My last attempt

You're touching on an important distinction. I listened to an interview with a convert to Catholicism who had practiced Buddhism for a long time and had apparently become pretty advanced according to whatever measure they would use to judge such a thing (sorry, I'm pretty ignorant of the subject so hopefully you get what I mean). Ultimately what caused him to choose Christianity was the realization that the solution to suffering was not to eliminate all desire. It was to embrace desire, realizing that there is a proper object of our hearts' longing and that seeking the right end fulfills our nature and purpose. That said, I do have an appreciation for the notions of sacrifice and discipline and the connection of that to the solution of suffering.
Both Thomas Merton and Thich Nhat Hanh wrote excellent books on the coexistence of Buddhism and Christianity and how the two Faiths are in no way mutually exclusive, and indeed there are many commonalities regarding contemplative prayer and meditation. Thomas Merton-Zen and the Birds of Appetite, and Thich Nhat Hanh's Living Buddha, Living Christ (in which living is a verb) are two of the better-known books.

You and your friend are correct, a large part of reducing desire and craving comes from simply sitting with those emotions and calling them what they are--fear, anger, lust sadness, etc. Attempting to simply push emotions away is not skillful.