Greetings!
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.
Forgot
your password?
Missed
a previous week's newsletter?
DIECAST Collectible
Model Cars And More
| Item# |
Description |
Stock
Status |
| 92367P |
Jada Toys Toon Garage - Dodge Charger R/T Police Car #16 (2006, 3.5", Black) 92367P |
Restock |
| 92057KN |
Jada Toys Bigtime Muscle - Shelby GT-500 Hard Top (1967, 1:32, Asstd.) 92057KN |
Restock |
| 50607CK |
Jada Toys Dub City - Oldskool Chevy Bel Air Hard Top (1956, 1:24 Scale Die-cast Model, Asstd.) 50607CK |
Restock |
| 92034AF |
Jada Toys Bigtime Muscle - Dodge Challenger Hard Top (2008, 1:24 Scale Die-cast Model, Asstd.) 92034AF |
New |
| 96224A |
Jada Toys Bigtime Kustoms - Chevy Pickup Truck (1951, 1:24 Scale Die-cast Model, Asstd.) 96224A |
New |
| 50768OR |
Highway 61 - Dodge Challenger Hard Top (1970, 1:24 Scale Die-cast Model, Hemi Orange) 50768 |
New |
| 50769 |
Highway 61 - Dodge Challenger Hard Top (1970, 1:24 Scale Die-cast Model, Sublime) 50769 |
New |
| 20770PR |
Highway 61 - Dodge Challenger R/T Hard Top (1970, 1:24 Scale Die-cast Model, Plum Crazy) 50770 |
New |
| 50771PK |
Highway 61 - Dodge Challenger R/T Hard Top (1970, 1:24 Scale Die-cast Model, Panther Pink) 50771 |
New |
| 50816BK |
Highway 61 - Chevy Pickup Truck (1968, 1:18, Black) 50816 |
New |
| 50829G |
Highway 61 - Hurst Hairy Oldsmobile Hard Top (1967, 1:18, Bronze) 50829 |
New |
| AMM942 |
Round 2 ERTL Authentics - Chevrolet Impala SS 396 Hard Top (1967, 1:18, Madeira Maroon) AMM942 |
New |
| 5018D |
Kinsmart - Dodge Ram Pick-Up (1:44, Asstd.) 5018D |
Restock |
| 5058D |
Kinsmart - Volkswagen New Beetle RSi Hard Top (1:32, Asstd.) 5058D |
Restock |
| 5330D |
Kinsmart - Chevy Stepside Pickup (1955, 1:32, Asstd.) 5330D |
Restock |
| 5331D |
Kinsmart - Chevy Nomad (1955, 1:32, Asstd.) 5331D |
Restock |
| 5340D |
Kinsmart - Nissan GT-R R35 Hard Top (1:36 Asstd.) 5340D |
Restock |
FIGURES And More
| Item# |
Description |
Stock
Status |
| 77720 |
American Diorama Accessories - Street Lamps Set of 2 (1:24) 77720 |
New |
| 77701 |
American Diorama Figurine - Biker Series Cash (1:18, Black/ Blue) 77701 |
New |
| 77702 |
American Diorama Figurine - Biker Series Smoke (1:18, Black) 77702 |
New |
| 77703 |
American Diorama Figurine - Biker Series Jane (1:18, Black) 77703 |
New |
| 77704 |
American Diorama Figurine - Biker Series Dog Buddy Hersey (1:18, Black) 77704 |
New |
| 77705 |
American Diorama Figurine - Police Murphy and Dog K9 Set of 2 (1:18, Dark Blue) 77705 |
New |
| 77710 |
American Diorama Figurine - Biker Series Cash (1:12, Black/ Blue) 77710 |
New |
| 77711 |
American Diorama Figurine - Biker Series Smoke (1:12, Black) 77711 |
New |
| 77712 |
American Diorama Figurine - Biker Series Jane (1:12, Black) 77712 |
New |
| 77713 |
American Diorama Figurine - Biker Series Dog Buddy Hersey (1:12, Black) 77713 |
New |
| 77732 |
American Diorama Figurine - Fire Fighter Metal Figures Set of 4 (1:64, Blue) 77732 |
New |
| 77741 |
American Diorama Figurine - Police Murphy and Dog K9 Set of 2 (1:24 Scale Die-cast Model, Dark Blue) 77741 |
New |
TOYS
Please do not reply to this email
address.
