Stuart Briscoe served as senior pastor of Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin for thirty years, and his preaching took him to more than a hundred countries. The One Year Devotions for Men is Tyndale’s daily devotional built from that ministry. It came out in October 2001, runs 393 pages, and covers a full year.
The format
Each day gives you three things: a key verse from the New Living Translation, a short devotional reading, and a suggested Bible passage for further study if you want to go deeper.
That third element is the part worth paying attention to. Most daily devotionals hand you a verse and a thought and send you on your way, which over a year can quietly replace Bible reading rather than lead to it. Briscoe points you back to a passage every single day. Whether you follow it is up to you, but the structure is built to move you toward Scripture rather than away from it.
You can also start on any day. You are not committed to beginning in January.
Briscoe’s voice
Briscoe was British, and it comes through. Dry, direct, a bit understated, not given to working the reader up. The publisher’s own line is that he addresses men’s spiritual needs without being stuffy, and that is about right.
If you have bounced off devotionals that felt like a motivational speaker in print, this is a different register entirely. If you want energy and urgency, this may read as flat.
Honest notes
It was written in 2001 and it shows in places. The world Briscoe is addressing predates the phone in your pocket, and a few of the cultural touchpoints have aged.
The earlier version of this review credited the book with action steps and reflective questions, and framed the whole devotional as a resource for community outreach and church-wide studies. Neither holds up. I could not verify the action steps, and this is a personal daily devotional, not a group study or a community engagement book. It was also filed under Community, which is the wrong shelf for a 365-day devotional.
The meta description on this post used to say the readings were tailored for “men and women.” It is a men’s devotional. That has been corrected.
Who should get it
A man who wants a full year of short daily readings that push him back into the actual text. Someone who prefers a measured, thoughtful voice over an enthusiastic one. A reasonable gift, and easy to start at any point in the year.
Skip it if you want something recent, or if you want a study to run with a group.
The One Year Devotions for Men on Amazon