that if I were to make up a religion, I certainly wouldn't start with making God something incomparable and almost incomprehensible.

Another example of God walking on Earth and not doing anything to draw attention to himself occurred a few days after Jesus was crusified, died and was placed in a tomb.

On the Road to Emmaus

Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.

 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

   “What things?” he asked.

 “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”

He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. -Luke 24: 13-35

Realize that Cleopas and Simon were NOT looking for God as they trod towards Emmaus. But just like Adam and Eve, God came looking for them. Notice how patient this God is. This all powerful after calling them foolish and slow to believe doesn't squash them like bugs. He takes his time to walk, talk, and dine with them. He certainly didn't have to do so, but God choose to reveal himself to both of them. If they didn't talk him into dinner, that might have never known he was God. I'm going to bet that God still takes an interest in us, but probably most of the time, he doesn't feel the need to reveal Himself to the people he encounters.

Also notice the phrase "Then their eyes were opened". Where have we heard this phrase before? I remember. It was in Genesis in the garden.

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. -Genesis 3:7

But notice there was a big difference here. In the garden, "eyes being opened" brought shame and an eventual physical death; but on the road to Emmaus, "eyes being opened" brought revelation of Truth and eternal life.

Are you looking for God? I think he's much closer than you think. He might have even found you, but you just keep walking by. I want to conclude with an excerpt from an interview TIME Magazine had with Mother Teresa.

Mother Teresa in Calcutta orphanage, 1979.
Bettman / Corbis

Time: What did you do this morning?

Mother Teresa: Pray.

Time: When did you start?

Mother Teresa: Half-past four

Time: And after prayer

Mother Teresa: We try to pray through our work by doing it with Jesus, for Jesus, to Jesus. That helps us to put our whole heart and soul into doing it. The dying, the cripple, the mental, the unwanted, the unloved they are Jesus in disguise.

People are responding not because of me, but because of what we're doing. Before, people were speaking much about the poor, but now more and more people are speaking to the poor. That's the great difference. The work has created this. The presence of the poor is known now, especially the poorest of the poor, the unwanted, the loved, the uncared-for. Before, nobody bothered about the people in the street. We have picked up from the streets of Calcutta 54,000 people, and 23,000 something have died in that one room [at Kalighat].

Time: Why have you been so successful?

Mother Teresa: Jesus made Himself the bread of life to give us life. That's where we begin the day, with Mass. And we end the day with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. I don't think that I could do this work for even one week if I didn't have four hours of prayer every day.

Time: Humble as you are, it must be an extraordinary thing to be a vehicle of God's grace in the world.

Mother Teresa: But it is His work. I think God wants to show His greatness by using nothingness.

Time: You are nothingness?

Mother Teresa: I'm very sure of that.

Time: You feel you have no special qualities?

Mother Teresa: I don't think so. I don't claim anything of the work. It's His work. I'm like a little pencil in His hand. That's all. He does the thinking. He does the writing. The pencil has nothing to do it. The pencil has only to be allowed to be used. In human terms, the success of our work should not have happened, no? That is a sign that it's His work, and that He is using others as instruments - all our Sisters. None of us could produce this. Yet see what He has done.

Time: What is God's greatest gift to you?

Mother Teresa: The poor people.

Time: How are they a gift?

Mother Teresa: I have an opportunity to be with Jesus 24 hours a day.

 

Sources:

Interview with Mother Teresa, by by Edward W. Desmond in 1989 for Time magazine.

Mother Teresa's Crisis of Faith, by David Van Biema 8/23/2007

 

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