Any questions or comments, please email us at [email protected].
To unsubscribe to this newsletter, send an email to [email protected]
and put the word 'unsubscribe' on the subject line.
Thank you
Lu Su
Toy Wonders, Inc.
www.toywonders.com
201-229-1700
God and the Art of Toy and Diecast Marketing
A Reasonable Reason for a Savior
By Lu Su
If Jesus is a Savior, what do we need saving from?
and Why was it necessary that Jesus Christ be sent? Let's
delve into these two questions. The answers are found in Scripture.
If Jesus is a Savior, what do we need saving
from?
This is an easy one.
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about:
His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before
they came together, she was found to be with child through
the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous
man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he
had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared
to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do
not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what
is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give
birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because
he will save his people from their sins."
-Matthew 1:18-21
There is a ton of stuff going on in the above
paragraph, but for this article, I'm going to focus on just
the last part of the last sentence. "because he will save
his people from their sins." Notice that the text did NOT
say that he will save his people from their........ ignorance,
poor self esteem, destroying each other, or the financial mess
they have found themselves in. However notice that the text
does say, "he will save HIS people..." This is very
different than saying that he will save ALL people. Apparently
God calls some people His; but the flip side is that there must
be people that are not His. In a discussion with the most religious
folk of Jesus' time, he said this to them:
You belong to your father,
the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire.
He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth,
for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his
native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. -John
8:44
Notice when Jesus starts talking about their relationship
with their father, he brings the subject of truth into the conversation.
This is a little odd, but more on this later. I often hear the
phrase, "We are all God's children," used frequently.
It beautiful and poetic sounding, but Scripture does not support
such a claim. Scripture teaches us that we are all made in his
image. Scripture teaches us that God deeply desires to have
a relationship with us. But Scripture has always maintained
that there are some people who are His and some who are not.
The next obvious thing to notice is the answer
to the question. Jesus will SAVE his people from their SINS.
So Jesus is the Savior and apparently desires to rescue us from
something. That something is our sins (notice it's not just
one).Well, what is so bad about sin? Isn't sin something fun?
The Scriptures show us that God desires a close relationship
with his people. God himself is triune in nature and thus he
is a relational being. Sin destroys relationship. Sin is like
cancer. At its core, it's destructive and it destroys relationship.
As it spreads, it breaks down relationship and prevents things
to work as God had originally designed (purposed). More specifically,
sin is destructive and destroys our ability to have a relationship
with a holy God. Sin is personally offensive to God.
Unfortunately, sin is not something that damages
just the individual who commits sin. Sin is rarely localized
to just the person engaging in it. When we sin, not only are
we injured, but other people are often harmed too. Just ask
a family member whose dad is an alcoholic or suffers from another
type of addiction. Ask a family member whose parent was physically
or mentally abused when they were a child; see if they were
unaffected. Ask Bernie Madoff's investors. But as bad as sin
is in harming ourselves and affecting other people, there is
something much worse about sin. Sin cuts us off from God.
When we sin, not only are other people offended,
God is offended. All loving parents understand this concept
all too well. When your child gets injured, not only does your
child hurt, you hurt too. When your child teased or picked on,
you personally get offended and angry (sometimes even more angry).
Now if you and I who love our kids imperfectly, can get angry
when sin harms our child; Can you imagine how a perfectly loving
God feels when sin harms his child?
Alright, so let's say for argument sake that there
really is a God, Scripture is God's revelation to us, sin exists,
sin has cut us off from God, and Jesus has been sent to bring
restoration to those who would accept him as a Savior. Now I
know for many of you, this is all a very long stretch and seems
totally absurd, but please try to stay with me here on this
point. If there is one point I want you to remember from this
article it's this:
Jesus didn't come to make bad people good;
He came to make dead people live.
