Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

Elmo's World

Nicki and I have a two-year-old son, so Elmo is quite popular in our house. (For the uninitiated, Elmo is the little red monster on Sesame Street.) I've seen so many episodes of Elmo's World that I'm carrying around more Elmo knowledge in my brain than I really want to admit.

I know the Elmo's World theme song by heart. I know the name of the puppeteer who also provides the voice for Elmo. His name is Kevin Clash. I know the name of Elmo's goldfish. Her name is Dorothy. I know that Elmo gets way more email than a normal puppet and he has a TV that can turn itself on.

And one more thing I know about Elmo: at the end of nearly every segment of Elmo's World, Elmo leaves his loyal fan base with the same words…"Elmo loves you."

I wonder how many kids hear these words from a puppet but not from their parents. I wonder how many kids know that Elmo loves them but have no idea that Jesus loves them. I don't know how many children fall into that sad category, but I do know this: My son, Ryan, will never be one of them.