This sentence is reiterated several times in his
speeches and sermons from one of my favorite theologians Ravi
Zacharias. The Bible teaches that man is composed of three parts:
body, soul, and spirit (1
Thess. 5:23; Heb.
4:12, 1
Cor. 6:19). You might not believe me now, but I assure you
all three are vital for our short and long term well being.
Do you understand that we are composed of all three: body, soul
and spirit? This might give new meaning to the phrase "Let
us make man in our image, in our likeness,..." - Genesis
1:26. But after the fall, Adam's spirit became dead to God.
So from then on, all men are born spiritually dead (Eph.
2:1) to God. Jesus came to save his people (us) from their
sins by resuscitating the dead spirit in us (a new birth).
So then why did God send his son Jesus (one part
of the Trinity) to planet Earth? Couldn't God have sent someone
else? Why not just send a representative? Why was it necessary
for God himself to come? Why become a man and subject yourself
in getting tired, hungry, constipated, sweaty, dirty and bloodied?
Why not send the Terminator who would be immune to all those
things?
Why was it necessary that Jesus Christ be
sent?
There are numerous approaches you can take in
answering such a question. One approach is to quote Mosaic laws
(which is a fancy way of saying laws instituted by Moses). These
laws instituted a practice of sacrificing an unblemished animal
for the remission of sin. Another approach is to point out how
Jesus Christ fulfilled numerous prophecies and to show that
Jesus is the Messiah that the old testament prophets spoke about
and who would come to "save his people". You could
even recount the passover story on how God rescued his people
out of slavery out of Egypt; If you recall, this story required
the shedding of blood of a lamb in order to save his people.
But I think I would like to take a more direct approach.
What did Jesus' say? The answer is recorded in
the Bible. So I need to take you back to the chamber where Pontius
Pilate, the Roman Prefect of Judea, was interrogating Jesus.
This event occurred shortly before Jesus was tortured and crucified.
"You are a king, then!" said Pilate.
Jesus answered, "You are right
in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born,
and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.
Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."
"What is truth?" Pilate asked.
With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I
find no basis for a charge against him. -John
18: 37, 38
Okay, Jesus is at the place where the Prefect
makes decisions for the land -his word is law; Pilate is judge
and jury. Jesus is the accused and is on the witness stand.
Witnesses testify. But Jesus' answer doesn't seem to match up
with what the angel had heralded. Jesus said that he came into
the world to "testify to the truth" But the angel
said, "save his people from their sins." Well which
is it? (inquiring minds want to know). These answers are contradictory,
unless you can show that "testifying to the truth"
can "save his people from their sins."
Before his arrival to Jerusalem, where Jesus we
be brought in front of Pilate, Jesus has a conversation with
his disciples and makes this really bold statement.
Jesus answered, "I
am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me." -John
14:6.
Jesus claims he is all three. A man can point
to the way. A man can show you truth. A man can help you find
life. But a man cannot be the way, be truth, and be life -unless
he is God. This is either a really bold claim or a really crazy
claim. It cannot be both. Remember earlier in this article Jesus
said, "for there is no truth in him". Jesus seems
to be using truth as some type of substance contained somewhere
in us (i.e. our body, soul, and/or spirit).
So understanding why we need a savior and why
Jesus came, is wrapped up in understanding what sin is, its
devastating effect, and what truth is. I don't think most people
understand how important truth is to us -mainly because they
don't understand the qualities of truth. Truth has properties
that behave in a very unique way. Let me share with you seven characteristics of truth.
Truth is absolute. For absolutes to exist,
God must exist. Without absolutes there could be no objective
universal truth. Without absolutes, truth becomes relative.
If truth is relative, then right and wrong become relative.
All truth is absolute in nature, because God is absolute truth.
Absolutes exist; therefore, God exists. If absolutes did not
exists, then I would be free to commit murder, steal or mock
people of a certain sex, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation;
and then argue, "well maybe it's wrong for you, but it's
not wrong for me." But I know this is incorrect. Whether
there are written laws or not, whether there is some beneficial
reason to me or not, whether the bulk of society accepts it
or not, objective universal truth exists, therefore these actions
are absolutely wrong. One could only claim this if truth is
absolute.
Truth is immutable. That's just a fancy
way of saying that truth never changes. Interesting that God
would say, "I the LORD do not change." -Malachi
3:6. Truth was the same 10,000 years ago, today, and 10,000
year from now. Truth does not change. Truth will be the same
forever. Truth behaves like a constant. It's not affected by
hormone levels, it doesn't get tired and then become false on
some days. Truth is not affected opinion polls, bad news reporting,
and our personal feelings don't impact truth a bit. Once God
establishes something as true, nothing can change it.
Truth is commutative. Truth exists in
perfect harmony with itself and with others to form meaning.
Like the commutative principle of multiplication or addition,
the players involved are in perfect community with one and another
to form something true and meaningful. 1 + 3 + 7 = 7 + 3 + 1.
Together they form truth. Notice that no particular member is
more important or less important. So truth is not bits of disconnected
ideas, scattered sound bytes, facts or data. Truth has meaning
and it coheres in perfect harmony with itself. Because it is
in perfect agreement with itself, there can be no contradiction.
It lacks nothing and therefore complete.
Truth is expressed in words. It's not
expressed in musical notes, feelings, or dance (I'll also include
synchronized swimming by retired nuns into this category of
dance too); Truth is expressed in words. Even the above mathematical
equation, when conveyed and taught to others is first translated
into words. More specifically, truth is expressed in the form
of a proposition. Whether you believe the proposition or not,
your belief has no effect on the truth -because of the immutability
quality of truth. The apostle John gives us great insight and
starts his Gospel with:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God." -John
1:1
Truth is relevant. Because truth is fixed
and unchanging, it is always relevant. You might not think Plank's
constant (that thing we learned in physics and with purpose
forgotten the next day) has any relevance to your life, but
I assure you that it does. Truth is pertinent in addressing
all types of issues we have today; whether they be political,
economic, physical, social, medical, emotional, spiritual, psychological,
or in our courts of law. Truth is always relevant. And believe
it or not, truth even applies to issues like whether the new
judges on American Idol can keep Fox's ratings up.
Truth is divine. God is the sole author
of truth. We live in a "all about me" culture that
many people mistaken believe that they have the ability to shape
or create truth. God is the sole author of truth -not man. Truth
is not mined out of the ground, picked off trees, fabricated
in factories, or produced my the ingenuity of man. Man only
has the ability to discovered and share it with others. But
on the flip side, man also has the ability to hide it too.
Truth is liberating. In order for business
to be conducted efficiently and effectively, it requires the
free flow of truthful information. Often dictators in order
to make gains in their agenda, will attempt to control the flow
of accurate information. When we area able to obtain truth,
it has a liberating effect. When a scientist does research to
discover truth, when he/she finds it, they are liberated and
their struggle (quest) is over. Maybe that is why Jesus said,
"You will know the truth and the
truth will make you free" -John
8:32. Only truth could deliver us from the tyranny of sin.
Okay, so now you have head knowledge on why Jesus
came to earth and why Jesus wants to become our Savior. You
might have even picked up a few interesting qualities of truth.
But so what? Head knowledge on this subject often doesn't cause
people to change their behavior, accept, and follow. I think
posted speed limit signs is a good example. You can bring out
lots of good arguments on why we should follow the speed limit,
people can agree, but there is still no desire to accept and
change their ways.
You also might happen to think your spirit, though
the Bible considers it dead, is perfectly fine the way it is.
I understand. I was there too. But for any spiritual journey,
this is a very important subject -especially if your spirit
is truly dead. That is why so many of my past articles as well
as this one, center on these spiritual concepts of sin and truth.
So sometime soon, I feel it is now time to introduce yet one
more spiritual concept. It's called grace. For me it has served
as a catalyst to accepting Truth into my life.
